How to Use an Existing YouTube Video as a Pre-Roll Ad

YouTube has become a powerful platform for video advertising. With billions of active users, it gives brands and creators the ability to reach massive audiences with engaging video ads. One of the most common ad formats is the pre-roll ad – the short video that plays before the main content.

If you already have a YouTube video on your channel that you want to repurpose as an ad, you don’t need to create new content from scratch. Instead, you can use that existing video as a pre-roll ad through Google Ads.

This article will walk you through everything you need to know about turning an existing YouTube video into a pre-roll ad, along with step-by-step instructions.

What Are Pre-Roll Ads on YouTube

Pre-roll ads on YouTube are video ads that appear before the main video content. They could be skippable or non-skippable, depending on the campaign settings. They are one of the most common ad formats and help advertisers capture the audience’s attention at the very beginning of the video.

• Skippable pre-roll ads: These ads are at least 5 seconds long, and viewers can skip the ad after 5 seconds.
• Non-skippable pre-roll ads: These are typically 15–20 seconds long (depending on the region) and must be watched in full before the main video plays.

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Why Use an Existing YouTube Video as a Pre-Roll Ad

You don’t always need to produce brand-new video ads. Repurposing an existing YouTube video to a pre-roll ad can save you time, effort, and money. Here’s why it makes sense:

• Reusing a published video avoids the costs of creating a new ad.
• If the video already performs well organically, it’s likely to capture attention in an ad format, too.
• It helps reinforce your channel’s existing content and branding.
• No editing or reshoots are required; you can set up an ad campaign immediately.

For example, if you have a product demo, a short tutorial, or a popular explainer video on your channel, that content can easily be transformed into a pre-roll ad.

How to Use an Existing YouTube Video as a Pre-Roll Ad

In this section, let’s focus on how to use an existing YouTube video as a pre-roll ad:

Step 1. Prepare Your Video

Before you turn your existing video into an ad, you have to prepare your video well and ensure it contains these elements:

• Message Placement: Hook viewers in the first 5 seconds, since many will decide whether to skip.
• Call to Action (CTA): Add a clear message about what you want your viewers to do next – click, subscribe, visit a website, etc.
• Branding: Include your logo, product name, or tagline early in the video ad.

If your video is longer, you can still use it as a skippable ad. Also, you can consider trimming or editing it as a shorter version using a video editor like MiniTool MovieMaker.

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Step 2. Link Your YouTube Channel to Google Ads

To run ads with your YouTube videos, your YouTube channel must be linked to your Google Ads account. This ensures that Google Ads can access your videos for ad campaigns. If you don’t know how to link, check out this post: How to Link Your YouTube Channel to Google Ads Account.

Step 3. Create a New Video Campaign

Once your accounts are linked, you can set up your pre-roll campaign:

1. In Google Ads, click on Campaign > + New campaign.
2. Choose the campaign goal.
3. Select Video as the campaign type.
4. Pick a campaign subtype, such as Custom video campaign, Non-skippable in-stream, or Skippable in-stream.

Step 4. Select Your Existing YouTube Video

Next, you have to select the YouTube video from your channel that you want to use as a pre-roll ad. In the Create your ad section, paste the URL of your existing YouTube video you want to use.

Step 5. Configure Your Campaign Settings

Now, you can configure your campaign settings. For example, set your campaign budget, select your target audience, define your bidding strategy, choose your ad placements, and more.

Step 6. Launch and Monitor Performance

After completing setup, click Create campaign to launch the pre-roll ad. Once your ad runs, you can track its performance in Google Ads.

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Bottom Line

Learning how to use an existing YouTube video as a pre-roll ad is one of the smartest ways to maximize the value of your content. By reading this post, you can easily complete the repurposing process without starting from scratch.