MARKETING
How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867572_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
The author’s views are entirely their own (excluding the unlikely event of hypnosis) and may not always reflect the views of Moz.
My agency, Fractl, was founded at the dawn of content marketing, when Google launched its war against paid link networks, and SEOs were scrambling to figure out how to earn domain trust signals. At the time, I was heavily invested in viral marketing research, seeking to understand the intricacies of what drove readers to share and, more so, how to pitch journalists to earn media.
Our case studies grew rapidly as we built Fractl’s research-backed Digital PR processes, and we quickly earned a reputation as “The Michael Jordan of Link Building,” as claimed by our client, who just renewed an annual quarter-million investment in our services. Yet, the industry hums with debate on this recent Ahrefs post along with the quote: “I think SEOs may overvalue links from media sites. They really don’t seem to have much impact”.
For starters, let’s trust Google’s own search experts:
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Screenshot of a tweet by John Mueller noting that digital PR is just as critical as technical SEO](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867563_213_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
Next, let’s consider several other industry studies and thought leaders:
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“Obtaining links from more authoritative sites has more value than obtaining a large quantity of links” – Eric Enge
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“Sites with better quality sites linking to them tend to be higher in rankings” – HubSpot
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“One good link from a big news site can be more impactful than millions of low-quality links” – John Mueller
Clearly, we’re already building a solid case for how a diverse, authoritative backlink portfolio could help a brand drive its site authority, trust, and organic search rankings. But how can you consistently earn media coverage and avoid spammy link networks?
Ten years ago, I presented viral marketing case studies at MozCon, and while I agree viral marketing isn’t as easy as it used to be in a more saturated industry, I disagree that this kind of ‘earned media’ isn’t valuable to SEO. In my clients’ experience, if “Content is King” then “Digital PR is Queen,” and when executed perfectly, KPIs across SEO, Digital PR, Social, and Sales will all soar.
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Fractl's SEO case study results for Paychex](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867564_670_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
How to earn high-authority links that drive rankings
When I first built Fractl’s Digital PR team, I created a resource for tracking all the publisher feedback we received, which we still utilize today to continuously analyze and refine our processes for earned media. I also spent hundreds of hours interviewing editors and conducting digital PR research to learn: How can we be more effective at creating newsworthy content that breaks through the noise of your inbox?
As content marketing and digital PR go mainstream and more amateurs enter the market, the findings from my research are more important than ever for establishing our industry’s value to publishers versus eroding it with low-quality research and spammed pitches. Here are the four most important lessons I’ve learned over the last decade that will help you execute newsworthy research that publishers love to link to.
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Fractl's Digital PR campaigns have been featured in hundreds of high-authority news outlets](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867564_59_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
1. Your success relies on your ability to educate your client on how to create truly newsworthy research
When it comes to content marketing and digital PR, the most successful teams walk a thin line between creating newsworthy content that writers actually love to cover versus a campaign that will be perceived as sponsored content that will be routed to advertorial for a $100k budget and a minimized link value.
If you want to earn high-authority links, you need to focus on creating content that publishers will perceive as newsworthy: research that is relevant to their readership or the mass consumer, is emotionally compelling and often surprising, is generally tangentially related to your industry and product vs. advertorial, and is educational, or better yet, actionable.
If you’re producing truly newsworthy research, then your pitches will routinely elicit positive responses from writers similar to the ones we receive each week:
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Publisher feedback on Fractl's Content Marketing campaigns](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867564_760_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Publisher feedback on Fractl's Content Marketing campaigns](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867565_173_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Publisher feedback on Fractl's Content Marketing campaigns](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867566_665_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
For example, imagine you’re a HR management tool, Paychex. You have a traditional PR team that’s pushing your product releases and providing executive interviews to select writers who cover brands in that fashion, so your goal in digital PR is to reach new and engaged readers. What topics are tangentially relevant to your brand that the broader consumer would care about, that you could provide research on, and which high-authority publishers would value?
