Should I Put Ads on My YouTube Videos?
Nov 28, 2020I speak with YouTube content creators on a fairly regular basis. On multiple occasions, a specific question has popped up. The question that has popped up is: "Should I put ads on my YouTube videos?" To most people, the answer to this question will be obvious. However, there are some instances when creators shouldn't put ads on their videos.
Individual content creators should put ads on their YouTube videos. Businesses, however, need to be careful when putting ads on their videos. The reason for this is, if a business puts ads on their videos, they might end up promoting their competitors if they are running YouTube ads. This can lead to more publicity and revenue for competitors.
Many content creators make money by placing ads on their videos. In most cases, placing ads on videos is worth doing. However, in certain circumstances, it might be better for a content creator not to place ads on their videos. This leads us to the question- should you place ads on your videos when you can?
Putting Ads on Your YouTube Videos
Is putting ads on your YouTube videos a good idea? It depends. Individual content creators should consider putting ads on their YouTube videos. Businesses, however, should think twice about putting ads on their videos. As I mentioned above, a business could end up promoting its competitors by putting ads on their videos.
Complications often arise when it comes to businesses, however, as many businesses are in high CPM niches. For example, the marketing niche is a very high CPM niche, as opposed to book reading which would be a lower CPM niche. So, when businesses don't put ads on their videos, they can potentially miss out on a significant amount of money.
Individuals do have competitors in the sense that many channels upload similar types of videos. However, there is a big difference between an individual who sells merchandise and a business that sells specialized software. An individual can afford to promote their competitors, whereas a business sometimes cannot.
Overall, most content creators should put ads on their YouTube videos. Ads don't ruin the experience of viewers, and they help creators earn money. In some select cases, particularly when it comes to businesses, ads should not be used, as using ads can end up having significant consequences.
When Can You Put Ads on Your YouTube Videos
You might be wondering- when can you put ads on your YouTube videos? Can you put ads on your videos right away, or are there some requirements you need to meet? In the past, you used to be able to put ads on your videos right away. Nowadays, however, some requirements need to be met.
To put ads on your YouTube videos, you must be a member of the YouTube Partner Program. To become a member of the YouTube Partner Program, you must have accumulated over 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past 12 months, and be 18 years old. If you do not meet these requirements, you will not be accepted into the Partner Program.
It is important to note that it can take a while before being accepted into the Partner Program after applying to it. Sometimes, there are instances when a large number of channels request to be reviewed. This creates a backlog, which makes it take longer for channels to get approved by human reviewers.
Another important thing to acknowledge is that not every channel gets accepted into the Partner Program. Channels that upload videos that contain adult themes and violence are often denied from entering into the Partner Program. So, even if you have 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours, this doesn't guarantee your entry into the Partner Program.
How Many Ads Should You Put in a YouTube Video
Did you know that you can put multiple ads on YouTube videos over 10 minutes in length as a member of the YouTube Partner Program? If you didn't, you do now! But how many ads should you put in a YouTube video? Should you put 1, 2, or even more? What determines the ideal number of ads for a video?
While putting multiple ads on a YouTube video can lead to more revenue, it's important not to go overboard. Real people watch YouTube videos- not robots. When a video features too many ads, people often stop watching it. This leads to a decrease in audience retention and watch time for the video- 2 very important metrics when it comes to growing a channel.
Ideally, you should test out a different number of ads on a few videos. For one video, only feature 1 advertisement, and feature 3 advertisements for another video, etc. See how your audience responds. Pay attention to your audience retention rating and if it doesn't plummet, this is a sign that you can feature multiple ads in your videos safely.
Something else to keep in mind is that different audiences have different tolerance levels for ads on videos. Audiences in the gaming niche, for example, will be more used to seeing multiple ads on videos, as opposed to audiences in the business niche. Think about this as well when placing ads on your videos.
Conclusion
Many content creators ask themself the question: "Should I put ads on my YouTube videos?" Most content creators should place ads on their videos, as this will allow them to earn revenue. However, certain business channels should not put ads on their videos, as this might lead to an increased promotion for competitors.