Digital trends are evolving and with that, the content consumption pattern is making a shift. According to a study published by advertising solutions company WordStream, people consume an average of 16 hours of online video a week, which is a surge of 52% in the last two years. For content creators looking to make money, shifting to a video format can be beneficial. The same study also revealed that a social media video makes as much as 1200% more shares than both text and images combined.
Video monetization is unquestionably the upcoming strategy for marketing professionals as about 51% of them globally think videos give the best ROI. This is why, as a content creator, you should include videos in your repertoire, or if you already make videos, then begin the monetization by adding exclusive content on video monetization platforms or via advertising.
Apart from these platforms that are exclusive and give access to only those who pay, there are other platforms like YouTube that allow you to run ads in your content and make money as a content creator. Irrespective of the platform, what are some types of ads that you can run to earn money as a content creator? Let’s find out.
Types of Video Ads to Monetize Your Videos
1. Pre-roll ads
Pre-roll ads are a popular way for advertisers to earn money and are one of the most common types of video ad units. These ads appear at the beginning of the video, and may or may not allow users to skip them. The ad either plays fully or can be skipped (for YouTube, viewers can skip the ad after 5 seconds). Pre-roll ad units are the most popular ways of video monetization and occupy 74% of the ad types.
2. Post-roll ads
Opposite to the pre-roll ads, the post-roll ad units lie towards the end of the video. These ads come up at the end of the video, after the video has ended. Although this can be a preferable type of ad for content creators, please note that advertisers don’t invest huge sums on it as they believe not everyone sticks until the end of the video. Post-roll ads utilize 45% of the types of ads and are less popular than pre-roll ads.
3. Mid-roll ads
As the name suggests, mid-roll video ads usually appear in the middle of video content. To enable this option, the video needs to be longer than 10 minutes (YouTube has announced changing the duration to 8 minutes). Sometimes, more than two ads play in the middle of the video, depending on the total duration of the video. The longer the video, the more scope for multiple ads to run in between. However, as much as money generation opportunity this creates, it can push your viewers away.
4. Traditional display ads
Traditional display ads appear while the video is playing. Display ads are not to be confused with mid-roll ads as videos do not pause to play this ad and there is no interruption for a viewer. Also, display ads are mostly textual/image-based that appear towards the bottom of the video or on top in a card format. Display ads, though they fail to give an in-depth look into the brand/product, are a wise choice for content creators to earn money without losing viewers’ interests, for advertisers to advertise their brand/product without the fear of interruption, and for viewers who can watch your videos without disruption.
Final word
Running ads before, in between, and after the video is a great way to earn money as a content creator. However, running ads on your channel isn’t for everyone. Some platforms require you to “crack” an algorithm or have a certain number of subscribers and watch hours to be eligible to start earning. And some creators have found that their audience finds ads annoying and steers them away from watching your videos from start to end. One alternative for earning money without worrying about the algorithms is by adding content on video monetization platforms such as Retrieve, Skillshare, Patreon, etc. On such platforms, you don’t have to reach a certain number of subscribers or watch hours— and are not required to wait until you reach the threshold—in order to earn from your content.
Upload your videos on these video monetization platforms and start watching your fans pay to get access to it. It’s a much quicker, easier, and more reliable way to earn money as a content creator! Check out Retrieve.com to start your monetization journey today!
