Realize Native Ads
Native ads in below-article and in-article recommendation widgets, driven by headline and image; headlines and landing pages decide results.
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Taboola Realize format
Taboola Realize Video and Display Ads Management
Taboola Realize serves video and display ads in standard ad slots on publisher sites, alongside native recommendations. Performance video is the newest product here: it is in beta, charged only per click and lets you bring vertical videos made for social media to the open web. Realize display lets you run your existing image sets on the same publishers.
Purpose and appearance
What do we use this format for?
We open Realize video and display to give videos and images made for social media a second run on the open web. Because performance video is paid only on clicks, the goal is engagement and conversions rather than views, and video viewers become retargeting audiences. Your existing video production pays off in a new channel.
Funnel stages it serves
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Conversion
- Loyalty
How Taboola Realize performance video works
According to the Realize help page, performance video is placed automatically in standard display slots on publisher sites. The video starts muted when at least half of the player is visible on screen and stops when the user scrolls past. You pay only when there is a click; the view itself is not charged. This is a different calculation from YouTube's view-focused model: the video's purpose is to get clicks rather than views.
On the technical side, an .mp4 file, a maximum length of 60 seconds and a 9:16 vertical ratio are recommended; 1:1, 16:9, 2:1, 1:2 and 6:5 ratios are also supported. The recommended sizes for the beta are 300x250, 300x600 and 720x1280. Realize automatically resizes videos of other sizes, but we prepare the main ratios separately so that key text is not cropped.
Bringing social videos to the open web
Realize recommends reusing social media videos that have performed well on other platforms. We usually start with vertical videos made for TikTok or Reels that delivered good results, but since viewing conditions on the open web differ from the social feed, we make a few adaptations before going live:
- Since playback starts muted, we add captions to dialogue-based videos
- We enlarge or remove fine text that will not be readable in small slots such as 300x250
- Since clicks are what you pay for, the product and call to action appear in the first seconds
- We filter out edits containing platform-specific interface elements and trending sounds
Budget, learning and video engagement audiences
For performance video, Realize recommends a daily budget of at least 10 times the target cost per conversion. Below that, the model cannot collect enough data. CPA and ROAS optimization require the Taboola Pixel to be installed and active; we handle the setup through Google Tag Manager.
A lesser-known feature is video engagement audiences: users who start the video, unmute it or watch up to a certain quartile can be split into separate audiences. According to Realize, these audiences take about three days to build after the campaign starts. We later use them in native or display retargeting campaigns.
When we add Realize display ads
Realize display covers IAB standard sizes, high-impact vertical images and mobile-first vertical video slots. When a product feed is connected, dynamic creative optimization combines the headline, image and call-to-action button by user and placement. We usually open display for brands that already have an image set on the Google Display Network or Display & Video 360, to test the same set on Realize publishers. We compare results by channel in GA4.
Realize Video and Display: when do we recommend it?
We recommend it
- Brands with vertical videos made for TikTok or Reels that have performed well
- Advertisers who want to pay for clicks and conversions rather than views in a video campaign
- Brands with a ready display image set that want to test new publisher inventory
- Accounts that want to build retargeting audiences from video viewers
We don't recommend it
- Accounts that cannot set aside a daily budget of ten times the target cost per conversion
- Brand awareness campaigns targeting only views and reach
- Brands with no video or image production that work only with text creative
How we manage Realize Video and Display
- Existing video reviewWe list videos that performed well on social media and existing display sets.
- Spec adaptationWe adapt videos to 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9, and to the recommended 300x250, 300x600 and 720x1280 sizes.
- Pixel and budgetWe verify the Taboola Pixel and set the daily budget to at least 10 times the target CPA.
- Engagement audiencesWe build video start, unmute and quartile view audiences and connect them to retargeting campaigns.
- Comparison in GA4We compare Realize video and display results with other video and display channels in GA4.
Realize Video and Display: metrics and requirements
Metrics we track
- Cost per click
- Cost per conversion
- Video quartile view rate
- Unmute rate
- Engagement audience size
- ROAS
What you need to get started
- An active Taboola Pixel and conversion events
- Vertical and square videos in .mp4 format, no longer than 60 seconds
- Display images in IAB standard sizes
- A daily budget of at least 10 times the target CPA
Official sources
The Brand Move Taboola Team
Contact us nowTo learn more about Realize Video and Display or other Taboola ad formats, contact The Brand Move Taboola team today.
Explore further
Taboola overview
Other Taboola campaign types and ad formats
Frequently asked questions
Realize Video and Display: frequently asked questions
What is Taboola Realize?
Realize is Taboola's performance advertising platform that goes beyond native recommendations: it also places video and display ads in standard ad slots on publisher sites. Performance video is charged only per click and is currently in beta; display covers IAB standard sizes, high-impact vertical images and mobile-first vertical video slots.
Do we pay for views in performance video?
No. Realize charges for performance video only per click. Even if the video starts muted and is watched, there is no charge without a click. So we build the creative to get clicks rather than views, placing the product and call to action in the first seconds.
Can we use the horizontal videos we made for YouTube?
Yes, the 16:9 ratio is supported. However, Realize recommends a vertical 9:16 ratio, and vertical video takes up more space in mobile slots. If we only have horizontal video, we test it first and, based on the results, recommend preparing a vertical edit.
Can we show ads to video viewers later?
Yes. Users who start the video, unmute it or watch up to a certain point can be split into separate audiences. These audiences take about three days to build. We create a second touchpoint with them through native or display ads.
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