- Nov 29, 2022
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Music has always played an important role in culture and everyday life. It is a reliable way to capture the audience's attention towards content they enjoy. Marketers, affiliates, PPC specialists, and other advertisers in the highly competitive era are constantly seeking new ways to engage with their target audience. In 2020, Google announced the introduction of audio ads on YouTube in their blog, but even after three years, few experienced marketers are using this format in their advertising campaigns.
In this article, we'll explore the benefits and features of working with audio ads on the YouTube platform.
Why You Should Integrate Audio Ads into Your Google Ads Campaigns
According to Google's internal data, by 2020, over 50% of authenticated users watching music content were streaming videos on YouTube. They consumed more than 10 minutes of music content daily. With the emergence of YouTube Music, the number of target users and the duration of daily music content sessions only increased. According to a report by Statista, YouTube Music ranked among the top 10 online music platforms in the US in 2024. Furthermore, according to Zipdo, by 2020, YouTube Music had 77 million subscribers who listened to more than 5 hours of music content per week on average. This represents a significant and financially capable audience.In addition to the audience, here are a few more benefits of the audio ad format on YouTube:
- Cost of Creative Production: Filming a simple video with all integrations and editing rarely costs less than $100-$200. Sometimes, for high-quality creative work, videographers may charge up to $1,000. Producing an audio ad with the same input may not cost anything for a media buyer or advertiser, especially with the emergence of many AI-based voice-over services.
- Ease of Creation and Setup: Even an inexperienced Google Ads user can launch an audio ad campaign, as its creation is not much different from the functionality of classic video ads on YouTube.
- Creative Approach: The audio format opens up opportunities for experimenting with highlighting offers among competitors, not only for large brands. It is also relevant for such categories of advertisers as affiliates, media buyers, and PPC specialists.
- Expanded Offer Presence for the Target Audience: Audio ads launched in Google Ads can be shown not only in videos with strong visuals but also in those that users watch in the background. It also fits organically into the audio stream of YouTube Music.
How to Launch Audio Ads in Google Ads
At the moment, audio ads can be created in the Google Ads interface. As of the writing of this article, this format is present in the settings of Video, Performance Max, and Display & Video 360 campaigns.
You can also launch a campaign by selecting the "Awareness & Consideration" campaign type. Then choose the "Video" format and mark the "Audio" option.
Next, click the "Continue" button, enter the campaign information, set the bid and budget, configure targeting for the ad group, and add the YouTube video URL. After this, you can edit the ad copy. In the final step, set the target CPM bid and complete the setup by clicking the "Create Campaign" button.
Requirements for YouTube Audio Ads
Before launching audio ads on YouTube, a webmaster should ensure that their audio ads meet technical requirements. After nearly four years of beta testing this ad format, the technical requirements have slightly changed. In 2022, the duration of the clip was reduced from 30 seconds to 15 seconds, and political ads were completely banned. As of 2024, the use of creatives up to 30 seconds is only available to beta test participants.
Additionally, during the beta testing phase, Google prohibits promoting offers from most gray niches, including gambling, alcohol, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals.
Recommendations for Creating Audio Ads on YouTube
When creating audio ads, it is important to consider both general audience engagement principles and the specifics of the format. According to Google, it is recommended to:- Focus on the audio track - its quality and content.
- Use static images or simple animations as visual components.
- Aim to include the main information about the offer in speech within 40 words.
- Prefer a measured pace and clear delivery of information, especially when it comes to speech.
- Try to fit the ad into the overall content picture by choosing a non-annoying conversational tone with the listener.
- Always use a call to action in the audio - announce the link address and/or tell the user where to click to start cooperation.
- Avoid being too intrusive and strive to adhere to basic advertising rules.
