🎯 YouTube Follow-On Views Optimization: How to Drive Deeper Engagement with Your Ads
Running YouTube ads to grow your channel? You might be missing out on a powerful metric: Follow-On Views — a new conversion action in Google Ads designed to help advertisers optimize for deeper engagement, not just views or subscriptions.
Let’s break it down
What Are Follow-On Views?
    When someone sees your YouTube ad, watches the video, and then continues watching more of your channel’s content organically — that’s a Follow-On View.
    They didn’t click subscribe.
    They didn’t convert (yet).
    But they did show interest and intent.
These viewers are gold — and Google now lets you optimize specifically for them.
Why This Matters
    Traditional YouTube campaign setups focus on clicks, views, or subscriptions. But not all high-value viewers will take those actions upfront.
Follow-on views help you:
- 🎯 Reach high-intent users who binge your content
- 📈 Build affinity and long-term engagement
- 🚀 Grow your YouTube channel beyond surface metrics
This is especially powerful for:
- Brands launching episodic or series content
- Creators looking to nurture niche audiences
- Marketers focused on awareness + consideration
How to Enable Follow-On Views Optimization
    Here’s how to activate it in Google Ads:
- Go to your Conversions Summary
- Scroll to the Engagements section
- Locate the conversion action:
YouTube follow-on views Click Edit Goal- Set the Action Optimization from
SecondarytoPrimary
💡 If left as Secondary, Google Ads will only report on these conversions, not optimize for them.
Final Thoughts
    This update is more than a reporting tweak — it’s a shift in how we think about engagement.
    Instead of chasing vanity metrics like views or subscriptions, advertisers can now focus on behavior that signals real interest.
✅ Deeper views
✅ Better retention
✅ Stronger brand connection
Make sure to revisit your campaign goals and test out Follow-On Views Optimization today.