To help you drive more reach across YouTube, video reach campaigns (VRC) for efficient reach now include an option to run In-feed and Shorts ad formats alongside in-stream formats (like skippable in-stream ads and bumper ads) using the multi-format ads selector. This allows your ads to automatically adjust their size, appearance and format to fit available ad spaces across YouTube and Google.
Starting in August 2026, Google will start automatically upgrading all in-stream-only video reach Efficient reach campaigns to using multi-format ads. Your campaign will retain its settings and continue to serve automatically. While your campaign will be saved and will retain all historical reporting data, note that ad group and ads history will be reset. After being upgraded, your campaign will feature multi-format ads and will default to in-stream placements only. You can edit the upgraded campaign at any time. To fully leverage Google's AI capabilities and maximise the reach per dollar of your upgraded video reach campaign, we recommend that you add a headline and description to the new multi-format ads and enable In-feed ads and Shorts by updating the selected ad formats in the campaign settings page. The automatic upgrade will be rolled out gradually throughout the rest of the year.
We recommend upgrading your in-stream-only video reach Efficient reach campaigns to multi-format ads ahead of the automatic upgrade. Learn how to upgrade in-stream-only video reach Efficient reach campaigns to multi-format ads.
On this page
- Benefit of multi-format ads
- How to upgrade in-stream-only video reach Efficient reach campaigns to multi-format ads
- What happens to in-stream-only video reach Efficient reach campaigns when Google auto-upgrades begin in August 2026
Benefits of multi-format ads
- Ad formats: Video reach campaigns for efficient reach now use responsive ad groups, and include the option to opt-in to a mix of in-stream (skippable in-stream, bumpers), In-feed and Shorts ad formats. You can use the multi-format ads selector to select any combination of ad formats, but we recommend opting into all ad formats to maximise your reach across YouTube.
- Ad assets: Multi-format ads require more than just a video and destination URL. You'll also need to provide a headline (up to 90 characters, though for VRC specifically, a shorter headline of up to 30 characters can also be used, with an option for a long headline of 90 characters) and a description (up to 90 characters). These are used for In-feed and Shorts ads. Supplying these assets is mandatory, even if you initially don't opt in to feed and/or Shorts, because you can modify your format opt-in settings after the campaign is created. Shorts ads on mobile now have a call to action (CTA) overlay card that allows headline text to be displayed within the card when available. It's recommended that you provide both a 40-character headline and a 90-character description within your campaign setup to optimise your campaign results.
How to upgrade in-stream-only video reach Efficient reach campaigns to multi-format ads
If you want to upgrade your video reach campaigns for efficient reach to multi-format ads with the same settings as your existing campaigns, you can copy the existing campaigns and paste them. When you copy and paste, make sure that you select 'Change video ads to multi-format ads (responsive ads)'. The new campaign will retain all the settings of the original campaign and only opt in to use skippable in-stream ads in campaign settings. You will be required to provide a headline and a description for the multi-format ads when copy and pasting.
- Go to Campaigns within the Campaigns menu
.
- Select the filter button
above the statistics table.
- Add the appropriate filters to find the campaigns to be upgraded:
- Campaign type: Video
- Bid strategy type: Target CPM
- Select Apply individually. The table updates to show campaigns that match your filters and the above criteria will show video reach campaigns.
- Choose the tick box next to each campaign that you want to upgrade.
- From the 'Edit' drop-down menu, select Copy.
- Open the 'Edit' drop-down menu again, and select Paste. A paste menu appears above the statistics table.
- Select 'Change video ads to multi-format ads (responsive ads)'.
- Note: Hover over the X campaign to view the campaigns eligible for the upgrade.
- Enter a long headline and description for the ads.
-
Note: If you've multiple ads, they'll all use the same headline and description that you enter here. If you wish to use different headlines and/or descriptions for each ad, modify them after the upgrade is complete by editing the ads in the newly created video reach campaign.
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- Select Paste. A new video reach campaign with responsive video ads is created and a confirmation message that says 'Your changes have been made' appears at the bottom of your window.
