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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsTo enable automated bidding, create a Video Reach campaign in Google Ads, choose a supported subtype, and leave the ad-group bid control at its default without entering a bid. Google’s automated-bid option is a beta feature with limited availability, so it may not appear in every account. If the control is unavailable, use a manually managed Target CPM instead.
This guide explains the exact creation path, supported subtypes and networks, how automatic bidding differs from Target CPM, what to monitor after launch, and how to switch modes later.
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What automated bidding does in a Video Reach campaign
In automatic mode, Google sets and adjusts the bid for each eligible auction rather than asking you to enter a CPM target. The documented aim is to use the campaign budget efficiently and deliver the full budget where the system can obtain reach. You do not type a target amount into the ad-group bid field.
Manual Target CPM works differently. You supply an average amount you are willing to pay per thousand impressions, and Google seeks impressions or views while keeping the average cost at or below that target over time. This gives you a unit-cost constraint, but you must choose and manage the target yourself.
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The feature is not a general setting for every video campaign. Google documents automated bidding for specific Video Reach subtypes, and the control is shown only to accounts that are eligible for the beta.
Check eligibility before building the campaign
Confirm that the campaign is a Video Reach campaign
Automated bidding is documented for the Video Reach campaign family, not Video Views campaigns. Video Reach is associated with Target CPM, while Video Views uses Maximum CPV. Selecting the wrong campaign family removes the setting you are looking for.
Supported Video Reach subtypes
Google’s automated-bid guidance lists these supported subtypes:
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- Non-skippable, also documented with Target CPM bidding.
- Target frequency, which uses Target CPM to pursue repeated exposure at the chosen frequency.
Google can change the formats and labels shown during setup. Read the subtype and format descriptions in your own account before publishing, because available ad formats depend on the subtype you select. The standard campaign-creation instructions are in Google’s Create a Video reach campaign guide.
Understand the beta limitation
The automatic-bid control is a beta feature with limited availability. Eligibility is account-based; two advertisers following the same steps may see different options. If your ad group shows only a manual Target CPM field, that is an availability limitation rather than a setup error. Google says advertisers without the automatic option must set and manage the desired bid manually.
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What you need before starting
Have the following ready before opening campaign creation:
- A Google Ads account in which video campaigns can be created and the billing setup is complete.
- A campaign budget. Google documents support for both a daily budget and a campaign-total budget.
- Start and end dates if you are using a flighted campaign or a campaign-total budget.
- The audience, geographic, demographic, and other targeting choices appropriate for your reach objective.
- A video creative that meets the format requirements shown for the selected subtype.
- A decision about whether you need a cost-per-unit constraint. If you must work toward a specified average CPM, plan to use manual Target CPM when the automatic control is absent or unsuitable.
Keep the audience and budget relationship in mind before launch. A narrow audience paired with a high budget can push average CPM upward because the system has fewer eligible impressions while still trying to spend the budget.
Step-by-step: create the campaign with automated bidding
1. Start a new campaign
- Sign in to Google Ads and open Campaigns.
- Select the control to create a new campaign.
The wording of buttons can vary slightly as Google updates the interface, but the campaign starts from the Campaigns area rather than from an existing ad group.
2. Choose the objective path
- Choose YouTube reach, views, and engagements as the objective, or choose the option to create a campaign without goal guidance.
- When prompted for the campaign type, select Video.
Google’s objective documentation explains how the Reach goal maps to Video campaign setup. You can review the current labels in About Video campaign objectives.
3. Select a Video Reach subtype
- Choose a Video Reach subtype: Efficient reach, Non-skippable, or Target frequency, provided it is available in your account.
- Read the format information displayed for that subtype. Do not assume that an ad format offered in one subtype will be offered in another.
If none of the supported subtype choices appears, check that you selected Video rather than Video Views and that the account is eligible for the beta. The absence of the automatic control itself cannot be corrected by changing a bid value.
4. Enter campaign details
- Enter a clear campaign name that identifies the audience, market, and flight.
- Choose the budget type and amount. Both daily and campaign-total budgets are documented as supported for automated bidding.
- Set the start and end dates when the selected budget type requires them.
- Configure location, language, audience, demographic, content, and other targeting settings for the reach plan.
- Review the networks available for the campaign. Google documents delivery on YouTube, Google video partners, and Google TV.
Targeting determines how many auctions are eligible. Avoid selecting an audience so narrow that it cannot absorb the planned spend unless that restriction is intentional.
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5. Leave the ad-group bid at its automatic default
- Scroll to the ad group’s Bid section.
- Leave the default bid setting unchanged.
- Do not enter a bid. Leaving the field without a manual value is the action that activates automated bidding when the beta is available to the account.
If the interface instead presents Set a target tCPM, the campaign is offering manual target bidding. Select that option only when you want to enter and manage a Target CPM or when automatic bidding is not available.
