When we talk about advertising on the Internet, it does not only refer to the paid advertising campaigns found on Google. Indeed, there are different ways on the Web to promote a product or a service.

In terms of volume, the Youtube platform is the second search engine in the world, just behind Google. Even better, it generates more searches each month than Bing, Yahoo and Ask combined!

With YouTube, just imagine the number of people who could see your ads… If you haven’t thought about it yet, it’s high time to take advantage of the YouTube phenomenon! Have you also thought about advertising on YouTube?

What are the advantages of YouTube advertising?
With more than 2 billion users worldwide and more than 1 billion hours of video viewed every day, YouTube is one of the most popular websites on the planet! It generates a huge number of visits and therefore a huge potential audience for your brand.

On a daily basis, YouTube users watch videos to inform, educate or entertain themselves. Everyone has a reason to be on YouTube.

For a business, it’s a great way to be seen. For some, it’s also a good source of income.

Advertising formats on YouTube
On YouTube, the possibilities are immense. In fact, there are several ad formats available on this site. If you’re thinking of running ads on YouTube, here are the different options.

Disable InStream ads
Disable InStream ads appear on YouTube before, during or after another video. Similarly, they also appear on Google’s video partner websites and applications. These are the small ads that appear automatically and that the viewer can choose to disable or not after a five second delay.

Typically, InStream ads that can be turned off are used to attract leads, drive more traffic to a website, increase brand awareness, generate product interest and increase sales.

Pricing-wise, InStream Disabled ads operate on a CPV bidding strategy. This means that the advertiser only pays when a user watches the video for at least 30 seconds (or the entire ad if it is shorter). Similarly, the advertiser pays when the user interacts with the video, for example, when they click on it.

InStream ads that cannot be disabled
Like the previous ads, InStream ads that can’t be disabled appear before, during or after other videos on YouTube. They may also appear on Google’s video partner websites and applications. These ads are more invasive and are used when you absolutely want users to see your entire message. In other words, these ads can’t be ignored.

In terms of format, InStream ads that can’t be disabled last up to 15 seconds and users are forced to wait until the end of that time to see their content. This is a great way to increase coverage and awareness.

In terms of pricing, InStream’s non-deactivatable ads are based on a Target CPM bidding strategy. The advertiser is charged based on the number of impressions of their ad, which is the number of times the ad is shown.

Video Discovery Ads
YouTube Video Discovery ads are used to promote video content in a convenient location. They appear next to other similar YouTube videos in search results. They can also be visible on the YouTube mobile homepage.

In terms of presentation, Video Discovery ads consist of an image of the video in thumbnail form, combined with text. However, the size and appearance of a Video Discovery ad may vary depending on the location of the ad.

In all cases, they are visually optimized to invite the user to click and watch. They are a great way to get people interested in a brand or its products.

If an advertiser chooses to run a Video Discovery ad on YouTube, they are only charged when a user chooses to watch their ad by clicking on the thumbnail.

Bumper Ads
The bumper ad is characterized by a short, punchy message. It lasts a maximum of six seconds. These ads are shown before, during or after a video. Internet users do not have the possibility to ignore them. This is a great way to reach YouTube users on a large scale, offering them a short but memorable message.

Generally, this is a way to increase reach and brand awareness.

To run these types of ads, advertisers use the Target CPM bidding strategy. The price is established according to the number of impressions, i.e. the number of times these ads are shown.

OutStream Ads
OutStream ads are widely used to increase brand awareness and coverage on mobile. They start playing with the sound muted. The user is free to reactivate the sound if he wants, by clicking on the ad.

Popular for their attractive pricing, OutStream ads are charged at a cost per thousand visible impressions. Only views of at least two seconds are counted toward the cost.

OutStream ads are only served on mobile. However, more YouTube users are on smartphones than on PCs. Therefore, these ads can be very beneficial in terms of brand awareness. On mobile, they can be displayed in a variety of places, such as in banners, interstitials, in-feed, native, portrait and full-screen modes.

Masthead Banners
Finally, Masthead banners are primarily designed to advertise a new product or service and reach a wider audience in a short period of time. For example, they are widely used by brands during the sales period.

The format of these ads differs depending on the channel used:

On computers, the Masthead banner is played automatically without sound for up to 30 seconds. It appears at the top of the YouTube home stream. It includes an information panel on the right that automatically displays the elements of the advertiser’s channel. The user can choose to mute or unmute the video. When the user clicks on the video or the thumbnail, they are automatically redirected to the brand’s YouTube playback page.
On mobile devices, the Masthead banner is played without sound at the top of the YouTube application. It includes a video thumbnail with a customizable title, descriptive text and an action button. When the user clicks on the Masthead banner, they are automatically redirected to the YouTube playback page for the video.
On a TV screen, the Masthead banner plays automatically without sound at the top of the application and YouTube TV. The banner can be displayed in full screen or 16:9. With their remote control, users can interact with the ad. At the end of the autoplay, the ad thumbnail appears. If the user clicks on the video or the thumbnail, they are redirected to the video playback page and can view it again in full screen. However, the advertiser cannot add a call-to-action button to a Masthead banner on TV.
Regarding pricing, Masthead banners are available on a reservation basis and are charged at cost per thousand impressions. Prices are quoted on a case-by-case basis. To get a quote, simply contact the Google advertising team.

6 steps to create your YouTube ad
Of course, like any marketing action, the creation of a YouTube ad must be prepared. Here are the different steps to follow to create your ad.

Publish your video on your channel
First of all, and logically, you need to create a YouTube channel. At the same time, create your Google account. Don’t worry: these two steps are not very complicated. Just let us guide you!

Once your channel is established, all you have to do is upload your video. To do this, log in to your channel and click on the camera icon at the top right of the page. Then click on “create” and “import videos”.

Please note that all YouTube users have access to this feature. No matter how many subscribers you have, you will be able to broadcast videos and use them for advertising.

Create a Google Ads account and link it to your YouTube account
Once this first step is done, create your Google Ads account. Indeed, it is through this platform that you can create and manage all your ads. It is also where you will find all your statistics that will allow you to measure the performance of your marketing campaign.

All YouTube ads are coordinated by Google Ads. It is therefore an essential step. Your YouTube account and your Ads account must be associated. Then, you just have to go to Google Ads and click on “campaign”, then on “+”, and finally on “new campaign”.