Video advertising on YouTube
YouTube ads, from first script to final report.®
We make the video too
Concept, script, filming and edit handled by one team, then cut into the lengths each YouTube format needs.
Run through Google Ads
Campaigns built in Google Ads, using audiences, topics, placements and data segments from your own channel.
One shoot, every format.®
Plenty of businesses want YouTube ads but have no video worth running. We plan and produce the footage, cut it for skippable, bumper and Shorts placements, then manage the campaigns in Google Ads.
Produced and managed together.®
Measured by enquiries, not views.®
The detail
Working with a YouTube ads agency that makes the video
Why your YouTube ads agency should handle production
A YouTube ads agency that only manages campaigns depends on whatever footage you hand over. We produce the video as part of the service, so the opening seconds, the length of each cut and the call to action are planned for advertising from the start.
That matters most on skippable placements, where the brand and the reason to keep watching have to land almost immediately. A good corporate film often makes a poor ad until it has been re-edited with that in mind. We plan shoots so one day of filming covers several placements.
YouTube video ads formats, explained
Skippable in-stream ads can be skipped after five seconds, and with cost-per-view bidding you pay when someone watches 30 seconds or interacts, whichever comes first. Non-skippable in-stream ads run for 60 seconds or less, and bumper ads are six-second non-skippable spots built for reach and recall.
In-feed video ads show a thumbnail and text in YouTube search results and the Home feed, and you're mainly charged when someone clicks to watch. YouTube Shorts ads sit between organic Shorts and viewers can swipe past straight away, which is why vertical cuts get their own edit.
How campaigns are built in Google Ads
YouTube ads management happens in Google Ads, where each campaign starts with an objective such as sales, leads, website traffic, consideration or awareness and reach. The sales, leads and website traffic objectives need conversion tracking in place, so we set that up before launch.
Demand Gen campaigns are another route, serving video and image ads across YouTube Shorts, the Home feed, watch next and search, as well as Discover and Gmail. We choose between them based on your goal and how much creative you have. Location and language settings keep spend inside the markets you actually serve.
Linking your channel and remarketing
Linking your YouTube channel to Google Ads lets campaigns build data segments from people who have interacted with your videos. It also shows organic, unpaid view metrics alongside paid results, so you can see how the channel performs beyond the ads.
The channel owner has to approve a link request sent from Google Ads, so we ask for that early. Remarketing to past viewers works well alongside search campaigns run by our Google Ads team, which reach people when they search for you afterwards.
Where the click lands
A strong video can't rescue a slow or vague page. Our landing page design team builds pages that pick up the video's message, and our social media management team can reuse the footage in organic posts.
Vertical cuts from the same shoot can also run as TikTok ads. For B2B buyers, LinkedIn video ads can put the film in front of specific job titles. Each platform gets its own edit, not a resized copy.
YouTube ads reporting and what to prepare
Regular reports, on a schedule we agree with you, cover views, view rate and cost, but the number we lead with is the enquiries or sales the campaigns produced. Each report explains what changed and which cut we will test next. When a format isn't earning its share of the budget, we tell you and reallocate it.
Before we start, gather brand guidelines, any existing footage, admin access to your YouTube channel and access to your own Google Ads account, plus a clear idea of who you want to reach. If nothing is filmed yet, the first call is where we plan the shoot.
01 — Discover
We agree what the campaign is for, who should see it and what footage, if any, already exists.
02 — Define
We write the concept and script, pick placements and confirm the management fee and any production quote.
03 — Deliver
We film and edit, upload to YouTube, link your channel to Google Ads and launch the campaigns.
04 — Develop
We compare cutdowns and audiences, shift budget to whatever drives action and report back on the schedule we agree with you.
“The team at The Think helped us clearly position our eCommerce offering and delivered a website that feels modern, credible and easy to use.”
Citipost eCommerce, part of the UK’s largest independent logistics provider
Pricing & FAQ
Pricing for YouTube campaigns.®
YouTube ads management is a fixed monthly retainer, set according to your ad spend and never a percentage of it. Video production is quoted per project, and your Google Ads account stays in your name, with the ad budget paid straight to Google.
What budget do YouTube campaigns need?
It depends on how many people you want to reach and whether you bid for views or conversions. You pay that budget to Google from your own Google Ads account, and our management fee is a fixed monthly retainer set according to it, not a cut of it.
Do you make the video ads?
Yes, video production is part of the service and is quoted per project. We script, film and edit from scratch, or recut footage you already have into the lengths each YouTube format needs.
Which YouTube ad formats do you use?
Skippable and non-skippable in-stream ads, six-second bumpers, in-feed video ads and Shorts ads, picked according to the goal of each campaign.
Who will see our YouTube ads?
Google Ads lets us target by location, language, demographics, audiences, topics, keywords and specific placements. Once your channel is linked, we add data segments built from people who have already interacted with your videos.
How do you judge whether a YouTube campaign is working?
View rate shows whether the video holds attention, but we judge campaigns on the enquiries and sales tracked through Google Ads conversions.
How soon do YouTube ads start working?
Ads can start serving once Google has reviewed and approved them. Give the first month to finding which cutdown and audience lead to action, then refine from there.
What does a YouTube ads agency do that Google Ads alone doesn't?
A YouTube ads agency produces the video, plans which cut runs where and reads the results in context. Google Ads provides the tools, but the idea and the footage still have to come from somewhere.
Do our videos need to be on YouTube?
Yes. Video campaigns use videos hosted on YouTube, so we upload the finished ads to your channel as part of the setup.
Ready when you are.®
Tell us what you need and we’ll come back with a clear plan and a fixed quote.