Are you considering monetizing your video content through instream advertising? Then you should get familiar with the most common types of instream video ads. Today we tackle the topic of mid-roll ads — what they are, why you should use them, and how to place them on your content.
- What Are Mid-Roll Ads?
- How Long Can Mid-Roll Ads Be?
- How Many Mid-Roll Ads Can You Have in a Video?
- How Mid-Roll Ads Compare to Other Instream Ad Formats
- Mid-Roll Ads Best Practices for Publishers
- Mid-Roll Ads Best Practices for Advertisers
- How to Get Mid-Roll Ads on Your Website
- Start With Mid-Roll Advertising With Brid.TV
What Are Mid-Roll Ads?
Mid-roll ads are a type of instream video ads that show up during a video stream. They interrupt the video content for a short period and are somewhat similar to traditional linear TV advertising.
Where Can You Find Mid-Roll Ads?
Although they’re not as common as their pre-roll counterparts, mid-roll ads are all over the internet. If you’ve ever watched a YouTube video, the chances are that you’ve stumbled across them. Some of the places you’re likely to stumble across a mid-roll ad include:
- Video-sharing platforms — Video-sharing websites such as YouTube are pretty much the reason video advertising is this popular. While mid-rolls don’t show up all the time, if you’re watching a longer video, you will likely see at least one.
- Websites with video content — Video monetization is not strictly reserved for video sites. Any website with video content — such as news portals — can implement mid-roll ads to generate ad revenue.
- OTT and CTV apps — Long gone are the days when online content was confined to web browsers. OTT streaming services that use AVOD as their main video monetization model will likely contain mid-rolls in their mobile and CTV apps, too.
- Live streams — Mid-rolls are the most common instream ads during live streams. They might even show up in the picture-in-picture format so as not to interrupt the stream.
How Long Can Mid-Roll Ads Be?
The maximum length of mid-roll ads depends mainly on the platform you’re using. For example, if your YouTube video is at least ten minutes long, the mid-roll ad can be anywhere between 5 and 30 seconds. On the other hand, if your video is longer than three minutes, Facebook will limit the ad to 15 seconds.
How Many Mid-Roll Ads Can You Have in a Video?
The maximum number of mid-roll ads in a video mainly depends on the platform you’re using. However, if there is no upper limit imposed, you should still be careful about the number of ads you serve. Namely, since mid-rolls interrupt the viewing experience quite a bit, too many of them can drive your audience away.
As a rule of thumb, if your video is around 10 minutes or longer, serving a mid-roll ad every 3 minutes should be sufficient. Keep in mind that ad calls don’t always equal ad serving, so not all your viewers will see all the ads.
Also, instead of serving ads several times in one video, you can also bundle together multiple ads and serve them consecutively. This method is known as ad podding, and it could be a good solution for shorter videos (8–10 minutes) with mid-rolls.
How Mid-Roll Ads Compare to Other Instream Ad Formats
It is no secret that digital video advertising is one of the most effective advertising methods today. But how do mid-rolls compare to other video ad formats, namely other instream ads?
It is no secret that pre-roll ads are the king of instream video advertising. However, that does not render mid-rolls useless. On the contrary, mid-roll ads are still considered valuable ad real estate, and not for nothing. They are over 35% more effective than post-roll ads in generating impressions, for example.
The biggest advantage mid-roll ads have over pre- and post-rolls is placement. Since mid-rolls only show up after the viewer has watched a part of the video, they rely on the audience already being invested in the content. This makes viewers more likely to watch the ad to the end than move on to another piece of content.
Another benefit of mid-roll ads has to do with sound. Namely, if the player’s autoplay option is on, it will automatically start playing the video and serve a pre-roll ad when a user opens the page. However, this is only possible if the player is muted, making it common for pre-roll ads to be served without sound. This doesn’t happen with mid-rolls, as the user is likely already watching the video with the sound on.
The Flaws of Mid-Roll Ads
Although mid-rolls have a fair number of advantages, there are certainly some drawbacks to look out for:
- They are disruptive — Just because viewers are used to commercial breaks on linear TV, that doesn’t mean they like them. Mid-roll ads, much like traditional TV commercials, are disruptive and annoying to viewers.
