The Complete Guide On YouTube Ad Specs in 2024

YouTube Ad Specs In 2024: The Complete Guide

YouTube is a social media platform that has been around since 2005. Today, it’s still an essential part of any social media advertising mix. An important step for success in YouTube advertising is to craft an ad with the correct YouTube ad specs. A well-composed video could go viral and launch your brand’s recognition into the stratosphere.

In this blog, we’ll talk about skippable and non-skippable ads, bumper ads, TrueView ads, and more.

YouTube Ad Specs

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To help you with your YouTube advertising, we’ve outlined YouTube’s ad specifications below.

1. Skippable video ads

These are video ads that can be skipped after 5 seconds giving users the option to avoid watching the ad altogether. They can be placed before, after, or during the video content itself.

What are specs for an ad?

Companion image specs: 300×60 pixels
Must be uploaded to YouTube
JPG, static GIF, or PNG
Follow Google’s image ad policies
Max. 1KB

2. Non-skippable video ads

The non-skippable video ad must be watched from beginning to end before the main video can be viewed. They can be added before, after, or during the main video.

The YouTube ad specs for non-skippable ads are:

Must be uploaded to YouTube
- Companion image specs:300×60 pixels
- JPG, static GIF, or PNG
- Follow Google’s image ad policies
- Max. 1KB
Length: Max. 15 or 20 seconds

3. Bumper ads

Bumper ads are short videos that play after a skippable or non-skippable ad. They are non-skippable and appear before the video the user has chosen to view. Bumper ads can help extend the reach of a campaign, and they perform well on mobile devices. The maximum video length for a bumper ad is 6 seconds.

The YouTube bumper ads specs are:

File format: AVI, ASF, Quicktime, Windows Media, MP4 or MPEG
Resolution: 640 pixels by 360 pixels or 480 pixels by 360 pixels recommended
Frame rate: 30 FPS
Aspect ratio: Native aspect ratio without letterboxing (examples: 4:3, 16:9)
Maximum file size: 1GB
Length: 6 seconds

4. Overlay ads

Overlay ads are images that appear overlaid on a video. They’re one of the least expensive ad options on YouTube. You can click through these ads to open the advertiser’s landing page in a new tab or window.

The YouTube ad specs for overlay ads are:

Overlay image: required

Unit: 480 pixels by 70 pixels
File type: static GIF, PNG, JPG
File size: 150KB

Companion banner: optional

Unit: 300 pixels by 250 pixels
File type: GIF, PNG, JPG
File size: 150KB

5. Standard display ads

Standard display ads are images (either static or animated) that can appear on various Google properties, often appearing above your YouTube video suggestions.

The YouTube ad specs for standard display ads are:

Dimensions:300 pixels by 250 pixels
300 pixels by 60 pixels (YouTube Reserve companions)
300 pixels by 600 pixels (Zagat only)

6. TrueView video discovery ads

TrueView Video Discovery ads are designed to help your videos be seen on YouTube search results pages and on the YouTube mobile homepage. The ad includes a thumbnail image from your video, as well as a headline and description, helping viewers to understand what your video is about.

The YouTube TrueView specs for video discovery ads are:

What is the best size for video ad?

Resolution: 640 pixels by 360 pixels or 480 pixels by 360 pixels is recommended.
File format: AVI, ASF, Quicktime, Windows Media, MP4 or MPEG
Frame rate: 30 FPS
Aspect ratio: Native aspect ratio without letterboxing (examples 4:3, 16:9)
Maximum file size: 1GB

7. TrueView in-stream non-skippable ads

What is YouTube’s ad format?

TrueView Non-Skippable In-Stream YouTube Ads are 15 to 20 seconds long and cannot be skipped. They appear on YouTube and sites running Google video partners, and you only pay based on impressions garnered by these ads.

The YouTube TrueView specs for in-stream non-skippable ads are:

File format: AVI, ASF, Quicktime, Windows Media, MP4 or MPEG
Resolution: 640 pixels by 360 pixels or 480 pixels by 360 pixels recommended
Frame rate: 30 FPS
Aspect ratio: Native aspect ratio without letterboxing (examples: 4:3, 16:9)
Maximum file size: 1GB
Length: 15 or 20 seconds

8. TrueView in-stream skippable ads

TrueView Skippable In-Stream Ads can be skipped after 5 seconds. They can be 12 seconds to 6 minutes long and appear on YouTube and Google video partner sites. You pay when a viewer watches 30 seconds (or the full video if it’s shorter) OR when a user interacts with your ad.

The YouTube TrueView specs for in-stream skippable ads are:

File format: AVI, ASF, Quicktime, Windows Media, MP4 or MPEG
Resolution: 640 pixels by 360 pixels or 480 pixels by 360 pixels recommended
Frame rate: 30 FPS
Aspect ratio: Native aspect ratio without letterboxing (examples: 4:3, 16:9)
Maximum file size: 1GB
Length: 12 seconds to 3 minutes

9. Sponsored cards

A sponsored card highlights information associated with the main video, such as merchandise mentioned in the video. They resemble overlay advertisements, except they are only for a short amount of time. The icon for viewers to learn more is located in the upper right corner of the video.

Sponsored cards can be seen in videos viewed on mobile devices, laptops, and desktop computers.

The following file types are supported:

JPG, GIF, and PNG.
The cards’ maximum size is 5MB
Their aspect ratio must be 1:1.

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