Create a TrueView for action campaign

TrueView for action campaigns help drive leads and conversions by adding prominent CTAs (calls-to-action), headline text overlays, and an end screen to your video ads. Using this video campaign subtype, you can encourage customers to explore your product or service, share their contact information, and take other actions valuable to your business. 

In this article,  you’ll learn how to set up a TrueView for action campaign in Google Ads.

How it works

TrueView for action campaigns are made up of CTAs (calls-to-action), a headline, and an end screen.

• TrueView for action campaigns are available for video campaigns on YouTube.
• TrueView for action campaigns can only run on the in-stream ad format. This means that the ads play before, during, or after another video on YouTube. These ads also give viewers the option to skip the ad after 5 seconds.
• Headlines can contain up to 15 characters and is the primary line of text next to your video ad. 
• Headlines promote your product or service. 
• CTAs can contain up to 10 characters and appears alongside your headline.
• CTAs direct people to the website you specify as your final URL. 
• TrueView for action campaign ads can increase viewer engagement and encourage people to take action after your video plays.
• End screens display after a viewer reaches the end of your ad. End screens display for 5 seconds on mobile devices, and 7 seconds on desktop computers.
• End screens are generated automatically based on your YouTube channel. 

Below, you’ll find instructions for how to set up a TrueView for action campaign in Google Ads.

Before you begin

Before you set up a TrueView for action campaign, first read About TrueView video campaigns and then get familiar with TrueView in-stream ads.

Also, you'll need to set up conversion tracking in order to run a TrueView for action campaign.

Campaign goals

TrueView for action campaigns can be created using the Leads or Website traffic goals, which recommend settings and features that can attract people to your business. You can use the Leads and Website traffic goals to drive relevant conversions on your website and increase your website’s overall number of unique visitors. Both goals feature automated bidding and targeting so you can optimize your campaign’s performance. 

Instructions

Here are step-by-step instructions for creating a TrueView for action campaign:

1. Sign in to your Google Ads account.
2. In the page menu along the left, click Campaigns.
3. Click the plus button .
4. Select either the Leads or Website traffic goal, which by default come with "Drive conversions" subtype.
   • If this step doesn’t reflect what you’re seeing in your account, select a campaign type first then select a goal. Learn more about goals in the new Google Ads experience.
5. Select the Video campaign type.
6. Click Continue.
7. Enter a name for your campaign.
8. You may set your budget type to Daily and enter the average amount you would like to spend each day, or Campaign total and enter the total budget for this campaign. You may also set the budget delivery method to Standard to spend your budget evenly over time, or to Accelerated, which spends the budget more quickly and may cause the budget to run out early.
9. Set the start and end dates of your campaign. 
10. Select the Languages your customers speak, as well as which Locations to target.
11. Under “Bidding,” set your bid strategy to Maximize Conversions or Target CPA (Cost Per Action). Set your bid amount. If using Target CPA, set your target amount.
12. Enter a name for your ad group.
13. Edit the targeting methods you want to use for your ad.
14. Next to “Your YouTube video,” choose a YouTube video for your ad. “In-stream ad” will automatically be selected for the ad format. You can always save your ad group without creating an ad.
15. Enter the final URL, which is the landing page you want people to reach when they click your ad.
16. Enter the display URL, which can be a shorter version of the final URL, or the same as the final URL.
17. Enter a 10-character CTA, which should be compelling and direct people to the website specified in the final URL.
18. Enter your 15-character headline, which will appear as the primary line of text that promotes your product or service.
19. Select either an image that's automatically generated from the videos in your YouTube channel (recommended) or an image that you manually upload as your companion banner.
20. Click Save and continue.