YouTube is without a doubt the most commonly used video site, with one-third of all internet users watching millions of videos that combine to result in billions of views.
So, if you’re advertising on the platform, it’s important that you get it right.
In this article, we’ll cover YouTube ad specs and all the options for advertising on the world’s most popular video platform.
What We’ll Cover:
- YouTube Display Ads
- YouTube Overlay Ads and Companion Ads
- YouTube Video Ads
- YouTube Pre-Roll Or Bumper Ads
- YouTube TrueView In-Stream Ads
- YouTube TrueView Discovery Ads
- YouTube Desktop Video Mastheads
- YouTube Sponsored Cards
More than half of these internet users spend over an hour per day watching over an hours’ worth of video, and InstagPage and SmallBizTrends estimate that over 80% of 2019’s internet traffic will be online video.
What’s more, YouTube is also the world’s second most popular search engine, so it’s essential to understand how the advertising options on YouTube work. Which is why I’m going to give you all the details on YouTube ad specs in this article.
Advertising on YouTube involves two broad categories: display ads or overlay ads, and video ads. and each comes with its own unique ad specifications and requirements.
There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get started.
YouTube Ad Specs And Sizes
As the world’s most popular video site and the second most popular search engine (only YouTube’s parent company Google is more popular), any marketer needs to know how YouTube ads work.
YouTube Ad Specs via Google/Wordstream
One thing to always keep in mind when you are creating YouTube ads is that you must always follow Google’s ad policies as well as YouTube’s own policies.
These include some limits on animations in certain circumstances as well as regulations that do not allow for misleading or adult content, along with standards for image quality and relevance to the content that they are being displayed upon or next to in the YouTube video player.
YouTube Display Ads
If you’ve watched YouTube before (and really, who hasn’t?) then you’ve seen display ads.
These are the paid ads that you see next to the YouTube video player and across other Google properties.
YouTube overlay ads are those rectangular banners shown on the bottom 20% of the video player when you are watching a video on a desktop, mobile device, or tablet, or along the top right or during the recommended videos.
They can be text or video, and they only display once the video begins playing.
Display ads are the smaller ones that display alongside the search results or along with the video player in the upper right.
Companion ads or companion banners on YouTube are an optional choice if you are running TrueView ads on YouTube. I’ll give you more detail on those further down in the article, but you should know that these types of ads are a great way to follow up with users who have already engaged with your longer, more complex YouTube ads.
YouTube Ad Locations on Mobile via StrikeSocial
Standard display ads must meet these particular specifications:
YouTube Overlay Ads And Companion Ads (Unique Display Ad Options)
YouTube Overlay ads and the aforementioned Companion ads are small, static images that appear as an overlay at the bottom of a video or on the side of a video.
These are one of the least complicated YouTube ad options, especially when compared to video ads. These types of YouTube ads also appear across Google properties, so keep that in mind when you are creating and uploading them.
You should be aware that these types of display ads and overlay ads are only available on the desktop version of YouTube, so if you are specifically going after a mobile audience, then you’ll want to look at the other types of advertising options on YouTube and their associated ad specifications.
Clicking through these ads along with other types of YouTube ads open the advertiser’s landing page in a new tab or window, so you’ll also want to make sure that you have a killer landing page to accompany your amazing YouTube ad.
YouTube video ads and overlay ads are ideal for reaching a more targeted audience, especially within the B2B sphere, since you can get more narrow with your targeting and reach people while they are on a desktop and may be more likely to be at work.
YouTube Ad Specs For Display Ads:
- Image: 300×250
- File type: GIF, JPG, PNG
- File size: Max. 150KB
- Maximum animation length: 30 seconds
YouTube Ad Specs For Overlay Ads:
- Image dimensions: 480×70 or 728×90 image ads or text
- File type: Static.GIF, .PNG, .JPG
- File size: 150 Kb
YouTube Companion Banner Ad Specs:
YouTube Ad Specs: Video Ads
Depending on the type of video content that you have or the vertical that your business is in, YouTube video ads might be one of the most effective advertising options available to you.
This is particularly true if you’ve already created videos that showcase you and your team or if you have a business that is in a highly visual or creative vertical like clothing, interior design, real estate, or something similar.
On the other hand, audio like client testimonials or stories directly from the owner or founder can also be great as video ads, especially if your clients have given you some good soundbites already.
If you or someone else at the company is comfortable on video and can interview a client or is able to talk about what your brand has to offer, you might have a great YouTube video ad in the making – just make sure you’re within the specs!
YouTube video ads via AdAge
Keep in mind that for all video ads, there’s a good chance that your audience might only be listening, not viewing.
Because of that, you’ll want to create a video that not only entices users to view but can keep their attention if they choose only to listen. Whether through picture or sound, your goal is to get them to click through or revisit your video at a later date.
YouTube Video Ad Specs:
- Video Codec: H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4
- Audio Codec: AAC, MP3
- Resolution: 640×360 (19:9 aspect ratio) or 480×360 (4:3 aspect ratio)
- Frame Rate: 30 FPS
- File Size: Maximum: 1 GB
- Length: 5 seconds
YouTube Skippable Video, Pre-Roll, Or Bumper Ads
Another common type of YouTube video ad is the skippable video, pre-roll, or bumper ad.
These ads play before the video you intended to watch begins. Occasionally, these play back-to-back depending on the targeting that you use and the videos that your users have chosen to watch – but this isn’t guaranteed.
