From in-stream to display ads, we know there’s many variations to choose from for your upcoming campaigns. This can make it difficult to know exactly where to invest your money for the greatest ROI.
One of the main questions our clients ask is which ad types perform best to help them achieve their acquisition goals—and why. So today, we’re diving into TrafficJunky’s in-stream ads vs traditional video ads like header banners and underplayers.
What Are In-stream Ads?
In-stream ads became popular in the world of digital marketing due to their placement and integrated viewing experience. Playing within a video player (for example, before an online video being watched), the ads blend seamlessly with the content already being consumed by a user. This makes it easier to capture your audience’s attention and motivate engagement.
At TrafficJunky, we offer two types of in-stream ads:
- Pre-roll In-stream Ads: This is a 5-30 second ad that will play in a video player from our adult network before the content. It includes an optional CTA button to send viewers to your website or chosen landing page, or custom CTA text. Your ad is only skippable after 5 seconds and is available for all campaign types.
- Shorties In-stream Ads: Designed for the world’s leading adult entertainment platform, Shorties In-stream ads are an ad type solely for the Shorties page of Pornhub. This is a mobile-only device type for vertical video ads, which plays after every fifth video a viewer watches. It also includes an optional CTA button and clicking anywhere on your Shorties ad would redirect a user to your ad’s landing page.
It’s important to note that Pornhub receives over 133 million users per day. This means your Shorties In-stream ads are already set up to reach a large audience of relevant traffic (for example, people who seek out and enjoy adult content).
In 2024 alone, in-stream ads were the second most popular ad type for our clients, producing over 1 Billion clicks on their campaigns—and even more impressions.
In order, here’s the top 10 industries (based on clicks) that saw the highest conversions from in-stream ads with TrafficJunky: Cams, Dating, Adult Games, iGaming, VOD, Casino, Sex Toys, Cannabis, Sports Betting, and E-commerce.
The Main Benefits of In-Stream Video Ads vs Traditional Ads?
Whether you’re a cannabis company, an adult entertainment site or a popular iGaming platform, in-stream ads are a great way to build brand awareness, showcase your products, and increase revenue.
Here’s why they’re a favored choice for your ad campaigns:
- Seamless Integration
Your ad plays within content users actively choose to watch on Pornhub. This creates a less intrusive, more effective experience with users because they’re already engaging with the online video content.
Below are examples of our Pre-roll and Shorties in-stream ad formats:
- Higher Engagement Rates
You’ve got the moving images, you’ve got the sound, and now you’ve got the attention…
As many marketers know, research shows viewers retain up to 95% of a message when viewed on video, compared to 10% when reading it in a text. This is what makes in-stream video ads significantly more impactful than traditional text-only ads.
A study by HubSpot also showed that 38% of people purchased a product they first learned about through an in-stream video ad. Although that might seem like a small number at first, that’s more than one third of the group surveyed! This indicates in-stream ads are a great option for pursuing sustainable ROI. In fact, our clients received 172,376,783 clicks with in-stream ads alone in the month of July 2024. - Advanced Targeting
In-stream video ads enable highly targeted user demographics, behavior and viewing habits.
For example, if you’re an online dating company advertising with TrafficJunky, we run your in-stream ads on the world’s leading adult sites like Pornhub and YouPorn. With over 4.6 Billion impressions daily, we not only help you leverage the audience overlap between adult entertainment and your product(s), but also help you refine your targeting based on location, device and browser, user interest, and custom events (like interaction with your website).
Below is a quick breakdown of the exiting traffic you can access directly with TrafficJunky –
- Cost-Efficiency
Our competitive CPM system (cost per thousand impressions) for in-stream ads ensures every dollar spent contributes towards meaningful impressions and large audience reach.
For example, if you spent $300 to generate 100,000 impressions, your CPM would be $3. This enables our clients to better plan and control their budgets, as well as accurately measure their success—and create more of what works! - Adaptability for Multiple Goals
From brand awareness to lead generation and conversions, in-stream video ads make it possible to introduce your product(s) to more people, promote special offers or showcase unique features, and encourage people to act with CTA buttons and links.
- Mobile-First Advertising
With so many people consuming content on mobile devices and online platforms, in-stream ads are ideal for capturing new customers where they are already spending time. In this case, using in-stream ads to target users who are already watching adult content before a video starts or while scrolling through Shorties.
Our Take on In-Stream Ads vs. Traditional Video Ads
Video ads are proven to be more effective than static ads, as they combine visual and auditory elements to deliver a powerful message. In-stream ads take this a step further by integrating seamlessly into a user’s viewing experience. Their placement ensures higher engagement, better targeting, and a more natural viewing experience for your audience.
Ready to run your next campaign with us? Sign up today or email our experts at support@trafficjunky.com for more information. Whether through Pre-roll in-stream ads or mobile-optimized Shorties ads, if you’re looking for an impactful way to connect with your audience and maximize ROI, these formats offer an unbeatable combination of reach, relevance, and results.
