YouTube Shorts Ads: Where They Show and How to Buy Them

Everything here comes from Google's guide to YouTube Shorts ads in Google Ads Help and the pages in that series, plus the other Help pages linked where they are used. Checked on 12 November 2026. What each YouTube format is and how you pay is in our YouTube video ads guide; exact resolutions, file types and text limits for every format are in YouTube ad specs.

What a Shorts ad is

Google's Get started with YouTube Shorts ads page describes Shorts as "a mobile-optimized experience on YouTube that centers around short, vertical, full-screen videos". The ad behaves like an organic Short:

• It shows up between organic Shorts in the feed.
• Viewers can skip it straight away by swiping up or down.
• If they scroll back, the same ad is kept and shown again.
• It carries a call-to-action button, plus the like, comment and share buttons that organic Shorts have.

You do not buy Shorts ads in YouTube. They are part of Google Ads campaigns, and the video itself must be uploaded to YouTube as a public or unlisted video.

Where Shorts ads appear

The same page lists the places a Shorts ad can show, in the YouTube app and on YouTube in mobile and desktop browsers:

• the Shorts tab, and Shorts shelves on the Home and Search feeds;
• the Shorts tab on a channel page;
• the gaming, shopping and subscriptions feeds;
• multi-format entry points.

Shorts ads also serve on tablets, desktop browsers and connected TVs, game consoles and streaming devices. If you do not want that, Google's Shorts ads FAQ says normal device targeting applies to Shorts ads too.

Campaign types that serve on Shorts

Google's campaign types that support YouTube Shorts ads page names six, and says to choose by your marketing goal:

Shorts is only available in Video reach campaigns with the Efficient reach goal, according to Google's Video reach page for Shorts; other Video reach goals do not serve there. On Performance Max, Google says the campaign "automatically includes YouTube Shorts placements" but you cannot buy them on their own. More on those campaign types: Demand Gen, Video views and Video reach and Performance Max.

Running ads on Shorts only

Two campaign types can be limited to Shorts:

• Video views and Video reach: the Video views page for Shorts says you buy Shorts by checking YouTube Shorts in the multi-format ads section, and you can change that setting while the campaign runs. Leave the other formats unchecked for a Shorts-only campaign. Google warns that its suggested bids "may be incorrect" for Shorts-only Video views campaigns, so plan bids with Reach Planner or the traffic estimator instead.
• Demand Gen: the Demand Gen channel controls page says you can "tailor your Demand Gen campaigns to serve specifically on YouTube Shorts" by choosing channels per ad group. The older Demand Gen page in the Shorts series still says Demand Gen is not a way to target Shorts only, so check the channel options in your own account.

Google's Shorts asset specs and best practices page gives the trade-off: if you are flexible on placement and care most about efficiency, use campaigns that include Shorts among other surfaces; if you need creative control or have Shorts-specific videos, use a Shorts-only setup. In multi-format Video views and Video reach campaigns you cannot pin one video to Shorts. Per-video placement choice (Creative Preferences) exists only in Demand Gen.

The video: orientation, length and text

From the same asset specs page:

• Orientation: vertical 9:16 is recommended and prioritized. Horizontal and square videos can still serve, with blurred bars above and below, but the FAQ says they are eligible only on a subset of Shorts surfaces, such as desktop and connected TV. If you only have a horizontal video, Google's video enhancements can make vertical versions.
• Length: Google recommends under 60 seconds, 10 to 30 seconds for action-focused ads, 6 to 60 seconds for Video reach and 10 to 60 seconds for other campaign types. Longer videos can serve, but Google's pages differ on how much plays: the asset specs page says the first 60 seconds, with an overlay at 50 seconds linking to the full video; the FAQ says play continues to 180 seconds, with the overlay at 170.
• Text: the ad uses your channel name and a description of up to 90 characters, cut to 1 line on mobile and 2 on desktop and TV. On mobile, a call-to-action overlay card can also show a headline of up to 40 characters; Google recommends giving both.
• Sound and style: Google advises sound-on, "social first" videos that blend in with organic Shorts, creator content where you can, and text overlays.

