YouTube in-feed video ads: where they show and how to plan them beside in-stream
Part of YouTube channel planning
The short answer
YouTube in-feed video ads, called video discovery ads until November 2021, are a thumbnail, headline and short text that invite a viewer to watch. They appear in YouTube search results, beside related videos in Watch Next, and in the Home and Subscriptions feeds. A view counts on a click or, in Video views campaigns, 10 seconds of autoplay.
Key takeaways
- An in-feed ad is chosen by the viewer: it competes as a thumbnail in a feed, then plays only if clicked or autoplayed.
- Google lists four surfaces, search results, Watch Next, Home and Subscriptions, and content targeting removes the Home feed.
- The view rule depends on the campaign: Video views counts 10 seconds of muted autoplay, older consideration campaigns counted clicks only.
- Placement, keyword and theme exclusions reach Watch Next, but the Home and Subscriptions feeds only follow the inventory type setting.
What are YouTube in-feed video ads?
Definition
- In-feed video ad
- Google's in-feed video ads page (opens in a new tab) describes an ad made of an image thumbnail, a headline and up to 2 lines of text, placed alongside YouTube content that is likely to be viewed by the target audience. It invites people to click to watch.
The name is new; the format is not. On November 17, 2021 Google renamed YouTube Video discovery ads (opens in a new tab) to In-feed video ads, saying the change did not affect campaign features or functionality. Briefs, old reports and agency templates may still say discovery ads, and they mean the same unit.
In-feed ads work differently from the in-stream formats. An in-stream ad interrupts a video the viewer already chose. An in-feed ad has to be chosen: it sits in a list of thumbnails and only plays as a video when the viewer clicks, or when the feed autoplays it muted. The creative job is therefore split in two. The thumbnail and headline must earn the click, and the video must reward it.
| Element | Google's rule or guidance |
|---|---|
| Headline | 100 characters at most; text over 25 characters may be shortened on some devices |
| Description | Up to 2 lines of 35 characters; not shown on the desktop watch page or on TV |
| Thumbnail | Choose from 4 frames of the video, or make a custom one in YouTube Studio |
| Video length | Any length; Google suggests 15 to 20 seconds for awareness and 2 to 3 minutes for consideration |
| Shortest useful cut | YouTube view counts are not incremented below 10 seconds, and remarketing lists and YouTube Analytics need 12 seconds or more |
Where do in-feed ads appear on YouTube?
Google names four YouTube surfaces for in-feed ads, and each one puts the ad next to a different kind of signal. In search results the neighbor is the viewer's query. In Watch Next it is the video being watched. In the Home and Subscriptions feeds it is YouTube's own recommendations and the channels the viewer follows.
| Surface | Position Google describes | Devices |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube search results | Above relevant search results | Desktop, YouTube mobile app and TV |
| YouTube Watch Next | At the top of or between related videos on a watch page | Desktop beside the main video, mobile below it |
| YouTube Home feed | At the top of the mobile feed when no Masthead is serving, or between videos; first recommended video on desktop | Desktop, mobile and TV, in the TV recommended list |
| YouTube Subscriptions feed | First recommended video at the top of the feed | YouTube app on mobile and tablet |
One more surface sits outside YouTube. Google's Google TV network page (opens in a new tab) says in-feed ads in a Video reach campaign set to Efficient reach can serve on the Google TV home screen when the campaign opts in to both in-feed ads and the Google TV network, with a 1920 by 1080 horizontal asset. Google lists 28 countries for the network, including the United States and Canada. Copied campaigns, and campaigns duplicated in Google Ads Editor, must be opted in again by hand.
How is a view counted for an in-feed ad?
The answer depends on the campaign, and Google's pages show the change in progress. Its video metrics guide (opens in a new tab) counts an in-feed TrueView view when the viewer clicks the thumbnail and is taken to the watch page, or watches the video autoplay inline for at least 10 seconds. It adds that a click on the thumbnail is not counted as a click: it only increments the view count once the watch page loads.
| Campaign | What counts as a view | What it is charged on |
|---|---|---|
| Video views | A click to the watch page, or 10 seconds of muted inline autoplay | Target CPV per TrueView view |
| TrueView In-feed for Consideration (being upgraded) | A click on the ad only | Maximum CPV per view |
| Video reach, Efficient reach | Not the buying unit: the campaign buys impressions | Target CPM |
| Demand Gen | In-feed is one channel among YouTube surfaces | Click, conversion or conversion value bidding |
Google's upgrade notice (opens in a new tab) states the difference directly: In-feed for Consideration campaigns only count clicks on the ad as a view, while the Video view campaign in-feed format also counts inline muted 10 second playback. The notice, checked October 2026, says Google upgrades those older campaigns automatically starting August 2026, rolling out gradually through the rest of the year. The in-feed page itself still says autoplay does not count toward views and that Google does not charge until the viewer visits the watch page, so confirm the rule on the campaign before comparing in-feed CPV across periods. The YouTube CPV guide covers how to report it.
Which brand safety controls cover in-feed ads?