These video ads are super short – 5 seconds at the most – and run on smartphones or mobile devices as well as desktop.
Keep in mind, there are longer, skippable options available if you opt for YouTube TrueView ads, which we’ll cover shortly.
YouTube Pre-Roll Or Bumper Ad Specs:
- Must be uploaded to YouTube
- Companion image specs:
- 300×60 pixels
- JPG, static GIF, or PNG
- Google ad image policies apply
- Maximum Size. 1KB
- Length: Maximum 6 seconds
YouTube Ad Specs: TrueView Ads Or Non-Skippable Ads
YouTube ad specs: TrueView ad locations via Instapage
While YouTube TrueView ads are a bit more complex than the standard video or display ads, they might be some of the most valuable types of YouTube ads for content marketers.
TrueView ads play to users who have already engaged with related content and are therefore more likely to engage with yours. There are two types of YouTube TrueView ads: in-stream ads and discovery ads.
These types of ads are longer and sometimes skipped by viewers if they are not interested or simply that eager to watch the video that they selected, so keep that in mind when you are creating and deploying these types of ads – you only have a few seconds to make a big impact!Also, remember that YouTube, along with other ad platforms, changes its specs and standards fairly often, so it is important to keep up with the latest standards (which we will always keep updated on this blog). Just because your videos are skippable today does not mean they will be tomorrow, and vice versa.
In-stream ads play before you watch a video from a YouTube partner or during those videos if they happen to be longer.
While viewers can – and do – skip these ads, you as the advertiser only pay if they click to the end, watch all 30 seconds, or click to the landing page you supplied.
YouTube TrueView Or Non-Skippable Ad Specs
- Must be uploaded to YouTube and the videos themselves must be public or unlisted
- Companion image specs:
- 300×60
- JPG, static GIF, or PNG
- Follow Google’s image ad policies
- Maximum size 150 KB
- Length: 12 seconds to 3 minutes (less than 30 seconds recommended)
YouTube TrueView Discovery Ads
YouTube discovery ads are the longest advertising option you’ll find on YouTube (or most other video platforms for that matter). Accordingly, they allow for more creative leniency than other types of YouTube ads. There is no time limit on YouTube Discovery ads and the specs allow for most types of images and videos. They run on both desktop or mobile devices.
Business owners with a company that depends on strong visuals, or those with a unique, compelling story to tell will benefit most from this longer format. While these long-form video ads might not be for everyone, they are an invaluable resource for marketers.
YouTube TrueView Discovery Ad Specs
- Must be uploaded to YouTube and the videos themselves must be public or unlisted
- File format: AVI, ASF, Quicktime, Windows Media, MP4, or MPEG
- Audio Codec: MP3 or AAC preferred
- Resolution: 640×360 (16:9 aspect ratio) or 480×360 (4:3 ratio aspect ratio) recommended
- Frame Rate: 30 FPS
- Maximum File Size: 1 GB
- Image: Choose from 4 thumbnails generated by your video
- Headline: Maximum 25 characters
- Description: Two lines, a maximum of 35 characters
YouTube Ad Specs: Desktop Video Mastheads
These are featured short videos hosted by YouTube that appear on the YouTube home feed in the form of a takeover.
YouTube ad specs: Desktop Masthead example via Search Engine Journal
They can only autoplay or be unskippable for 30 seconds maximum, and they feature an information panel on the right side of the screen that automatically pulls in image assets from your channel.
The ads are muted while they are autoplaying, but once clicked, they will send the user to the main video thumbnail and play the full ad, complete with sound. You will also be allowed to connect directly with your audience via CTAs and social media buttons, and you can add a Video Wall that shows the thumbnails for two other videos of your choice.
YouTube Desktop Video Ad Specs
- Must be uploaded to YouTube
- Aspect ratio: 16:9
- Length: 30 seconds maximum
If you choose to run a YouTube Masthead ad, you will be able to work with YouTube directly to optimize your video ad due to the cost and reach or bandwidth of these ads.
While these types of ads are costly,they can be an incredible way to build brand awareness and are generally more effective for big B2B brands who have strong visual ad campaigns.
YouTube Sponsored Cards
YouTube Sponsored Card location via YouTube
YouTube sponsored cards are short snippets that show information relevant to a video, such as a promo for products that are featured in the video.
There is also a link to a landing page that users can click to open in a new window. Viewers will see a brief teaser for the Sponsored Card and then a card icon will appear in the upper right corner of the video. Sponsored Cards appear on both desktop and mobile devices or tablets.
These types of YouTube ads are great for marketers who have a specific product to feature in YouTube videos (think influencer content or similar) with a strong CTA.
YouTube Sponsored Card Ad Specs
- Media: image
- Format: JPG, PNG, GIF
- Aspect Ratio: 1:1
- Length: 15 or 20 seconds
- File Size: 2MB maximum
Wrapping Up YouTube Ad Specs
While YouTube advertising options – and video advertising in general – change all the time, there are some fundamental principles to follow, starting with these…
Anyone advertising on YouTube should keep in mind that they get reporting on views, clicks, and impressions, and there are a variety of options that get you (and your client as the case may be) the KPIs that you need, depending on the video and image assets that you have available, the goals of your campaign(s) or marketing plan, and more.
In fact, a mix of the various types of YouTube ads along with A/B testing or split testing might be the best choice until you determine the type or combination of YouTube ads that perform the best for your campaigns or business.
So now that you know the specs and reasons to use the different types of YouTube ads, it’s time to start creating some of your own!
