YouTube Brain

Ad Formats

2 min read

Ad Formats

YouTube advertising runs through Google Ads, and the format is the unit a viewer actually sees. Each format has a length, a placement, and a billing model, and picking the wrong one for the goal wastes budget. This note covers the six core formats; the campaign wrappers that buy them are in Ad Campaign Types and the billing in Ad Bidding and Budget. The organic counterpart to these surfaces is Discovery Surfaces.

In-stream

  • Skippable in-stream plays before, during, or after videos on YouTube watch pages and Google video partners, with a skip option after 5 seconds. It bills on cost-per-view or Target CPM/CPA and generates TrueView views.
  • Non-skippable in-stream runs up to 60 seconds and bills on Target CPM. It comes in three lengths: bumper (up to 6 seconds), standard (7 to 15 seconds), and a 30-second connected-TV format (16 to 30 seconds, horizontal).

Bumper

Bumper ads are 6 seconds or shorter, unskippable, billed on Target CPM. They are built for reach and recall, not views, and generate public views rather than TrueView views. See Ad Measurement.

In-feed and Shorts

  • In-feed video ads (formerly Discovery, or TrueView Discovery) appear in YouTube search results, alongside related videos, and on the mobile homepage. They charge on a thumbnail click or a 10-second autoplay.
  • Shorts ads run between Shorts in the feed across devices, a fast-growing surface; see Connected TV and Shorts Ads and Shorts.

Masthead

Masthead is a reservation-only placement on the YouTube homepage, billed on CPM or cost-per-hour. It is a premium awareness buy, increasingly delivered on connected TV.

How to apply

  • Match the format to the goal: skippable in-stream and in-feed for views and consideration, bumper and non-skippable for reach and recall, Masthead for a big-moment launch.
  • Remember that a “view” means different things by format, which changes what you pay for; see Ad Bidding and Budget.
  • Most campaigns now combine several formats automatically through multi-format ads; see Ad Campaign Types.

Sources

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