{"id":283766,"date":"2023-11-22T14:45:23","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T14:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/?p=283766"},"modified":"2024-02-15T14:20:47","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T14:20:47","slug":"instream-outstream-video-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/instream-outstream-video-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Instream and Outstream Video Ads Anyway?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em><em>Last updated on 22nd November 2023<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Can you think of the last time you went a whole day without watching a video?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to our <a href=\"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/video-marketing-statistics\/\">2023 survey<\/a> on the state of video marketing, <strong>people watch an average of 17 hours of online video every week<\/strong>.&nbsp;And it\u2019s inevitable that some of those videos will be ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this article we\u2019re going to compare two different kinds of video ads: <strong>instream<\/strong> and <strong>outstream<\/strong> &#8211; to find out the difference between the two!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_instream_ads\"><\/span><strong>What are instream ads<\/strong>?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instream ads are the video ads that you\u2019re probably most familiar with. These are the videos that appear <em>within <\/em>other video content &#8211; as a pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll ad.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the names suggest, pre-roll ads appear before other videos:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wyzowl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/img_61f021e56c93f.png?w=1080&#038;quality=80&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If these are up to 15-20 seconds long (depending on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/displayspecs\/answer\/6244563\">where the viewer is based<\/a>) then they are non-skippable &#8211; meaning viewers must watch the ad in its entirety before they watch the video they clicked on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ads that are longer can be skipped:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wyzowl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/img_61f021e96d7ca.png?w=1080&#038;quality=80&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mid-roll ads appear in the middle of video content, with a countdown letting viewers know when the ad is coming up:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wyzowl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/img_61f021ebbd7d6.png?w=1080&#038;quality=80&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And post-roll ads, as you probably guessed, play after the video.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are arguments to be made for which type of instream ad you use as a video marketer. But, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedrum.com\/news\/2017\/04\/18\/pre-roll-video-ads-are-still-the-most-effective-study-suggests\">a study<\/a>, pre-roll ads are the ones considered to be the least interruptive by viewers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same study found that <strong>69% of people were able to recall a pre-roll ad<\/strong>, compared with 41% for mid-roll.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s an example of an instream ad from <a href=\"https:\/\/monzo.com\/\">Monzo<\/a>:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"You Make Monzo, Monzo\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uiUCfJ9pq0E?feature=oembed\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This ad is funny, snappy, and explains the product in just 60 seconds. It also ends with a call-to-action that tells viewers what to do next.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The targeting capabilities available for instream ads make it easy to get your videos in front of the right people.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, this Monzo ad is most likely to appear within <a href=\"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/financial-services-video-production\/\">video content related to banking<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more information about instream ads (particularly pre-roll ads), check out our article: <a href=\"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/pre-roll-ads\/\"><strong>What is a pre-roll ad? (+7 ingredients of the best ones)&nbsp;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pros of instream ads&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Viewers are ready<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the benefits of marketing through instream ads is that people are already set up to watch video content, because they\u2019re actively searching for it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When your instream ad plays out the people watching have either just clicked on a video, are in the middle of one, or have just finished one.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That means it\u2019s likely that they\u2019re sitting comfortably, with audio on, ready to engage with some <a href=\"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/video-ads\/\">awesome video content<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Viewers are motivated<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People who are watching your instream ads, particularly non-skippable pre-rolls and mid-rolls, have a reason to keep watching.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They want to get back to their original content, so they have a certain level of motivation to see the ad through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, if your ad is somehow linked to the content they\u2019re watching (<em>which it usually is, thanks to incredible retargeting capabilities<\/em>) then it could even add to their viewing experience &#8211; making them more likely to find out more about your product or service later.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cons of instream ads&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. There are limitations<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the negatives of using instream ads is that there\u2019s only a certain number of sites that you can market on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, most of these sites are <strong><em>huuuuge<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; YouTube and Facebook, to name just two!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, if you market to B2B customers, or just people who don\u2019t spend a lot of time on social media sites, then you could find this limiting.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Sometimes considered intrusive<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People are exposed to instream ads when they have searched for some other form of video content.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They haven\u2019t necessarily \u2018<em>opted-in<\/em>\u2019 to watch your ad, so this can make instream videos feel annoying, and even intrusive.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_outstream_ads\"><\/span><strong>What are outstream ads?