What are YouTube In-Feed (Discovery) Ads? A Beginner’s Guide

If you’ve ever browsed videos on YouTube, you’ve likely noticed some videos with a “Sponsored” or “Ad” tag appear with normal video content. These are known as in-feed video ads, formerly known as YouTube discovery ads.

YouTube in-feed video ads are a great way to get your brand in front of the right people while they’re browsing content. Ready to learn more about how YouTube in-feed ads work and how you can use them to your advantage? Keep reading as we cover:

• What are YouTube in-feed video ads?
• YouTube in-feed ad placements
• Why use in-feed YouTube ads?
• YouTube in-feed video ad specs
• How much do in-feed YouTube ads cost?
• How to set up in-feed YouTube ads

What are YouTube in-feed video ads?

YouTube in-feed video ads (formerly known as video discovery ads and TrueView ads) are non-disruptive, easy-to-spot ads that appear throughout the YouTube site, either alongside video players or integrated into video feeds. Unlike in-stream ads, in-feed video ads do not appear as an ad break during video playback.

In-feed YouTube ads are marked as “Sponsored,” and appear as an image thumbnail with a headline and description. When clicked, YouTube in-feed ads take users to a watch page where users can further interact with the brand.

Keep Exploring: YouTube Ad Types

YouTube in-feed ad placements (+ examples)

In-feed video ads can appear in a few different locations on YouTube:

Search results

In-feed ads appear above relevant YouTube search results on desktop, mobile, and TVs.

Watch next

In-feed ads are displayed at the top or in between related videos while users view content. When viewing on a desktop, in-feed ads appear alongside the main video. On mobile devices, they appear underneath the main video.

Home feed

In-feed video ads appear on YouTube’s home page in different locations, depending on the device being used:

• Desktop: Appears at the top of the recommended videos list or between videos within the regular feed.
• Mobile: Appears at the top of the video feed when a Masthead ad isn’t present, or between videos in the feed.
• TV: Appears within the recommended videos list.

Why use in-feed YouTube ads?

Why are YouTube in-feed video ads beneficial for businesses? In-feed ads are a popular YouTube advertising option because they help brands gain more visibility on YouTube without being disruptive. Take a closer look at the benefits of in-feed video ads:

Better visibility

In-feed YouTube ads are placed in prominent locations around YouTube. Even if people don’t click on your ads, users still see them in key spots on YouTube, like the top of search results and recommended video lists.

Cost-effective

YouTube in-feed video ads are a cost-effective way to advertise your brand online because you get to control how much you spend. With in-feed ads’ CPV bidding strategy, you’re only paying for your ad placement when people engage with your ad.

Additionally, YouTube’s advertising platform gives you the option to set daily or campaign budget limits. So, if you only want to spend, say, $20 on your in-feed ad campaign one day, your ads will run up until you hit that limit. It’s incredibly convenient for those who want to be smart with their ad spend!

Non-disruptive

Another benefit of YouTube in-feed video ads is that they don’t appear in the middle of video content as an ad break like in-stream ads do. While they do get more eyes on your brand, in-stream ads can be disruptive for viewers and are often skipped.

In-feed video ads are placed in highly visible spots and blend in seamlessly with organic content.

Advanced targeting options

In-feed YouTube ads are highly targeted because they appear under relevant search queries, so you’re putting your ad in front of people searching for content similar to what you offer.

Additionally, in-feed ads have precision targeting options so you can ensure you’re reaching the right audiences.

YouTube in-feed video ad specs

Below are the recommended ad specifications for in-feed YouTube ads:

How much do in-feed YouTube ads cost?

YouTube video ad can cost anywhere from $100–$1000 per month and $0.11–$0.40 per view.

The actual cost of YouTube in-feed video ads depends on your YouTube advertising budget and bidding strategy. In-feed YouTube ad rates are based on a cost-per-view (CPV) bidding strategy. This means you pay a specified amount each time users interact with the video thumbnail to watch your ad.

Find Out More: How Much Does YouTube Advertising Cost?

How to set up in-feed YouTube ads

Curious on how to launch a YouTube in-feed ads campaign? Check out this simple how-to guide for beginners:

1. Create or log in to your Google Ads account
2. Start a new campaign
3. Fill in your campaign details and upload your ad
4. Launch your campaign

1. Create or log in to your Google Ads account

To run a YouTube ad campaign, you must have a Google Ads account. So, if you haven’t already, create a Google Ads account, or log in to your existing one.

Learn More: How to Get Started With Google Ads

2. Start a new campaign

Once you’re logged into Google Ads, switch to your Campaign tab and click Create Campaign. Here, you’ll be prompted to choose your campaign objective. YouTube in-feed video ads only run via two objectives:

• Awareness and consideration
• Create a campaign without a goal’s guidance

For the purpose of this in-feed ad guide, we’ll create a campaign through the Awareness and consideration objective.

After choosing Awareness and consideration as your campaign objective, you’ll specify your campaign type and subtype. For campaign type, select Video. For subtype, choose Video views.

3. Fill in your campaign details and upload your ad

Now that you’ve filled out the basic information for your YouTube in-feed video ads campaign, it’s time to start customizing your campaign details.

First, specify your campaign’s bid strategy, budget, and total spend for the duration of the campaign. For your bid strategy, select Target CPV, and choose Campaign total as your budget type. Then, specify the total amount you want to pay for your campaign.

Next, choose where you want to run your in-feed ads. Under Networks, you have three options:

• YouTube
• Google TV
• Google Partners

If you select YouTube, your in-feed ads will appear anywhere on YouTube, including search results, the home page, and suggested video lists. If you choose Google Partners, your video will appear on YouTube and video partners on the Google Display Network. The choice is up to you!

After selecting your campaign Networks, it’s time to specify your Audience segments to determine who will see your ads. You can either create a new audience segment based on existing campaign data you have, or you can select existing and premade segments.

Finally, choose what people will see your ads based on Location Targeting, and select your Bid strategy.

Remember: When setting your bid strategy, the higher your bid, the more you’ll pay each time someone interacts with your ad, and the quicker you’ll meet your budget limit. You can always adjust your bid, so we suggest setting your bid low to start and increasing it as needed.

Explore More: PPC and Google Bid Management

4. Launch your campaign

Before you click the launch button, take a moment to review all of your campaign settings, audience targeting details, and bidding information. Once you’re satisfied, hit Create Campaign.

Get more from your campaigns with YouTube in-feed video ads

Now that you know about YouTube’s in-feed video ads, it’s time to put this information to the test and launch your own campaign!

Need a bit more help? We’ve got you covered — WebFX is an award-winning revenue marketing agency with 150+ Google Ads Certified team members ready to help you launch a YouTube ads campaign that drives result for your business.

Explore our YouTube advertising services, then give us a call at 888-601-5359 or contact us online to learn more about partnering with WebFX!