Social

Twitter Embraces Longer Pre-Roll Ads

By Tinuiti Team

When Twitter first offered pre-roll video ads, the company limited those videos to six seconds or less. When media publishers created video for their Twitter feeds, the pre-roll ads would play first, but six seconds didn’t offer much time for brands to get the word out.

However, Digiday announced in January the roll-out of a new pre-roll video program on Twitter. According to the report, Twitter plans to offer much longer pre-roll video spots for advertisers.

Longer Ads — Better Exposure

Social media websites like Vine have proved that super-short videos are sometimes sufficient to get one’s message across. However, you might need a bit more time to capture your audience’s attention, which is why the extension to Twitter’s Amplify program offers such an exciting opportunity for businesses.

In October, Twitter added functionality to Amplify that allowed businesses to run pre-roll ads without having a connection to or arrangement with the publisher first. This greatly expanded publishers’ opportunities to generate revenue from their videos and created more opportunities for advertisers to reach larger audiences.

Now that advertisers can create and upload longer videos, they will have more freedom to design the advertising campaigns that suit their businesses best.

The Skip Button Will Remain

Unlike many social media platforms, Twitter will not only keep the skip button (which allows viewers to skip the pre-roll ads entirely), but will also make the skip button available from the start of the ad. Consumers who just want to get to the content can avoid the advertisements. This contrasts significantly with platforms like YouTube, whose ads often force consumers to wait up to 10 seconds before skipping.

This doesn’t penalize advertisers, however, because businesses will only pay for views during which the consumer watches the add for three seconds or longer. It’s a win-win-win proposition for advertisers, publishers, and consumers who want maximum flexibility in their advertising choices.

Opportunities to Scale

The new changes to Twitter’s Amplify program will allow Twitter to generate more revenue (and scale their business model) while facilitating better exposure for businesses who advertise through Twitter. Not only will consumers be able to watch longer ads, but they’ll also have access to more diverse content. Publishers will benefit because they will make more money and have the opportunity to create more viewable content.

According to Digiday, Twitter will keep just 30 percent of revenue generated from the advertisements and turn over the remaining 70 percent to media publishers. The outlet reports that this is a highly favorable arrangement compared to other social media platforms.

Twitter has amassed an impressive 320 million active users on its website. Advertising revenue can benefit everyone involved while still giving consumers the right to choose which content they view.

If you haven’t consider Twitter as an advertising outlet, you might want to think about it. We can help you choose the best advertising and marketing solutions through your business, so feel free to learn more about our display advertising services.

You Might Be Interested In

*By submitting your Email Address, you are agreeing to all conditions of our Privacy Policy.