Not all campaigns are the same
Wayo Ads offers three campaign formats: VIDEO, SHORTS, and LINK. They use different pricing models, attract different types of creators, and measure success differently. Choosing the wrong format for your goal wastes budget. Choosing the right one multiplies it. This guide explains each format, when to use it, and how to combine them.
VIDEO campaigns — the long-form workhorse
VIDEO campaigns are designed for long-form YouTube content, typically 8 to 20 minutes. The pricing model is CPM — cost per thousand validated views. You set a CPM rate, a total budget, and optional geo-targeting. Creators apply, produce a video, and you approve the submission before it goes live.
Best for: Brand storytelling, product demonstrations, educational content, detailed reviews. Also the best format when your goal is reach at scale — a single video from a creator with good retention can generate deep brand exposure.
Economics: If you set a $4 CPM and allocate a $400 budget, you are buying up to 100,000 validated views across all enrolled creators. The actual number may be lower if creators produce higher-performing content that earns more per view. You only pay for views that pass validation — fraud-filtered, geo-verified attention.
Creator expectations: Creators accepted for VIDEO campaigns typically produce one dedicated video. The content appears as a regular upload on their channel, integrated with their usual style. Retention quality matters — validated views count attention that actually watched the content, not just impressions.
SHORTS campaigns — the short-form accelerator
SHORTS campaigns target YouTube Shorts, the vertical short-form format. Pricing is also CPM-based, but the creator economics work differently because Shorts are cheaper and faster to produce.
Best for: Rapid awareness, trend riding, testing messages quickly, reaching audiences who consume primarily short-form content. Shorts reach large audiences fast, which makes them excellent for top-of-funnel brand exposure.
Economics: The CPM for Shorts is typically lower than for long-form VIDEO because production costs are lower and view velocity is higher. A $200 budget at a $1.50 CPM buys approximately 133,000 validated Shorts views. The volume economics make Shorts the most cost-effective format for pure reach.
Creator expectations: Creators produce vertical, under-60-second content. Because Shorts are faster to make, you can enroll more creators on the same budget. The trade-off: Shorts offer less depth per view. Use Shorts for awareness and VIDEO for conviction.
LINK campaigns — the performance marketer's choice
LINK campaigns use CPC — cost per click — rather than CPM. You provide a URL (product page, landing page, offer), set a CPC rate, and creators share the link in their content, video descriptions, or Shorts. You pay per validated click.
Best for: Performance marketing, direct response, app installs, ecommerce conversions, lead generation. Any campaign where the measurable action is a click rather than a view.
Economics: If you set a $0.15 CPC with a $300 budget, you are buying up to 2,000 validated clicks. The system validates clicks for quality — bot traffic, accidental clicks, and suspicious patterns are filtered out. You only pay for clicks that represent genuine human intent.
Creator expectations: Creators integrate the link naturally into their content. The format is flexible — a creator can mention your product in a long-form video, pin your link in a Shorts description, or build a dedicated review around it. The link is tracked end-to-end, so you know which creator drove which conversions.
Format comparison at a glance
| Dimension | VIDEO | SHORTS | LINK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | CPM (per 1,000 views) | CPM (per 1,000 views) | CPC (per click) |
| Content length | 8–20 min | Under 60 sec | Flexible |
| Best for | Storytelling, depth, trust | Awareness, reach, speed | Conversions, direct response |
| Creator pool | Long-form YouTubers | Short-form creators | Anyone with an audience |
| Budget efficiency | Medium | High (volume) | High (performance) |
| Measurement | Validated views | Validated views | Validated clicks |
How to choose: a decision framework
Start with your goal. If you want brand awareness, choose SHORTS or VIDEO. If you want clicks and conversions, choose LINK. Be specific: "we want views" is not a goal. "We want 200,000 validated views from European creators" is a goal.
Consider your creative asset needs. VIDEO campaigns produce assets you can reuse — clips, testimonials, reviews. SHORTS produce ephemeral content that fades fast. LINK campaigns produce attribution data you can analyze for audience insights.
Think about budget velocity. A $500 CPM campaign at $6 buys approximately 83,000 validated views. If those views come from one creator, delivery takes longer. If they come from five creators producing Shorts, delivery is faster but each individual placement is less deep.
Combine formats strategically. Advanced advertisers run VIDEO and LINK together — a creator produces a long-form review (VIDEO, CPM) and includes a tracked link in the description (LINK, CPC). The brand gets reach plus measurable conversions from the same creator relationship.
Common mistakes
Mistake 1: Setting CPM too low. A $0.50 CPM will not attract quality creators. Creators see the rate before applying. Competitive rates attract competitive applicants.
Mistake 2: Using LINK when you have no landing page. LINK campaigns need a destination. If your product page does not exist or is not optimized, the clicks will not convert — and that is not the creator's fault.
Mistake 3: Viewing formats as mutually exclusive. The best campaigns use multiple formats. Run SHORTS for reach, VIDEO for depth, and LINK for conversion — sequentially or simultaneously.
Mistake 4: Forgetting geo-targeting. All three formats support geo-targeting. A campaign open to worldwide creators with no country filters will spend budget in markets you may not care about. Set your target countries before going live.
The bottom line
VIDEO for depth and trust. SHORTS for speed and volume. LINK for measurable action. Know your goal, set competitive rates, target your markets, and let creators do what they do best — make content people actually watch.