Ads in YouTube videos are important for them to remain freely available to the wider masses, and the streaming platform has launched a new update that provides creators, viewers, and advertisers with a better ad delivery experience.
Indeed, to stay up-to-date with the constantly evolving viewing habits and videos getting longer, YouTube has introduced multiple innovations. These are supposed to maximize creator earnings, boost viewer experience, and meet advertiser needs, the company said on March 24.
What YouTube’s mid-roll ads update brings
Specifically, one of these introductions is the set of tools and information regarding the ad slots that the platform is likely to use to display ads. However, it still allows creators to place them wherever they want in their videos, retaining control.
Then, there’s the new hybrid ad slot approach that offers the flexibility of combining automatic and manual procedures. Upon testing, the company said it saw an average 5% increase in revenue for creators deploying this combination in their videos.
In the words of the YouTube team:
“Think of it this way: you, the creator, designate the parking spots (ad slots) within your video. However, our ad system acts as the valet and parks the car (ads) at spots that we think will be best for the customer, deciding which of those slots will actually be used to show ads. This decision isn’t random. It’s based on a complex algorithm that takes into account several factors.”
What’s more, YouTube plans to continue rolling out updates based on feedback regarding automatic mid-rolls slots, in line with viewer expectations and content flow. It will further refine its ad serving system by placing them more at natural breakpoints instead of at interruptive points.
How to implement the new update
Finally, creators are given the option to add automatic mid-roll slots to all their existing videos that only feature manual slots, and they have until May 12, 2025, to opt out of this feature.
Regarding the more popular videos, however, the company recommends a more hands-on approach – manually adjusting ad breaks for optimal performance based on the newly introduced feedback.
For best results with ad placement, the company’s team advises creators to:
“Think about the natural rhythm of your videos. Avoid placing ads abruptly in the middle of sentences, action sequences, or critical moments. Instead, aim for natural pauses, scene changes, or breaks in the content.”
When uploading new content, you should first take a look at the automatic ad slots provided by YouTube, adjusting or removing them to your liking. Then, you can decide whether to add your own manual mid-roll slots strategically based on the feedback – or not.
Commenting on the most recent development TK, the Director of the YouTube Partner Program, explained:
“We believe that by giving you more information, that helps you make good choices, and if you do that, you’ll have a higher chance of making money from ads, and so will we. And that’s why we think that with this change, we’re all going to be better off.”
All things considered, the new YouTube mid-roll ads update is bringing some interesting innovations to the world of video ad monetization, at a time when some viewers are starting to become frustrated at improperly placed ads disrupting (or sometimes completely destroying) their watching experience.
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