Ep 486: Why Most YouTube Ads Fail—And How to Make Yours Work with Pilothouse | AKNF

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On today’s episode of All Killer No Filler, we’re joined by Dougie from Pilothouse to talk about how DTC brands should structure YouTube ads for growth. Many advertisers expect immediate conversions from YouTube, but the real value comes from top-of-funnel awareness that increases brand searches, customer engagement, and long-term conversions.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why YouTube should be seen as a demand generation tool, not just demand capture

✅ How to structure YouTube campaigns based on customer awareness stages

✅ The biggest mistakes brands make when running YouTube ads

✅ Why Google’s new measurement tools could change how we track ad success

✅ The right creative strategy for different stages of the funnel

💡 If your brand is running YouTube ads—or considering it—this episode will help you optimize your approach for maximum impact.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to YouTube Marketing Strategy

02:10 Why YouTube is More Than Just Demand Capture

04:30 Structuring Campaigns for Awareness & Conversion

07:00 How to Optimize YouTube Ad Targeting

10:20 Measuring Performance & Brand Search Lift

14:00 The Role of Creative in YouTube Ads

17:30 Budgeting & Scaling YouTube Advertising

20:50 Organic vs. Paid YouTube Growth Strategies

Hashtags:

#YouTubeMarketing #DigitalAds #PerformanceMarketing #YouTubeAds #MarketingStrategy #BrandAwareness #GoogleAds #DTCMarketing #AdvertisingTips #ContentMarketing

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