Mobivion explains what pre-roll advertising is and how it helps attract target customers.
In modern digital marketing, there are many formats for engaging audiences, and one of the most effective is video advertising. The Mobivion team works with various video formats daily, helping partners drive high-quality traffic and increase profits. If you'd like to learn more about the settings or launch a campaign right away, you can always Contact the manager for a consultation. Today, we'll take a closer look at pre-roll advertising and why this tool deserves special attention from affiliate marketers and advertisers.
A pre-roll is a short commercial shown to the user immediately before the main video they're about to watch. You've likely encountered this format on YouTube, Vimeo, Rutube, and other video hosting sites. The viewer clicks the play icon, but instead of the expected video, they see an ad first. These videos typically last between 5 and 30 seconds. The key feature of pre-roll ads is that they capture the user's attention at the moment of peak concentration, when they're ready to view the content. This makes them one of the most effective formats for increasing brand awareness and generating targeted actions. Understanding pre-roll ads opens up new opportunities for traffic monetization.
Advantages of the Pre-roll Format
The main advantage of pre-rolls is guaranteed audience engagement. Unlike banners, which can go unnoticed due to "banner blindness," a video ad preceding the main content is virtually impossible to ignore. The user is focused on the player and waiting for the video to begin, so they are highly likely to watch the first few seconds of the ad.
Another important advantage is the ability to precisely target ads. Platforms that host pre-roll ads collect a wealth of user data, including their interests, demographics, and behavioral factors. This allows ad creatives to be shown only to the audience most likely to be interested in the product or service. This way, affiliate marketers don't waste their budget on irrelevant impressions, but rather target their core audience. Understanding pre-roll advertising can significantly increase the ROI of their campaigns.
High engagement rates are also a strength of this format. Video itself is dynamic and emotional content, capable of quickly conveying a key message and evoking a response. Even if a user skips the ad after the first few seconds, the brand or offer will have already become ingrained in their minds. This effect is especially important for verticals where purchasing decisions aren't made immediately, but require several interactions with the product.
How Pre-roll Advertising Works
The pre-roll advertising mechanism is quite simple yet effective. The entire process can be divided into several stages:
The advertiser or affiliate marketer creates a short video creative that meets the requirements of the advertising platform and the campaign's goals.
In an ad network like Mobivion, campaign parameters are configured: geography, audience interests, devices, display time, and budget.
When a user clicks on a video on a partner website (publisher) to watch, the ad network's system selects the most relevant pre-roll video from the available ones in real time.
The video is shown to the viewer. A "Skip Ad" button often appears after 5-6 seconds, but some formats (non-skippable) require the entire video to be watched.
The system collects statistics on impressions, clicks, views, and conversions, allowing you to analyze performance and optimize your campaign. Understanding what pre-roll advertising is and how it integrates into the user experience is key to a successful launch.
It's important to note that the cost of purchasing traffic through pre-roll ads is usually higher than with banner or teaser ads. However, this is offset by higher audience quality and better conversion rates. Payment models can vary: CPV (Cost Per View), CPM (Cost Per Mille), or CPC (Cost Per Click). The choice of model depends on the campaign's goals: CPM is better for increasing brand awareness, while CPV or CPC is better for lead generation.
Pre-roll Effectiveness for Different Verticals
While pre-roll advertising is a universal tool, it shows particularly strong results in certain verticals. A thorough understanding of pre-roll advertising helps tailor it to specific needs.
For example, in gambling and betting, pre-rolls are excellent for attracting new players. Dynamic videos showcasing game highlights, big wins, or lucrative bonuses effectively motivate users to visit the site and register. Targeting the audience of sports broadcasts or game streams allows you to display ads to the most interested audience.
In product verticals (Nutra, E-commerce), pre-rolls help clearly demonstrate the product in action. A video can demonstrate how to use the product, what problems it solves, and what results can be achieved. This builds trust and alleviates some of the potential customer's objections even before they click through to the landing page. Explaining what pre-roll advertising is is impossible without examples of its successful use in product marketing.
