YouTube is a unique platform where billions of viewers actively choose the content they love. It’s a place for brands to engage audiences through every stage of the buying journey, including YouTube Shorts, now available in longer formats of up to 3 minutes. With recent updates, YouTube offers even more tools to help brands create meaningful connections and drive results. Here’s a breakdown of the latest features and improvements to help your brand stand out on YouTube.

1. New format controls for more targeted campaigns

YouTube now offers format buying controls, allowing brands to target specific formats like Shorts or in-stream videos. Brands can customize their campaigns to run exclusively in Shorts or showcase horizontal creative in-stream, giving marketers more flexibility. This option is now available globally on Video View Campaigns, with a Shorts-only pilot currently in progress for select advertisers.

2. Enhanced ad formats for YouTube Shorts

YouTube is leaning into the interactive nature of Shorts. Now, stickers can be automatically created from product images, making ads more engaging for Shorts viewers. This format, available to all retailers by the end of the year, helps brands reach users in a fun, tappable way.

3. Animated image ads for Demand Gen campaigns

YouTube’s new animated image ads, available globally, bring product images to life by creating animated visuals based on Google Merchant Center feeds. This ad format helps brands reach audiences across YouTube and Google’s visual platforms, capturing interest and driving conversions even when consumers aren’t actively searching.

4. Video enhancements with Google AI

To optimize video ads for YouTube’s many formats, Google AI now offers video enhancement options. Google AI can flip or resize your videos to fit various aspect ratios, preserving key elements to ensure your brand message shines across YouTube.

5. Expanding audience data for Shorts

To help brands grow their data segments faster, YouTube is now including viewers of both organic and ad-based Shorts in audience data segments. This update means that brands will reach a broader audience, even those who watch shorter content on Shorts.

6. Advanced measurement for Shorts ads

To give brands a clearer picture of ad effectiveness, YouTube is introducing third-party sales lift measurement for Shorts ads. This update will show how Shorts ads impact overall sales, helping brands understand their reach and conversions better.

7. Partnering with YouTube creators for greater impact

Creators drive some of the most influential content on YouTube. Partnership ads powered by BrandConnect let brands collaborate with creators to boost ad performance. YouTube data shows that partnership ads on creator channels can achieve up to 20% higher conversions on Shorts than ads with only brand content.

New tools also make it easier to link creator content to Google Ads, allowing brands to manage multiple partnerships efficiently. Additionally, YouTube Select Creator Takeovers, offering 100% share of voice on top creator channels, is now available in the US, with global expansion planned for 2025.

For more details, read Google’s official announcement here.