# CTV ads Human Guide

## What This Is For
Guides Connected TV (CTV) and OTT advertising: ads on streaming platforms (Hulu, Roku, YouTube TV, etc.). It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for paid media: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the CTV ads agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for CTV ads.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the CTV ads guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- **CTV (Connected TV)**: Smart TVs, streaming devices (Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV) that serve ads
- **OTT (Over-the-top)**: Video delivered over the internet (Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+, etc.)
- **Streaming share**: Streaming surpassed broadcast + cable combined in 2025 (~45% of TV viewing)
- **Programmatic**: DSPs (The Trade Desk, etc.); audience-based buying
- **Direct**: Hulu, Roku, YouTube TV, Peacock—platform-specific deals
- **Google**: YouTube on TV; part of Video campaigns
- **Horizontal**: 16:9; TV screen format
- **Sound on**: Assume sound; design for audio
- **Brand focus**: CTV often awareness; clear brand, CTA
- [ ] Creative in 16:9; sound-on
- [ ] Targeting defined (demo, interests, geo)
- [ ] Attribution plan (QR, URL, brand lift)

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: What Is CTV / OTT, Why CTV, Ad Formats, Platforms & Buying, Metrics, Creative, UTM for CTV, Pre-Launch Checklist, Related Skills.

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- | **Reach / frequency** | Household reach; avoid over-frequency (e.g., <7) |

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the CTV ads human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the kostja94/marketing-skills skill entry for `ctv-ads`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# Paid Ads: CTV / Streaming TV

Guides Connected TV (CTV) and OTT advertising: ads on streaming platforms (Hulu, Roku, YouTube TV, etc.). Use when targeting viewers who watch streaming content; CTV achieves ~95% ad completion, higher than mobile/desktop.

**When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

## What Is CTV / OTT

- **CTV (Connected TV)**: Smart TVs, streaming devices (Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV) that serve ads
- **OTT (Over-the-top)**: Video delivered over the internet (Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+, etc.)
- **Streaming share**: Streaming surpassed broadcast + cable combined in 2025 (~45% of TV viewing)

## Why CTV

| Advantage | Detail |
|-----------|--------|
| **High completion** | ~95% ad completion rate vs lower on mobile/desktop |
| **Unskippable** | Most CTV inventory is non-skippable pre-roll/mid-roll |
| **Targeting** | Demographics, interests, location, household data |
| **Underinvested** | CTV received ~7% of ad spend despite ~18% of media time (2024) |

## Ad Formats

| Format | Use |
|--------|-----|
| **Pre-roll / Mid-roll** | Standard video; 15–30 sec |
| **Interactive** | Drives engagement; ~71 sec additional time vs standard |
| **QR / URL** | Direct response; track offline-to-online |

## Platforms & Buying

- **Programmatic**: DSPs (The Trade Desk, etc.); audience-based buying
- **Direct**: Hulu, Roku, YouTube TV, Peacock—platform-specific deals
- **Google**: YouTube on TV; part of Video campaigns

## Metrics

| Metric | Use |
|--------|-----|
| **Completion rate** | % who watch full ad; CTV typically 95%+ |
| **Reach / frequency** | Household reach; avoid over-frequency (e.g., <7) |
| **CPM** | Cost per thousand impressions |
| **Attribution** | QR scans, URL visits; harder than web/app |

## Creative

- **Horizontal**: 16:9; TV screen format
- **Sound on**: Assume sound; design for audio
- **Brand focus**: CTV often awareness; clear brand, CTA

## UTM for CTV

Use `utm_medium=video` or `ctv` with `utm_source` (e.g., `hulu`, `roku`) for QR/URL campaigns. Tag links in interactive CTV ads for attribution.

## Pre-Launch Checklist

- [ ] Creative in 16:9; sound-on
- [ ] Targeting defined (demo, interests, geo)
- [ ] Attribution plan (QR, URL, brand lift)
- [ ] Frequency cap set
- [ ] Budget aligned with CPM expectations

## Related Skills

- **paid-ads-strategy**: Ad formats by medium; when to use TV vs web vs app
- **traffic-analysis**: UTM for CTV direct-response; attribution
- **analytics-tracking**: Conversion tracking for QR/URL campaigns