A GUIDE TO IN-STREAM ADVERTISING
In-stream video advertising is the most common form of video advertising and comes in three forms: pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll.
The in-stream format is designed to quickly and efficiently grab users’ attention, making it a firm favourite among many advertisers.
What’s so great about in-stream video advertising?
- Offers impactful storytelling
- Increases conversion rates
- Drives traffic to your website
- Offers a great return on investment
- Allows you to increase engagement with your audience
- Can help explain complex products
What’s the difference between pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll?
Pre-roll
The most common type of in-stream video advertising. As the name suggests, pre-rolls are ads that are played before an intended video starts and are a great option for brands looking to increase awareness, recollection and purchase consideration.
These ads are typically 15, 30 or 60 seconds long and can be both skippable and non-skippable. To create a successful pre-roll video campaign, it is vital that the first few seconds of the video are as attention-grabbing and engaging as possible. In that way, even if a user doesn’t watch the full ad, they’ll leave with a good impression of your brand.
The right targeting can help display these ads in the right context so that users are likely to engage with the ad.
Mid-roll
Mid-roll video ads play in the middle of a video and tend to be shorter than pre-rolls. As the users have already invested time in watching the video, abandonment rates tend to be lower compared to pre-rolls.
Completion rates tend to be higher for mid-rolls and they are therefore a good option for brands wanting their full ad to be viewed.
Post-roll
Post-roll video ads are the least used in-stream format and play at the end of a video. It may seem counterintuitive to play the ad after a video, but under the right circumstances and with the right strategy, this format can go a long way.
Users are more likely to click through to your page after watching an intended video. They’ve already consumed the video they wanted to watch in the first place, and are ready to jump to another page, so why not yours? For this reason, post-rolls are particularly beneficial when you’ve got a clear CTA.
Interested in hearing more about in-stream video advertising? Speak to our sales team.
To read more about other types of video advertising, read our posts on outstream video advertising and rewarded video advertising.