Create a YouTube media plan in Reach Planner

Note: Reach Planner isn’t available in all regions as we gradually expand access to qualified Google Ads accounts. Contact your Google Ads representative to find out if it’s available for you and how to get access.

You can use Reach Planner to create, review, and edit a media plan. You can build your own media plan or select from a list of existing product mixes to add to your media plan.

You can use Reach Planner to forecast your impressions, reach, and conversion-based metrics in your new Video action campaigns (VAC). Performance Planner is suitable for existing VAC campaigns' performance based on their historical data. Use Reach Planner for new VAC campaigns; it can operate without signals about your specific creatives, landing page or conversion type, and how well they resonate with your targeted audiences and content. Reach Planner also offers the ability to forecast metrics that aren't conversion-based, such as Reach and Frequency.

Product Walkthrough

Reach Planner is a Google Ads campaign planning tool designed to accurately plan for reach, views, and conversions based video campaigns across YouTube and video partners sites and apps. It helps users accurately create media plans centered around Unique Reach, Views, and Conversions.

To learn more about the tool and advance your expertise, explore the self-paced Reach Planner training modules available on Skillshop. We also have product walkthrough demos. Feel free to open a tab next to this training and follow along with a Reach Planner expert as they plan a campaign in Reach Planner.

Plan Awareness Video Campaigns with Reach Planner in Google Ads: In this demo, we will walk through how to plan for Awareness and Brand Consideration campaigns with Video reach and Video view campaigns.

https://youtu.be/75Jzmxnk7GU?si=hPY0lSlUlVNqdwst

Plan Action and Full Funnel Video Campaigns with Reach Planner in Google Ads: In this demo, we will walk through how to plan for Action and Purchase Consideration video campaigns with Demand Gen campaigns. Feel free to open a tab next to this training and follow along with a Reach Planner expert as he plans a campaign in Reach Planner.

https://youtu.be/S_W3Tmn_r4Y?si=oXmsKLBAEQRVuZFB

Note: These video walkthroughs reflect the Reach planner tool as of 2024. Refer the Reach Planner tool directly for the latest updates, and the additional Reach Planner help center articles for up-to-date information on supported YouTube ad formats, audience types, and more.

Instructions

Create a new media plan

Go to Planning within the Tools menu .
Select Reach Planner.
Select the plus icon to create a new media plan.
Select your Country/Region and Currency.
Select YouTube as the channel for the media plan.
- Note: You can add YouTube along with your existing TV plan with the “Keep TV and add YouTube” feature.
Choose your media plan settings:
- Dates: Select the date range for your media plan. You can choose a date range of 1 to 92 days.
- Demographics (Optional): Choose All people to target everyone in the selected location or Specific age or gender to target a specific age range or gender in the selected location.
  - Reach Planner doesn’t support targeting minors of the 13-17 age bracket. All age targeting must be 18 years or older.
- Sub-location (Optional): Select the Sub-location drop-down to target a specific state, province, city, TV region, or metro region. This option is only available for some countries and regions.
- Audiences (Optional): Choose the audiences you want to show your ads to. You can target the following audience types: Affinity, custom segments, in-market, life events, and your data.
- Lineups (Optional): Choose the lineups you want to target. You can choose YouTube and/or Google video partners lineups. You can add lineups by ID using the lineups picker.
Enter your planned budget.
Choose the ad mix and goal that best suits you:
- Awareness - Efficient reach: This preset mix recommends a mix of ad formats that increases your expected reach for your desired budget.
- Awareness - Efficient completions: This option helps you increase your brand or product awareness with video ad formats designed to drive awareness.
- Consideration - Maximize views: This preset mix recommends a product mix that increases your expected views. This option helps you get more people to consider your brand or product with a mix of ad formats designed to promote engagement.
- Action - Online conversions: This option helps you drive more conversions like sales, leads, and website traffic with a single automated video campaign.
  - For Video action campaigns (VAC) and Demand Gen campaigns, we recommend using a conversion rate in line with past campaigns for similar types of conversions.
- Create your own: Choose this option if you want to select the ad formats, pricing options, and budgets for your media plan. The plan page experience will be tailored to your selected goal. To include more ad formats, select Add ad format.
- Your goal will determine your plan page metrics. You can still make adjustments on the plan page.
  - Note: Reach Planner can display where your campaign will run beneath the ad format. For example, Demand Gen will run on in-stream, in-feed, YouTube Shorts, Gmail, and Discover. Learn more About video ad formats.
Select View forecast. Reach Planner creates a media plan containing YouTube ad formats.
- Scroll down to the campaign settings table below the reach curve, and hover over On-target reach and On-target impressions metrics on the Plan Page to view the additional effect of co-viewing. Learn more about the metrics in Reach Planner.
- Note: Reach Planner now supports forecasting for Video view campaigns (VVCs). To review the resulting forecast curve and metrics, toggle between the "Reach" and "Views" tabs.
(Optional) To export your media plan to a CSV file before you save, select the More options icon in the upper right corner, then select Download (.csv). The CSV file retains the last saved information and detailed metrics for your media plan. Check the On-target reach, On-target impressions, On-target frequency, and TRPs metrics to review the additional effect of co-viewing in your CSV file.
- You can also select Copy in the upper right corner of the top bar to compare a media plan with another media plan.
- You can export a summary of your media plan to Google Slides. Learn more about How to export media plans from Reach Planner to Google Slides.
To save your media plan, select Save in the upper right corner, then enter a name for your plan. When you finish, select Save copy.

