Video is a top format now, with people spending an average of 17 hours a week watching streaming content. That’s a massive opportunity for affiliates, and in-stream ads are the tool to take advantage of it.
In this guide, the RichAds ad network team provides comprehensive info on this ad type: what in-stream ads are, how they work, how much you can earn, and how to run profitable in-stream campaigns.
What are in-stream ads?
An in-stream ad is an advertising video that autoplays within other video content. The viewer is already prepared to watch a video when the ad appears, catching maximum attention.
In-stream ads run on streaming platforms and video sites where users’ primary intent is to watch video — YouTube, Twitch, Vimeo, and more. They can appear before, during, or after the main video content.
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 do in-stream ads work?
In-stream ads play inside a standard video player on the publisher’s site. The process is straightforward:
- A user clicks to play a video on a website or streaming platform.
- The ad usually plays before the main video when the user is highly engaged.
- The user watches your ad and clicks your CTA button, landing on your offer page.
To start, you only need a video creative and a reliable ad network that supports video ads, like RichAds. You pay per 1000 impressions (CPM) and get access to premium-quality traffic.
In-stream and out-stream ads
In relation to in-stream ads, you may also hear about out-stream ads – both formats deliver video ads, but they work very differently.
Here’s a clear comparison table:
| In-stream ads | Out-stream ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Placement | Inside a video player | In text content, feeds, sidebars |
| Sound | On by default | Muted by default |
| Viewability | Very high | Low, user may scroll past |
| Engagement | High | Moderate |
| Completion rate | up to 90% | 40-60% |
| Inventory | Requires video content | Works on any page |
| CPM | Higher | Lower |
Ultimately, in-stream video ads win for affiliate campaigns, ensuring higher engagement rates and better conversion.
Types of in-stream ads
There are three categories of in-stream ads: linear ads, non-linear ads, and companion ads. Let’s explore each of them.
Linear video ads
Linear ads take over the entire video player and play in line with the content. They pause the main video, similar to TV commercials.
This type of in-stream ad is the most common and the one most relevant to affiliates. Usually, the ads play before the main video starts – they’re called pre-roll ads.
Pre-roll videos are 15 to 30 seconds long and work well for brand awareness campaigns. The viewer has to watch for at least a few seconds before getting to their intended content, so visibility is guaranteed.
There are also mid-roll and post-roll ads among linear video ads. However, they are less popular.
Non-linear streaming ads
Non-linear video ads don’t interrupt playback. They appear on top of the playing video as an overlay, letting the viewer keep watching while the ad is visible. Overlay ads are less intrusive and don’t interrupt the viewing experience but also have a lower impact.
The main non-linear formats are:
- Overlay banners — a small static or animated banner that appears at the bottom of the video frame.
- Overlay text — a text message layered on top of the video. It helps deliver a short message without blocking the screen.
- Branded canvas units (L-banners) — the video temporarily shrinks to accommodate an L-shaped banner beside it.
Non-linear ads are mostly used for retargeting campaigns, as they won’t convert cold traffic.
Companion ads
Companion ads run outside the video player. They can appear in the sidebar, below the video, or in the surrounding page content as image, text, or animated units.
They’re often paired with linear or non-linear in-stream ads to reinforce the message. You may have seen these on YouTube: it usually shows a banner ad next to the video that matches or relates to the pre-roll video ad that just ran in the player.
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.
Skippable ads vs. non-skippable in-stream video ads
Since pre-roll ads are the most popular type of in-stream ads in affiliate marketing, we’ll focus on this format.
The thing with in-stream pre-roll ads is that they can be skippable or non-skippable. Both formats convert, but efficiency depends on your goals and offer type.
Skippable in-stream ads
Skippable ads give the viewer a “Skip” button after 5 seconds. The user can choose to continue watching or skip to their content.
It’s like a filter: viewers who keep watching past 5 seconds are genuinely interested. Your traffic quality is higher, and you get a better conversion rate.
However, most people will skip, so your first 3-5 seconds need to be engaging and catchy. Keep in mind that most publishers support skippable video ads, and your creative should meet the requirements.
Non-skippable in-stream ads
Non-skippable ads force the user to watch the entire ad. That’s why this type delivers a higher conversion rate – everyone sees your ad till the end.
However, a non-skippable format can irritate viewers, especially if the ad isn’t relevant to them. You should carefully target your audience to achieve good results.
Most affiliates start with skippable ads, as they’re less intrusive and work well across a wide range of verticals. Non-skippable in-stream ads suit retargeting campaigns when you know exactly who you’re reaching.
Benefits of in-stream advertising
Streaming ads are one of the most affordable and well-performing traffic sources in affiliate marketing. They have many advantages over other ad formats:
- No banner blindness. In-stream ads appear within a video player and can’t be missed or scrolled past.
- High engagement. Viewers already intend to watch something, and your ad aligns with that intention.
- Cost-efficiency. In-stream advertising CPMs are typically 2-3x lower than those for popunder traffic. Yet video ads deliver massive reach, 100% visibility, and high conversion.
- High CTR. Video is the most effective ad format, with an average CTR of 1.84%.
- Flexibility. Pre-roll in-stream ads work equally well for awareness and lead generation. Video can introduce your brand to the audience, warm up cold traffic, and drive fast conversions.
- Precise targeting. RichAds ad network lets you target by GEO, device type, OS, carrier, ISP, language, and more to define your audience exactly.
- Scalability. Top in-stream ad networks like RichAds deliver 50M+ daily impressions. Once you find a winning combo, you can scale quickly.