The call-to-action button appears after 3 seconds in Performance Max, App and Demand Gen campaigns and after 10 seconds in Video views and Video reach campaigns. Action buttons sit on top of the video on mobile, so check the vertical safe zone in our YouTube ad specs guide and use the Shorts preview in Google Ads before launch.

Action buttons, views and remarketing

The Shorts ads FAQ answers how Shorts ads tie into your channel:

• Like, comment and share buttons show on every eligible ad. You can turn comments off; the others cannot be hidden. Share only works on public videos.
• Likes and comments on the ad count on your original Short, the same as organic engagement. They show in YouTube channel metrics, not in Google Ads.
• A TrueView view counts when someone watches 10 seconds (or the whole ad if shorter), clicks the call to action, or taps like, comment or share. In Video views campaigns those are billable.
• Swiping back to an ad does not count a new impression.
• You can build remarketing lists from people who watched your organic Shorts or your Shorts ads.

Royalty-free music is available from the YouTube Audio Library inside Shorts. For any other track in an ad, Google says you must clear the rights with the copyright owner first.

Reporting Shorts results

Google's Shorts performance reporting page sets clear limits:

• Video reach: if Shorts runs alongside in-stream or in-feed ads, segment the report by ad format, otherwise you see the totals of all formats. The "Where ads showed" report lists the channels and videos your Shorts ads ran on, and the Videos analytics view has a Shorts option with second-by-second watch time.
• Performance Max and App campaigns: Shorts results are not reported separately. They are inside the YouTube network segment.
• Devices: device reports split mobile, tablet, desktop and TV, but Shorts on connected TVs is not broken out.

For conversion setup, see Google Ads conversion tracking.

What Shorts ads do not support

According to the FAQ:

• Lead forms do not work with Shorts ads.
• Hashtags in the ad description are not clickable.
• Store sales and store visit reporting are not available for Shorts.
• Shorts ads cannot be clicked on connected TVs; viewers can scan a QR code instead.
• Live previews of Shorts ads are not available in Demand Gen or Performance Max, per the previews page.

Retailers do get one extra: Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns with a Merchant Center feed can show a Shorts image ad that animates four product images from the feed.

A simple way to start

This is our suggestion, built on the Google guidance above:

• Make a 15 to 30 second vertical cut of your best video with sound, the offer in the first seconds and the key message clear of the action buttons, using Google's vertical safe zone template.
• If you already run Demand Gen or Performance Max, add that vertical video to it first: they include Shorts without a new campaign.
• If you want to see Shorts on its own, run a small Shorts-only Video views campaign or a Shorts-only Demand Gen ad group and compare it with your multi-surface campaign.
• Judge it by your conversion data, not by likes, which Google Ads does not report.

Frequently asked questions

Can I run Google Ads only on YouTube Shorts?

Yes. In Video views and Video reach (Efficient reach) campaigns, select only YouTube Shorts under multi-format ads. In Demand Gen, choose YouTube Shorts in the ad group's channel controls. Performance Max and App campaigns cannot be limited to Shorts.

How long should a YouTube Shorts ad be?

Google recommends under 60 seconds, and 10 to 30 seconds for ads meant to drive action. Video reach takes 6 to 60 seconds and other campaign types 10 to 60 seconds.

Can I use a horizontal video as a Shorts ad?

Yes, but it serves with blurred bars and only on some Shorts surfaces, such as desktop and connected TV. Google recommends vertical 9:16 and can generate a vertical version with video enhancements.

When does a Shorts ad count as a view?

A TrueView view counts after 10 seconds of watching (or the whole ad if shorter), or when the viewer clicks the call to action or taps like, comment or share.

Can I see Shorts results separately in Google Ads?

In Video reach campaigns, yes: segment by ad format and check the "Where ads showed" report. In Performance Max and App campaigns, no: Shorts is part of the YouTube network segment.

For audiences and placements, see YouTube ads targeting. Short vertical video on other platforms: TikTok ads basics and Meta ad specs.

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