How to Run YouTube Ads – A Beginner’s Guide to Getting Started

So you’ve got a product, service, or even a YouTube channel you want to promote… and now you’re wondering, “How do I run YouTube ads?”

Don’t worry — you’re not alone.

In 2025, YouTube ads have become one of the most powerful ways to reach people. Why? Because YouTube has over 2 billion users monthly, and people are actively watching, learning, and buying.

Whether you're a small business owner, content creator, or affiliate marketer, this post will walk you through step-by-step how to run YouTube ads — even if you’re a total beginner.

Let’s dive in.

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🎯 What Are YouTube Ads?

YouTube ads are videos that play before, during, or after other videos on YouTube. Some are skippable, some are not. Others appear in search results or as “suggested” videos.

You’ve probably seen these types:

Skippable in-stream ads (you can skip after 5 seconds)

Non-skippable in-stream ads (must watch the full 15 seconds)

In-feed video ads (show up on the homepage or search results)

Bumper ads (short 6-second non-skippable ads)

The goal? To drive traffic, sales, brand awareness, or even subscribers — depending on what you want.

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🧠 Why Use YouTube Ads?

Here’s why YouTube ads are worth it:

📈 Highly targeted: You choose who sees your ads

📍 Location-based: Run ads by country, state, or even city

🕵️‍♀️ Behavioral targeting: Reach people by interests, search history, or recent activity

💰 Affordable: Start with as little as $5–$10 per day

💼 Great for business, affiliate marketing, or growing your own channel

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🛠 Step-by-Step: How to Run YouTube Ads

✅ Step 1: Set Up a Google Ads Account

To run YouTube ads, you need a Google Ads account. If you have a Gmail, you’re already halfway there.

Go to: https://ads.google.com

Sign in and create a new campaign.

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✅ Step 2: Choose Your Campaign Objective

Select a goal for your ad. Common options include:

Website traffic

Leads

Sales

Video views

Brand awareness

For beginners, choose “Video” as your campaign type.

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✅ Step 3: Set Your Budget and Target Audience

Decide how much you want to spend daily or for the entire campaign.

You can start with:

$5/day for testing

$20–$50 for mini campaigns

Next, choose your audience:

Age, gender

Location

Language

Interests

Keywords

Custom audiences (people who’ve searched for related stuff)

💡 Pro tip: Use specific targeting (e.g. “people interested in digital marketing in Canada”) to avoid wasting money.

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✅ Step 4: Choose Your YouTube Video Ad Format

Here’s where you decide what type of ad you want to run:

Skippable in-stream ads: Ideal for longer videos, tutorials, or storytelling.

Non-skippable ads: Best for brand messages or promos.

In-feed video ads: Great for getting views/subscribers by showing up in search results.

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✅ Step 5: Add Your Video and Landing Page

Upload your video to YouTube (unlisted is okay), then paste the video link in Google Ads.

If you want viewers to click somewhere (to a product, offer, website, or your YouTube channel), enter that destination URL too.

💡 Example:

Ad Video: “Top 3 ways to make money from home”

Landing Page: Your affiliate product or blog with more info

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✅ Step 6: Set Bidding and Launch

Choose how much you’re willing to pay per view (CPV) or per 1,000 impressions (CPM).

For beginners, go with Max CPV — this lets you control how much you spend per viewer.

Start with $0.05–$0.15 per view and adjust based on performance.

Then… hit Launch Campaign!

Your ad will start running once it gets reviewed (usually within a few hours).

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🔍 How to Track Performance

Google Ads gives you detailed reports:

How many views your ad got

How many people clicked your link

Where they’re located

How long they watched

Use this data to:

Improve your targeting

Edit your ad video or script

Test different landing pages

It’s okay to make mistakes early on — it’s all part of learning how YouTube ads work.

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📊 How Much Does It Cost to Run YouTube Ads?

There’s no fixed price. You can start with just $5/day and scale up once you see results.

Here’s a rough idea:

$0.01–$0.10 per view for in-stream ads

$10 can get you 100–500+ views depending on targeting

Highly competitive niches (finance, tech) may cost more

But compared to Facebook or Google search ads, YouTube is still affordable for new advertisers.

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🎥 Tips for Creating an Effective YouTube Ad

1. Hook viewers in the first 5 seconds

2. Speak directly to the viewer’s problem or interest

3. Add captions or big bold text

4. Use clear call-to-actions (e.g. “Click the link below”)

5. Test different scripts or styles (don’t just run one ad forever)

Even if you’re not a video editor, you can make ads using tools like:

Canva

CapCut

InVideo

Pictory (for AI video generation)

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🚀 Final Thoughts – Start Small, Learn Fast, Scale Big

Running YouTube ads isn’t just for big companies anymore. Anyone with a budget and message can use it to:

Grow a brand

Make affiliate sales

Promote a YouTube channel

Sell digital products or services

Start small. Test different videos. Focus on real value for your audience — and your ads will perform better.

Remember: One good video + targeted ad = massive growth potential.

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💬 Have You Tried Running a YouTube Ad?

Drop your thoughts or questions in the comments. If you’re still confused or want help setting up your first ad, let me know — I’d love to help you out!