Ad youtube

Overview

This skill defines exactly what to produce for a YouTube ad. It is platform-spec only: the formats YouTube offers, duration constraints, the slots the ad serves into (headline, description, companion banner, CTA), and asset ratios per surface.

YouTube ads are bought through Google Ads but follow their own creative rules. Most decisions live in the first 5 seconds — that's the skip-decision window for skippable formats and the entire ad for Bumpers.

Instructions

Ad Formats Covered

2024-2026 naming/sunset updates: "TrueView In-Stream" → Skippable In-Stream Ads (TrueView branding fully deprecated). "Discovery Ads" → In-Feed Video Ads. Video Action Campaigns (VAC) sunset — new VACs blocked from March 2025, all remaining VACs auto-upgraded to Demand Gen in Q2 2025. Demand Gen is now the primary action/conversion video buying type.

Format	Duration	Skippable	Where It Shows
Skippable In-Stream Ads	≥12s, no max (sweet spot 15–60s)	After 5s	Pre/mid/post-roll on watch pages
Non-Skippable In-Stream	6–15s standard globally; 15-20s in select markets/reservation buys	No	Pre/mid/post-roll
Bumper Ads	≤6s	No	Pre/mid/post-roll
In-Feed Video Ads (formerly Discovery)	Any	n/a (click-to-watch)	YouTube search results, watch-next sidebar, homepage
Masthead	Up to 30s autoplay muted	n/a	YouTube homepage hero — reservation-only buy
Shorts Ad	≤60s plays in feed (uploadable up to 3 min, only first 60s plays), 9:16	Skippable via swipe at any moment	Shorts feed (vertical)
Demand Gen Ads (YouTube placements)	Multi-format mix	n/a	YouTube In-Stream + In-Feed + Shorts + Discover + Gmail. Replaces VAC.
Video Reach Campaigns (VRC)	Mixed Bumper + Skippable + In-Feed	mixed	Automated reach mix
Video View Campaigns (VVC)	View-optimized	mixed	Skippable In-Stream + In-Feed + Shorts at lower CPV
Connected TV (CTV) / YouTube on TV screens	Standard 16:9	n/a	TV screens — no CTA overlay, no companion banner; use QR code or "search [brand]" fallback
YouTube Select	Premium reservation	mixed	Top 5% inventory, brand-safe lineups
Pause Ads (rolling out CTV 2025-2026)	Static	n/a	Shown when viewer pauses on TV; 16:9 1920×1080 + CTA overlay
Outstream (off-YouTube)	Up to 60s	n/a	Google Video Partners network

Skippable In-Stream — Slots

Slot	Limit	Notes
Video	≥12s; sweet spot 15–60s	Hook in first 5s before skip
Headline	15 chars	Shown alongside ad
Description	2 lines × 35 chars	Optional
Companion banner	300×60 (auto-generated or custom)	Desktop only
CTA overlay	10 chars	Optional clickable overlay during video
Final URL	URL	Landing page

Non-Skippable In-Stream — Slots

Same as Skippable, but:

• Duration: 15s or 20s only (region-dependent)
• No skip — full watch is forced
• Higher CPM, sharper diminishing returns past second 10
• Region-restricted: not available in all markets

Bumper Ad — Slots

Slot	Limit	Notes
Video	≤6s	Hard cap; one beat, one message
Companion banner	300×60	Optional
Headline	15 chars	Optional
Description	2 lines × 35 chars	Optional

In-Feed (Discovery) Ad — Slots

Slot	Limit	Notes
Thumbnail	Custom upload, 1280×720	Hero of the click
Headline	100 chars	Shown next to thumbnail
Description line 1	35 chars	First visible line
Description line 2	35 chars	Second visible line
Video	Any duration	The video the click plays

Masthead — Slots

Slot	Limit	Notes
Video	Up to 30s	Autoplay muted on homepage
Headline	25 chars	Below video
Description	35 chars × 2 lines	Below headline
CTA button	10 chars	Optional
Companion video panel	1280×720 still	Right side of hero

Shorts Ad — Slots

Slot	Limit	Notes
Video	9:16, ≤60s	Sweet spot 15–30s
Caption / overlay	Manual on video	No native caption field
CTA button	Enum	Shown at bottom
Landing URL	URL

Video Asset Specs

Asset	Spec	Notes
In-Stream / Bumper / Masthead	16:9 (1920×1080)	Standard widescreen
Vertical (also accepted for In-Stream)	9:16 (1080×1920)	Improves Shorts placement
Square (also accepted)	1:1 (1080×1080)	Mobile-friendly fallback
Shorts	9:16 (1080×1920)	Mandatory
Hosted on	YouTube	Must be uploaded to YouTube first
Visibility	Public or Unlisted	Private videos cannot run as ads
Audio	Required	Sound-on by default for In-Stream

CTA Button Enum (when CTA button is available)

YouTube CTA text is pulled from the same Google Ads enum as Display/PMax. Common values:

• Sign Up
• Shop Now
• Learn More
• Get Quote
• Install Now
• Subscribe
• Watch Now
• Apply Now
• Book Now
• Contact Us
• Download

CTA text in YouTube ads is limited to 10 chars on the in-video overlay button — use punchy verbs.