Pre-rolls are also indispensable for online education and infobusiness. A short video with a charismatic speaker announcing a free webinar or course can quickly generate registrations. The format allows for the communication of energy and expertise, which is critical for this niche.
Even in more conservative verticals, such as finance or real estate, pre-rolls find their application. For example, to promote a new bank mobile app or to showcase the advantages of a residential complex. The key is to choose the right creative and message. If you're unsure whether this format is right for your offer, you can always get expert advice and recommendations by Contacting a Manager in our network. They will help you choose the optimal strategy.
Key Metrics for Analysis
To ensure a profitable campaign, you need to constantly analyze its results. Understanding pre-roll advertising also includes familiarizing yourself with key performance indicators.
VTR (View-Through Rate) — shows what percentage of users who saw an ad watched it to the end (or to a certain point, such as 30 seconds). A high VTR indicates that the creative is engaging with the audience.
CTR (Click-Through Rate) — the ratio of clicks on an ad to the number of times it was shown. This metric is important if the primary goal is website conversions.
CR (Conversion Rate) — the conversion rate. Shows what percentage of users who clicked on an ad completed a target action (registration, purchase, app installation). This is a key metric for assessing ROI.
CPA (Cost Per Action) is the cost of a target action. It is calculated as the ratio of advertising spend to the number of conversions achieved. The goal of an affiliate marketer is to keep the CPA lower than the offer's payout.
Regular monitoring of these metrics allows you to disable ineffective creatives promptly, reallocate your budget to more successful ads, and optimize targeting. Understanding pre-roll advertising is closely linked to the ability to analyze data and make decisions based on it.
Creating Effective Creatives
The success of a pre-roll campaign depends 80% on the quality of the video itself. Since you only have a few seconds to capture the viewer's attention, the creative must be as well-thought-out as possible. Here are a few recommendations:
Grab attention in the first 3-5 seconds. This is the most important rule. Use striking visuals, an intriguing question, a shocking fact, or dynamic music. The user should immediately understand why they should continue watching.
Clearly define the offer. Don't beat around the bush. Show the product or service upfront and explain its value. If it's a discount, bonus, or special offer, mention it at the very beginning.
Adapt the video for mobile viewing. Most users watch videos on smartphones. Make sure the text and important elements are large enough, and the image looks good on a small screen. Vertical or square video formats often perform better than horizontal ones.
Add a call to action. Clearly tell the user what they should do: "Click the link," "Register now," "Install the app." The CTA should be noticeable and clear.
Creating good creative requires testing. Don't be afraid to launch several video versions with different approaches to determine which one converts best for your audience. Understanding what pre-roll advertising is and its specifics will help you create profitable videos.
Conclusion
In summary, it's safe to say that pre-roll advertising is a powerful and flexible advertising format that, when approached correctly, can generate consistently high revenue. It allows you to reach the most engaged audience at their peak, ensuring high VTR and high-quality leads. Knowing what pre-roll advertising is, how it works, and how to analyze it is essential for any modern media buyer.
The Mobivion platform provides all the necessary tools for working with pre-roll traffic. We offer access to vast volumes of high-quality video inventory, convenient targeting tools, and detailed statistics for campaign optimization. Our team is always ready to help you understand the intricacies of the format and launch your first successful campaign. By learning what pre-roll advertising is, you can know Significantly expand your arsenal of traffic-driving tools and scale your revenue.
Try it out
Now that you know what pre-roll advertising is and its power, the best way to consolidate this knowledge is to put it into practice. You can test the capabilities of video formats on our Mobivion platform and evaluate their effectiveness for your offers. For advice on setting up your first campaign, choosing the right traffic source, or simply discussing your strategy with an expert, Contact the manager. They will help you get started quickly and avoid common beginner mistakes by showing you how to get the most out of pre-roll traffic.