Digital Marketing
How do I advertise on YouTube?
You advertise on YouTube through Google Ads, by creating a Video campaign. Upload your video to YouTube first, then in Google Ads choose your goal, pick the Video campaign type, set your budget and audience, and add your video.
ShoaibUpdated 3 min read
What are the steps?
Based on Google Ads Help's "Create a Video campaign" guide:
- Upload your video to your YouTube channel.
- In Google Ads, go to Campaigns and click the plus icon, then New campaign.
- Choose a goal: Sales, Leads, Website traffic, or YouTube reach, views and engagements.
- Select Video as the campaign type, and pick a subtype.
- Set a daily or total budget, a bid strategy, and start and end dates.
- Choose locations (for example Kuwait), languages and networks.
- Add audiences, topics or keywords in the ad group.
- Add your video by searching for it or pasting its YouTube URL, then fill in the headline, call to action and website link.
Which ad formats can I use?
Google Ads Help lists these:
| Format | What it is |
|---|---|
| Skippable in-stream | Plays before, during or after videos; viewers can skip after 5 seconds |
| Non-skippable in-stream | Viewers can't skip, so they see the whole message |
| Bumper | Up to 6 seconds, can't be skipped |
| In-feed | Shows as a thumbnail with text in YouTube feeds and search |
| Shorts ads | Show between Shorts videos, built for mobile |
| Masthead | Top placement on YouTube, booked through a Google sales representative |
Where should I start?
For most small businesses, a skippable in-stream or in-feed ad with a clear hook in the first 5 seconds is a sensible first test. For the bigger picture, read how Google Ads actually works and what makes a good ad creative.
If you'd like YouTube ads run as part of your digital marketing, see our Google Ads service.