Create a YouTube media plan with TV in Reach Planner

Reach Planner isn’t available in all regions as we gradually expand access to qualified Google Ads accounts. Contact your Google Ads representative to find out if it’s available for you and how to get access.

This article demonstrates how to create a YouTube media plan with TV data using TV in Reach Planner. TV in Reach Planner is available in select countries.

You can use TV data in Reach Planner to forecast your campaign goals and compare the estimated total reach, frequency, and Target Rating Points (TRPs) of media plans containing TV, YouTube, and Google video partners.

Before you begin

Your media plan shows two curves in Reach Planner: a comparison curve and a plan curve. These curves represent the estimated total reach that you can achieve with a YouTube and TV media plan. A dashboard above the curves provides the estimated on-target reach, average frequency, CPM, target rating point, and cost per targeting rating point for each curve.
You can adjust the budget, reach percentage, and allocation of YouTube and TV in the media plan using the "Adjust your plan" section (located on the right side of Reach Planner). You can also select any point on the reach curve to adjust the total budget of the media plan.
In addition to the reach curve, you can select "Conversions", "TV Viewers", and "Demographics" to view breakdowns of your media plan by conversions, TV viewers, and demographics in comparison to other campaigns.

Instructions

Create a media plan that includes TV data

In your Google Ads account, click the Tools icon .
Click the Planning drop down in the section menu.
Click Reach Planner.
Click the plus icon to create a new media plan.
Select your Country/Region and Currency.
Note: If your target market doesn’t support TV planning, you’ll be unable to select “YouTube and linear TV” channel.
1. If the Reach Planner is optimized for YouTube and linear TV, go to step 7.
2. If the Reach Planner isn’t optimized, Select YouTube and linear TV as the channel for the media plan.
Choose your media plan settings:
- Dates: Select the date range for your media plan. You can choose a date range of 1 to 92 days.
- Demographics (Optional): Select the ideal age and gender of your target audience. The on-target reach of the plan is measured against the target demographic.
  - Reach Planner doesn’t support targeting minors or the 13-17 age bracket. All age targeting must be 18 years or older.

Sub-location (Optional): Click the Sub-location drop-down to target a specific state, province, city, TV region, or metro region. This option is only available for some countries and regions.

Optimization scenario:
- Reallocate some of your TV budget to YouTube: Optimize linear TV and YouTube budgets for reach and frequency.
- Keep TV budget the same and add YouTube: Assign more budget to YouTube in addition to the linear TV budget. Select this option, and enter your planned budget for YouTube under the “YouTube campaigns” section.
If you select Keep TV budget the same and add YouTube, in the “YouTube campaign” section specify your YouTube budget.
Choose the ad mix and goal that best suits you:
- Awareness - Efficient reach: This preset mix recommends a mix of ad formats that increases your expected reach for your desired budget.
- Awareness - Efficient completions: This option helps you increase your brand or product awareness with video ad formats designed to drive awareness.
- Consideration - Maximize views: This preset mix recommends a product mix that increases your expected views.
- Action - Online Conversions: This option helps you drive more conversions like sales, leads and website traffic with a single automated video campaign.
- Create your own: Choose this option if you want to select the ad formats, pricing options, and budgets for your media plan. To include more ad formats, click Add ad format.
- Your goal will determine your plan page metrics. You can still make adjustments on the plan page.
In the “TV campaign” section, add the historical TV data that forms the television part of your plan. You can choose:
- Sample campaign: An average of historical TV campaigns with similar reach metrics and cost to provide a sample for comparison. Choose this option if your brand doesn't have a historical television campaign that is similar to your upcoming media plan.
- Specific campaign(s): Choose from actual historical television campaigns in the past 1.5 years that your brand may have run. Reach Planner uses data from a portion of the campaign equal to the duration of your plan. Use the advanced settings to adjust the dates Reach Planner is drawing campaign information from.
If you choose Specific campaign(s), adjust the cost information for the TV data by overwriting the size of the campaign (by "Cost" or "TRPs") and adjusting the pricing. Select at least one campaign and click Add TV campaigns.
- Adjust the pricing by either overwriting the television CPM, cost per TRP/CPP, or adding a discount to the rate card cost of the campaign. The TV measurement data that powers Reach Planner receives information on the non-discounted cost of advertising campaigns, commonly referred to as "Rate card cost."
Click View forecast. Reach Planner creates a media plan containing YouTube and TV. The default plan is a recommended budget split of TV and YouTube that maximizes the reach of your entire media plan. Scroll down to the campaign settings table below the reach curve, and hover over On-target reach and On-target impressions metrics on the Plan Page to view the additional effect of co-viewing. Learn more about the metrics in Reach Planner.
(Optional) To export your media plan to a CSV file before you save, click the More options icon in the upper right corner, then click Download (.csv). The CSV file retains the last saved information and detailed metrics for your media plan. Check the On-target reach, On-target impressions, On-target frequency, and TRPs metrics to review the additional effect of co-viewing in your CSV file.
- You can also click Copy in the upper right corner of the top bar to compare a media plan with another media plan.
- You can export a summary of your media plan to Google Slides. Learn more about How to export media plans from Reach Planner to Google Slides.
To save your media plan, click Save, then enter a name for your plan. When you finish, click Save copy.

After saving the media plan, you can access it again from Reach Planner. When you open a saved media plan, you’ll need to refresh the forecast to review the reach curve, demographics, and reach and frequency estimates for TV viewers.

