How to Advertise on YouTube Shorts

YouTube Shorts isn't just a place for viral dances and funny clips anymore, it's a massive opportunity to get your brand in front of millions of highly engaged viewers. As users scroll through their feeds, your short, vertical video ad can slide right in, grabbing their attention in a native, non-disruptive way. This guide will walk you through exactly how to create and launch effective YouTube Shorts ad campaigns, from building the perfect ad creative to setting up your campaign in Google Ads and measuring what works.

Why You Should Advertise on YouTube Shorts

If you're already running ads on platforms like TikTok or Instagram Reels, stepping into YouTube Shorts is a logical next move. If you're new to short-form video ads entirely, this is a prime place to start. Here's why it's worth your time and budget:

• Massive, Engaged Audience: YouTube Shorts gets over 70 billion daily views. That's a huge pool of potential customers who are actively looking for fresh, entertaining content.
• Native Ad Experience: Shorts ads appear vertically between organic Shorts in the feed. They look and feel like the content users are already consuming, making them less jarring than traditional pre-roll or mid-roll ads. This can lead to higher engagement and better brand recall.
• Cost-Effective Reach: Short-form video ad inventory is still growing, and for many advertisers, the cost per view (CPV) and cost per mille (CPM) can be lower than on other crowded platforms. You can reach a lot of people without needing a massive budget.
• Direct Drive to Action: Unlike some organic content, Shorts ads feature prominent, clickable call-to-action (CTA) buttons encouraging viewers to do something specific, like visit your website, download an app, or make a purchase.

The Anatomy of a High-Performing YouTube Shorts Ad

Before you even open your Google Ads account, you need to understand what makes a Shorts ad work. Simply resizing your horizontal TV commercial won't cut it. The best Shorts ads feel like Shorts – they're authentic, fast-paced, and built for a vertical, sound-on experience. Here’s what yours needs.

1. An Irresistible 3-Second Hook

You literally have a second or two to stop someone from swiping past your ad. The opening of your video is everything. Don't waste time with slow introductions or fading logos. Jump straight into the action.

• Ask a provocative question: "Are you still tracking your expenses in a spreadsheet?"
• Show a surprising result: Start with a shot of the sparkling clean kitchen, then show the dirty "before" shot.
• Use bold, on-screen text: A simple headline like "3 Mistakes Draining Your Budget" can instantly grab attention.
• Start mid-action: Open with an influencer-style unboxing or someone using your product in a genuinely interesting way.

The goal is to create immediate curiosity and make the viewer think, "Wait, what's this about?"

2. Built for Vertical (9:16)

This is non-negotiable. Your ad must be in a 9:16 aspect ratio to fill the entire mobile screen. Filming with a smartphone makes this easy and adds an element of authenticity. Don't use a horizontal video with black bars on the top and bottom, it looks lazy and instantly signals "this is an ad I can skip."

3. Design for Sound On, But Work with Sound Off

Unlike other platforms where many users scroll silently, most people watch Shorts with the sound on. This is a huge advantage. Use trending audio, an engaging voiceover, or sound effects to enhance your message. A great voiceover can explain your product's value proposition while the visuals show it in action.

However, you should still add captions or on-screen text overlays for clarity. This makes your ad accessible to everyone and ensures your message lands even if a viewer is watching with the sound off.

4. Keep It Short, Sweet, and to the Point

The ideal length is between 15 and 60 seconds, but the sweet spot for grabbing and holding attention is often under 30 seconds. Don't try to cram too much information in. Focus on a single theme or benefit. Your structure should be simple:

• Hook: Grab attention immediately.
• Value: Quickly explain the problem you solve or the benefit you offer.
• CTA: Tell them what to do next.

5. Look Authentic, Not Like a Slick Commercial

Polished, big-budget ads can feel out of place in the Shorts feed. The best-performing creative often has a lo-fi, user-generated content (UGC) feel. Think about what a real customer or creator would post about your product. This builds trust a lot faster than an ad that screams "corporate marketing team." You want your ad to feel less like a commercial and more like a great discovery.

6. A Crystal-Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)

Google Ads will add a clickable CTA button to your ad, but you should also include a verbal or visual CTA in the video itself. Literally tell your viewers what you want them to do. Point to the "Shop Now" button on the screen, or say, "Click the link below to get your free trial." Don't assume they'll figure it out on their own.

