LEARN HOW TO CREATE A FAN FINDER CHANNEL AD

Channel Ads 101

1. What is a channel ad ?

2. How to create a successful channel ad

3. Channel ad best practices and examples

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LET’S GET STARTED!

YOU WILL LEARN...

A channel ad is a promotional spot for your channel, customized for use in the Fan Finder program. These will play as skippable TrueView ads prior to video content from another partner on YouTube.

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1: What is a Channel Ad?

1A: Elements of a Channel Ad

Ads need structure. Writing a script before starting the editing process is critical for success. The “script” refers to the words that actually appear on screen as title cards during your ad. These words should be informative, clear, and match the tone of the channel content.

In addition to helping you organize your content, a successful script should clearly communicate the message of your channel ad. Your script should end with the name of your channel, followed by a clear call-to-action (CTA). Tell your audience what to do next: watch more content on your channel!

Writing:

Graphics are the visual representation of the script. They should highlight key messaging and should look and feel like the channel they are promoting. This will create cohesive branding throughout the channel ad.

Graphics:

Having the right music is an essential piece to creating a great channel ad. Music keeps viewers engaged and sets the tone when viewing your ad. The music in your ad should be consistent with the look and feel of your channel and the script and graphics you choose.

Music:

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2: How to Create a Successful Channel Ad&UHDWLQJ�DQ�HHFWLYH�FKDQQHO�DG�UHTXLUHV�D�V\VWHPDWLF�DSSURDFK��7KHVH�DUH�\RXU�VWHS�E\�VWHS�LQVWUXFWLRQV�

2A: Know Your AudienceBefore you begin, take a moment to think about your brand and your audience. This is the homework phase of the process and will pay major dividends when you go to create your channel ad. In terms of your audience, consider the following:

What do they need to know? What do you want them to feel? What do they listen to? What style of writing, graphics, music will they respond to?

In terms of branding, think about what kind of channel you have:

What is the look and feel of your channel? Is it playful, serious, comedic, dark, or informative? What colors are prominent in your channel? What font is used in your other channel videos?

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Keeping your brand and target audience in mind, think about the structure of your channel ad. Channel DGV�QHHG�WR�KDYH�D�FOHDU�DQG�FDSWLYDWLQJ�PHVVDJH�IURP�VWDUW�WR�ȴQLVK��%HJLQ�\RXU�FKDQQHO�DG�ZLWK�DQ�engaging introduction (comprised of one to three graphics, max) that will set up everything the audience is about to watch. Try to encapsulate the overall message or purpose of the channel ad in one clever tag OLQH��7KLV�LV�RIWHQ�D�GLɝFXOW�WDVN��EXW�UHPHPEHU��FODULW\�LV�NH\��

Once your audience is engaged, you'll need to deliver your key messages. Summarize the content of \RXU�FKDQQHO�LQWR�D�IHZ�FDWHJRULHV��HDFK�RQH�QR�ORQJHU�WKDQ�D�IHZ�ZRUGV��7KH�TXLFNHU�\RX�FDQ�VD\�something, the better.

2B: Writing and Structure

YOU DON’T NEED A BIG BUDGETTO MAKE AN AWESOME MOVIE

BUILDING YOUR LIGHTSCHOOSE YOUR CAMERAAND SHOOT THE ACTION

INDY MOGULCHECK OUT HOW TO MAKE MOVIESON MY CHANNEL

To the right is an example of an HHFWLYH�VFULSW�IRU�DQ�HGXFDWLRQ�FKDQQHO��1RWLFH�WKH�TXLFN���������������������LQWURGXFWLRQ��IROORZHG�E\�FOHDU�PHVVDJLQJ��HQGLQJ�ZLWK�D�WLWOH�DQG�FDOO�WR�DFWLRQ�

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Once you've established the look and feel of your channel ad and written a script, you'll need JUDSKLFV��6WDUW�E\�FUHDWLQJ�D�FRQVLVWHQW�EDFNJURXQG�IRU�DOO�RI�\RXU�JUDSKLFV�WKDWȇV�LQȵXHQFHG�E\�WKH�topic(s) of your channel, your color scheme, and the overall look and feel of your channel. Remem-ber to keep it simple.

