Should you Promote your YouTube videos or use Google Ads? A Case Study

By: Jyll Saskin Gales, Google Ads Coach

Have you ever wondered if there's a more efficient way to get your YouTube videos seen, attract subscribers, and build your brand without breaking the bank? What if we told you that reaching a wider audience on YouTube might be way cheaper than you think, especially when compared to other platforms?

In this post, we're diving deep into the world of YouTube video promotion, particularly focusing on a powerful yet often overlooked method: YouTube Promotions within YouTube Studio. We'll explore how this differs from traditional Google Ads campaigns and share real-world results from a test that might just change the way you think about promoting your video content.

Here's what you'll learn:

• The difference between YouTube Promotions and Google Ads campaigns for video.

• Actual test results comparing YouTube Promotions, Google Ads Demand Gen with optimized targeting, and Google Ads Demand Gen with custom segments.

• Why CPM (Cost Per Mille/Thousand Impressions) is a crucial metric when evaluating your video promotion efforts.

• When to consider using YouTube Promotions and how to approach your own testing strategy.

The Rise of YouTube Promotions: A New Way to Boost Your Content 

For years, if you wanted to put ad spend behind your YouTube videos, you'd head straight to the Google Ads platform. It's a familiar space for many advertisers, offering a wide range of targeting options. However, a new player has emerged: the "Promote" button directly within YouTube Studio.

This seemingly small change has big implications. Think of it like this: on social media platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram), you've always had the ability to "boost" an organic post, putting ad money behind content that's already resonating. This allows you to extend its reach beyond your immediate followers. YouTube Promotions offer a similar streamlined approach for your video content.

When you use the "Promote" button in YouTube Studio, Google Ads automatically creates a "Demand Gen" campaign with optimized targeting. While this might sound technical, the key takeaway is that it simplifies the process significantly, allowing content creators to focus on their videos while the platform handles some of the advertising heavy lifting.

The Test: YouTube Promotions vs. Google Ads Campaigns 

To truly understand the impact of YouTube Promotions, I conducted a head-to-head test, comparing three different approaches to promoting the same YouTube video:

1. YouTube Promotion: Using the "Promote" button directly in YouTube Studio.

2. Demand Gen Campaign with Optimized Targeting: Manually creating a Demand Gen campaign in Google Ads, allowing Google's algorithm to find the most receptive audience.

3. Demand Gen Campaign with Custom Segment: Manually creating a Demand Gen campaign in Google Ads with a highly specific, pre-defined audience (e.g., people searching for "learn Google Ads," "Google Ads course").

The results were quite eye-opening, especially when looking at CPM (Cost Per Mille), which is the cost you pay for every thousand impressions your ad receives. A lower CPM means you're getting more eyeballs on your content for the same budget.

CPM: The Unsung Hero of Reach

The test revealed a stark contrast in CPMs:

• Demand Gen with Custom Segment: A staggering $70 CPM. This meant a significantly higher cost to reach a thousand potential viewers within that very specific audience.

• Demand Gen with Optimized Targeting & YouTube Promotion: Both came in at an incredibly low $3 CPM.

This difference is like choosing between flying first class on a private jet and taking a budget airline. Both get you to your destination (impressions), but one costs significantly more for the same amount of travel. While a high CPM isn't always bad if it leads to highly qualified conversions, in this case, the custom segment didn't deliver on that front.

The Subscriber Showdown: Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

Beyond impressions, the ultimate goal for many YouTube creators is to gain subscribers. The test also tracked the cost per subscriber (CPA) for each method:

• YouTube Promotion: A fantastic $1 per subscriber, acquiring 35 new subscribers.

• Demand Gen with Optimized Targeting: A respectable $2.19 per subscriber, gaining 24 subscribers.

• Demand Gen with Custom Segment: A painful $26 per subscriber, resulting in only 2 subscribers.

The YouTube Promotion clearly dominated in terms of subscriber acquisition cost, offering new subscribers at half the price of the optimized targeting campaign and a fraction of the custom segment. This suggests that the YouTube Promotion's underlying algorithm is exceptionally good at finding users who are likely to subscribe.

Understanding the "Why": In-Feed Placements and View Rates

One interesting finding was that the YouTube Promotion exclusively ran as an in-feed ad. In-feed ads appear as recommended videos within the YouTube interface, requiring a user to actively click to watch. In contrast, Google Ads campaigns can also utilize "in-stream" placements, which are pre-roll or mid-roll ads that play automatically within other videos.

While the YouTube Promotion had a slightly lower view rate (0.7%) compared to the Demand Gen Optimized Targeting (1%) for in-feed placements, its superior cost per subscriber suggests that it's optimizing for the desired outcome (subscribers) rather than just views. It's like asking a search engine to find you "restaurants that deliver pizza" versus just "restaurants." You might get fewer results, but they're more relevant to your specific need.

The crucial takeaway here is that Google's systems are incredibly adept at delivering on the specific objective you set. If you tell it to maximize subscribers, it will find users who are prone to subscribing, even if they don't watch the entire video.

When to Use YouTube Promotions and How to Test It

Based on these compelling results, when should you consider incorporating YouTube Promotions into your strategy?

• If you're new to YouTube or looking to rapidly increase your subscriber count: The low cost per subscriber makes this an attractive option for building initial momentum and reaching YouTube's monetization thresholds.

• For broad reach and brand awareness: The exceptionally low CPM provides a cost-effective way to get your content in front of a large, relevant audience.

• To test new content or find a receptive audience: Allow YouTube's optimized targeting to identify users who are most likely to engage with your videos.

Your Testing Strategy

If you're inspired to try this out, here's how you can approach your own test:

1. Start with a clear objective: Do you want more subscribers, views, or website clicks? YouTube Promotions allow you to select these goals.

2. Choose a video that has performed well organically: This gives your promotion a head start by leveraging content that already resonates with some viewers.

3. Run a comparative test: Consider setting up a YouTube Promotion alongside a manually created Demand Gen campaign in Google Ads to see how they perform for your specific content and audience.

4. Monitor your metrics: Pay close attention to CPM, cost per subscriber/view/click, and view rates to understand the effectiveness of your campaigns.

5. Don't be afraid to experiment: Just like with any advertising, continuous testing and optimization are key to finding what works best for you.

Ultimately, YouTube Promotions offer a powerful and surprisingly affordable way to expand your reach, grow your subscriber base, and drive engagement for your video content. It's a simple yet effective tool that every YouTube creator and marketer should consider adding to their promotional toolkit.