Promote your channel with AdWords for video
To help drive more views and subscribers to your channel, you can pay to run an ad campaign for your videos on YouTube through AdWords for video. You can create an ad that could appear before a video starts, or alongside a video on its watch page on YouTube. All you have to do is create your ad, set your budget, and use the promotional tools below to reach the right audience. There’s no minimum price to run an ad — you can pay as little or as much as you like, and you can change your ads, targeting, and budgets at any time. You can also end your campaign whenever you want.
When promoting your videos on YouTube with an ad, it’s important to create unique ads that inspire your viewer and help them get to know you. Here are some useful strategies:
- Keep it short. Aim for a length of 30 to 60 seconds.
- Show viewers what you’re all about. Consider including clips from your most popular videos and make sure your ad has the same look and feel as the rest of the content on your channel.
- Make the most of the first 5 seconds. Viewers can skip your ad in the first 5 seconds, so it’s important to use this time creatively to convince them to stay!
- Use calls to action (CTA). A call to action is a marketing term for a clear message that tells your viewer exactly what to do next. If this isn’t clear, they may enjoy your video ad, but not click or subscribe. Have you ever seen an infomercial on TV where the host doesn’t announce their customer phone number repeatedly? Of course not! Make sure you include clear call to actions like “Click to subscribe” or “Get more /channelname.” Try using these tips for effective placement of calls to action in your video.
- Give users time to take that action. If your video is tons of fun, your viewer may be too busy watching and processing your video to realize they’re missing out on some important clickable spots on your video. Once your ad has played, they’ll move on to watching something else, so make sure the last 10 seconds or more of your video gives viewers time to absorb your message and click. For example, you could create a static call to action, like an end-card for your ad.
- Give your ad a viewer-friendly title. The ad title you create isn’t just on your dashboard — it’s also visible to viewers, so name it thoughtfully. For example, you probably don’t want to call it “My Channel Ad.” You can also use this space as an additional opportunity to include a CTA by naming it something like “subscribe to my channel.”
- Upload to the channel you’re promoting. Upload the ad as unlisted or public to the channel you’re trying to promote.
If you’re having trouble building your audience on YouTube, paid promotion with AdWords for video can help you attract new viewers to your videos and your channel through a process called “ad targeting.” Ad targeting gives you several ways to zero in on potential fans:
Placement targeting helps you attract new viewers you think will appreciate your own channel by running your ad on other channels they watch. First, identify channels that have an audience you’d like to attract, then add these channels as “placement targets” in your campaign.
Interest category targeting helps you reach new viewers based on their interests. For example, you can target your channel of cooking tutorials to viewers interested in food. First, identify subjects your new audience would be interested in, then add these as targeting categories to your campaign.
