How to Use Google Ads to Grow Your YouTube Channel

Can you actually use YouTube Ads to grow your YouTube channel? For years, most people would’ve said no, but with a new format inside Google Ads, that answer might just have changed.

In this episode of Little Experiments, we dive deep into whether YouTube Ads can now be a genuine lever for scaling your channel. I’ll share my past experience at Babbel, where we used ads to boost high-performing videos and generate subscribers, leads, and revenue and then break down the brand-new YouTube Subscriptions & Engagements campaign type that Google has quietly introduced.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this video:
✅ How brands (like Babbel) have historically used ads to support YouTube growth
✅ The three pillars of YouTube ad formats (Performance, Brand, and Channel Growth)
✅ Why In-feed ads may be the most effective placement for genuine engagement
✅ Step-by-step setup of a YouTube Subscriptions & Engagements campaign
✅ Benchmarks for cost per view & cost per subscriber
✅ Why ads can also help you test titles, thumbnails, and content faster

From campaign setup to placement strategy to real-world benchmarks, this is a practical guide for startups and creators who want to test ads as a way to accelerate channel growth.

If you’re thinking about experimenting with YouTube ads, this video will give you the context, benchmarks, and confidence to get started. 🚀

👉 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and drop a comment if you’ve tested this new format yourself.

#YouTubeAds #YouTubeGrowth #GoogleAds📹 Watch next: [   • Turn YouTube into a performance channel [2...  ]

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🎬 Building Systems for YouTube Success →    • Craft a Full-Funnel YouTube Strategy for y...  
🎬 What Makes Business Channels Grow? →    • Turn YouTube into a performance channel [2...  

⏱ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 How To Run YouTube Ads
00:08 Can You Scale Your YouTube Channel with Ads?
00:14 Historical Perspective on YouTube Ads
00:18 A New Hope: Changing Times for YouTube Ads
00:28 Personal Experience with YouTube Ads
00:31 The Babel Case Study
00:41 The Tactic of Using Google Ads
00:56 Gary V's Endorsement
01:03 Introducing the New Google Ads Format
01:09 What is YouTube Subscriptions and Engagements?
01:17 Navigating the Google Ads Interface
01:35 Setting Up a YouTube Campaign
01:55 Understanding Campaign Subtypes
03:00 The Channel Growth Pillar
03:27 Placement Types in YouTube Campaigns
04:12 Creating a YouTube Subscriptions and Engagements Campaign
04:32 Cost and Budget Considerations
08:57 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

ABOUT HUMBLE & BRAG
Most agencies are built for big brands, with slow timelines and glossy reels that don’t move the needle. Startups need something different. That’s why we built Humble&Brag, the full-stack YouTube agency for early-stage and scaling companies. We help founders turn YouTube into a real growth engine, building a smart, consistent presence without the overhead of a big in-house team.

Before starting H&B, we grew channels and content systems inside some of Europe’s fastest-growing companies from scaling @AJSmart and @careerfoundry to hundreds of thousands of subscribers, to leading @BabbelPlus 's 20-person content team where video drove a quarter of company revenue.

Today, we bring that experience to startups who want YouTube channels that actually drive traction, proof, and revenue.