YouTube ad formats: which one fits each campaign goal?
Part of YouTube channel planning
The short answer
YouTube sells six video ad formats through Google Ads: skippable in-stream, non-skippable in-stream, bumper, in-feed, Shorts and Masthead. Skippable in-stream, in-feed and Shorts can be bought per view; bumper and non-skippable run on impressions; Masthead is reservation only. Pick the format from the goal first, then check which campaign subtype carries it and whether it accepts channel placements.
Key takeaways
- Google lists six YouTube formats, and each one sits in a specific set of campaign subtypes, so the format choice also fixes the buying route.
- In Google's format table, skippable in-stream, in-feed, Shorts and Masthead ads can add TrueView views; bumper and non-skippable ads cannot and are bought on impressions.
- Shorts ads can be swiped away at once, skippable in-stream ads after 5 seconds, and bumper and non-skippable ads cannot be skipped.
- Channel placements work in Video reach and Video views ad groups, while Masthead and video ad sequence campaigns do not take positive placements.
What ad formats does YouTube offer?
Google's About video ad formats (opens in a new tab) page lists six formats that Google Ads can run on YouTube. The glossary uses Google's descriptions as checked in October 2026. Detailed specifications for single formats live on their own pages, such as the non-skippable ads guide and the Shorts ads guide.
| Format | Where it serves | Length rule | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skippable in-stream | YouTube watch pages, YouTube Playables games in the mobile app, Google video partners | No maximum; under 3 minutes recommended | Per TrueView view with CPV bidding, or per impression with Target CPM, Target CPA or Maximize conversions |
| Non-skippable in-stream | YouTube videos, eligible Playables breaks, Google video partners | 15 to 60 seconds depending on the campaign subtype | Per impression, Target CPM |
| Bumper | YouTube videos and Google video partner sites and apps | 6 seconds, with a 5 second minimum | Per impression, Target CPM |
| In-feed | YouTube search results, Watch Next, the Home feed and the Subscriptions feed | No maximum | When someone clicks to watch, or in Video views campaigns after 10 seconds of autoplay |
| Shorts | Between organic videos in the Shorts feed | Under 60 seconds recommended | Per TrueView view, engagement or impression, depending on bidding |
| Masthead | Top of the YouTube Home feed on desktop, mobile and TV screens | No maximum; over 10 seconds recommended | Reservation only, on cost per thousand impressions or cost per hour |
Definition
- In-stream and out-stream
- Google labels each format with an IAB classification. Skippable, non-skippable and bumper ads are in-stream because they play inside a video the viewer chose; in-feed, Shorts and Masthead ads are out-stream because they sit in a feed or on the homepage.
Which YouTube format fits awareness, consideration and action goals?
Google no longer names a separate awareness objective. Its formats page says the objective once called Awareness and consideration has been renamed YouTube reach, views, and engagements for new campaigns. Inside that objective, the campaign subtype decides which formats run. Action goals such as sales, leads and website traffic now run through Demand Gen, because Google upgraded the last Video action campaigns into Demand Gen by April 2026.
| Goal | Campaign subtype | Formats it can run | Bidding basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broad awareness at low cost per person | Video reach, Efficient reach | Bumper, skippable in-stream, in-feed and Shorts in one campaign | Target CPM |
| Full message delivered | Video reach, Non-skippable reach | Bumper and non-skippable in-stream, including a 16 to 30 second TV screen version | Target CPM |
| Repeat exposure to the same people | Video reach, Target frequency | Bumper, skippable and non-skippable in-stream, in-feed and Shorts | Target CPM with a weekly or monthly frequency target |
| Consideration measured in views | Video views | Skippable in-stream, in-feed and Shorts | Target CPV |
| A story told in order | Video ad sequence | Skippable in-stream, non-skippable in-stream and bumper | Target CPM |
| Sales, leads or site traffic | Demand Gen | In-stream, in-feed and Shorts through channel controls | Clicks, conversions or conversion value |
| One day of maximum presence | Masthead reservation | Masthead | Fixed CPM or cost per hour |
The formats page also lists skippable in-stream ads under the Sales, Leads and Website traffic objectives, and Google's Video reach setup guide (opens in a new tab) describes the three reach subtypes in the rows above. Confirm the subtype in the account before the plan is signed.
Which YouTube formats can be skipped, and when?
Skipping changes what a buyer pays for and how a creative must be cut. Google's skippable in-stream page (opens in a new tab) says the viewer may skip after 5 seconds, so the brand and the reason to keep watching have to land before then. Shorts ads can be swiped away immediately, which leaves even less time. Bumper and non-skippable ads cannot be skipped and are bought on impressions.
| Format | Skip rule | What it means for the plan |
|---|---|---|
| Skippable in-stream | Skip button after 5 seconds | Open with the brand; a view is only counted at 30 seconds, the end of a shorter ad, or an interaction |
| Shorts | Swipe away at any moment | Treat the first seconds as the whole ad; a view needs 10 seconds, the end, or an interaction |
| Bumper | Cannot be skipped | One idea in 6 seconds; no TrueView views and no remarketing lists from views |
| Non-skippable in-stream | Cannot be skipped | A complete message, sized to the subtype's length limit |
| In-feed | Not applicable: the viewer clicks a thumbnail to watch | The thumbnail and headline do the selling before any video plays |
| Masthead | Not applicable: autoplays muted at the top of Home | Desktop autoplay runs up to 30 seconds, so it must work without sound |
Which YouTube formats run on Shorts and on TV screens?
