Guide
Pre-roll ads
A guide to pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads
Pre-roll ads are short video advertisements that play before the main video content begins, connecting with viewers when they're engaged and receptive to brand messages. Mid-roll and post-roll ads appear during and after content, providing advertisers with multiple touchpoints to reach audiences throughout the viewing experience.
Start using HAQM Ads to display your products and create campaigns.
If you have limited experience, contact us to request services managed by HAQM Ads. Budget minimums apply.
Sponsored TV is a self-service advertising solution designed for brands to reach and inspire audiences on the largest screen in the home.
Streaming TV ads from HAQM Ads is a solution that appears alongside streaming content like shows and movies.
Jump to:
Additional Resources:
Video advertising continues to evolve, offering brands new ways to connect with audiences across multiple channels. As viewers increasingly shift from traditional linear television to streaming solutions and online video content, it’s important for marketers to understand the essential glossary of video ad formats and when to use them. This knowledge can help brands create more effective campaigns that meet both brand objectives and improve the viewer experience.
What are pre-roll ads?
Pre-roll ads are video advertisements that automatically play before viewers access their chosen content. These video ads are typically six to 30 seconds long and can appear across various channels including social media, video on demand (VOD) environments, streaming services, and connected TV (CTV).
Why should I run pre-roll ads?
Pre-roll advertising offers distinctive benefits for brands seeking to enhance their video marketing strategy, providing high visibility, strong audience engagement, and measurable performance.
As HAQM Ads found in Elevating Everyday Moments: The role of brands in quality time and entertainment, entertainment plays a crucial role in how people spend their quality time. This research into how consumers define and value quality time shows that video content moments, like pre-roll advertising, are particularly valuable for brand connections.
Benefits of pre-roll ads
There are many benefits of pre-, mid-, and post-roll ads, including enhanced brand recall, relevant audience reach, and measurable performance.
Enhanced brand recall
The strategic upfront placement of pre-roll ads allows brands to reach audiences during moments of peak anticipation. This timing—when viewers audiences are ready to engage with video content—helps make pre-roll ads a powerful ad format for brand awareness and first impressions.
Our quality time research uncovered that 69% of consumers believe the freedom to choose their entertainment makes quality time more fulfilling. This preference for relevance extends to advertising experiences—audiences respond more positively when ads complement their selected content rather than disrupt it. By honoring viewers' entertainment choices and delivering pre-roll content that enhances rather than interrupts these valued moments, brands can foster authentic connections that naturally improve brand recall and drive meaningful results.
Relevant audience reach
Pre-roll video ads benefit from the robust targeting capabilities available in online video advertising. With insights based on signals, advertisers can reach the most relevant audience segments for their brand message.
Streaming solutions also can provide unique visibility into viewership preferences and consumption patterns, enabling brands to connect with audiences during moments when they're most receptive to specific messaging. This contextual relevance extends beyond basic demographics to encompass viewing environment, content genre preferences, and even time-of-day patterns.
For example, TV viewers consuming content on living room devices may be more receptive to family-oriented messaging, while those streaming during morning commutes might respond better to efficiency-focused brand stories. By strategically aligning pre-roll content with these viewing contexts, advertisers can craft messages that feel like natural companions to the chosen content journey.
Measurable performance
Pre-roll ads provide clear metrics for success, including completion rates and engagement data. These insights help advertisers optimize their campaigns and improve results over time, allowing for continuous refinement based on audience response patterns and content performance indicators.
Our quality time research revealed that nearly a third of TV viewers have a more positive reception to ads that are entertaining or creative, making performance measurement crucial for optimizing ad creative and delivery. The comprehensive analytics available with pre-roll advertising enable marketers to make insights-driven decisions about creative approaches, targeting parameters, and budget allocation across their broader video marketing strategy.
How do pre-roll ads work?
Pre-roll ads work by automatically playing before the main video content loads, requiring viewers to watch at least a portion of the advertisement before accessing their desired content. The ad server determines which pre-roll ad to display based on targeting parameters, available inventory, audience insights, and relevancy, creating a smooth transition between the video ad and the main content.
Streaming TV ads from HAQM Ads offer a comprehensive approach for implementing pre-roll advertising at scale across premium content environments. These ads use HAQM’s trillions of exclusive signals to deliver relevant pre-roll experiences across multiple streaming spaces, helping brands connect with interested customers in high-quality content settings.
Types of pre-roll ads
Pre-roll advertising encompasses several distinct formats, each with unique characteristics and viewer experiences. Understanding these different types helps advertisers select the most appropriate format based on campaign objectives, audience preferences, and channel capabilities.
Skippable ads
Skippable pre-roll ads allow viewers to bypass the advertisement after watching for a minimum duration (typically five seconds). This format balances user experience with advertising exposure by giving control while still ensuring initial brand exposure.
