YouTube Select replaced the Google Preferred program, which aimed to sell ads on 5% of YouTube channels, selected based on the highest popularity and engagement with users. The current solution is more accessible to advertisers who invest smaller budgets in reach campaigns while still targeting premium channels. This gives them greater control over where their messages appear and the ability to effectively increase brand awareness.
YouTube in Poland – current statistics and trends
YouTube's popularity among users is growing year by year. According to Gemius data from February 2022, YouTube has 26.9 million users in Poland.
The average time we spend on YouTube is as much as 78 minutes a day!
Moreover, YouTube provides over 90% reach across all key target groups.
(The rest of the article can be found below the form)
Source: Single Source Media panel; Gemius, January 2021; Central Statistical Office 2020 in MLN
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Why is YouTube so popular among Poles?
According to research conducted by Nielsen, the amount of time people watch traditional television is decreasing every year among the age group 4 to 54. The younger the user segment, the shorter the time they spend watching television, which in practice means that viewers are moving online. Currently, television is increasing its share in two age segments: 55-64 and 65+.
Due to changing trends, the concept of "Light TV Viewers" has emerged. This group of users includes people who watch less than one hour of television per day.
Do you know that…
According to a 2021 Nielsen study, as many as 10.4 million people in Poland belong to the Light TV Viewers group, representing 28% of the television audience. In addition to this group, approximately 1,1 million people do not own a television set and 0,3 million people belong to the group of users who do not watch TV at all.
In practice, this means that we already have almost 12 million recipients in Poland who are difficult to reach effectively with television broadcasts.
Analysis of the above data suggests that if we want to reach all audiences and run effective marketing campaigns, we need to start incorporating promotions on YouTube , among other platforms, alongside traditional television. To maintain high-quality placements, it's worth using YouTube Select.
YouTube Select – what is it?
YouTube offers a wide variety of content. During reach campaigns, advertising messages sometimes appear on channels offering low-quality content. Why does this happen?
In simple terms, YouTube groups channels with the highest popularity and professionalism in a given topic. YouTube Select is a contextual targeting method that allows ads to be displayed on the most popular channels within a selected group.
Youtube Select Lineups – groups of the most popular channels
The YouTube Select Lineups, a group of the most popular channels with high-quality production, consists of algorithmically selected and verified channels with the highest popularity and professional production quality on a given topic.
In Poland we have the following Lineups available:
- Top Creators,
- Sports,
- Music,
- TV & Broadcasters,
- Entertainment,
- Families with children,
- Gaming
- Automotive,
- Beauty and fashion,
- Fitness and healthy lifestyle,
- Food and cooking,
- Technology,
- Football,
- Home & Garden.
For example, the YouTube Select Lineup “Entertainment” includes, among others, the following channels:
- Maciej Orłoś – 123,000 subscribers,
- EkoBosacka – 73,100 subscribers,
- Polimaty – 721,000 subscribers,
- SciFun – 1,080,000 subscribers,
- Enthusiasts – 65,300 subscribers,
- Cezary Pazura – 752,000 subscribers,
- tvnpl – 2,210,000 subscribers,
- The Brain. The Brilliant Mind. – 210,000 subscribers,
- IN MY STYLE Magda Mołek – 109,000 subscribers.
How to use YouTube Select Lineup?
We can treat them as one of the elements of the sales funnel or as separate targeting using several lineups.
In the first version, it is worth starting with broader promotion of video materials, e.g. using one of the groups, and then direct the ad to people who are already in the purchasing process.
When we aim for a wider campaign reach, we choose a lineup directly related to the brand and add the most popular lineups. It's worth testing different combinations, but the most important advantage of this type of campaign is displaying ads in places where we truly want to be visible.
It is worth mentioning that the Lineup list will be successively expanded.
What do I need to do to use YouTube Select?
YouTube Select is available through the Google Ads and Display & Video 360 auction model . There are no minimum budget requirements, making the service accessible to a wider range of users. The only downside is that YouTube Select lineups can only be obtained through a Google account manager.
You should also contact him for support when setting up this type of campaign for the first time, especially since he will be the one reporting the account to the so-called white list.
How to get started with YouTube Select?
- Contact your Google Ads account manager to whitelist your account. You can also request materials to help you set up your campaign for the first time.
- Plan your first campaign using Reach Planner. Below, we'll walk you through the entire process step by step.
Select YouTube and enter the required information (demographics, target audience, lineup, and campaign type).
Then set your ad preferences (e.g., skippable in-stream ads) and your total advertising budget.
Below is a sample forecast.
With a budget of PLN 20,000 per month of the campaign, aiming to reach the 25-44 age group and selecting a lineup themed "Family Vlogs," we can reach 11% of users in this group with an average ad frequency of 2,22 per user. The estimated CPM is PLN 5,47. The chart also illustrates how we should increase the budget accordingly to reach a larger group of users.
- If you already have a campaign and advertising assets planned, then get started by setting up a standard YouTube reach campaign.
Configure the campaign according to the established plan.
- Once setup is complete, add the Lineup ID provided by your account manager to your ad placement. Google Ads (destination -> enter manually -> paste Linup ID -> add as destination).