Content marketing campaigns can take many forms and generally comes down to your budget and talent across data journalism, design, editorial, and PR. Over the last eight years, some of our most link-worthy Paychex research has explored:
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Analyzing the rise of polywork
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Job search red flags
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Employer transparency
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Remote HR issues
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Mental health at work
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Employee discrimination
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Team morale before & after COVID-19
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Taking flex-schedules into the future
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Remote employee benefits
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Build a retirement fund
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Retirees rejoining the workforce
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The onboarding crisis
Our campaign Employee Regret After the Great Resignation is an excellent example of how brands can add value in a breaking news cycle by producing research and providing commentary on trending stories relevant to their niche. This campaign earned hundreds of pickups, with a small sample of high-authority links and brand coverage from:
Ultimately, you should always vet your ideas by asking, “Is this something interesting that I would read, or that I could see myself sharing with a friend?” After all, the best content marketing case studies are legitimately “cool pieces of content.”
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings John Mueller comments on a cool list of Digital PR campaigns](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867566_691_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
2. Level up your research by adding actionable quotes from clients or industry experts
Once you understand the foundational principles for creating newsworthy research for your brand, the next most valuable thing you can do is to make it actionable. The #1 piece of feedback we’ve received across all of our campaigns has been: “Can I interview your client to go along with my story?”
While research can be interesting and valuable, it often lacks the “actionable” hook that writers know their audience needs. To solve this, writers may send a short Q&A for our client based on the broader theme or takeaways from our research, or they’ll request to hop on a quick call with our data journalists to answer more open-ended questions to expand on our methodology and findings. Here are some examples of requests we’ve received from writers when pitching our campaigns:
“I actually would love to learn more about this. Is someone available to speak with me this week or next?” – CNN
“After speaking with my editor I can confirm interest in moving forward with a story about the four-day work-week, and whether or not it is an inevitability, based on this data. If possible I’m hoping to connect with a spokesperson at some point next week.” – Fast Company
“I am interested in covering this study. I would typically ask some HR analysts at research firms for their input, but I’m certainly interested in what Paychex has to say on the issues of better onboarding processes. That would certainly add color to any article.” – Computer World
Generally, it’s most effective for your digital PR team to field the writer’s Q&A directly since clients are often tied up with their own objectives, and writers expect a near real-time response to secure coverage. In these instances, we typically only comment on our research versus speaking to a broader theme on behalf of our client.
Ideally, instead of being reactive to these requests, you’d solicit a dedicated client PR stakeholder during onboarding and make it clear you need them to commit to a same-day response on high-authority publisher interview requests that are more brand-specific. You would then elicit quotes from this stakeholder during the final draft review stage of any campaign, so your PR team can proactively weave these valuable assets into their pitch.
These interview opportunities can be very exciting to client executives who are eager to build their individual authority and thought leadership in their industry. For example:
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Fractl's Digital PR team leveraging client quotes to earn coverage on CNET](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867566_385_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Fractl's Digital PR team leveraging client quotes to earn coverage on Kliplinger](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867567_599_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Fractl's Digital PR team leveraging client quotes to earn coverage on USA Today](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867568_433_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
Interview opportunities go a long way in helping your brand provide value to each publisher’s specific audience, so always evaluate how to go the extra mile to deliver actionable advice along with your pitch. In certain circumstances, you might even need to contact external sources, such as nonprofit organizations, who can provide knowledgeable and unbiased opinions in cases where your client isn’t the expert. A great example of this is a female trucker research we produced for a surety bond client, where nearly every editor requested an interview with an actual female trucker. A quick Google search led me to the ‘Women in Trucking’ association, whose board members were more than happy to lend their expertise along with our research:
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings How to utilize nonprofit associations to add expert commentary and authority to a client's Digital PR campaign](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867568_489_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
This on-the-fly partnership helped us land over 170 pickups for our client on both mainstream news sites and niche-relevant publishers:
Clearly, the source can come in many forms, but the quotes can be necessary for your success. When in doubt, I always encourage our PR team to include this CTA in the closing paragraph of our pitch: “I’d be happy to offer you an exclusive interview with the CEO, expanding on this research and its implications, if you’re interested”?
