People don’t just listen on Spotify, they spend time looking at their screens, too. In these moments—when the app is in focus, and a song is playing—users are served video ads, meaning advertisers can be confident their message will be heard and seen by their audience.

Our video solutions range from sound-on and full screen takeovers, to non-interruptive formats that blend in seamlessly with whatever users are streaming. Each format is designed to deliver against different marketing objectives.

To get started, all you need is video creative. Either tweak and upload your existing creative to Spotify’s ads manager, or follow our best creative practices for building video ads on Spotify from scratch.

1. Be succinct

Spotify accepts video ads of any length up to 30 seconds, with no change in cost. So whether you’re introducing your brand or announcing a new offer, you can choose the ad length that best tells your story.

However, research suggests less is more when it comes to video ads: In fact, video ads lasting less than 30 seconds drive higher Brand Awareness (+5pt), Favorability (+7pt), Search intent (+20pt) and Consideration Intent (+19pt) versus ads that are 30 seconds or longer.¹

2. Say it, then say it again

Your audience’s attention is precious—you won’t have it for long—so be sure to repeat your brand name several times over for maximum impact on the metrics that matter most to you.

Data revealed video ads with up to four brand mentions drive stronger Familiarity (+6pt), Favorability (7pt), Search Intent (+18pt), and Consideration Intent (+17pt) versus ads with five or more mentions—which drive lifts in Recall (+12pt) and Awareness (+7pt) vs ads with up to four brand mentions.²

3. Tailor your voice to your campaign objective

It’s important to consider what success looks like before you write your video ad script. Do you want users to take action, or is the goal simply to lift upper-funnel metrics like Recall and Awareness?

Third-party research shows third-person narration (speaking about the brand) is proven to drive lifts in Recall (+14pt) and Awareness (+12pt) while first-person narration (speaking as the brand) drives lifts in Favorability (+8pt), Search Intent (+16pt), and Consideration Intent (+14pt).³

4. Don’t forget the CTA

CTAs are crucial to include in your video creative so that your viewers are encouraged to take action, whether that’s clicking a link to your website or searching for your brand via another channel. Make sure yours is clear and matches the written CTA button in your companion display ad.

Video ads that include a CTA drive higher performance, specifically seeing lifts in Awareness (+3pt) and Favorability (+4pt), but even strong performance in lower funnel metrics like Search Intent (+19pt), Consideration Intent (+13pt) versus ads with no call-to-action.⁴

5. Use your words

Remember, by leveraging Spotify’s video ad formats you aren’t limited to the spoken word. Take full advantage and bring text into your ads where it feels appropriate.

In fact, video ads containing text in more than 50% of the frames see higher lifts in Search Intent (+9pt) and Consideration Intent (+7pt) vs ads with lighter text—but be careful not to overload your audience with too many messages all at once.⁵

6. Let the music play

Like audio ads, video ads with background music drive stronger performance across certain brand metrics. Specifically, they drive lifts in Awareness (+9pt) and Familiarity (+7pt) versus ads without music.⁶

To avoid competing with the voiceover, choose background music that contains no vocals, with ambient or rhythmic melodies to minimize distraction.

7. Fit your format

Be sure to tailor your video orientation to your targeted devices. For mobile only, go vertical—most smartphone users view videos in portrait mode, so we recommend optimizing your creative for this.

However, if you’re running video ads across mobile and desktop, it’s important to create a frictionless experience for your viewer with a mix of vertical and horizontal assets. This way, you will maximize your creative’s potential.

8. Opt for consistent creative

Use video and visuals to spotlight specific elements of your messaging and bring them to life in motion. Consider: What is most important for the audience to see?

9. Or, tell it in chapters

Use video and visuals to show your brand in action in different settings, or to have your story told by different voices. Consider: What new dimension could video add to your story?

Understand the creative advantages of Spotify’s video ad formats

Video ads are always served when the Spotify app is in focus, but whether the sound autoplays or not depends on the format you choose.

Our sound-on formats, Video Takeover and Sponsored Sessions, are delivered during a listening session when a user is actively browsing through the catalog to discover music and podcasts. You can run both horizontal and vertical video ads with either of these formats.

Opt-In Video is our sound-off, non-interruptive video ad format, and available exclusively in Spotify’s ads manager. Unlike sound-on formats, Opt-In Video is served on mobile only in the Now Playing View (NPV), in place of the audio artwork, when users are engaging with the app. When using this format, bear in mind:

1. Opt-in Video isn't responsive to phone orientation, so be sure to use vertical creative to maximize screen space.
2. Your video ad will be cropped to fit within the album art area, with the full video viewable in the expanded view. To ensure full accessibility, position your key messaging within these margins.
3. Steer clear of audible messaging that can only make an impact with sound on—people need an eye-catching visual to prompt them to unmute and opt in.

Video ads can play a crucial role in your overall advertising strategy, helping you to build awareness of your business or brand, and drive engagement—especially when supercharged with the power of audio.