How to Create a Successful Twitter Video Ads Campaign

Written by: Adam Hayes
Last updated: June 12, 2024
Approx reading time:

Did you know that video is Twitter’s fastest growing advertising tool, with over 2 billion video views each day? Thatโ€™s a 67% year-on-year growth, according to Twitterโ€™s internal data. 

In this article, weโ€™re going to take a closer look at videos on Twitter and cover everything you need to know to create a successful Twitter video ads campaign.

5 types of videos that Twitterers love

The very first step towards creating a successful Twitter video ads campaign is, of course, creating an amazing video.

Video is a super-versatile medium, so there are tons of different directions you can go in. 

To help you narrow down your options, and find out what works on the platform, weโ€™ve researched 5 types of videos that Twitterers love to watch and share…

1. Empowering & motivational

Twitter is a platform where people share their views on society, with many people taking to the social network to tweet about wrongs that need to be righted. 

Because of this, Twitter is a great place to find empowering and motivational content. And Twitter users really respond to videos like that. 

Hereโ€™s an example:  

This clip from Michelle Obamaโ€™s Netflix documentary, Becoming, covers how people can break down barriers when they dare to be vulnerable with one another. 

This strong message, along with the footage of people from all walks of life having an emotional reaction to the speech, is an ideal video ad for Netflix to post on Twitter. 

2. Short & simple

Even though Twitter is a little bit more, shall we say, sophisticated than the likes of Facebook and Instagram, itโ€™s still a social networking site. And that means people are here to unwind and digest content in an effortless and rapid-fire way. 

ALL social media content should be short and snappy. Twitter is no exception. Hereโ€™s an example of video ad by ActionAid

This 15 second video captures attention with bright colours, a strong message, and constant motion. 

3. Relevant

Twitter didnโ€™t invent the hashtag symbol, but it definitely popularised the use of hashtags today. 

When lots of tweets start featuring the same hashtag, the hashtag starts โ€˜trendingโ€™ and is featured on the homepage. 

If you use a trending hashtag, it gives your video ad a better chance of being found by people who donโ€™t yet follow you. 

Hashtags can (and have!) relate to absolutely any topic under the sun, which makes it pretty difficult to consider when planning your video content. 

However, some hashtags pop up year-on-year with comfortable regularity, like #PancakeDay.

By creating video content that takes advantage of relevant hashtags and topics, you can increase your visibility and hopefully boost your view count! 

4. Funny 

Twitter isnโ€™t all serious! A lot of brands love to have fun on the platform by creating and sharing funny videos. Hereโ€™s an example from Wendyโ€™s

This video is part of a series that shows NBA veteran, Reggie Miller in various funny scenarios. Thankfully, you donโ€™t need to include an NBA star in your videos for them to be funny! 

According to our State of Video Marketing survey, people are twice as likely to share video content with their friends than any other type of content – if your content is funny then itโ€™s likely that people will want to โ€˜share the laughterโ€™ with their friends. 

5. Customer spotlights

Social media is all about being social – the clue is in the name! 

This means that itโ€™s not all about the content that you create and put out there. Itโ€™s also about supporting the content that your customers create. 

Hereโ€™s an example from GoPro

Sharing videos that your customers have made is a great way to show them that you care, and itโ€™s also a free way to gain exposure! 

How to create a successful Twitter video ads campaign in 3 steps

1. Create an amazing video

Now that you know what types of videos work well on Twitter, you can start thinking of how to create the perfect one for your ad campaign.

The videos above can provide great inspiration, and hereโ€™s some more: 21 of the best video ads of all time

But creating a video really comes down to two things: Planning & Execution.

Planning

When planning your video, you need to think about the storyline. If youโ€™re trying to sell a product, this could be a problem > solution > benefits kind of story. 

If youโ€™re looking to raise awareness of your brand then maybe you want to tell the story of how your brand started out and how it works today. 

When planning your video, you also need to think about equipment, locations (if youโ€™re shooting a live action video), timing, and budget. 

