What Are Pre-Roll Ads and How Do They Work

What are pre-roll ads?

Pre-roll ads are short video ads that play before the main content a user is about to watch. They last no longer than 30 seconds; however, some options come with a “Skip” button after five seconds. 

What is RichAds?
Ad network for telegram ads,
high quality push and popunder ads,
domain redirect, native and display traffic source,
buy push ads at $0.005 (CPC), pop ads at $0.5 (CPM),
domain ads costs start from $1.5 (CPM), native ads — from $0.001 (CPC),
ad network offers large volumes of traffic in more than 200 geos from Tier 3 to Tier 1.

Examples of pre-roll video ads

You’ve probably seen pre-roll video ads on YouTube, Twitch, Vimeo, and other streaming and video platforms. Here are some of the examples:

How do pre-roll ads work?

The pre-roll ad appears in the video player when a user clicks to play a video. The ad comes first, so the user can’t miss it and has to watch either the full video or the first few seconds. 

The pre-roll video ad includes an icon, a title, a domain, and a CTA button that lets the user learn more about the offer. Once they click, they go to your landing page and complete the conversion.

Types of pre-roll video ads

Pre-roll ads come in two main formats: skippable and non-skippable. Each can be effective for specific campaign goals – let’s see what the difference is.

Skippable video ads

Skippable ads are pre-roll videos that the user can skip, usually after 5 seconds. This format is less annoying and very effective for most verticals and offers.

These ads help you filter your audience and achieve a higher CR. Users who keep watching beyond the 5-second mark are genuinely interested, so you work with quality, converting traffic.

The only challenge with skippable ads is that you have only a few seconds to hook the viewer, and most ads get skipped. You need a strong message and a really catchy visual to grab attention and drive users to your landing page.

Non-skippable pre-roll video

As the name suggests, these ads don’t provide a skip option. The viewer has to watch the full video before proceeding to the main content.

Non-skippable ads reach around 80% completion rates because every viewer sees your full message. However, a non-skippable format is more irritating and requires precise targeting to reach only interested users. That’s why most platforms offer skippable pre-roll promotions.

At the RichAds ad network, you can get both options – we have publishers with skippable and non-skippable placements for maximum reach.

What is RichAds?
Ad network for telegram ads,
high quality push and popunder ads,
domain redirect, native and display traffic source,
buy push ads at $0.005 (CPC), pop ads at $0.5 (CPM),
domain ads costs start from $1.5 (CPM), native ads — from $0.001 (CPC),
ad network offers large volumes of traffic in more than 200 geos from Tier 3 to Tier 1.

Benefits of pre-roll advertising

Pre-roll ads are a powerful performance channel, offering many advantages for affiliates and media buyers:

100% viewability

Pre-roll video can’t be ignored or affected by banner blindness. The ads appear inside the video player, and the user’s attention is already on the screen, so every impression is a real view.

High CTR

Video has the highest click-through rate among digital ad formats — around 1.84% on average. The combination of motion, sound, and a visible CTA button drives more clicks than static formats.

Storytelling format

Video lets you entertain and engage users faster. You can demonstrate a product, explain benefits, and create an emotional bond in just 15-30 seconds. Other ad formats can’t do that. 

It’s a major advantage for offers that need explanation or visual support, like Gambling, Finance, and Software. Pre-roll videos are often used to show the casino game in action and real emotions of the winner.

Precise targeting

Most ad networks allow several targeting parameters to help you reach the right audience. At RichAds, you can target by GEO, device type, OS, sources, and schedule. Thus, your ad reaches people who are most likely to be interested in your offer.

Brand awareness

Pre-roll video is a good branding tool. It can introduce your product to the audience and warm up cold traffic before they get to your offer page.

Cost-effectiveness

CPM for pre-roll ads is typically 2-3 times lower than for popunder traffic, yet it delivers stronger engagement. At the RichAds ad network, pre-roll video CPMs start at $0.05, so you can try it even with a small budget.

Video pre-roll advertising at RichAds

At the RichAds ad network, pre-roll ads are MP4 videos up to 30 seconds long, delivered on streaming content sites and video platforms. They use the CPM payment model and deliver great conversion rates for impulse-driven campaigns.

Top verticals for pre-roll ads

Based on campaign performance data at RichAds, pre-roll traffic works best for these verticals:

• Gambling
• Betting
• Dating
• Gaming

Pre-roll ads perform well here because the audience is already used to video content and actively watches various streams and video reviews, making them potentially interested in your offer.

Best GEOs for pre-roll video ads

Pre-roll ad traffic is available globally; however, top-performing regions include:

RichAds ad network’s team regularly posts actual info on top GEOs and verticals for our popular formats – check the latest report to stay up to date.

Traffic volumes from pre-roll ads

RichAds delivers over 50M daily impressions across pre-roll inventory, sourced directly from streaming content publishers. Here are specific traffic volumes you can expect in top pre-roll GEOs:

We ensure the highest traffic quality and provide various filtering and optimization tools to help you get the best results.

