YouTube unveiled new ways for companies to reach their audience with YouTube Shorts, the popular short-form video format.
Inspired by TikTok’s success, YouTube Shorts are short-form videos that are a maximum of 60 seconds. YouTube took a shot directly at TikTok with ad revenue-sharing it announced in September 2022.
As Shorts have grown in popularity, YouTube is introducing new ways for creators and companies to engage with their audience:
We’re expanding Shorts into Video reach campaigns. Video reach campaigns use Google AI to serve the best combination of ads, and improve your reach and efficiency on YouTube. In addition to Shorts, we are adding In-feed video ads to Video reach campaigns to bring more opportunities to connect with your audience across YouTube.
The company is making it incredibly easy for creators to take advantage of the new feature:
With this update to Video reach campaigns, you simply upload a 60-second (or shorter) vertical video along with your other assets. If you’d prefer to use existing horizontal creative, YouTube’s campaign setup tools include AI-powered features that automatically adapt and optimize your videos for the vertical screen.
YouTube also unveiled a way for companies to ensure their ads appear next to the most popular Shorts:
Today, we’re excited to introduce the YouTube Select Run of Shorts lineup. This technology ensures your ads appear alongside the most popular and relevant videos in viewers’ Shorts feed so your brand can stay top-of-mind as users scroll through their latest videos.
With the new First Position on Shorts, piloting across YouTube Select, advertisers can also break through at the start of a viewing session. When a viewer opens YouTube Shorts and starts watching, your ad is the first one they will see. This lets you land a strong first impression in a highly immersive environment.
Many creators already moved over to YouTube as a result of its generous ad-sharing plan. These new features could help it poach even more creators and companies at a time when TikTok’s future is uncertain.