Non-skippable ads
Non-skippable pre-roll ads require viewers to watch the entire advertisement before accessing their content. These formats deliver the highest message completion rates, especially when brands focus on relevant targeting and compelling creative that adds value to the viewing experience.
Bumper ads
Bumper ads are ultra-short (six-second), non-skippable pre-roll advertisements designed for maximum impact with minimal viewing time. These concise formats are perfect for simple messages, brand reinforcement, and complementing larger campaign efforts.
Podcast pre-roll ads
Pre-roll ads in podcasts play at the beginning of episodes, offering advertisers access to highly engaged listeners. According to our Elevating Everyday Moments research, podcast listeners are particularly receptive to discovering new content through ads, with about a quarter reporting that podcast advertising helps them find new content to enjoy.
What is the difference between pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll advertising?
The primary difference between pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll advertising is when the ads appear during the content viewing experience. Each placement offers unique advantages and challenges for advertisers based on viewer attention, engagement levels, and content context.
Pre-roll ads
Pre-roll ads appear before the main content begins, making them ideal for capturing initial attention and creating first impressions. Ads can perform well here as viewers often remain focused while waiting for their selected content to begin. Pre-roll advertising is effective at building awareness, establishing brand presence, and setting the stage for more detailed messaging later in the viewing journey.
Mid-roll ads
Mid-roll ads insert during natural breaks in longer content, similar to traditional TV commercial breaks. These placements typically see higher completion rates as viewers are already invested in watching the main content and less likely to abandon the experience. Mid-roll advertising works best for delivering more detailed messaging, product demonstrations, or storytelling elements once the audience is already engaged with the content experience.
Post-roll ads
Post-roll ads display after content completion when viewers have finished consuming their selected video. These placements are ideal for direct response calls-to-action, conversions, and next steps since viewers have completed their content journey. Post-roll advertising performance depends heavily on content quality, as viewers who enjoyed their experience are more likely to remain engaged through post-roll messaging.
Video ads solutions from HAQM Ads
HAQM Ads offers comprehensive video advertising solutions, helping brands connect with audiences throughout their content viewing journey. These integrated solutions leverage HAQM's exclusive first-party insights and premium content environments to deliver effective pre-roll and mid-roll experiences for viewers.
Streaming TV ads deliver full-screen, non-skippable video ads to engaged audiences across Prime Video, Twitch, live sports, Fire TV channels, and top third-party TV publishers and broadcasters. Streaming TV ads can help you deliver your message across exclusive and diverse streaming content, reach scaled audiences wherever they’re streaming, and help you access unique first-party behavioral and contextual audiences as part of one comprehensive, easy-to-use ad tech suite.
Online video (OLV) ads are in-stream (before, during or after video content) and out-stream (in non-video environments between text and images) ads across desktop, mobile and tablet. Online video ads appear on HAQM-affiliated sites including IMDb.com and Twitch, as well as top third-party publishers. Online video ads are available in both managed-service and self-service packages on HAQM DSP.
With 105MM average monthly visitors to the Twitch site,1 advertising on Twitch can help connect brands with highly engaged gaming and entertainment communities through pre-roll and mid-roll ad formats. As HAQM Ads found in From Ads to Zeitgeist, a global study that examines the relationship between advertising and culture, the most successful advertisers on Twitch first understand its community values and behaviors before engaging with these audiences to build brand awareness.
Sponsored TV is a self-service advertising solution designed for brands to reach and inspire audiences on the largest screen in the home. Powered by trillions of first-party shopping and streaming signals, Sponsored TV can help your brand connect with the right viewers, in the right time on streaming services like Prime Video and Twitch.
Prime Video ads allow brands to advertise across a premium content environment and engage audiences who are actively consuming long-form entertainment. Prime Video offers brands the chance to engage audiences with brief yet memorable pre-roll and mid-roll advertisements that are less disruptive than other ad-supported viewing experiences.
HAQM Live combines video streaming with interactive shopping features, allowing brands to demonstrate products, answer questions, and drive sales through engaging live content. This innovative format creates authentic connections with the audience while facilitating immediate purchase opportunities.
How do you create an effective pre-roll advertising campaign?
Creating effective pre-roll advertising requires a strategic approach that balances creative impact with audience relevance and technical execution. The most successful pre-roll campaigns consider the audience’s context, channel-specific engagement patterns, and content alignment to deliver messages that resonate rather than interrupt.
Effective pre-roll ads capture attention in the first three seconds, recognizing that viewer interest must be earned immediately. Creative elements should work with or without sound, as many channels default to muted playback, and clear branding should appear early in the ad to establish recognition even if viewers choose to skip. Additionally, successful campaigns maintain consistent messaging across channels while adapting creative formats to match each environment's unique viewing experience.