3. Always pitch an ‘exclusive’ and preferably password-protect your landing page
While tech publishers are more accustomed to an embargo period on emerging products from Fortune 500 brands, most digital PR teams have the opportunity to provide value in an entirely different way: the ‘exclusive’.
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Publisher compliments Fractl's Content Marketing campaign](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867568_345_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
I’ve done a lot of testing over the last decade leading Fractl’s digital PR department, and I’ve consistently found that an exclusive, password-protected landing page generally yields the strongest interest from the most authoritative writers. A password strategy ensures publishers perceive your research as ‘breaking news’, which they have ‘the exclusive’ first rights to release. This can be tantalizing in the editorial world, where pay is often correlated to pageviews and engagement, and breaking news can represent the lion’s share of a site’s engagement.
Whereas an embargo sets an industry-wide deadline for writers to adhere to, an exclusive allows the writer to be the architect of a unique breaking story that doesn’t have to be crammed into their editorial calendar based on an external deadline. It’s also generally more engaging to write a unique story instead of racing a dozen other editors to write the punchiest headline on the same embargoed facts.
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings One journalist tweets about his disdain for PR embargoes.](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867568_68_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
Lastly, an exclusive makes a writer feel special since you’ve hand-selected that person instead of using a poorly targeted mass blast approach, which is far too prevalent in the PR industry. In fact, the ‘spray and pray’ tactic will often leave you in an agency-wide ban folder if you’re targeting isn’t on point. I’ve heard about this very real danger in writer interviews I’ve conducted, and Michael Smart attests to this same jaw-dropper in his recent PR newsletter:
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Screenshot showing Michael Smart's opinion on off-topic pitches.](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867568_857_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
In the dawn of artificial intelligence (AI), your time spent investing in meaningful relationships with relevant writers in your industry will be critical to your success.
4. Investing in relationship building by personalizing your pitch vs the ‘spray and pray’ approach
With newsjacking or reactive PR, it’s essential to quickly scale your pitching efforts to provide value in a rapidly evolving breaking news cycle. However, when you’re pitching more evergreen research or working in-house or for a select number of clients, it’s far more important to build a meaningful relationship with a writer by taking a moment to connect with them on a personal level.
These are the primary data points I seek out when first attempting to personalize my pitch:
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What does their author bio say about their personal interests?
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Where do they live?
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Where did they go to school?
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Do they have any kids or pets?
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Have they celebrated any major milestones recently?
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What topics matter to them based on what they post and engage with on social media?
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What is their tone like in their writing, and how can I match that in my pitch?
While a few people may gasp at this in-depth personal research, stating, ‘I don’t want to be perceived as a stalker,’ I have hundreds of receipts where writers praise our team for taking the time to personalize a pitch:
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings High-authority publishers compliment Fractl's Digital PR campaigns](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867568_184_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
I often find that if a writer is ‘putting it out there’ they generally appreciate you taking the time to research those facts and connect with them personally on it when relevant. Need inspiration for how to personalize your pitch? Check out some of the writer responses from our personalized subject lines and intros:
Writer Responses to Fractl Pitches:
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I appreciate you checking out my Twitter.
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LOL hair trauma! So much of it!
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I am a huge sucker for dog photos.
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It’s a pleasure to (virtually!) meet another habitual cleaner!
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Hahaha, love it! 80s songs are the best!
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Ah yes, truly addicted to Love Island. So here for the drama!
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So glad you noticed the skyline and got a little hit of nostalgia!
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Always happy to meet another Ravenclaw meets Slytherin!
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Always good to know there are other eyeliner-loving, cheese-eating gals out there!
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Glad I’m not the only dessert fan. 😉
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Nice, I’m headed back to Michigan for the first time since leaving.
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Thank you. You sound like a great mom!
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I’m sure you can do a marathon, too! It’s all about prepping for it!
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I’m always glad to hear from another skee ball fan!
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I strongly agree, it took me a while to not regret my college choices!
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Thanks for your kind words… I was born with a ton of energy!
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I appreciate your affinity for Baby Yoda.
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I, too, am pretty big on Scotch.
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*laughs* Naturally, one can only do so much sassmouthin’.