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.
In-stream ad earnings for affiliates
Your in-stream ad earnings depend heavily on vertical, GEO, offer payout, and how well you optimize the campaign.
If everything’s done right, in-stream video advertising campaigns can generate a high ROI. For example, you’re launching a Gambling campaign targeting India. CPM at RichAds for this GEO is around $0.065, the offer payout is $30 CPA on average for first deposits, and the daily budget is $100.
RichAds ad network provides around 20M daily impressions for pre-roll ads in India, but your targeting may lower the reach. Let’s say you get 1M impressions daily and spent $65 on them. With an average pre-roll ad CTR of 1.84%, it will give you 18,400 clicks.
Now, everything depends on the efficiency of your landing page. For our calculation, we’ll take 1%, which gives you 184 registrations a day. FTD rate from registrations in India is typically about 10%. The results:
- Conversions: 18
- Revenue: $540
- Profit: $475
- ROI: 730%
Even the conservative interpretation shows how profitable in-stream ads are. The key is your video creative efficiency and the quality of your landing page.
Here are real traffic volumes and CPMs across the top in-stream GEOs on the RichAds ad network, so you can do your own math:
| Country | Daily impressions, million | Average CPM, $ |
|---|---|---|
| India | 20 | 0.065 |
| Indonesia | 6 | 0.065 |
| Brazil | 5.5 | 0.9 |
| Philippines | 4 | 0.1 |
| United Kingdom | 3 | 0.536 |
| Canada | 3 | 0.568 |
| Thailand | 2.5 | 0.171 |
| Australia | 1.5 | 0.743 |
| Pakistan | 1 | 0.3 |
Top verticals for in-stream video ads
In-stream advertising works best for emotion-driven offers, where the audience wants to see the product in action. The best verticals are:
Gambling
The #1 vertical for in-stream ads. You can show gameplay or real winning moments to create excitement. The audience watching sports or gaming streams is already warm and reacts better to Gambling video ads.
Betting
Betting has a similar audience to Gambling, so pre-roll in-stream ads convert here as well. They fit naturally on sports streaming sites, showing odds, highlighting winners, or offering promo bonuses.
Dating
Video lets you create an emotional connection with the viewer. You can show what the dating platform looks like and who uses it to build trust and engage.
Gaming
Gamers watch a lot of video content, and they respond well to in-stream ads because they are used to them. You reach a high-intent audience and get good CTR.
Best GEOs for in-stream ad campaigns
In-stream traffic is global, so your choice of GEO mostly depends on your offer. Still, we can determine some specific countries where you can achieve the best ROI:
- Tier 1: UK, Canada, Australia.
- Tier 2: Brazil.
- Tier 3: India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan.
All these markets work well for Gambling, Dating, Gaming, and Betting offers.
Quick in-stream video ad campaign launch checklist
Launching a pre-roll in-stream ad campaign at the RichAds advertising network is easy. Here’s what you need:
- MP4 video creative, 15-30 seconds long, up to 20MB, 16:9 aspect ratio.
- The video has a hook in the first 3 seconds and a clear, direct CTA.
- At least 2-3 creative variations to test.
- Targeting is set to a single country and device type. Don’t mix mobile and desktop into one campaign.
- The daily impression cap per user is set to 1-2.
- Premium sources selected for the best traffic quality.
- Connected affiliate tracker to check real-time metrics.
- Starting daily budget of at least $100.
After initial tests, you can use the Micro Bidding and Automated Rules features at RichAds. They allow you to adjust bids precisely for different sources and regions and automatically blacklist underperforming creatives, zones, and sources or pause campaigns.
Conclusion
In-stream ads are an affordable, converting, and profitable format for affiliates. They work well in highly competitive verticals like Gambling and Betting, helping you reduce your spend and increase profits.
All you need is an engaging video creative and a reliable advertising network with quality traffic sources and advanced optimization tools. RichAds checks all the boxes.
Get your creatives right, launch in-stream video campaigns, and work with your personal RichAds account manager to maximize their impact and achieve the best ROI.
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.
FAQs on In-stream advertising
A user clicks to watch a video, but before (or during, or after) it plays, your ad appears inside the same video player. The viewer has to watch some or all of it.
The video ad includes a CTA button that users can click to go to your landing page with an offer. Most ad networks, including RichAds, use the CPM model for video ads. Streaming platforms like YouTube usually require per-view payment (CPV model).
In-stream ads play inside a video player, interrupting the main video content. Sound is on by default, and the ad is hard to ignore.
Out-stream ads appear outside of the video player (between paragraphs, in feeds, or in sidebars). They autoplay muted and can be scrolled out of view.
Out-stream is cheaper and available on more sites, but in-stream ads deliver higher engagement, better completion rates, and stronger CTR.
They are displayed on streaming platforms, video portals, news and entertainment sites with embedded players, sports streaming sites, gaming content platforms, and other similar websites.
In-stream ads can run on any page that has a video player. Reliable ad networks like RichAds carefully select placements to ensure you get high-quality traffic.
There are three main types:
- Linear in-stream ads interrupt playback and take over the full player. This format includes pre-roll (before the video), mid-roll (during the video), and post-roll (after the video) ads. Pre-roll is the most widely used format in performance marketing, offered by major ad networks like RichAds, TrafficStars, HilltopAds, and ClickAdu.
- Non-linear ads run as overlays on top of the playing video, without interrupting it. Usually, they look like a banner or text unit at the bottom of the frame.
- Companion ads appear next to the video player — in the sidebar or surrounding page — as static or rich media units.
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