YouTube Shorts ad specs: size, length, campaign types and safe zones

Can you put ads on YouTube Shorts?

There are two versions of this question, and both have a clear answer.

For advertisers: yes. Google's guide to YouTube Shorts ads lists how-to pages for Demand Gen, Video view, Video reach, reservation, Performance Max and App campaigns. Multi-format Video view and Video reach campaigns serve across in-stream, in-feed and Shorts, and you can opt out of a format for the whole campaign. Google's vertical video page adds a detail: vertical ads in Video reach and Video view campaigns do not show in-feed, while Performance Max, App and Demand Gen can show vertical ads in-stream, in-feed and on Shorts.

For creators: you cannot insert your own ads into a Short. YouTube's Shorts monetization page says ads run between videos in the Shorts feed, and revenue from those ads is pooled each month and shared. Creators who accept the Shorts Monetization Module keep 45% of their allocated revenue. To share in that revenue, YouTube asks for at least 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, with changes to the thresholds announced for February 1, 2027. Check that page for the current rules; this post covers buying ads.

YouTube Shorts ad size and file specs

Google does not publish one Shorts spec sheet. The numbers sit across three help pages, and they agree:

1. 01

   Aspect ratio: vertical 9:16 is recommended. Horizontal and square are supported, but horizontal assets serve with blurred bars above and below in the vertical Shorts player.

2. 02

   Resolution: 1080x1920 for 9:16 video, which Google's Demand Gen specs page recommends for Shorts. Square is 1080x1080, horizontal 1920x1080, and 4:5 is 1080x1350.

3. 03

   Video files: the Demand Gen specs page lists MPG (MPEG-2 or MPEG-4) and a maximum file size of 256 GB. In practice you upload the video to YouTube and the campaign uses that video.

4. 04

   Length: up to 3 minutes, but only the first 60 seconds play in the Shorts feed. At 50 seconds an overlay invites the viewer to watch the rest on the watch page.

5. 05

   Images: Demand Gen and Performance Max can serve image ads on Shorts. A 9:16 image needs at least 600x1067, 1080x1920 recommended, as .jpg or .png up to 5 MB.

6. 06

   Text: Shorts ads use your channel name. Google recommends a 40-character headline and a 90-character description, and descriptions longer than one line on mobile are cut off.

How long should a YouTube Shorts ad be?

Google gives ranges by campaign type. Its Shorts guide recommends videos under 60 seconds, 10 to 30 seconds for action-oriented ads, 6 to 60 seconds for Video reach campaigns, and 10 to 60 seconds for the other types, such as App and Performance Max. The Performance Max video page says the same thing as a rule: include at least one vertical video between 10 and 60 seconds to be eligible for Shorts.

The call-to-action timing explains the short end of those ranges. Google's guide says the CTA button appears 3 seconds into the ad for Performance Max, App and Demand Gen, and 10 seconds in for Video view and Video reach. A click anywhere on a Shorts ad counts as a CTA click. A conversion ad has about 3 seconds to set up why someone should tap.

That makes the opening the most important part of the script. Pick an opening line from our UGC hooks library, then use a UGC script template to fit the offer and proof into 15 or 30 seconds. Once it runs, compare openings with our hook rate calculator using the view metrics YouTube reports.

Safe zones for Shorts ads

Google's Shorts guide gives no safe zone numbers. Its vertical video page says to keep your logo, product, supers and other key elements inside the red safe area on its 1080x1920 reference image, because overlays, CTAs and buttons move depending on format, campaign type and screen. The margins exist only in that image, so download it from the page and overlay it in your editor rather than trusting pixel figures from third-party sites.

The Shorts player puts like, dislike, comment and share buttons in a right-hand panel, and the channel name, description and CTA sit at the bottom. The safe layout is the same one that works on Reels and TikTok: face and product in the middle, text just under the top edge, nothing important at the bottom or along the right edge. If you also run on Meta, our Instagram Reels ad specs post has Meta's 14/35/6 percentages, and the TikTok ad specs post covers TikTok's safe zone files.

Two more layout notes from Google's vertical video page. When someone rotates the phone after a vertical ad plays, the ad shows black bars on each side. And when a viewer scrolls content below the video, the player can shrink to as narrow as 1:1 and crop the top and bottom. Both are reasons to keep key elements in the middle.

Which campaign type to use for Shorts

The choice depends on how much control you want over where the ad runs:

1. 01

   Demand Gen: the most control for performance ads. Google says Creative Preferences, which anchor a video to in-stream, in-feed or Shorts, are available only in Demand Gen. It can also serve 9:16 images and product feed ads on Shorts.

2. 02

   Performance Max: Shorts is one surface among many. Add at least one vertical video of 10 to 60 seconds; if you add none, Google may auto-generate videos from your asset group, and it may flip horizontal videos to square or vertical.

3. 03

   App campaigns: for installs, with the same 3-second CTA timing.

4. 04

   Video view and Video reach: for views and awareness, with the CTA at 10 seconds and a 6 to 60 second range for reach.

5. 05

   Reservation: fixed-price reach buys, listed in Google's Shorts guide as a buying option.

Creative guidance Google repeats

Google's Shorts guide asks for sound-on assets with music, voiceover or both, and says sound has been shown to increase conversions by over 20%. It recommends ads that feel organic and social-first, text overlays, and creator content. Brand Partner Access lets advertisers boost organic Shorts from creators, and the guide points to Google's AI label setting for regions that require disclosure of AI-generated or edited assets. Our AI ad disclosure rules post summarizes those rules by platform.

If you only have horizontal footage, Google's Video Enhancement feature can generate vertical versions, but cropping a 16:9 ad rarely gives a good vertical frame. Shooting vertical from the start is cheaper than fixing it later. Put the format, length and safe zone in the UGC brief template before the shoot so the footage arrives ready for Shorts.

FireplaceUGC exports every take as a 9:16 MP4 with sound, so the same take can go to Shorts, Reels and TikTok. Talking Video and App Demo fit App and Demand Gen campaigns for mobile apps. You upload the video to YouTube yourself; FireplaceUGC does not run or track ads.