9 Best Practices for Creating Cheap YouTube Ads That Convert

Are you ready to create YouTube ads but worried that you need a big budget or special skills to get started? In this article you’ll learn what elements you need to create high-converting YouTube ads without having to spend a fortune on ad creation.

The key to creating well-converting YouTube ads is knowing your audience. Yes, quality audio, video, and graphics are important as well as a great offer, but the foundation for every successful campaign is a well-researched target audience. Taking the time to get to know your audience from the beginning will help to laser-focus targeting and reduce the amount of budget being spent on showing your ad to uninterested viewers.

Don’t just wing it! Use a template to create a written script and then refine it several times to make sure that it is concise while still being compelling. Watch other video sales ads and make note of what grabs your attention or catches your eye. Record yourself practicing your script to make sure that it flows well and doesn’t sound rushed. Use the recording to get feedback from people in your industry as well as others that aren’t familiar with your brand or product.

Ensure that your offer is for a high-quality product that will provide obvious value to your audience. A great offer identifies a clear and relatable pain point and then convinces the audience that they need your product to address that pain point. Make sure that your offer lines up with your brand – if you are a graphic designer selling a DIY auto repair guide, your offer is going to fall flat.

The length of your video ad is important, but timing matters even more. Ensuring that you hook the viewer in the first 5 seconds is the most important factor when considering video length. The industry standard for video ads is around 20 seconds, but you’ll need to determine how much time you need to get your message across effectively.

If you can sell your product in 15 seconds, then don’t go for 20 seconds just because that’s the “standard.” On the flip side, don’t be afraid to create a 30 second ad because it’s longer than the industry standard either.

Your ads are a representation of your brand, so it’s important that your video advertising sends the right message in terms of quality. Poor quality video can destroy your brand image and make the viewer assume that you don’t place much value on them or their attention. But don’t worry, you don’t need a full-scale video production team to create a great quality video.

The technology available via cell phones today is more than adequate for recording beautiful videos. There are many free video editing tools, as well as millions of free music clips you can add to the background of your video to make it more appealing. If you want to kick things up a notch without spending too much money, investing in a quality microphone and basic lighting kit can be a good place to start.

Engaging video incorporates elements like personality and high energy. After all, who wants to watch a boring video, much less a boring ad? Use your video ad to tell people a story – take the viewer on a journey that engages their emotions. Include other things like catchy songs, bright images, humor, suspense, and inflection to keep the viewer entertained as they watch.

Although features and benefits can often be similar, the subtle differences between the two can make a big difference in advertising. Features focus on what your product or service is or does. Benefits focus on how your product or service will improve the viewer’s life – they represent the outcomes or results the viewer is hoping to achieve from your product or service.

Make sure your video script focuses on the benefits or your offer, not just the features. People buy benefits and solutions, not product features, even if they don’t realize it!

Use urgency to create an incentive for viewers to take action right away. If potential customers know that there is no rush to buy your product or service, they are likely to put it off and may even forget about it forever!

Use language that makes viewers feel as though they are going to miss out if they don’t take action right away. FOMO (fear of missing out) can be an extremely powerful way to drive sales and conversions. Combining a great offer with a sense of urgency can really boost the viewer’s desire for your product or service.

A compelling CTA can make the difference between a view and a conversion. If you want them to subscribe to your email list, tell them what they’ll get as a subscriber and then tell them exactly how to sign up and include a big, bright button for them to click.

If you want them to buy a product, tell them how to purchase and what to expect once they click over to your website. And once again, use a big, bright button that shows them precisely where to click. The easier you can make it for them, the better.

Clear calls-to-action should always tell the viewer exactly what you want them to do next – don’t ever leave them to figure it out on their own.