2C: Graphics

When considering which music to use in your channel ad, YouTube is here to help. You can use the YouTube audio library to browse music libraries that have been pre-licensed for use by channel creators.

Before you begin to select your music, think about your tone, style, and energy. Consider your audience, what they listen to, and if that music will convey the correct branding.

To illustrate how music can mirror the look and feel of a channel, refer to Amazing Phil’s channel ad. Notice how it sounds like a video game and complements the look and feel of the graphics and content.

2D: Music

Next, taking font and style cues from your channel material, create individual graphics based on your script. Legibility is king.

Here is an example of a clean, legible graphic for a science-related channel. Notice how the colors are complimentary, and the background mirrors the channel’s content.

Additional Graphic Examples:

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Uploading tips: ���)RU�RSWLPL]HG�SHUIRUPDQFH��XSORDG�QR�PRUH�WKDQ���DGV�WR�WKH�V\VWHP�DW�RQH�WLPH��2. Give your ad a real title. Ad titles are visible to YouTube users so don't name your video “Instream ad”. Instead, use this as an opportunity to double-down on your call-to-action. Name it something like “Subscribe to my channel” or another title that would resonate with the audience you are going after.

2G: Finishing and Uploading

Make sure to give your viewers something to remember. The last image your viewers will see, should feature your channel logo and a call-to-action.

Your CTA can be as simple as… “CHECK OUT _____ AND WATCH MORE VIDEOS”

Or it could be more creative, like this CTA for a fashion channel: “SEE WHAT’S IN STYLE ON MY CHANNEL”

2E: CTA and Logo Presence

Now you're ready to put all of the pieces together. Remember, a successful channel ad doesn’t need to have a montage of clips; some great channel ads are built around one or two great clips or an original shoot. If you do decide to use a montage of clips, they should accurately represent the variety of material featured on your channel. Make sure the footage you're using does not have pre-existing music attached to it so you can have consistent music playing over every clip featured in your ad.

Your ad should have three distinct sections: an introduction, key messages, and the call-to action.

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Messaging: In this section, you need to clearly tell audiences what your channel is all about. The remainder of your script will help structure this portion of your channel ad.

Title /CTA: End with the name of your channel followed by a call to action, telling your audience to visit your channel.

2F: Editorial

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Education: Indy MogulAction: DeStorm

News & Politics: What’s Trending?Gaming: Rooster Teeth

Cooking & Health: Laura In The KitchenComedy: Vlog Brothers

Beauty & Fashion: FAWN Music: Peter Hollens

3A: Successful Channel Ad Examples, Various Genres:

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3B: Checklist Best Practices for a Successful Channel Ad

Your channel ad should be short and engaging. Remember, your channel ad will run as a 7UXH9LHZ�VSRW�ZKLFK�WKH�YLHZHU�FDQ�VNLS�DIWHU���VHFRQGV��VR�NHHS�LW�VKRUW�DQG�WR�WKH�SRLQW�

1)

Entertain the viewer - when in doubt, “show” what your channel is about, don’t “tell.” If you have a comedy channel make sure your channel ad is funny, if you have a music channel make sure your channel ad has music.

2)

Keep your ad focused on your channel and why users should subscribe. Don’t assume the viewer has heard of you or your channel before. Introduce them to your content.

3)

Have a clear call to action to subscribe (scripted and annotated in the video), don’t forget to explain what subscribe means (example: want to see more content? subscribe here).

4)

Don’t include any information about upcoming events or anything time-sensitive. These ads will run for a while and you don’t want them to become dated.

5)

This course has covered a lot of information, but it can be boiled down to three “Big Picture” ideas:

4: Review

1. Get their attention

2. Tell your story

3. Call them to action

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GOOD LUCK!