Short answerA video website earns most when ads play where viewers already watch: a preroll before your video if you control the player (added with a VAST tag), a preloader on top of embedded or external players you cannot change, and autoplay or flyroll units for article pages. Choose by who controls the player, then watch fill rate, completion and viewer retention.
Video inventory is valuable: advertisers pay more for an ad that is watched than for one that is scrolled past. But the right format depends on one simple question — do you control the video player? This article walks through the options.
A small sticky player in the corner while the visitor scrolls
Works together with autoplay
Do you control the player? Use preroll
If videos play in your own player — an HTML5 player on your site — preroll is the most natural option. The ad plays before the content, just like on large video platforms.
How it works:
Your ad partner gives you a VAST tag (a URL).
You add it as the ad source in your player settings or ads plugin.
When a viewer presses play, the player calls the tag, plays the ad and then starts your video.
Most modern players support VAST natively or through a plugin. If you are not sure which VAST version your player understands, check its documentation; our article VAST vs VPAID explains the differences.
Videos embedded from another service? Use a preloader
Many sites show videos from external hosts or CDNs. You cannot add a VAST tag inside someone else's player, but you can still earn from those views. A preloader covers the player and plays an ad before the video starts; after the ad, the viewer watches as usual. Nothing inside the player has to change — only a script on your page.
No videos at all? Autoplay and flyroll
Article and news sites can carry video ads too. An autoplay unit starts a video ad when the page loads, and flyroll keeps a compact player in the corner when the visitor scrolls past the main unit, so the ad stays in view. This works well on long reads where visitors spend time on the page.
How to keep viewers happy
Match ad length to content. A long ad before a short clip makes people leave.
Use skippable ads where possible. Viewers accept ads better when they can skip.
Limit frequency. Do not show a preroll before every short video in a playlist.
Test on mobile. Check that the player, the ad and the content work on phones and tablets.
Watch loading speed. Video ads should not delay the content more than necessary.
Which metrics to watch
Fill rate: the share of ad requests that receive an ad.
Completion rate: how many ads are watched to the end.
Viewability: whether the player is actually on screen.
Retention: whether viewers still watch your content after the ad.
Revenue per thousand video views: the number that combines all of the above.
If fill rate is low, the issue is usually demand or GEO. If completion or retention drops, the issue is experience: ad length, frequency or placement.
Monetizing video with Wizads
Wizads supports all four video formats: preroll through a VAST/VPAID tag in your player, preloader for external players, autoplay and flyroll. Publishers are paid for every ad impression on the CPM model, with unlimited impressions per user and real-time statistics. Video sites, article sites and other content sites with at least 1,000 unique visitors per day can join; moderation takes up to 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between preroll and preloader?
Preroll is installed inside your player through a VAST tag. A preloader sits on top of a player you cannot modify, such as an embedded external player, and plays the ad before the video.
Can I run video ads together with banners?
Yes. Many sites combine a video format with banners or other units. Measure total revenue per thousand sessions to make sure the combination earns more than each format alone. See monetizing a website beyond AdSense.
Wizads is an advertising network with its own DSP, SSP and ad server. Our team writes about programmatic advertising, website monetization and buying traffic.