After saving the media plan, you can access it again from Reach Planner. When you open a saved media plan, you’ll need to refresh the forecast to review the reach curve, demographics, and impression estimates for different devices such as desktop, tablet, mobile, and connected TV.

Note: When you save a copy of a media plan, it retains all the forecast details for the media plan during the date range you selected. When you select a media plan that’s ended, you’ll find the historical forecast for the media plan. When you select on a media plan that’s still in progress, you’ll have the option to refresh the media plan’s forecast. If you choose to refresh the forecast, it generates a new forecast for the media plan, and you’ll need to save the media plan again to keep the new forecast details.

Customize your plan page

Go to Planning within the Tools menu .
Select Reach Planner.
Select an existing plan or create a new plan.
Customize your scorecard.
1. In the upper right corner of the scorecard, select the Metrics drop-down menu and choose Custom metrics.
2. Select the metrics that you want to review in the scorecard.
3. On the right side, drag and drop the metrics to reorder their position on the table.
4. Select Apply.
Modify your columns in the campaign table below the chart.
1. In the upper right corner of the table toolbar, select Columns.
2. Select the metrics that you want to review in the table.
  - Note: Column metrics are pre-selected depending on your objectives.
3. On the right side, drag and drop the metrics to reorder their position on the table.
4. Select Apply.
Review your custom plan page.

Review a media plan

Note: Co-viewing metrics are available in Reach Planner. Forecasts will include data on additional impressions and reach gained from multiple people watching ads together on connected TV devices. These metrics are not included in campaigns targeting non-demographics, non-affinity audiences, or unsupported formats.

Go to Planning within the Tools menu .
Select Reach Planner.
In the table, select a media plan to open it. After you open a saved media plan, it shows all the forecast details for the media plan during the date range you selected. It also shows the date the forecast was saved.
- When you open a media plan that’s ended, you’ll find the historical forecast for the media plan.
- When you open a media plan that’s still in progress, you’ll have the option to edit the plan.
Review the media plan details and metrics (such as the on-target reach and CPM). Hover over On-target reach and On-target impressions metrics on the Plan Page to view the additional effect of co-viewing. Learn more About the metrics in Reach Planner.
(Optional) To export your media plan to a CSV file, select the More options icon in the upper right corner, then select Download (.csv). The CSV file retains the last saved information and detailed metrics for your media plan. Check On-target reach, On-target impressions, On-target frequency, and TRPs metrics to review the additional effect of co-viewing in your CSV file.
- You can also select Copy in the upper right corner of the top bar to compare a media plan with another media plan.
- You can export a summary of your media plan to Google Slides. Learn more about How to export media plans from Reach Planner to Google Slides.