Coverage varies by surface. Google's content suitability coverage table (opens in a new tab) gives Watch Next the same controls as in-stream video, while the Home and Subscriptions feeds follow only the account's inventory type. The same page lists among its known limitations that content exclusions may provide limited coverage of in-feed ads in YouTube.
| Control | Watch Next feed | Home and Subscriptions feeds |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory type (Maximum, Moderate, Limited) | Yes | Yes |
| Content type exclusions | Yes | No |
| Excluded placements | Yes | No |
| Excluded content keywords | Yes | No |
| Excluded content themes | Yes | No |
| Digital content labels | No | No |
Search results do not appear as a row in Google's table, so treat their coverage as unconfirmed. Reporting follows the same split. Google's Where ads showed report (opens in a new tab) lists channel and video placements for ads on the Watch page, including watch next ads, and reports ads that ran elsewhere, such as the Home feed, as youtube.com. Google also says third-party measurement is available for in-feed video ads. The YouTube content exclusions guide covers how to set the account level controls.
How should in-feed ads be planned next to in-stream ads?
The two formats reach people at different moments, and each has real strengths and limits for a channel plan. Neither is better in general; the brief decides which job each one does.
| Planning question | In-feed video ads | Skippable in-stream ads |
|---|---|---|
| What sets the context | The search query, the watch page's related list, or the viewer's feed | The video the viewer chose to watch |
| Strength | The viewer opts in by clicking, and search placement can meet a stated interest | The ad plays inside the creator's video, so a channel list sets the context precisely |
| Limit | The thumbnail competes with organic videos, and a channel list closes the Home feed | Viewers can skip after 5 seconds |
| Creative weight | Thumbnail and headline, then the video | The first 5 seconds of the video |
| Suitability coverage | Full on Watch Next, inventory type only on Home and Subscriptions | Full set of in-stream controls |
| Placement reporting | Watch Next placements reported; Home feed as youtube.com | Watch page placements reported |
Four planning rules for an in-feed line
- Give in-feed its own job. Use it for the long explainer people choose to watch, and let in-stream carry the message that must reach people who did not choose.
- Decide on the Home feed first. If Home reach matters, run in-feed without content targeting in its own campaign; if context matters more, accept Watch Next and search only.
- Brief the thumbnail as creative. Write the headline within 25 characters for small screens and pick or design the thumbnail before the video edit is final.
- Read in-feed reports apart. Keep in-feed results out of in-stream view rate and CPV, since the two count views on different rules.
What does an in-feed plan look like for one brief?
Fictional example
A pet insurer in Alberta plans in-feed and in-stream lines
An unnamed pet insurance provider selling to dog and cat owners in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, asks for YouTube in English with a CAD budget. It has a 3 minute video explaining how a claim works and a 20 second ad introducing the brand. The client wants nothing beside animal cruelty, injury or rescue footage that shows suffering.
The planner gives the 3 minute video to in-feed ads in a Video views campaign on an approved list of dog training, veterinary explainer and pet care channels, so it appears in Watch Next beside those videos. The thumbnail shows a vet visit, and the headline stays under 25 characters. The 20 second ad runs as skippable in-stream on the same list in a separate campaign.
Because the list closes the Home feed and the brand's limits matter, the plan does not add a broad in-feed line for Home. Refused channels go on the account exclusion list, which reaches Watch Next, and reports read the two lines apart: in-feed on clicks to watch and 10 second views, in-stream on its own view rule.
How does PlacementGraph plan channels for in-feed ads?
What should be checked before in-feed ads launch?
In-feed launch checklist
- The plan states whether the in-feed line uses content targeting, and so whether the Home feed is in or out.
- The headline reads in 25 characters, and the description works in two lines of 35 characters or can be lost on TV.
- The video runs at least 12 seconds if the brand wants remarketing lists and YouTube Analytics data.
- The campaign's view rule is recorded: click only, or click and 10 second autoplay.
- Account placement, keyword and theme exclusions are set, with the team aware they do not reach the Home and Subscriptions feeds.
- Any Google TV network opt in is confirmed on the campaign, including on copied campaigns.
Frequently asked questions
Where does a click on an in-feed ad take the viewer?
It depends on the campaign. Google says that in Video reach and Video view campaigns clicking the ad leads directly to the video, while Video action campaigns showed two call to action buttons. Its in-feed page adds that clicking the channel name on an in-feed ad goes to the ad's landing page, not the channel.
Can in-feed ads target YouTube search terms?
In-feed ads appear above relevant YouTube search results, but Google's in-feed page does not describe a search term match type for them. Video campaigns offer keywords related to a video, channel or type of website. Treat search placement as a surface the ad can reach, not as a keyword auction.
Do in-feed ads run on Google video partners?
They can. Google's formats page says that when a campaign is opted into Google video partners and into in-feed ads, video formats may appear in-stream, in-feed, in-article or in-app across partner sites and apps on the Google Display Network. Turn the partner setting off if the brief is YouTube only.
Are in-feed ads the same as Shorts ads?
No. Shorts ads play full screen between organic Shorts and can be swiped away, while in-feed ads are thumbnails in search, Watch Next, Home and Subscriptions that play when clicked or autoplayed. Video views campaigns can mix both formats, but they follow different view rules and suitability coverage.
Sources
- In-feed video ads (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- YouTube Video discovery ads are now In-feed video ads (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About video ad formats (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About YouTube ads and view metrics (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 content suitability (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About the Where ads showed report (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About targeting for Video campaigns (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.