Only one format runs inside the Shorts feed: the Shorts ad itself. Other formats reach Shorts viewers only when a campaign subtype mixes formats, such as Efficient reach or Video views, and Google picks the Shorts ad for that slot. Several formats reach TV screens, each in its own way.
| Format | Shorts feed | TV screens |
|---|---|---|
| Skippable in-stream | No | Yes: Google's format page shows desktop, mobile and TV screens, and a QR code can appear with the skip button on some TVs |
| Non-skippable in-stream | No | Yes: Non-skippable reach offers a 30 second version for connected TV, horizontal only |
| Bumper | No | Some bumper ads may appear on YouTube TV, depending on eligibility |
| In-feed | No | Yes: search results and the recommended list in the TV Home feed; Google TV home screen through Efficient reach |
| Shorts | Yes | Yes: Google lists streaming devices, game consoles and TVs |
| Masthead | No | Yes: top of the YouTube app for TVs, with no call to action button |
Google's Google TV network page (opens in a new tab) adds one more TV surface. In-feed ads in an Efficient reach campaign that opts in to both in-feed ads and the Google TV network can serve on the Google TV home screen, which Google lists as available in the United States and Canada among 28 countries. A YouTube channel list does not describe that inventory.
Which YouTube formats support channel placement targeting?
Google's placement targeting help (opens in a new tab) says placements can be added to ad groups in Video and Display campaigns, and its Where ads showed report (opens in a new tab) adds that positive placement targeting is not available for every video subtype. The format alone does not answer the question; the subtype that carries it does.
| Format or route | Positive channel placements | Caveat from Google's documentation |
|---|---|---|
| Skippable in-stream and bumper in Video reach | Optional at the ad group, with keywords and topics | Google does not recommend narrow content targeting on Video reach because it can restrict reach |
| Non-skippable in-stream in Non-skippable reach | Optional at the ad group | Same reach warning applies |
| Skippable in-stream, in-feed and Shorts in Video views | Through the ad group Content page | Content targeting keeps in-feed ads out of the Home feed |
| Shorts ads | Not described in Google's Shorts buying guides | Exclusions and content themes are the documented controls |
| Video ad sequence | No | Keywords, topics and placements can only be excluded, at campaign level |
| Masthead | No | A reservation for the top of Home, bought by country |
The in-feed caveat matters for channel plans. Google's in-feed video ads page (opens in a new tab) says that using content targeting in a campaign prevents the ad from appearing in the YouTube Home feed, so a channel list moves in-feed delivery toward Watch Next and search instead. The YouTube placement targeting guide covers the setup steps.
How would a planner choose formats for one brief?
Fictional example
A mattress retailer in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area picks its formats
An unnamed regional mattress and bedding retailer with showrooms across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, Ontario, wants a spring YouTube flight in English with a CAD budget. The brief has two jobs: make the store name familiar before a sale weekend, and get a 90 second video on choosing a mattress watched by people who are already shopping.
The planner splits the work by goal. A Video reach campaign set to Non-skippable reach carries a 6 second bumper and a 15 second explainer, placed on an approved list of home, sleep and interior design channels. A Video views campaign runs the 90 second video as skippable in-stream, in-feed and Shorts ads on the same list, and the plan notes that its in-feed ads will not reach the Home feed because the ad group carries placements. The planner leaves the Masthead out: it is a reservation bought through a Google representative, and this budget is set for auction buying.
How does PlacementGraph account for YouTube formats in a channel plan?
What should be settled before a format mix goes into a media plan?
Format mix sign-off
- Each format is tied to one goal and one campaign subtype that Google lists as compatible with it.
- Creative exists in the lengths each subtype accepts, including a horizontal cut for any TV screen non-skippable slot.
- The plan states which formats are bought per view and which per impression, so reports are read on the right basis.
- Formats that cannot take positive channel placements are marked, and their controls are listed as exclusions.
- In-feed lines with channel placements note that the Home feed is out of reach.
- Any reservation format, such as Masthead, has a written country, dates and price basis from the Google representative.
Frequently asked questions
Is TrueView still a YouTube ad format?
Not as a format name. Google now uses TrueView for the paid view metric: as of October 2025 the Views metric in Google Ads is called TrueView views, with no change to billing. The older TrueView In-stream and In-feed for Consideration campaigns are being upgraded automatically to Video view campaigns from August 2026.
Can a YouTube Masthead be bought in the auction?
No. Google says Masthead ads are only available on a reservation basis through a Google sales representative, on CPM or cost per hour. CPM Mastheads can also be bought through YouTube Programmatic Guaranteed instant deals or Google Ads reservation, and Google's Masthead page says only one country can be targeted per campaign.
Which YouTube formats can build remarketing lists?
Google's format table marks skippable in-stream, in-feed, Shorts and Masthead as formats that can remarket to viewers, and bumper and non-skippable ads as formats that cannot. Its metrics help adds that lists based on views stay empty for bumpers, non-skippable ads and in-stream ads shorter than 11 seconds.
Do YouTube ad formats also run outside YouTube?
Some do. Skippable in-stream, non-skippable and bumper ads can serve on Google video partner websites and apps when a campaign opts in, and Google notes skippable ads may then appear as interstitial or rewarded ads. Shorts and Masthead ads stay on YouTube. Check the campaign's Networks setting before promising a YouTube only buy.
Sources
- About video ad formats (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Skippable in-stream ads (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- In-feed video ads (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- YouTube Masthead (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Create a Video reach campaign (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About video ad sequencing (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- TrueView In-stream and In-feed for Consideration campaigns are being upgraded to multi-format ads (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Expand your reach with the Google TV network (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About placement targeting (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About the Where ads showed report (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About Demand Gen campaigns (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Channel controls in Demand Gen campaigns (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About YouTube ads and view metrics (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.