By differentiating your pitch with personal connections for that individual writer, you’re also quickly demonstrating that you likely did in-depth research to ensure you’re pitching something relevant to this writer that they would value and avoiding journalist pet peeves.
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Fractl's Digital PR research on the top 10 worst pitching offenses, ranked](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867568_332_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
In practice, a well-personalized pitch can look like this:
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings An example Digital PR pitch Fractl sent to earn client coverage on a content marketing campaign](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867568_211_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
And the Huffington Post writer’s response says it all:
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Writer response to Fractl's Digital PR pitch](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867568_348_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
The KPIs of digital PR and earned media
When executed exceptionally well, this style of PR research can consistently earn high-authority links that drive trust signals and organic search rankings, which can offer a higher ROI and more long-term value than paid channels that require the faucet to constantly be ‘on’ to deliver value. Beyond SEO metrics, this strategy also creates a platform for industry thought leadership, exposes new customers to your product, drives consumer engagement, and produces content that can be repurposed to provide cross-channel value across your social media marketing (SMM), pay-per-click (PPC), and email marketing strategies and throughout your buyer’s journey.
Any SEO professional that’s not a snake oil salesman will tell you that link-building alone is not a silver bullet for organic search rankings. The most effective content marketing and digital PR teams deliver a comprehensive organic search strategy, where they’re focusing on both on-page and off-page strategies to drive organic search growth:
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Content Marketing and Digital PR Buyers Journey](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867568_418_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
While the increasing lack of attribution for organic search will forever be a struggle, these are the KPIs our clients use to evaluate our work, which we solicit at the start of each engagement so we can report on the KPIs that matter to each of our clients:
- Imagine we are at the end of our statement of work (SOW) together. What does success look like to you?
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“As many do-follow backlinks from top tier domains as we can get, resulting in an overall increase in website keyword rankings and traffic growth.”
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“High quality/quantity links, great content/studies, and rankings.”
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“Acquiring high authority links at a velocity that will allow us to reverse the organic traffic trend we’re currently seeing and get closer to early 2021 levels.”
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“A high number of top authority placements across all of our campaigns. We want to be able to show notable growth in our backlink portfolio.”
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“Minimum success threshold is 100 linking domains across the five campaigns, comprising a mix of authority and follow/nofollow. Strong success is 200+ linking domains and meaningful referral traffic from those links.”
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Most of our clients are founders, SEO directors, marketing directors, or PR managers who are aligned on these same goals, now more than I’ve seen in the last ten years of running Fractl. What’s enabled us to remain a clutch industry leader as competition heats up? Our ability to consistently produce content and PR strategies that drive organic search and the bottom line:
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Fractl Content Marketing Case Study [HR Vertical]](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867568_726_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Fractl Content Marketing Case Study [Home Vertical]](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867568_938_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Fractl Content Marketing Case Study [Security Vertical]](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867569_690_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
![How To Earn High-Authority Links That Drive Rankings Fractl Content Marketing Case Study [Health Vertical]](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1690867569_805_How-To-Earn-High-Authority-Links-That-Drive-Rankings.png)
MARKETING
YouTube Ad Specs, Sizes, and Examples [2024 Update]
![YouTube Ad Specs, Sizes, and Examples [2024 Update] YouTube Ad Specs, Sizes, and Examples](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/YouTube-Ad-Specs-Sizes-and-Examples.jpg)
Introduction
With billions of users each month, YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine and top website for video content. This makes it a great place for advertising. To succeed, advertisers need to follow the correct YouTube ad specifications. These rules help your ad reach more viewers, increasing the chance of gaining new customers and boosting brand awareness.
Types of YouTube Ads
Video Ads
- Description: These play before, during, or after a YouTube video on computers or mobile devices.
- Types:
- In-stream ads: Can be skippable or non-skippable.
- Bumper ads: Non-skippable, short ads that play before, during, or after a video.
Display Ads
- Description: These appear in different spots on YouTube and usually use text or static images.
- Note: YouTube does not support display image ads directly on its app, but these can be targeted to YouTube.com through Google Display Network (GDN).
Companion Banners
- Description: Appears to the right of the YouTube player on desktop.