- Finished!
In the first days of the campaign, we recommend checking where your ads are displayed and possibly excluding channels where you do not want your message to be displayed.
Good to know…
- Use different advertising formats.
- Double your standard CMP rate.
- In the first stage of testing, don't add too many targeting options.
- If you have a larger advertising budget, take advantage of the Brand Lift research option.
Brand Lift – what is it?
The Brand Lift Brand Performance Study is a free tool for measuring the effectiveness of video ads and their impact on brand recognition.
When you launch a YouTube campaign, a Google account manager generates a set of questions based on the data you previously provided. Users who have seen your ads, or who may have seen them but haven't, are presented with short survey questions. The number of questions displayed (usually one to three) depends on your advertising spend over the 10-day campaign period.
For ads displayed in Poland, you must spend $5000 within 10 days of the campaign to conduct a Brand Lift study with one question.
The results collected using this tool will allow you to tailor your campaign to your marketing goals and, if necessary, modify the advertising message or the entire creative.
Remember…
The Brand Lift study isn't available for all Google Ads accounts . To use the tool, you'll need to contact your account manager.
YouTube Select – Formats
These are the standard formats available for reach campaigns on YouTube , namely:
- TrueView for Reach & In-Stream – ads that can be skipped after five seconds of viewing.
- Bumpers – 6-second non-skippable ads.
They can be played before, during or after the movie.
- Non-skip ads – non-skippable ads that last up to 20 seconds.
Youtube Select – for whom?
YouTube Select is an interesting solution for advertisers who utilize TV advertising or programmatic advertising in their marketing plans. Diversifying budgets will allow you to reach a larger audience, especially if your target audience is Light TV Viewers.
Full control over the location of ads, CPM rate and the ability to use the Brand Lift study are certainly the most important advantages of this solution.
The most important sales quarter of the year is fast approaching. It's worth planning an additional advertising budget to promote your brand on YouTube.
By using YouTube Select, you will be sure that your ads are displayed to the right audience, which will translate directly into sales from other types of campaigns or sales channels.
YouTube Select FAQs
YouTube Select is an exclusive advertising program (the successor to the former Google Preferred program) that allows marketers to display ads on the platform's most popular, engaging, and image-safe content. Instead of landing on random videos, ads appear exclusively on content that makes up the top 5% of YouTube channels.
This is the foundation of YouTube Select. Google's algorithms and moderators divide the best channels into packages tailored to specific industries and viewer interests. Advertisers can choose a dedicated package (lineup) related to their business, for example:
- Technology and gaming,
- Fashion and Beauty,
- Sports and a healthy lifestyle,
- Entertainment and culture,
- Content for children and families (under strict security conditions).
The main difference is control over the placement and prestige. In a standard campaign, an ad can appear on almost any channel that allows monetization. With YouTube Select, you purchase pre-verified and selected advertising space. Furthermore, this program offers unique access to formats not available in the standard panel, such as ads in YouTube Originals partner programs or coverage of major events (such as concerts or live sports).
YouTube Select places a significant emphasis on Streaming TV Lineups. This allows for precise ad targeting to people watching YouTube on large TV screens (via Smart TVs, consoles, or Apple TV). This is an ideal opportunity for brands to reach entire families sitting on their couches, with the quality and prestige of traditional TV advertising, but with the precision of online targeting.
This is one of the key selling points of this solution. Content eligible for YouTube Select undergoes multi-step verification (both machine and human). Brands have 100% certainty that their ads will not appear alongside controversial content promoting fake news, violence, or profanity.
Due to the higher entry threshold (a reservation purchase or a specific minimum budget is often required), this tool is ideal for:
- Large brands and corporations that care about building mass awareness.
- Companies looking for an alternative or supplement to expensive advertising on public television.
- Premium businesses for which the environment in which their advertising message appears is crucial.
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- YouTube in Poland has 26,9 million users who spend an average of 78 minutes a day on the platform with over 90% reach in all target groups.
- The time spent watching traditional television is decreasing in the 4-54 age group, while it is increasing in the 55+ segment, and 12 million Poles are Light TV Viewers or do not watch TV.
- YouTube Select replaces Google Preferred, offering a more affordable way to sell ads on premium channels with greater control over placement and branding.
- YouTube Select Lineups are groups of the most popular, high-quality channels in 14 topics such as Sports, Entertainment, Gaming and Fitness, verified by algorithms and specialists.
- Using lineups as part of a sales funnel or separate targeting with several groups allows for broader promotion and access to the purchasing process.
- YouTube Select is available in Google Ads and Display & Video 360 with no minimum budget, but requires whitelisting by your account manager.
- Getting started requires contacting a manager, planning a campaign in Reach Planner, setting up a standard reach campaign, and adding a Lineup ID to your destination.
- Brand Lift is a free tool that measures advertising effectiveness through surveys displayed to users, requiring a spend of $5000 in 10 days for a single question.
- Available formats include 5-second skippable TrueView for Reach, 6-second non-skippable bumpers, and non-skip ads up to 20 seconds.
- YouTube Select is for advertisers using TV advertising or Programmatic, diversifying their budgets to reach Light TV Viewers.