- To locate the newly created video reach campaign, navigate to the 'Campaigns' table in Google Ads. The newly created campaigns are labelled with 'Copied as multi-format (responsive)' under the 'Label' column in the 'Campaigns' table. You can use the filter button
- (Optional) After the upgrade is complete, you can go into the campaign setting page of the newly created video reach campaign and manually change the ad formats that you wish to use. By default, only skippable in-stream ads are used. These are the available options:
- Skippable in-stream ads
- In-feed ads
- Shorts ads
.
above the statistics table.You must have at least one inventory selected. We recommend using all three inventories, as it will maximise the reach per dollar that you can get for your campaign.
What happens to in-stream-only video reach Efficient reach campaigns when Google auto-upgrades in August 2026
Starting in August 2026, Google will start automatically upgrading all in-stream-only video reach Efficient reach campaigns to using multi-format ads. Your campaign will retain its settings and continue to serve automatically. While your campaign will be saved and will retain all historical reporting data, note that ad group and ads history will be reset. After being upgraded, your campaign will feature multi-format ads and will default to in-stream placements only. You can edit the upgraded campaign at any time. To fully leverage Google's AI capabilities and maximise the reach per dollar of your upgraded video reach campaign, we recommend that you add a headline and description to the new multi-format ads and enable In-feed ads and Shorts by updating the selected ad formats in the campaign settings page. The automatic upgrade will be rolled out gradually throughout the rest of the year.
What this means for campaigns that are being auto-upgraded
- In-stream only Video – Reach Efficient reach campaigns will be automatically upgraded to multi-format ads. The campaign will be set to using skippable in-stream ads only in campaign settings. We recommend adding a headline and description to the new multi-format ads and enabling In-feed ads and Shorts by changing the ad formats selected in the campaign settings page.
- We will not change any other campaign-level settings: name, budget, flight date, targeting, measurements and others.
- Your campaign will retain all historical reporting data, while ad group and ads data will be reset.
- In-stream-only video reach Efficient reach campaigns using a shared budget will not be upgraded. They will continue to serve, but you will not be able to edit or upgrade them. We recommend creating new campaigns to replace in-stream-only video reach Efficient reach campaigns using a shared budget
What this means for ad groups within the campaigns that are being upgraded
- We will create a new multi-format ad group with the same settings as the existing in-stream-only ad group. The new multi-format ad group will be a 1:1 copy of your original in-stream-only ad group and preserve all targeting and bid settings.
- The original in-stream-only ad group will be paused for seven days while we complete the auto-upgrade. During this time, the original in-stream-only ad group will not serve and cannot be edited. After the auto-upgrade is complete, we will discreetly delete the original in-stream-only ad group.
- The new multi-format ad group will have the ad group type as 'responsive video ad'.
- Your campaign will retain all historical reporting data, while ad group and ads data will be reset.
What this means for ads within the campaigns that are being upgraded
- We will create a new multi-format ad using the same videos as the existing in-stream-only ad. The new multi-format ad will be a 1:1 copy of your original in-stream-only ad.
- Note that a video reach campaign requires the videos used as ads to be longer than five seconds. If your current in-stream-only ad is shorter than five seconds, it will not be copied to the new multi-format ad.
- Your campaign will retain all historical reporting data, while ad group and ads data will be reset.
- The new multi-format ad will have the ad type as 'responsive video ad'.
- Note two differences between the legacy in-stream-only ad group and the automatically created multi-format ad group:
- For business name and logo, we will automatically prefill the business name and logo using the channel name and logo of the YouTube channel hosting the video. Learn how to add a business name and logo in video campaigns.
- For description and long headlines, these fields will remain blank by default. You will be asked to provide them upon making a change to your campaigns.
- The new multi-format ad would undergo standard policy review again, which may lead to a change in status. For example, a video that was disapproved in a single-format ad could now be approved and start to serve; similarly, an approved creative could become disapproved.
Regarding your single-format video reach campaigns currently undergoing upgrade: Please be advised that upon completion of the upgrade, the upgraded campaigns will only serve on in-stream. To enable serving on In-feed and Shorts, you must update your ads by adding a headline and description. Providing these required assets will ensure that your migrated campaigns achieve broader reach across all available formats.
