How to Setup & Run Shoppable Ads in YouTube Shorts
Heads up content creators and even advertisers. YouTube is now testing a short-form video product – a new shopping features and an affiliate program for YouTube Shorts.
#1: Create a New Campaign- Video Action Campaign
Do the usual by creating a new campaign. Then choose one of the available campaign objectives that supports YouTube ad placements such as brand awareness and reach, product and brand consideration, website traffic, leads, or sales.
After choosing an objective, choose Video as your campaign type.
The next setup is the basics which includes you setting the budget, start and the optional end date if you’re running limited time promotions or seasonal ones. Also, it’s important to note this, if you only want your ads to exclusively run on YouTube then you should uncheck the Video Partners on the Display Network under the Networks section.
Leaving this box checked means you are willing to reach audiences outside of YouTube, but also note that this will add to your campaign cost as well.
In addition, some of the campaign objectives does require the Display Network.
Typically, it is recommended that you add related videos in your video action campaigns since it helps your campaign to drive more views and engagement. But since the Shorts Feed doesn’t feed related videos then just leave this option blank.
#2: Configure Device Targeting
Since October 2022, Google does not have an options for advertisers to deliver YouTube campaigns exclusively to the Short feed. As an alternative, all Video Action campaigns automatically scale to the Shorts feed.
Now the question is, how can you increase your chance of having your ad appear in the shorts feed? Well, the one thing that you can do is to set your campaign to target mobile devices which make sense since it supports the shorts feed.
It is also a good to know that short-form videos can display on all devices, however, they may not look as good or perform as well on computers, tablets, or TV screens.
To target mobile devices, click the additional settings and open the devices panel. Select Set Specific Targeting for Devices and then ensure that you uncheck everything except Mobile Phones.
#3: Build a Target Audience
The next step is to use the targeting options to reach your ideal and potential customers. Note that if you’re keeping your targeting exclusively to mobile devices, it means your potential audiences will be smaller. So plan your targeting strategically and carefully.
For example, Google Ads have a targeting options you can use to reach your potential customers based on demographics or audience segments. Additionally, the best place to start is with your customer match lists and audience segments based off YouTube channel or website activity.
You also have the option to use Google Ads’ affinity and in-market audiences so you can reach users based on the relevant interests.
There’s also an option where you can reach potential customers based on video topics or keywords via content targeting options. However, Google Ads doesn’t recommend the usage of combined targeting options since this will restrict your reach.
Since YouTube Shorts ads appear in between short-form videos, it won’t help you define your target audience if you choose a targeting options like YouTube videos or channels. Best to stick your targeting options with keywords or topics.
#4: Create a Video Ad
If you already have an existing YouTube Short video in your YouTube channel/account that you may want to use for your Video Action campaign then the next steps will be easy.
Create a Video Ad With an Existing Short
Just go to your YouTube Studio and just search for the video you want to use for Video Action campaign, then copy the URL and paste it in Google Ads.
After that, select the video ad format. Most of the time, you’ll be selecting Skippable In-Stream ad that is designed to play before or after in non-Shorts videos. In-feed video ads will appear next to a related content on the homepage of YouTube and in some cases on search results which in the end won’t be helping you to land in the Shorts feed.
In addition, your Shorts ads should be at least 5 seconds short and can be up to 60 seconds long. Also, if you’re running Shorts ads, choose a video that is under 11 seconds long.
How long should my Shorts Ad be?
That’s a good question. It is a good practice to test different duration for your Shorts ad so you can see which ones give you the best results for your campaign.
Shorts appear in mobile so users can really skip within your ad within seconds, so ensure that you’ll be able to hook users right away.
Once you’re done adding YouTube video to your Ad, it’s important to add a URL for the landing page. Using a CTA is optional for Video Action campaigns but you can choose the premade ones by Google Ads if you don’t want to create on your own. Also don’t forget to write a 15-character headline.