HAQM Ads helps advertisers execute these pre-roll advertising best practices through comprehensive solutions that combine strategic insights, creative expertise, and measurement capabilities. By developing tailored creative approaches and selecting strategic channels, brands can create video campaigns that drive meaningful engagement and deliver measurable business outcomes across different audience segments.
Examples of pre-roll ads
Case Study
Sofidel, a leading tissue paper manufacturer, implemented a comprehensive video campaign to introduce their eco-friendly Carta Camomilla brand to Italian consumers. Using Streaming TV ads, Sofidel deployed engaging 15-second pre-roll and mid-roll placements across premium content. The strategic timing of the campaign helped extend brand awareness beyond their linear TV commercial investment. This integrated approach helped Sofidel drive a 2.5% lift in offline sales.
Case Study
During Ramadan 2022, Arabic video-on-demand service Shahid launched a strategic campaign on Twitch to expand their subscriber base in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where online video consumption significantly increases during the festive season. The campaign showcased Shahid's Ramadan-curated content through multiple advertising formats, including pre-roll video ads that played before viewers' chosen content. The case study demonstrates how strategic use of pre-roll ads, combined with other premium placements, can effectively drive both brand awareness and subscription growth during peak seasonal periods.
How to measure the effectiveness of pre-roll ads
Measuring pre-roll ad effectiveness requires tracking specific key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with campaign objectives and provide actionable insights. Essential metrics include view-through rate (VTR), completion rate, click-through rate (CTR), conversion attribution, and brand lift—each providing different perspectives on how audiences engage with and respond to pre-roll content.
HAQM Ads provides comprehensive measurement solutions for video campaigns through HAQM DSP and HAQM Marketing Cloud. These tools allow advertisers to track performance across marketing channels, understand audience insights, and optimize campaigns based on real-time insights. Additionally, brand lift studies and conversion tracking capabilities help quantify the impact of pre-roll advertising on awareness, consideration, and purchase intent.
Additional resources
Pre-roll ads on Twitch
Video ads on Twitch are non-skippable and always above the fold. By advertising on Twitch, a hub that brings creators and their followers together during moments that matter through engaging ad formats fueled by robust audience insights, brands can build connections with engaged audiences, 52% of whom say they spend more than three hours a day on Twitch and 59% of whom say they watch Twitch content daily.2
Pre-roll ads on IMDb
IMDb is the world’s most popular and authoritative source for information on movies, TV shows, and celebrities, reaching more than 250 million visitors worldwide every month. With a full-funnel suite of advertising solutions, brands can advertise on IMDb and reach highly engaged entertainment fans within a trusted and brand-safe environment. The variety of premium placements includes cross-screen pre-roll video that seamlessly integrates with IMDb's trusted content.
If you have limited experience, contact us to request services managed by HAQM Ads. Budget minimums apply.
FAQs
Post-roll ads are video advertisements that play after the main content has concluded. These ads appear at the conclusion of selected video content and can be designed to build on the engagement and goodwill generated by positive content experiences. Post-roll advertising is particularly effective for direct response and call-to-action messaging.
Mid-roll ads work by automatically inserting video advertisements at predetermined break points during longer content. The content platform identifies natural transitions or specifically designated ad breaks and triggers the ad server to deliver relevant mid-roll advertising. Viewers typically cannot skip these insertions and must watch the ads before continuing with their content.
Post-roll ads automatically play at the end of the viewer’s chosen content. The ad server delivers these advertisements once the content concludes, with some channels offering the option to skip post-roll ads while others require full viewing. Performance depends heavily on content quality and audience satisfaction.
Yes, alternatives to pre-roll ads include mid-roll and post-roll placements, interactive video overlays, sponsored content, native video integrations, and branded content partnerships. Each alternative offers different engagement opportunities and viewer experiences based on campaign objectives and channel capabilities. Many advertisers use multiple formats in combination for maximum effectiveness.
Pre-roll ads on Twitch typically range from 15 to 30 seconds in length. Video ads on Twitch are non-skippable and always above the fold. Twitch’s proprietary SureStream delivery method stitches video creative directly into the broadcast content, and reaches CTV, console, and ad block users on desktop web.
Pre-roll ads on IMDb are six to 15 seconds in length. These ads appear before video content on the IMDb website and app, including movie trailers, exclusive interviews, and original content. Creative requirements include specific technical specifications to ensure optimal playback quality.
Some viewers attempt to block pre-roll ads using browser extensions or ad-blocking software, but many platforms have countermeasures to detect ad blockers. Premium subscriptions on certain platforms offer ad-free viewing experiences as a benefit. For advertisers, the best approach is creating engaging, relevant pre-roll content that viewers want to watch rather than skip or block.
1 Twitch internal data, Global, 2023.
2 Twitch internal data, US, 2023.