What is RichAds?
Ad network for telegram ads,
high quality push and popunder ads,
domain redirect, native and display traffic source,
buy push ads at $0.005 (CPC), pop ads at $0.5 (CPM),
domain ads costs start from $1.5 (CPM), native ads — from $0.001 (CPC),
ad network offers large volumes of traffic in more than 200 geos from Tier 3 to Tier 1.

How to create an effective pre-roll ad campaign

Now you know what are pre-roll ads, how they look, and how they work. It’s time to try this format in practice, and the RichAds ad network can help here.

Creating a pre-roll advertising campaign on RichAds is straightforward. You upload your video file, fill in a few fields, set your targeting, and launch. Here’s how to do it step by step:

Step 1: Prepare your video creative

You need a short video, 10 to 30 seconds, in MP4 format, up to 20 MB. Aspect ratio is up to 16:9, resolution up to 1920×1080.

The video should catch attention from the first seconds and encourage users to know more about the product. Consider a bold statement or something unexpected to engage the user instantly.

You can use Canva, Promo, Animoto, or similar creation platforms, or order production from an outsourcing service. Some advertisers can provide video materials on request.

Step 2: Set video ad parameters

Add your video to the campaign and fill in the ad content:

• icon – a logo or a small image that highlights your ad theme.
• title – a short message up to 30 characters to encourage action.
• message – your domain (up to 60 characters).
• button – clear, short CTA text (up to 10 characters). 

This info appears inside a small overlay block alongside your video or under the video controls.

You can upload only one video per campaign. However, RichAds experts strongly recommend launching multiple campaigns with different creatives to test what performs best.

Step 3: Set targeting

Now, you should define your target audience. Specify:

• GEO: select the country where your audience lives.
• Devices: mobile, desktop, or tablet (don’t run one campaign for all).
• OS: specific operating systems, if you know what’s working for your offer.
• Impression cap: limit how many times one user sees your ad per day.

RichAds ad network’s experts recommend starting with mobile campaigns targeting Android 10/iOS 18 or later versions, as about 75% of pre-roll traffic comes from phones. Also, limit your ad impressions to 1 view per user per day to prevent ad fatigue.

Step 4: Set budget and bid

Pre-roll ads are based on the CPM model, meaning you pay per thousand views. The minimum bid for the video format on the RichAds ad network starts at $0.05. The platform also recommends CPM bids for the specific country you’ve selected — use it as a baseline. It’s always better to bid higher if you want to win more high-quality traffic.

The recommended daily budget is 100$ – that’s enough for testing and getting representative data. You can optimize bids and budget later based on your campaign performance.

Step 5: Choose Premium sources

Use the Premium sources option to launch on the best-performing placements that have shown strong results for similar campaigns. It is the fastest way to get quality traffic without spending time on manual testing.

You can also ask your manager for whitelists made specifically for your offer and campaign settings.

Step 6: Set campaign schedule

Your pre-roll video campaign is almost ready, and for initial tests, you can launch it without a specific schedule. However, if your ads are time-sensitive or you know exactly when your audience is active, you can choose specific days of the week and hours to run video ads.

Best practices for pre-roll video advertising

To succeed with a pre-roll campaign, you need more than a basic setup. We’ve gathered the most valuable tips from RichAds affiliate experts to help you get the most out of every impression:

• Catch in the first 3 seconds. Whether your ad is skippable or not, the opening seconds determine if people will pay attention. Lead with something surprising and visually striking to engage the viewer.
• Keep it concise. 15-20 seconds is an optimal video length. Nobody likes long ads, so you must make every second meaningful, driving toward conversion.
• Use a clear CTA. Mention your goal action early – everything important in the first seconds – then reinforce it at the end. The CTA button also should tell the user exactly what happens when they click: “Get Offer”, “Try Free”, “Sign Up Now”.
• Test multiple creatives. Launch several campaigns with different videos, titles, and CTAs. You never know in advance what will convert, so you must test all available options.
• Track everything. Use a tracker to monitor which sources, GEOs, and creatives are driving conversions. Pre-roll ads provide you with high traffic volumes, and without data-driven optimization, you risk wasting your budget.
• Use Micro Bidding. After initial tests, you’ll get enough data for budget optimization, and the Micro Bidding feature at RichAds allows you to do it. Adjust bids precisely for different sources and regions to achieve high ROI.

Conclusion

Pre-roll video ads deliver high visibility, strong targeting, affordable CPMs, and reliable performance. It’s a promising and profitable format for affiliate campaigns in competitive niches that overcomes banner blindness and makes costs manageable.

The key is to use a catchy visual, keep your message simple, test multiple creatives, and launch on a dedicated ad platform. At RichAds, you get everything you need to get better results faster. Start a pre-roll video campaign today and get your competitive advantage with the most engaging ad format.

What is RichAds?
Ad network for telegram ads,
high quality push and popunder ads,
domain redirect, native and display traffic source,
buy push ads at $0.005 (CPC), pop ads at $0.5 (CPM),
domain ads costs start from $1.5 (CPM), native ads — from $0.001 (CPC),
ad network offers large volumes of traffic in more than 200 geos from Tier 3 to Tier 1.

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