Edit a media plan

Go to Planning within the Tools menu .
Select Reach Planner.
In the table, select a media plan to open it. If the media plan is still in progress, you can edit it.
Select Refresh forecast to update the media plan’s forecast with identical settings. If you choose to refresh the forecast, it generates a new forecast for the media plan, and you’ll need to save the media plan again to keep the new forecast.
- Note: If refreshing a forecast created before May 2022, your refreshed forecast will now include the effect of co-viewing.
1. To edit settings for all ad formats in your media plan from the top bar dashboard:
  - Location: Select Location drop-down on the top bar to include or exclude sub-location from the media plan.
  - Dates: Select Dates drop-down on the top bar and select the date range. You can choose a date range of 1 to 92 days.
  - On-target demographics: Select On-target demographics drop-down and switch between All people to target everyone in the selected location or Specific age or gender to target a specific age range or gender in the selected location.
  - Audiences: Select the pencil icon next to “Audiences” on the top bar and include or exclude audiences from your media plan.
  - Lineups: Select the pencil icon next to “Lineups” drop-down on the top bar and include or exclude audiences from your media plan.
2. To edit settings for an ad format individually, select the Edit button next to the YouTube ad format in your media plan.
  - General settings: Update the budget, target CPM, and network for the media plan.
  - Pricing: Select Auction, Reservation, or Rate-card, availability depends on your campaign type.
  - Networks: The “Video partners on the Display Network (GVP)” extends the reach of video ads to a collection of sites and apps in the Google Display Network, and is included by default in your plan. On the forecast page, this can be changed by selecting "Edit" next to a campaign line item where checkboxes appear under the "Networks" section. Learn more About Google video partners.
  - Location and demographics: You can make changes to the sub-location and demographics for the media plan. You should only do this if you want to override the current media plan settings for the ad format.
  - Dates and frequency cap: You can make changes to the dates and frequency cap for the media plan. You should only do this if you want to override the current media plan settings for the ad format.
  - Audiences: You can add affinity, life events, your data, customer segments, and in-market audiences to the media plan. You should only do this if you want to override the current media plan settings for the ad format.
  - Lineups: Use pre-built segments that help you reach your audience using the most locally relevant content. Lineups can include seasonal events, travel, sports, media and entertainment, beauty and fashion, video games, and more.
  - Parental Status: Include or exclude parents, non-parents, or people whose current parental status is unknown in the media plan.
  - Devices: Include or exclude desktop, tablet, mobile, or connected TV devices from your media plan.
  - Content exclusion settings and ad policies: Review any account-level content exclusions and advertising policies included in your forecast.
When you finish making changes, select Apply to generate a new forecast for the media plan.
(Optional) Navigate to the table below the reach curve, then select the plus button to add a new ad format to the media plan.
1. Select Add ad format and select the ad type from the drop-down.
2. Enter your planned budget.
3. Select Apply.
To save your edited media plan, select Save.
To save your edited media plan separately, select Copy, then enter a name for your plan. When you finish, select Save copy.
To download or remove your media plan, select the more options icon in the upper right corner of Reach Planner, then select an option from the menu.

Save a media plan

Go to Planning within the Tools menu .
Select Reach Planner.
Create a new plan, or, in the table, select a media plan to open it.
Select Save in the top right corner to save the media plan.

Copy a media plan

Go to Planning within the Tools menu .
Select Reach Planner.
Create a new plan, or, in the table, select a media plan to open it.
Select the three dots in the top right corner and select Copy.
Give your new plan a name and select Save copy.

Add reservation pricing to a media plan

Note: Reservation campaigns are available for some advertisers. If you’d like to buy reservation ads in Google Ads or to use Display and Video 360 Instant Reserve, reach out to your Google sales representative.

Go to Planning within the Tools menu .
Select Reach Planner.
In the table, select a media plan to open it. If the media plan is still in progress, you can edit it.
Select Refresh forecast to update the media plan’s forecast with identical settings.
Navigate to the campaign settings table below the reach curve, then select the Edit button next to a YouTube ad format.
- Alternatively, in the table below the reach curve, hover over your “Pricing options” and select the pencil icon .
Under the “Pricing” drop-down menu, select Reservation to buy a targeted number of impressions for a fixed CPM.
Select Apply.

Note: Reach Planner doesn't support certain targeting and exclusion options that are available for reservation. Learn how to Set up a reservation video campaign.

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