Guides / Run ads
How to advertise on YouTube
YouTube ads are bought in Google Ads. Skippable in-stream and Shorts are the formats that can ask for a click. Demand Gen is the campaign type that packages them with Discover and Gmail. A bumper is a reminder, not a first campaign.
About 508 US searches a month for “how to advertise on youtube”. Updated October 4, 2026.
| Format | Someone can skip | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Skippable in-stream | After 5 seconds | A demo or an offer, paid on views or conversions |
| Shorts | By swiping | A vertical hook, the same creative as TikTok or Reels |
| Demand Gen | Depends on the placement | Prospecting across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail |
| Bumper | No, and it is 6 seconds | A name people already know |
Where the campaign lives
There is no separate YouTube ads manager for most advertisers. The campaign is a Video campaign or a Demand Gen campaign inside Google Ads, pointed at a video that is public or unlisted on a YouTube channel you control.
Demand Gen’s setup, audiences, and creative counts are on Google Demand Gen. The rest of a Google account is on how to run Google Ads.
The five seconds
On a skippable ad, five seconds is the whole pitch for a lot of viewers. Open on the product and the outcome. A logo sting at the start trains people to skip.
Shorts want the same vertical file you would run on Reels. Examples of ads that hold are on YouTube ad examples.
What you pay
YouTube can bill on views (CPV) or on conversions, depending on the bid. A cheap view of someone who skipped at five seconds is not a cheap customer. Judge the campaign on the action after the view.
About 203 US searches a month are for YouTube ads cost, and the number moves with the audience. The CPM calculator turns a view price into a budget. It does not pick the audience for you.
Questions
Do I need a Google Ads account to advertise on YouTube?
Yes. YouTube advertising for a business runs through Google Ads, with the video hosted on YouTube.
Are YouTube Shorts ads the same as in-stream ads?
No. Shorts are vertical and people swipe away. In-stream plays before or during a video and can be skipped after five seconds. Cut a file for each.
Should I start with a bumper ad?
A bumper is six seconds and cannot be skipped. It reminds people who already know you. A first campaign needs a skippable ad or a Short that can explain the offer.
Keep going
Put it in the account
Connect the ad account. Sprites reads it, drafts the change, and waits for your approval before anything spends.
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