The First-5-Seconds Rule (Skippable In-Stream)

The skip button appears at second 5. Everything before that decides:

1. Whether the view counts as paid (5s view = paid impression for TrueView)
2. Whether the user clicks the skip
3. Whether they remember the brand at all

Production rules:

• Brand reveal by second 1 (logo, name, or product visible)
• Hook line in seconds 0–3 — name the audience or the problem
• Pay-off promise by second 4 — what they'll see if they don't skip
• Value beat by second 7 — give them something even if they skip
• Reserve full pitch for seconds 10–30
• End with CTA at seconds 25–30 even for longer ads

Bumper Ad — One Beat Only

6 seconds is one idea. Not two. Not a beginning-middle-end. One.

• Open with the visual punchline
• One spoken line max
• Brand reveal must be visible by second 2
• End on the product/logo + a single-verb CTA on screen

In-Feed (Discovery) Thumbnail Rules

The thumbnail does the work, not the title. The viewer chooses to click — there's no forced impression.

• Thumbnail should not look like a typical ad
• High contrast, expressive face or sharp product shot
• Avoid text-on-thumbnail unless ≤4 words
• Match the thumbnail to the YouTube watch context — looks like a video they'd choose

Policy Constraints (Common Rejections + 2024-2026 Updates)

• Disturbing content, gore, jump scares — disapproval
• Misleading thumbnails (clickbait that doesn't reflect the video) — disapproval
• Repeating content (same ad uploaded multiple times) — disapproval
• Inappropriate content for ads — even if monetisable as organic, ads have stricter rules
• Embedded ads / sponsorships inside the video — must be disclosed
• Restricted categories: alcohol, gambling, dating, healthcare, financial — region certification
• Trademark / music licensing — Content ID matches block ads
• Made for Kids (MFK) — personalised ads DISABLED; CTA overlays DISABLED; no remarketing; no companion banner clickable
• Mandatory AI/synthetic content disclosure (effective March 2024, enforced 2025+) — if video uses realistic AI-generated faces/voices/events, disclose at upload via Creator Studio. Failure = disapproval. Does NOT apply to: clearly animated, obvious VFX, AI used only for scripts/captions/ideation, beauty filters.
• Inauthentic content (2025) — ads using cloned voices of real people without consent are disapproved
• Shorts has no 5s skip — viewer can swipe at any moment. Hook must be at frame 1, not second 1.

Output Format

# YouTube Ads — [Product] [Campaign Name]

## Format
[Skippable In-Stream / Non-Skippable / Bumper / In-Feed Discovery / Masthead / Shorts]

## Landing URL
[URL]

## Video Spec
- Duration: [Xs — match format]
- Ratio: [16:9 / 9:16 / 1:1]
- Resolution: 1920×1080 (16:9) or 1080×1920 (9:16)
- Audio: required, sound-on assumed for In-Stream
- Captions: SRT recommended for accessibility + watch-time

## Scene Plan — Skippable In-Stream Example (30s)
| Time | Beat | Visual | Spoken / VO | On-Screen Text |
|------|------|--------|-------------|----------------|
| 0:00–0:01 | Brand reveal + hook | [shot] | "[hook line]" | "[overlay]" |
| 0:01–0:05 | Pay-off promise | [shot] | "[promise]" | "[overlay]" |
| 0:05–0:10 | Value beat | [shot] | "[VO]" | "[overlay]" |
| 0:10–0:22 | Demo / proof | [shot] | "[VO]" | "[overlay]" |
| 0:22–0:30 | CTA | [shot] | "[CTA spoken]" | "[CTA on screen]" |

## Bumper Example (6s)
| Time | Visual | VO | On-Screen |
|------|--------|----|-----------|
| 0:00–0:02 | [visual punchline + brand] | "[one line]" | "[2 words]" |
| 0:02–0:04 | [product/logo] | [silence or single beat] | "[product name]" |
| 0:04–0:06 | [end frame + CTA] | "[CTA verb]" | "[CTA copy]" |

## Companion Text
- Headline (≤15 char In-Stream / ≤25 Masthead / ≤100 In-Feed): "[copy]"
- Description (2 × 35 char): "[line 1]" / "[line 2]"
- Companion banner: 300×60 — [brief]
- CTA button text (≤10 char on overlay): "[copy]"

## In-Feed Discovery (if used)
- Custom thumbnail: 1280×720 — [brief, what's the visual hook]
- Headline (≤100 char): "[copy]"
- Description line 1 (≤35): "[copy]"
- Description line 2 (≤35): "[copy]"

## Variant Set
| # | Angle | Format | First 5s Hook | CTA |
|---|-------|--------|---------------|-----|
| 1 | [angle] | Skippable / Bumper | "[hook]" | [enum + ≤10 char overlay] |
| 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... |

## Pre-Submit Checklist
- [ ] Video uploaded to YouTube (public or unlisted)
- [ ] Format duration respected (Bumper ≤6s, Non-Skip 15/20, Skippable ≥12s)
- [ ] Hook within first 3s, brand reveal by second 1 (Skippable)
- [ ] Pay-off promise before second 5 (skip-decision moment)
- [ ] Captions / SRT for accessibility
- [ ] Companion text within char limits
- [ ] CTA overlay ≤10 char
- [ ] In-Feed thumbnail does not look like an ad
- [ ] No trademark / music licensing issues (run Content ID check)
- [ ] No restricted vertical issues
- [ ] Sound-on intentional — audio adds value, not noise

When NOT to Use This Skill

• Audience targeting (in-market, affinity, custom) → out of scope
• Conversion linkage, Google Ads campaign objective → out of scope