What is a Pre-Roll Ad & Why Should You Use Them?
Pre-roll ads are shown to viewers right before a YouTube video begins. They are meant to show your audience a quick view of your brand or product and encourage them to click through to your site to find out more.
Should I Run a Pre-Roll Ad?
Pre-roll advertising is extremely practical. Running an ad before the user’s desired content means the audience is likely still engaged, interested, and willing to sit through a brief ad to get to the content they want to see. Since they’re waiting for something specific, there’s a higher chance they’ll watch your ad for at least a few seconds, if not in its entirety.
According to a 2017 study by IPG Media Lab and YuMe, pre-roll video ads are especially effective across several metrics, including brand awareness, brand engagement, brand favorability, and purchase intent. The study found that...
Pre roll adverts ads are 3.5X less likely to be considered “interruptive” than outstream and mid-roll ad formats, on both desktop and mobile:
Why YouTube?
YouTube pre-roll ads are 15 to 20 seconds in duration. Similar to YouTube overlay ads, pre-roll ads are displayed directly in the video player window. The key difference is that they fill the entire window instead of a banner at the bottom:
YouTube pre-roll ads can’t be skipped like on some other platforms (only YouTube TrueView ads can be skipped). Therefore, it’s best to include a call-to-action at the end of your video ad where viewers can click through to a post-click landing page and receive something valuable in return.
Youtube Statistics You Need to Know
While you're deciding whether this is a good fit for your business, consider these stats:
- 90% of people search for new brands or products on YouTube
- 70% of viewers bought from a brand after seeing it on YouTube
- YouTube is the second most popular site in the world (google is #1), with over 2 billion monthly users
- YouTube is the second largest search engine (again -- google is #1)
- YouTube is used by 55% of marketers
- YouTube is the most widely used platform among US adults
Get Started with YouTube Ads with Midwest Direct
We make this easy. You need a 15-20 second video. If that's a stumbling block, let us know. We can convert your artwork to video for you or put you in touch with someone who can. We can help you get started.
3 Steps to Advertise on YouTube
- Send us your list
- Send us your ad
- We place your ad on youtube videos shown on the devices in the homes on your list. Your pre-roll ads begin before the video plays.
When your target clicks on the ad and visits your site, we'll help you track and capture your leads on your dashboard. You'll have 24/7 access to the leads you gain via the dashboard. All you need to do is download the information and hand that lead off to the sales team to close the sale!
Contact us today to get started advertising on YouTube!