- Requirement: Must be purchased alongside In-stream ads, Bumper ads, or In-feed ads.
In-feed Ads
- Description: Resemble videos with images, headlines, and text. They link to a public or unlisted YouTube video.
Outstream Ads
- Description: Mobile-only video ads that play outside of YouTube, on websites and apps within the Google video partner network.
Masthead Ads
- Description: Premium, high-visibility banner ads displayed at the top of the YouTube homepage for both desktop and mobile users.
YouTube Ad Specs by Type
Skippable In-stream Video Ads
- Placement: Before, during, or after a YouTube video.
- Resolution:
- Horizontal: 1920 x 1080px
- Vertical: 1080 x 1920px
- Square: 1080 x 1080px
- Aspect Ratio:
- Horizontal: 16:9
- Vertical: 9:16
- Square: 1:1
- Length:
- Awareness: 15-20 seconds
- Consideration: 2-3 minutes
- Action: 15-20 seconds
Non-skippable In-stream Video Ads
- Description: Must be watched completely before the main video.
- Length: 15 seconds (or 20 seconds in certain markets).
- Resolution:
- Horizontal: 1920 x 1080px
- Vertical: 1080 x 1920px
- Square: 1080 x 1080px
- Aspect Ratio:
- Horizontal: 16:9
- Vertical: 9:16
- Square: 1:1
Bumper Ads
- Length: Maximum 6 seconds.
- File Format: MP4, Quicktime, AVI, ASF, Windows Media, or MPEG.
- Resolution:
- Horizontal: 640 x 360px
- Vertical: 480 x 360px
In-feed Ads
- Description: Show alongside YouTube content, like search results or the Home feed.
- Resolution:
- Horizontal: 1920 x 1080px
- Vertical: 1080 x 1920px
- Square: 1080 x 1080px
- Aspect Ratio:
- Horizontal: 16:9
- Square: 1:1
- Length:
- Awareness: 15-20 seconds
- Consideration: 2-3 minutes
- Headline/Description:
- Headline: Up to 2 lines, 40 characters per line
- Description: Up to 2 lines, 35 characters per line
Display Ads
- Description: Static images or animated media that appear on YouTube next to video suggestions, in search results, or on the homepage.
- Image Size: 300×60 pixels.
- File Type: GIF, JPG, PNG.
- File Size: Max 150KB.
- Max Animation Length: 30 seconds.
Outstream Ads
- Description: Mobile-only video ads that appear on websites and apps within the Google video partner network, not on YouTube itself.
- Logo Specs:
- Square: 1:1 (200 x 200px).
- File Type: JPG, GIF, PNG.
- Max Size: 200KB.
Masthead Ads
- Description: High-visibility ads at the top of the YouTube homepage.
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 or higher.
- File Type: JPG or PNG (without transparency).
Conclusion
YouTube offers a variety of ad formats to reach audiences effectively in 2024. Whether you want to build brand awareness, drive conversions, or target specific demographics, YouTube provides a dynamic platform for your advertising needs. Always follow Google’s advertising policies and the technical ad specs to ensure your ads perform their best. Ready to start using YouTube ads? Contact us today to get started!
MARKETING
Why We Are Always ‘Clicking to Buy’, According to Psychologists
![Why We Are Always 'Clicking to Buy', According to Psychologists Why We Are Always 'Clicking to Buy', According to Psychologists](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Why-We-Are-Always-Clicking-to-Buy-According-to-Psychologists.pngkeepProtocol.png)
Amazon pillows.
MARKETING
A deeper dive into data, personalization and Copilots
![A deeper dive into data, personalization and Copilots A deeper dive into data, personalization and Copilots](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/A-deeper-dive-into-data-personalization-and-Copilots.jpg)
Salesforce launched a collection of new, generative AI-related products at Connections in Chicago this week. They included new Einstein Copilots for marketers and merchants and Einstein Personalization.
To better understand, not only the potential impact of the new products, but the evolving Salesforce architecture, we sat down with Bobby Jania, CMO, Marketing Cloud.
