YouTube is both a massive video platform and one of the most widespread music consumption platforms. That’s why Google/YouTube Ads is an indispensable resource in any music marketer’s toolkit. Here’s how you can leverage Music Tomorrow insights to create highly effective, hyper-targeted YouTube ad campaigns that connect you with relevant, high-engagement listeners.
🎯 Step 1: Identify relevant artist clusters
Before setting up your campaign, use the Music Tomorrow app to identify:
Relevant target audiences with strong algorithmic connections to your artist.
Popular genres, moods, or playlists that align with your cluster targets.
Target audience demographics, such as age, gender, and key locations.
For a complete guide on defining your target audience, check out this article.
📤 Step 2: Export your audience, complete with the list of Youtube Channels available for targeting
Before launching your YouTube ad campaign, gather data on the artists in your target audience and their respective YouTube channels.
To export your target audience:
Navigate to the Audience Builder section in the Music Tomorrow app.
In the dropdown list, select all clusters relevant to your release campaign.
Click Export Current Audience and choose Yes, give me all links. This export will include the artist list and their associated YouTube channel URLs.
You will receive an email with a file titled "artist list". Open this file and locate the column labeled YouTube_URL to find the channel links.
💡 Tip: Import the .csv file into Excel or Google Sheets for easier organization.
🔧 Step 3: Set Up Your YouTube Ad Campaign
Open Google Ads: Log in to your Google Ads account. Under Campaigns, select the option to create a new campaign.
Choose Campaign Goal: Select a goal that fits your music promotion strategy, such as:
Website traffic (to drive users to a specific destination, like Spotify or your artist’s website).
Brand awareness and reach (to maximize visibility and engagement).
Select Campaign Type:
Choose Video for video ad placements on YouTube.Define the Ad Format:
Pick an ad format that aligns with your goal:Skippable in-stream ads (ideal for engagement and longer watch times).
Non-skippable in-stream ads (better for creating impact in a short timeframe).
Discovery ads (best for driving users to your channel or video content).
🔎 Step 4: Set Audience Targeting for Specific relevant artists channels & keywords
Define Audience Demographics and Interests
After setting your demographics (age, gender, location), scroll to the Interests & Detailed Demographics and Content - Keywords sections:Use keywords from the Music Tomorrow app, such as relevant music genres, artist names, and playlist names.
Type in these keywords in the search bar to see if they are available for targeting.
To add external keywords, you can use the "Get keywords ideas" section and add your artist or other relevant artists' YouTube channels URLs to enrich your targeting.
Target Topics
Click Browse and select Music & Audio to find topics that align with your artist’s style and audience.
Target Specific Artist Channels
Go to Placements and click Enter to manually add YouTube channels.
Copy and paste YouTube channel URLs from the artist list file exported from Music Tomorrow.
Add multiple channels to broaden your reach.
💡 Tip: The more channels you target, the greater the chance of reaching a diverse audience while staying within your cluster priorities.
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Step 5: Optimize Your Ad Content
Create Engaging Content: Use your most captivating music video clip or a snippet of a performance to draw attention.
Include a Call to Action (CTA): Encourage viewers to listen to the full song, follow your channel, or explore your music on other platforms.
Tailor the Ad Message: Mention connections to the artists’ styles or genres to make the ad resonate more with their fans.
Step 6: Track and Adjust Your Campaign
Monitor Performance: Regularly review campaign metrics such as view rate, watch time, and engagement to see how it performs.
Adjust Targeting: Refine targeting based on performance; you may find that some artist channels yield better results than others.
Experiment with Other Channels: Test ads on different artist channels to expand your audience and reach new listeners.
Additional Tips
Budget Allocation: Consider starting with a modest budget per day, then increase it based on the campaign’s success.
A/B Testing: Test different video ads or CTAs to see what performs best with the audience.
Remarketing: Use remarketing strategies to target viewers who engaged with your ad but did not subscribe or listen to more music.
This approach ensures that your ads reach fans who are more likely to appreciate and engage with your music, maximizing the impact of your campaign.