- They require trial and error — There is no precise number of mid-roll ads you should serve in a video, nor is there a clear formula to figure out the best ad placement. This means that there will likely be some trial and error involved in order to maximize video ad revenue.
- Fewer impressions — Unlike pre-rolls, which the viewer has to see before even starting the video, mid-rolls give the viewer a chance to click away before the ad even starts. There is no way of knowing just what portion of the audience who started watching the video will watch it long enough to see a mid-roll ad.
Mid-Roll Ads Best Practices for Publishers
Are you planning to put video ads on your website? If so, we’d strongly recommend considering adding mid-rolls to the mix. However, if you decide to implement this ad format, there are certain guidelines to follow to maximize ad revenue.
Don’t Overdo Them
As we’ve already mentioned, there’s no formula for calculating how many mid-roll ads you should put in your video. However, it might be better to err on the side of caution. If you feel like you’ve underestimated how many ads to serve, you can always gradually increase the number. But if you serve too many from the get-go, it would be all too easy to lose a portion of your audience.
Make Them Relevant With Contextual Targeting
For several years now, Google has been announcing (and postponing) the phaseout of the third-party cookie. While this might be good news for privacy reasons, it will make behavioral targeting almost impossible and change the landscape of digital advertising.
Luckily, contextual video advertising doesn’t rely on cookies. Contextual targeting is an ad targeting method that matches the content of the ad to the content of the video, page, or website. However, contextual targeting is especially effective with mid-roll ads, as it somewhat diminishes the disruptive nature of the ad by keeping the content relevant.
Choose Proper Ad Placements
The placement of mid-roll ads is just as important as their frequency. Some platforms, such as YouTube, have the automatic placement option. However, it might be a good idea to manually assign slots to your mid-roll ads in accordance with the content of the video. For example, you may decide to place the ad during a natural break in the video, when there is no talking, between two scenes, or in any other spot that makes sense.
Mid-Roll Ads Best Practices for Advertisers
If you’re planning to make a video ad that will be placed in the middle of the stream, there are things you can do to make the campaign more effective.
Make Them Skippable
The only thing more annoying than an ad interrupting a video we’re invested in is having to sit through the whole thing. Making the ad skippable is less likely to drive the audience away. In fact, according to a study, skippable ads have an advantage over their non-skippable counterparts. Put simply, fewer people will watch a skippable ad to completion. However, a greater percentage of those who do will actually pay attention to the ad than in the case of non-skippable advertisements.
Ensure They Adhere to Better Ad Standards
Better Ads Standards are a set of guidelines developed by the Coalition for Better Ads. The goal of these standards is to ensure the best user experience possible while maintaining the profitability and effectiveness of advertising. Although Better Ads Standards are not mandatory on the industry level, most publishers, SSPs, and video ad networks demand adherence to them.
How to Get Mid-Roll Ads on Your Website
Let’s say you have an OTT streaming service, a video website, or another video-focused platform, and you want to sell ad inventory. The easiest way to do so is by joining an SSP or ad network.
You should also have a good, lightweight HTML5 player. Ideally, the player should support adaptive bitrate streaming and be customizable enough to match the image of your brand. Needless to say, it should also be optimized for serving various video ad formats.
Once you join an ad network and find a good HTML5 player, you can sell ad inventory to advertisers and serve video ads by implementing ad tags. With the right ad network by your side, this process should be easy and straightforward.
Start With Mid-Roll Advertising With Brid.TV
Still looking for an ad provider to monetize your content? Give Brid.TV Marketplace a try! As a Google MCM partner, our platform provides publishers with access to high-quality ad demand from Google ADX, as well as additional ad demand from other partners.
Besides this, Brid.TV features a robust online video platform designed to make running a video business a piece of cake. Unlimited video hosting, easy and comprehensive management and distribution tools, high-end content security features, and comprehensive video monetization options are just some of the perks of doing business with us. With our CMS, you can easily serve mid-roll ads, along with other instream and outstream formats.
Join Brid.TV today and start monetizing your content through mid-roll ads.