&nbsp;<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outstream ads are the new kids on the block. These are videos that appear in non-video environments &#8211; mainly text-based content, like articles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We screen-recorded a website experience to capture an example for you:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wyzowl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/img_61f021f2d5f36.gif?w=1080&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As you can see, the video autoplays as the user scrolls over it. And there is the option to click the ad to listen to the audio.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the user scrolls past the video, it stops playing &#8211; both visuals and audio. So this is a very non-intrusive form of video marketing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outstream ads also allow you to target your audience in places that you may not have been able to previously (with video marketing).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can use outstream ads to connect with people who might never visit sites like YouTube and Facebook, but you can also use them to <em>retarget <\/em>people who might\u2019ve already seen your instream ads.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Retargeting is a form of marketing that targets consumers based on their previous actions. Let\u2019s use <a href=\"https:\/\/herbalessences.co.uk\/en-gb\/\">Herbal Essences<\/a> as an example. Their customers might look for hair care tips on YouTube &#8211; and maybe there they will see an instream ad, like this one:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Unleash Mama Natures Secrets with Herbal Essences\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZqgOFb1hW5c?feature=oembed\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then they might visit a hair care blog. There, Herbal Essences could retarget them with an outstream ad, like this one:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"347\" height=\"299\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wyzowl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/2.gif?resize=347%2C299&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-283767\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more information about outstream ads, check out our article: <a href=\"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/video-banner-ads\/\"><strong>How to create video banner ads that blow viewers away!<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pros of outstream ads<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Find your audience<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With outstream ads, you aren\u2019t waiting for your audience to come to you. You go to them. This means you can find your audience wherever they are online.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is particularly useful if your audience is unlikely to spend a lot of time on the sites where instream ads are used.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Less intrusive<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outstream ads don\u2019t impose on the user\u2019s experience at all. As they slot into the places usually reserved for banner ads, users can simply scroll past if they aren\u2019t interested.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If they <em>are<\/em> interested, then they make the choice to watch. They even decide whether they want to listen to the audio or not. This makes for a more positive customer experience and also means your video views aren\u2019t wasted on people who aren\u2019t interested.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cons of outstream ads&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. The content must fit<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your outstream video ads<em> must<\/em> fit in with the content on the site, otherwise you risk wasting ad spend on consumers who aren\u2019t interested in your product or service.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When finding a publisher, it\u2019s important to do your research and ensure that your ads are going to be placed alongside perfect companion articles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. It\u2019s still a new practice&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the idea of static banner ads is practically ancient in terms of online marketing, video is still relatively new.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s important to ensure that your outstream ads are placed where publishers say they are going to be placed, to ensure maximum effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s also important to monitor these placements to find out what works for your brand and what doesn\u2019t, so you can improve your outstream video marketing in the future.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_better_instream_or_outstream\"><\/span><strong>What\u2019s better: instream or outstream?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As we\u2019ve seen, both instream and outstream ads have positives and negatives to be considered.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neither can really be considered \u2018<em>better<\/em>\u2019 than the other, as it all depends on the customers you\u2019re marketing to, and your needs as a marketer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you plan on creating instream or outstream ads, one of the most important things to consider is making them as targeted as possible &#8211; this means that, wherever your audience finds your content, it will be<strong> relevant<\/strong> to them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Utilising <em>both<\/em> instream and outstream ads is probably the best way to ensure your video marketing has the most impact.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_thoughts\"><\/span><strong>Final thoughts<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to our <a href=\"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/video-marketing-statistics\/\">recent video marketing survey<\/a>, <strong>91% of people said they would like to see more video from brands in 2023.<\/strong> And 73% of people said that a short video is their favourite way to learn about a product or service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it\u2019s clear that video ads have impact &#8211; whether they\u2019re instream or outstream.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Interested in making your own? Head over to <a href=\"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/video-ad-production\/\">our video ad agency page<\/a> to find out more.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this article we\u2019re going to compare two different kinds of video ads: instream and outstream &#8211; to find out the difference between the two!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":283765,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[98,101],"tags":[69],"class_list":["post-283766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attract","category-attract-popular","tag-uc-video-ads"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wyzowl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/2-What-are-Instream-and-Outstream-Video-ads-anyway.png?fit=1000%2C500&quality=80&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/283765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}