Dig deeper: Salesforce piles on the Einstein Copilots
Salesforce’s evolving architecture
It’s hard to deny that Salesforce likes coming up with new names for platforms and products (what happened to Customer 360?) and this can sometimes make the observer wonder if something is brand new, or old but with a brand new name. In particular, what exactly is Einstein 1 and how is it related to Salesforce Data Cloud?
“Data Cloud is built on the Einstein 1 platform,” Jania explained. “The Einstein 1 platform is our entire Salesforce platform and that includes products like Sales Cloud, Service Cloud — that it includes the original idea of Salesforce not just being in the cloud, but being multi-tenancy.”
Data Cloud — not an acquisition, of course — was built natively on that platform. It was the first product built on Hyperforce, Salesforce’s new cloud infrastructure architecture. “Since Data Cloud was on what we now call the Einstein 1 platform from Day One, it has always natively connected to, and been able to read anything in Sales Cloud, Service Cloud [and so on]. On top of that, we can now bring in, not only structured but unstructured data.”
That’s a significant progression from the position, several years ago, when Salesforce had stitched together a platform around various acquisitions (ExactTarget, for example) that didn’t necessarily talk to each other.
“At times, what we would do is have a kind of behind-the-scenes flow where data from one product could be moved into another product,” said Jania, “but in many of those cases the data would then be in both, whereas now the data is in Data Cloud. Tableau will run natively off Data Cloud; Commerce Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud — they’re all going to the same operational customer profile.” They’re not copying the data from Data Cloud, Jania confirmed.
Another thing to know is tit’s possible for Salesforce customers to import their own datasets into Data Cloud. “We wanted to create a federated data model,” said Jania. “If you’re using Snowflake, for example, we more or less virtually sit on your data lake. The value we add is that we will look at all your data and help you form these operational customer profiles.”
Let’s learn more about Einstein Copilot
“Copilot means that I have an assistant with me in the tool where I need to be working that contextually knows what I am trying to do and helps me at every step of the process,” Jania said.
For marketers, this might begin with a campaign brief developed with Copilot’s assistance, the identification of an audience based on the brief, and then the development of email or other content. “What’s really cool is the idea of Einstein Studio where our customers will create actions [for Copilot] that we hadn’t even thought about.”
Here’s a key insight (back to nomenclature). We reported on Copilot for markets, Copilot for merchants, Copilot for shoppers. It turns out, however, that there is just one Copilot, Einstein Copilot, and these are use cases. “There’s just one Copilot, we just add these for a little clarity; we’re going to talk about marketing use cases, about shoppers’ use cases. These are actions for the marketing use cases we built out of the box; you can build your own.”
It’s surely going to take a little time for marketers to learn to work easily with Copilot. “There’s always time for adoption,” Jania agreed. “What is directly connected with this is, this is my ninth Connections and this one has the most hands-on training that I’ve seen since 2014 — and a lot of that is getting people using Data Cloud, using these tools rather than just being given a demo.”
What’s new about Einstein Personalization
Salesforce Einstein has been around since 2016 and many of the use cases seem to have involved personalization in various forms. What’s new?
“Einstein Personalization is a real-time decision engine and it’s going to choose next-best-action, next-best-offer. What is new is that it’s a service now that runs natively on top of Data Cloud.” A lot of real-time decision engines need their own set of data that might actually be a subset of data. “Einstein Personalization is going to look holistically at a customer and recommend a next-best-action that could be natively surfaced in Service Cloud, Sales Cloud or Marketing Cloud.”
Finally, trust
One feature of the presentations at Connections was the reassurance that, although public LLMs like ChatGPT could be selected for application to customer data, none of that data would be retained by the LLMs. Is this just a matter of written agreements? No, not just that, said Jania.
“In the Einstein Trust Layer, all of the data, when it connects to an LLM, runs through our gateway. If there was a prompt that had personally identifiable information — a credit card number, an email address — at a mimum, all that is stripped out. The LLMs do not store the output; we store the output for auditing back in Salesforce. Any output that comes back through our gateway is logged in our system; it runs through a toxicity model; and only at the end do we put PII data back into the answer. There are real pieces beyond a handshake that this data is safe.”
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