This is part of our Ultimate Guide to Building a Music Business collection where we’ll be breaking down platforms section by section. We’re covering everything from streaming platforms to eCommerce solutions, monetization systems, and marketing platforms. We’re kicking things off with Google Ads for Youtube and expanding into the Youtube platform and all other areas like Spotify, Publishing, etc.
Google Ads provides you with a great option for gaining exposure for your content on Youtube. One of the reasons Google Ads is such a great option is the fact that you’re paying for views, which ensures that your brand is reaching attentive eyeballs and building awareness. On a platform like Facebook, you’re charged every time your ad appears, even when it appears multiple times to the same person, and appearances in the feed are counted as views. When a Facebook user scrolls through their feed, every time they pass a video, that video generates a view no matter if the user stopped to watch the video or not. With Google Ads for Youtube, you only pay when users actually stop and watch your video. Let’s take a deep dive into Youtube ads to find the best strategies that will contribute to improved performance on the platform.
Objective: Discovery Ads
Creative:
- Headline
- Description
- Youtube video
Goal:
The goal of a Discovery ad is to drive traffic to your video’s Watch page. On the Watch page is where viewers can take actions like Subscribing to your channel, hitting the Thumbs up button, Adding your video to a playlist, and if you’re monetizing they can send you money through Super Thanks. They’re also exposed to your Description box, Cards, End screens, and messages you post in the comments where you can drive traffic to other offers and videos.
Discovery ads are shown like suggested videos so users have to choose whether they want to watch. You’re charged for Clicks which are effectively video views so if a user doesn’t choose to watch your video, you pay nothing.
Pros
- Engagement – Views take place on the Watch page where users can Like, Share, Comment, and Subscribe. They’re also exposed to your Description box which can be used to drive traffic to other products off Youtube.
- You only pay for views.
Cons
- Optimization – Discovery ads are optimized for clicks and clicks are driven by the attraction to the video Title and Thumbnail and not the song. Listening to the song happens post-click so your ad isn’t geared toward finding people who enjoy listening to your song, its aim is to find users most likely to click. If viewers aren’t responding to your music positively, the ad won’t improve by looking at who’s taking positive actions and showing more to those users. The ad will simply continue to show to the same users inclined to respond negatively to the music if those are the users that click.
- No control over the destination – You can’t direct traffic to any other place than the Watch page of the video you’re advertising or a Playlist page.
Engagement is the primary reason for Discovery ads. You can increase your Subscriber count, Likes, and Playlist additions, and drive users to your website through the Description box with Discovery ads.
Similar to In-stream ads, the views don’t count so you still need viewers to watch organically to impact the algorithm. Making this happen may be difficult with Discovery ads because all itches may have been scratched for the user. They don’t need to see the full video, they’ve done that. They don’t need to investigate because they can see the view count, Likes, and comments on the Watch page. You need the viewer to be so impressed by the song that they want to hear more and dive deeper into your catalog.
Psychology
The viewer has chosen to watch the video, they’ve made a commitment. The choice, indicates they have time to dedicate to checking it out. You have an easier path to making an impression.
?Tips
- Upload a custom Thumbnail that’s visually appealing and attracts attention
- Make sure the description informs the viewer of the style of music
- Create a playlist of your tracks.
- Use Cards and End screens to link to other songs on your channel
- Post a Smart link, PayPal/Cash app link, and link to a playlist in the Description box and Comment section. Pin the comment you posted with your links.
