About YouTube pause ads in Google Ads reservation campaigns

YouTube pause ads are a new display ad format that appears when viewers pause the YouTube video that they are watching. This ad format helps you connect with viewers, capture their attention and drive engagement without disrupting their viewing experience.

In this article, you’ll learn about YouTube paused ads, the benefits of using them, how they work and how to create and technical specifications.

Benefits

Complementary and non-intrusive ad format: Since YouTube pause ads appear when viewers pause what they are watching, the viewing experience isn't disrupted and your brand, product or service is visible in an ideal setting.
Drive awareness and action: YouTube pause ads give you the opportunity to capture viewers’ attention and encourage engagement through a clear call to action. This helps keep your brand, product or service top of mind and your ad uniquely engaging.
Leverage expanded reach: With YouTube’s wide reach, growing watch time, and advanced audience targeting capabilities, you can connect to your target audience and reach more viewers across connected TV devices.

How YouTube pause ads work

YouTube pause ads are static image ads that appear 10 seconds after the viewer pauses a video. A YouTube pause ad is shown alongside the pause screen and remains on screen until the viewer resumes watching or if the viewer dismisses the ad.

How to create YouTube pause ads

Follow the instructions below to create your YouTube pause ads:

Go to Campaigns within the Campaigns menu.
Click the plus button , then select New campaign.
Select Awareness and consideration as your objective.
Select Video as your campaign type.
Select Reservation as your way to buy ads.
Select Premier reach as your goal.
Select Pause ads as your ad format.
Click Continue.
In the 'Create your video ads' section, search for your video or enter the URL from YouTube.
Under 'Your pause ad image', click + Image to upload or select your image.
Enter your 'Final URL', 'Long headline' and 'Ad name'.
You may click the preview button on the upper-right corner to review your ad.
When you’re done, click Save ad.

Note: YouTube pause ads are only available in YouTube Select lineups.

Available assets

Asset	Guidelines
Long headline or tagline	Maximum of 70 characters, should comply with all text ad policies Ad name: Maximum of 255 characters Reference video ID: Must link to a unique, publicly available video (not used in other ad campaigns)
Final URL	The URL that people reach after clicking your ad. It should match what your ad promotes. Learn more about final URLs and tracking templates.

Ad specifications

YouTube pause ads should be high-resolution static images with the following specifications:

	Recommended
Dimension	Width: 1080px – 1350px Height: 1080px – 1350px
Aspect ratio	Between 4:5.5 and 4:4 (avoid extreme aspect ratios)
Format	PNG or JPG
File size	Maximum 2MB
Transparency	Use transparency in your ad creative to blend the ad more seamlessly with the connected TV app’s background