Execution

This is where you bring everything together to create your amazing Twitter video ad.ย 

Of course, creating a video can be really overwhelming if itโ€™s not your forte. So it could be easier to get in touch with a video marketing agency that can help you. 

Weโ€™ve also created a free eBook full of detailed examples and tips that can help: The ultimate guide: How to create the perfect explainer video.

2. Create your campaign

There are 3 ways to promote your video ad on Twitter. 

You can promote a video that youโ€™ve already shared on your Twitter account, using the Promoted Video option.

Or you can use clickable Video Website Cards, to drive your audience to take action after watching your video. 

According to Twitter, video website cards deliver a 2x higher clickthrough-rate than standard video ads

The third option is to post your ad as an Amplify Pre-roll. This means your video will be played at the beginning of a video from one of Twitterโ€™s partners. 

With that in mind, hereโ€™s a walkthrough of everything you need to do to get your video ad up and running on Twitter. 

First, login to Twitter and head to Twitter Ads

From your dashboard, click Create Campaign

Then itโ€™s time to choose your campaign objective. We went for โ€˜video viewsโ€™: 

Give your campaign a name (this will remain private to you), add a daily budget, and a time frame that you want your campaign to run for: 

Next up, itโ€™s time to create an audience. If youโ€™ve already ran Twitter campaigns before then you may already have an ad group or two. If you havenโ€™t, itโ€™s easy to follow the instructions on Twitter to create a new ad group: 

After youโ€™ve created your ideal target audience, you can upload your content for the campaign. You can use one of your existing tweets or create a new one: 

When youโ€™re happy with your content, click the Tweet button: 

Thereโ€™s also the option to preview your tweet before it goes live, so you can see what it will look like across different devices: 

And thatโ€™s it! 

3. Monitor results and improve

So, your ad is out there in the world! Your work here is doneโ€ฆ

…well, almost! 

If you really want your Twitter video ads to be successful, you need to constantly monitor the results of your current campaigns and analyse them to see how you can improve in the future. 

3 surefire tips for Twitter video

1. Donโ€™t rely on audio

You may have noticed yourself that when you come across a video on Twitter, the footage will autoplay but the sound does not. 

And some viewers like this just fine. According to a report by Verizon, 92% of people view videos with sound off on mobile, and 83% watch with the sound off regardless of the device theyโ€™re using

Knowing this, itโ€™s important that your video doesnโ€™t rely on audio to get the message across. 

2. Optimise for mobile

According to internal Twitter data, a staggering 93% of video views come from mobile

This makes optimising for mobile less of an option and more of a must-have. 

To ensure that your videos are optimised for mobile, Twitter advises that you add closed captions (as mentioned above, itโ€™s important that you donโ€™t rely on audio to get your point across!), and test all videos on a mobile device to make sure they look good.  

3. Capture attention immediately

Social media is a fast-moving game. And Twitter is no exception. 

A tweetโ€™s lifespan is short – lasting as little as 15 minutes before itโ€™s lost in the constantly moving Twitter newsfeed.

Thatโ€™s why itโ€™s important for your video to grab peopleโ€™s attention instantly. Think about the first 5 seconds of your video very carefully, and consider how this works to stop potential viewers in their tracks and hook them in!  

Final thoughts

With over 2 billion video views every day, Twitter is a competitive place for video marketers. But thatโ€™s not deterring everyone. 

In our State of Video Marketing survey we found that 38% of video marketers plan to include Twitter in their 2020 video marketing strategy

With a great video and the right know-how under your belt, youโ€™re already on your way to a successful Twitter video ads campaign. 

Get in touch to find out more about our social media video service, and to see some of our examples.

Written by <a href="https://www.wyzowl.com/author/adamhayes/" target="_self">Adam Hayes</a>

Written by Adam Hayes

Adam is Head of Content at Wyzowl. Leading a talented, fearless team of writers, Adam's passions include video, growth marketing, brand storytelling and referring to himself in the third person.
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