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Google Ads
YouTube Ads Management: Google Ads Video Campaigns
YouTube offers six ad formats and several video campaign subtypes that package them in different ways. Which one we choose depends on the length of the film you have and what the campaign is for: broad reach, longer viewing or telling a story in sequence each need a different setup. Note that conversion-focused YouTube ads are no longer built as video campaigns; they now run in Demand Gen.
Purpose and appearance
What do we use this format for?
We use YouTube video campaigns to get a message watched by a broad, well-chosen audience in a short time. Increasing unique reach during launches and seasons, explaining a product through long-form video, or building a story step by step with ad sequencing are the jobs we do with these campaigns. We measure success by unique reach, average frequency and lift in brand awareness.
Funnel stages it serves
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Conversion
- Loyalty
YouTube ad formats and video length limits
Choosing a format really means choosing the creative's length and how far it is pushed on the viewer. A skippable ad and a non-skippable ad need different edits even if they use the same film. Before building a campaign, we match the videos we have to these formats. The current limits on Google Ads help pages are as follows:
- Skippable in-stream: Plays before, during or after a video; viewers can skip after 5 seconds. There is no length limit, but under 3 minutes is recommended.
- Non-skippable in-stream: The standard version is 7-15 seconds. A 30-second non-skippable format specific to TV screens is used for videos of 16-30 seconds. Google's general format page also mentions an upper limit of up to 60 seconds for non-skippable ads; we check before setup whether the longer options are enabled on the account.
- Bumper: Up to 6 seconds, non-skippable. Used to reinforce a single message.
- In-feed video: Appears with a thumbnail in YouTube search results, in watch-page recommendations and on the home feed; it plays when the user clicks.
- YouTube Shorts ads: Run between organic videos in the Shorts feed, in vertical 9:16 format.
- Masthead: The top of the YouTube home feed; not bought through the auction but sold on a reservation basis through Google's sales team.
YouTube video campaign types: reach, views and ad sequence
The video reach campaign has three options. Efficient reach combines bumper and skippable in-stream ads, optionally with in-feed and Shorts, to reach the most unique people per budget. Non-skippable reach gets the full message watched with 15-second, TV-focused 30-second, or mixed bumper and 15-second sets. Target frequency uses all formats to reach the same person a set number of times per week or month.
The video views campaign uses a maximum cost-per-view bid to optimize skippable in-stream, in-feed and Shorts ads for views. It suits product introductions or longer storytelling. Ad sequence shows the same person several videos in an order we define: for example, a 6-second teaser first, then a 15-second product explainer, and the campaign message last.
YouTube ads for conversions: from Video action campaigns to Demand Gen
New Video action campaigns can no longer be created since April 2025, and the remaining ones were upgraded to Demand Gen by April 2026. Today we build YouTube ads with sales or lead objectives within Demand Gen. We keep the video campaign in the awareness and consideration stages and don't decide to switch it off based on cost per conversion.
Adapting TV commercials for YouTube: creative and frequency
Top of the list is a 30-second film shot for TV being uploaded as a skippable ad without any trimming. If the brand and message don't appear in the first 5 seconds, most viewers never see them. For every long film, based on our creative analysis, we ask for a 6-second bumper, a 15-second version and a vertical Shorts cut. We read the share of delivery outside YouTube separately in the Google video partners report.
Reach campaigns running without a frequency cap also waste budget. An ad shown to the same person dozens of times a week spends the budget on the same audience instead of reaching new people, and it damages brand perception. That's why we set the target frequency subtype or a campaign-level frequency cap from the start, and track average weekly frequency in reporting.
YouTube Video Campaigns: when do we recommend it?
We recommend it
- Brands that want broad reach in a short time for a launch or seasonal campaign
- Brands with a TV or digital film that can be used in shortened versions
- Categories that need videos longer than 30 seconds to explain the product
- Campaigns that want to tell a story in sequence across several videos
We don't recommend it
- Campaigns expecting direct sales or form conversions; Demand Gen is the right choice for those
- Brands whose video production is limited to a single horizontal film that can't be shortened
How we manage YouTube Video Campaigns
- Message and length planTogether we script 6-second, 15-second and vertical Shorts cuts from the main film.
- Subtype selectionDepending on the objective, we choose efficient reach, non-skippable reach, target frequency, views or ad sequence.
- Frequency and inventoryWe set the frequency cap, content exclusions and inventory type at the start of the campaign.
- TV screen checkWe monitor the share of impressions on TV screens and check whether the creative works on a large screen.
- Brand impact assessmentWe evaluate the campaign by reach, view rate and, where budgets allow, Brand Lift results.
YouTube Video Campaigns: metrics and requirements
Metrics we track
- Unique reach
- Average frequency
- View rate
- CPM
- Video completion rate
- Brand awareness lift
What you need to get started
- Videos uploaded to a YouTube channel (public or unlisted)
- Shortened versions for different lengths and a vertical cut
- The campaign period and reach goal
- A reservation made in advance for Masthead
Official sources
The Brand Move Google Ads Team
Contact us nowTo learn more about YouTube Video Campaigns or other Google Ads ad formats, contact The Brand Move Google Ads team today.
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ExploreFrequently asked questions
YouTube Video Campaigns: frequently asked questions
How much do YouTube ads cost, and when do we pay?
It depends on the campaign. In view-focused campaigns you're charged when the viewer watches 30 seconds of the ad (or the whole ad if it's shorter) or interacts with it; an ad skipped at 5 seconds costs nothing. In reach campaigns you pay per impression with a target CPM.
Which YouTube ad format should we use?
It depends on the creative and the goal. Bumpers (up to 6 seconds) reinforce one message, non-skippable ads get a 15-second message watched in full, skippable in-stream and in-feed ads suit longer storytelling, and Shorts ads need a vertical 9:16 cut. Most campaigns combine several.
Can YouTube ads drive sales and leads?
Yes, but not through video campaigns anymore. New Video action campaigns can't be created since April 2025, and the remaining ones were upgraded to Demand Gen by April 2026. We build sales and lead campaigns on YouTube in Demand Gen and keep video campaigns for awareness and consideration.
Do we need to shoot separate videos for Shorts?
Cropping a horizontal video to vertical often pushes text, the logo and the product out of frame. Where possible, we plan the vertical frame during the shoot. If budget is limited, we have a separate vertical cut edited from the main film and place subtitles where the Shorts interface doesn't cover them.
What is the difference between YouTube ads in Google Ads and programmatic YouTube buying?
In Google Ads, YouTube inventory is bought through the auction, which is usually enough for small and mid-sized budgets. For large budgets, and when YouTube needs one frequency cap with other video inventory, we buy through Display & Video 360, where Programmatic Guaranteed deals are also possible.
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