You have five seconds before the skip button.

You are generally charged per view or interaction rather than per impression, and skipped ads usually cost nothing. Effective cost varies widely by targeting and competition. The larger cost for most businesses is producing video worth running in the first place.

Long enough to say one thing well. Fifteen to thirty seconds suits most direct-response advertising; six-second bumpers work for reinforcement. Length matters far less than what happens in the opening five seconds.

Not necessarily. Well-shot phone footage of a real process frequently outperforms a polished corporate film, because it is credible and it shows something. What you cannot get away with is a slow, self-regarding opening — that fails at every production budget.

It generates awareness and, with remarketing, conversions. Direct lead generation from cold video audiences is harder and slower than Search, because nobody was looking for you. Judge it on assisted conversions and branded search lift, not on last-click leads alone.

Yes, placement targeting lets you choose channels and videos. It is precise and it limits reach considerably, so it suits niche B2B and sponsorship-style approaches. Audience targeting usually delivers better scale for broader campaigns.

Meta video is generally cheaper to test and better for impulse and visual categories. YouTube offers longer watch time and Google’s intent data, which suits considered purchases and demonstrations. Testing both with the same creative is genuinely informative and not expensive.