When you save a copy of a media plan, it retains all the forecast details for the media plan during the date range you selected. When you click on a media plan that’s ended, you’ll find the historical forecast for the media plan. When you click on a media plan that’s still in progress, you’ll have the option to refresh the media plan’s forecast. If you choose to refresh the forecast, it generates a new forecast for the media plan, and you’ll need to save the media plan again to keep the new forecast details.

Customize your plan page

In your Google Ads account, click the Tools icon .
Click the Planning drop down in the section menu.
Click Reach Planner.
Click an existing plan or create a new plan.
Customize your scorecard.
1. In the upper right corner of the scorecard, click the “Metrics” drop-down menu, and choose Custom metrics.
2. Select the metrics that you want to review in the scorecard.
3. On the right side, drag and drop the metrics to reorder their position on the table.
4. Click Apply.
Modify your columns in the campaign table below the chart.
1. In the upper right corner of the table toolbar, click Columns.
2. Select the metrics that you want to review in the table.
  - Note: Awareness columns are set by default.
3. On the right side, drag and drop the metrics to reorder their position on the table.
4. Click Apply.
Review your custom plan page.

Review a media plan that includes TV data

Co-viewing metrics are available in Reach Planner. Forecasts will include data on additional impressions and reach gained from multiple people watching ads together on connected TV devices.

In your Google Ads account, click the Tools icon .
Click the Planning drop down in the section menu.
Click Reach Planner.
In the table, click a media plan to open it. After you open a saved media plan, it shows all the forecast details for the media plan during the date range you selected. It also shows the date the forecast was saved.
- When you open a media plan that’s ended, you’ll find the historical forecast for the media plan.
- When you open a media plan that’s still in progress, you’ll have the option to edit the plan.
Review the media plan details and metrics (such as the on-target reach and CPM). Learn more about the metrics in Reach Planner.
(Optional) To export your media plan to a CSV file, click the More options icon in the upper right corner, then click Download (.csv). The CSV file retains the last saved information and detailed metrics for your media plan.
- You can also click Copy at the upper right corner of the top bar to compare a media plan with another media plan.
- You can export a summary of your media plan to Google Slides. Learn more about How to export media plans from Reach Planner to Google Slides.

Edit a media plan that includes TV data

In your Google Ads account, click the Tools icon .
Click the Planning drop down in the section menu.
Click Reach Planner.
In the table, click a media plan to open it. If the media plan is still in progress, you can edit it.
Click Refresh forecast to update the media plan’s forecast with identical settings. If you choose to refresh the forecast, it generates a new forecast for the media plan, and you’ll need to save the media plan again to keep the new forecast.
1. To edit settings for all ad formats in your media plan.
  - Location: Select Location drop-down on the top bar to include or exclude sub-location from the media plan.
  - Dates: Select Dates drop-down on the top bar and select the date range. You can choose a date range of 1 to 92 days.
  - On-target demographics: Select the ideal age and gender of your target audience. The on-target reach of the plan is measured against the target demographic.
  - Frequency cap: Select Frequency cap drop-down on the top bar and select the desired frequency cap and time period.
2. To edit settings for an ad format individually, click the Edit button next to that YouTube ad format in your media plan.
  - General settings: Update the budget, target CPM, and network for the media plan.
  - Pricing: Select Auction, Reservation, or Rate-card (availability depends on your campaign type).
  - Networks: Include or exclude Google video partners to your ad format targeting by clicking on the “Video partners on the Display Network (GVP)” checkbox.
  - Location and demographics: You can make changes to the location and demographics for the ad format. You should only do this if you want to override the current media plan settings for the ad format.
  - Dates and frequency cap: You can make changes to the dates and demographics for the YouTube ad format. You should only do this if you want to override the current media plan settings for the ad format.
  - Audiences: You can add affinity, life events, your data, customer segments, affinity and in-market audiences to the YouTube line items only. This applies Google audience targeting to your YouTube line items, but doesn't change who your YouTube media plan with TV is reported against.
  - Lineups: Use pre-built segments that help you reach your audience using the most locally relevant content. Lineups can include seasonal events, travel, sports, media and entertainment, beauty and fashion, video games, and more.
  - Parental Status: Include or exclude parents, non-parents, or people whose current parental status is unknown in the media plan.
  - Devices: Include or exclude desktop, tablet, mobile, or connected TV devices from your media plan.
  - Content exclusion settings and ad policies: Review any account-level content exclusions and advertising policies included in your forecast.
When you finish making changes, click Apply.
Select Optimize to get a recommendation for the TV and YouTube budgets and to maximize reach with your new settings.
(Optional) Navigate to the table below the reach curve, then click the plus button to add a new ad format to the media plan.
1. Click Add ad format and select the ad type from the drop-down.
2. Enter your planned budget.
3. Click Apply.
Select the trash icon to remove a YouTube advertising format.
To save your edited media plan, click Save.
To save your edited media plan separately, click Copy, then enter a name for your plan. When you finish, click Save copy.
To download or remove your media plan, click the More options icon in the upper right corner of Reach Planner, then select an option from the menu.

You can use Reach Planner to forecast your impressions, reach, and conversion-based metrics in your new Video action campaigns (VAC). Performance Planner is suitable for existing VAC campaigns' performance based on their historical data. Use Reach Planner for new VAC campaigns; it can operate without signals about your specific creatives, landing page or conversion type, and how well they resonate with your targeted audiences and content. Reach Planner also offers the ability to forecast metrics that aren't conversion-based, such as Reach and Frequency.

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