Paid Ads: YouTube Ads

Guides YouTube advertising: TrueView, Bumper, and Discovery (in-feed) formats. Use this skill when planning or optimizing YouTube ad campaigns. For Google Search/Display/PMax, see google-ads. For organic YouTube optimization, see youtube-seo.

When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Initial Assessment

Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read Sections 3 (Value Proposition), 4 (Audience).

Identify:

Goal: Awareness, consideration, conversion
Budget: Bumper cheaper; TrueView for scale
Creative: Existing video or net-new

Ad Formats

| Format | Length | Skippable | Best For | |--------|--------|-----------|----------| | TrueView Skippable | 12 sec+ | After 5 sec | Reach; large audiences | | TrueView Non-skippable | 15–20 sec | No | Full message; guaranteed view | | TrueView for Action | — | — | Conversions; CTA-focused | | Bumper | 6 sec or less | No | Brand awareness; memorable; lower cost | | Discovery (In-Feed) | Thumbnail + text | — | Search, related videos, homepage; interest targeting |

Format Selection

| Goal | Format | |------|--------| | Brand awareness | Bumper | | Website traffic | TrueView | | Conversions | TrueView for Action | | Interested audiences | Discovery |

Creative Guidelines

Bumper: Quick, memorable; brand message in 6 sec
TrueView: Hook in first 5 sec (skippable); deliver value before skip
Discovery: Thumbnail + headline; appears like organic video

Output Format

Format recommendation
Creative specs (length, hook, CTA)
Targeting notes
Pre-launch checklist

Related Skills

google-ads: Google Ads platform; YouTube runs through Google Ads
youtube-seo: Organic YouTube; video optimization
video-marketing: Video script, hook structure
paid-ads-strategy: When to use video ads; channel selection