YouTube gives creators smarter ad targeting

YouTube is upgrading its Promotions tool, letting creators target potential viewers by interests, not just age, gender, or location.

What’s new. Creators can now target users by interest categories like Food & Dining. These categories are built from aggregated, anonymized signals, including search behavior and viewing habits.

• Example: Users who frequently search for recipes and watch cooking content may be grouped into a food-related interest segment.

How it works.YouTube uses patterns across Google services to infer interests, then applies those signals at scale — without exposing individual user data.

Why we care. Creators who pay to promote videos can now reach users based on what they actually care about — a shift that makes promotions more efficient and more competitive with traditional Google Ads.

The big picture. YouTube promotions have historically been blunt instruments, relying mostly on demographics. Interest-based targeting brings the tool closer to full-funnel advertising and makes paid promotion more attractive for:

• Growing channels trying to find their first real audience
• Established creators launching new formats
• Brands using creator-led content for reach

What’s next:

• The feature is desktop-only for now
• A mobile rollout is expected in the future

First seen. This update was first spotted by Google Ads Specialist Georgi Zayakov which he shared on LinkedIn

Bottom line. YouTube is giving creators better tools to find the right viewers — not just more viewers — and narrowing the gap between creator marketing and traditional digital advertising.