Step-by-Step Guide: Setting Up Your YouTube Shorts Ad Campaign

YouTube Shorts ads run through the Google Ads platform. You can't just pick "Shorts" as a placement. Instead, your vertical video ads become eligible to show up in the Shorts feed when you use specific campaign types like Video Action Campaigns or Performance Max. For the most control, a Video Action Campaign is a great place to start.

Step 1: Create a New Campaign in Google Ads

Start in your Google Ads dashboard.

1. Click the + New Campaign button.
2. Choose a campaign objective that aligns with your goal. For directly measurable actions, choose Sales, Leads, or Website traffic.
3. When prompted for a conversion goal, select the specific action (like purchases or sign-ups) that you want the campaign to drive. Google’s AI will use this to optimize who sees your ad.
4. Select Video as your campaign type.
5. Choose Drive conversions. This will set your campaign subtype to a Video Action Campaign, which is designed to get people to click and take action.

Step 2: Set Your Budget and Bidding

Determine how much you're willing to spend. You can set a daily budget (e.g., $20 per day) or a total campaign budget (e.g., $500 for the entire run).

For your bidding strategy, starting with Maximize conversions is a good option. This tells Google's algorithm to get you the most conversions possible within your budget. As your campaign gathers data, you can switch to Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) if you want to control how much you pay for each conversion.

Step 3: Define Your Audience and Targeting

Now, you'll tell Google who you want to see your ads. Here's where you select your locations, languages, and audience segments.

• Location &, Language: Be specific about the countries, regions, and languages you're targeting.
• Audience Segments: This is the powerful part. You can target based on:
  • Demographics: Age, gender, parental status, etc.
  • Affinity Segments: People's long-term interests and habits (e.g., "health and fitness buffs").
  • In-Market Segments: People actively researching or planning to buy products or services like yours (e.g., "in-market for business software").
  • Your Data (Retargeting): Target people who have already visited your website, watched your YouTube videos, or are on a customer email list. This is often your highest-converting audience.

A good best practice is to start with a blend of in-market and affinity audiences who are a close match for your ideal customer. Don't be too narrow, as Google's algorithm needs some room to find the people most likely to convert.

Step 4: Create Your Ad

This is where you'll upload your video and write the copy. You'll do this within an "Ad Group."

1. First, search for your video ad on YouTube or paste its URL. The video just needs to be uploaded to your YouTube channel (it can be unlisted). Remember: it must be a vertical video to be eligible for the Shorts feed.
2. Final URL: Enter the link to the landing page you want to send people to.
3. Call-to-Action: Choose a CTA from the dropdown menu (e.g., Shop Now, Learn More, Sign Up) and write the text a user will see on the button.
4. Headline &, Description: Write a short, punchy headline (up to 15 characters) and a longer headline (up to 90 characters). Keep it direct and focused on the key benefit.

Step 5: Review and Launch

Take one last look over everything. Check your budget, targeting details, URLs, and ad creative. Once everything looks good, click Create Campaign. Your ads will go into a review process (usually quick) and then start running.

Measuring and Optimizing Your Shorts Ads

Launching the campaign is just the beginning. The real work is in seeing what's working and making it better.

• Watch Key Metrics: In Google Ads, focus on metrics like Conversions, Cost/Conversion, Click-through Rate (CTR), and View Rate. A high view rate and CTR but low conversions might signal an issue with your landing page.
• Test Different Creatives: Don't just run one ad. Test at least 2-3 variations with different hooks, CTAs, or visuals. After a week, pause the underperformers and create new ads based on what you’ve learned from the winners.
• Refine Your Audience Targeting: Look at your audience reports. Are certain age groups or interests performing better than others? You can adjust your targeting to focus more of your budget on the audiences that are actually converting.
• Fight Ad Fatigue: People get tired of seeing the same ad over and over. You should plan to swap in fresh creative every 2-4 weeks to keep your campaigns effective and your audience engaged.

Final Thoughts

Advertising on YouTube Shorts is a powerful way to connect with a thriving community in a format they love. Success hinges on creating authentic, vertical-first video that grabs attention instantly and combining it with the smart targeting and optimization tools available within Google Ads. It’s an investment in meeting your customers where they are right now.

While you're running ads to get new eyes on your brand, it's just as important to build a strong organic presence on platforms like YouTube Shorts. But juggling multiple video platforms can quickly become overwhelming. At Postbase, we built our tool specifically for today’s short-form video reality. Because we focus on letting you plan, schedule, and analyze your content across all platforms without the connection issues or complexity of legacy tools, you can spend less time wrestling with software and more time building a community that will eventually become loyal customers.