6. Add the video and publish
- Add the video creative and complete the ad fields required by the chosen subtype.
- Check the campaign summary, including subtype, budget, dates, targeting, networks, and bid mode.
- Create or publish the campaign.
After submission, allow the campaign to pass policy review and begin serving. The bid mode can be verified from the ad-group settings or the ad-group table after the campaign is created.
Automatic bidding versus manual Target CPM
| Decision point | Automated bidding | Manual Target CPM |
|---|---|---|
| How the bid is chosen | Google sets and adjusts bids in each auction. | You enter a Target CPM and manage it. |
| What you enter during setup | Nothing in the ad-group bid field; leave the default unchanged. | Select Set a target tCPM and enter the target. |
| Main optimization emphasis | Efficient delivery of the full budget, subject to available eligible auctions. | Seek impressions or views while keeping average cost at or below the specified Target CPM. |
| Cost control | No entered unit-cost target. | Explicit average CPM constraint. |
| Availability | Beta and limited to eligible accounts and supported Video Reach subtypes. | Available as the documented fallback when the beta is not shown. |
| Best fit | Advertisers prioritizing budget delivery and reduced bid maintenance. | Advertisers that must work toward a specified average CPM. |
Neither mode removes the need to evaluate audience size, delivery, unique reach, and average CPM. The choice is primarily about whether budget delivery or an explicit average unit-cost target is the stronger constraint.
Networks, budgets, and subtype scope
Where ads can serve
The documented automatic-bid scope includes YouTube, Google video partners, and Google TV. Actual inventory depends on the subtype, creative eligibility, targeting, and account settings. Treat the network list as the supported scope, not a guarantee that every impression will come from every network.
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Which budgets are supported
You can use either a daily budget or a campaign-total budget under the documented automatic-bid setup. A daily budget controls the intended average spend per day; a campaign-total budget controls spend across the scheduled campaign period. Select the type that matches how the campaign is funded and paced.
Why subtype selection matters
Efficient reach, Non-skippable, and Target frequency are not interchangeable labels. They represent different delivery goals and creative requirements. Target frequency, for example, is designed around repeated exposure, while efficient reach emphasizes reaching more people. Read the settings shown in the account and choose the subtype that matches the outcome you will measure.
What to do during the first 24 hours
Google recommends allowing an initial 24-hour ramp-up before making significant audience or budget changes. During this period, the system is gathering delivery signals and adjusting auction bids. A change made immediately after launch can make early performance harder to interpret.
Monitor these reports
- Delivery and spend: Check whether the campaign is serving and whether spend is progressing against the selected budget type.
- Unique reach: Use this to see how many distinct people the campaign has reached, rather than counting impressions alone.
- Average CPM: Watch the cost of delivered impressions and compare it with the business limit you have in mind, even though automatic mode has no entered target.
- Ad and policy status: Resolve disapprovals or limited serving before diagnosing bidding performance.
- Network and subtype performance: Break down delivery where reporting allows it so you can understand where eligible impressions are coming from.
Interpret a high CPM in context
A high average CPM does not automatically indicate a malfunction. When targeting is very narrow and the budget is large relative to the available audience, the system may face limited auction supply while attempting to spend the budget efficiently. Consider whether the audience can support the planned spend before making a large bid or budget change.
Make changes in a controlled order
- Confirm that the campaign has served for the recommended initial period.
- Check whether the issue is delivery, reach, or cost rather than assuming the bid mode is responsible.
- Change one major variable at a time—such as audience breadth or budget—so the effect can be observed.
- Allow new data to accumulate before making another substantial change.
How to change bidding after launch
Change the mode in ad-group settings
- Open the campaign and select the relevant ad group.
- Open the ad group’s Settings.
- Expand Bidding.
- To move to manual bidding, check Set a target and enter the desired manual bid or Target CPM.
- To return to automated bidding, uncheck Set a target so no manual target is entered.
- Save the change.
The automatic option remains subject to the account and subtype eligibility described earlier. If the checkbox or automatic state is not offered, the campaign may not qualify for the beta in its current configuration.
Edit from the Ad groups table
Google also documents editing the bid cell directly in the Ad groups table. Automated campaigns appear as Automated; manual campaigns display the numeric target. Select the bid cell, choose the available edit action, make the change, and save. Use the settings path when you need to verify the complete bidding configuration rather than only the displayed value.
Troubleshooting common setup problems
The automatic option is missing
- Verify that the campaign type is Video and the subtype is a supported Video Reach subtype.
- Check that you did not choose Video Views, which uses Maximum CPV rather than this Video Reach bidding setup.
- Look for a manual Set a target tCPM control. If that is the only option, the account is not currently eligible for the beta or the selected configuration does not support it.
- Use manual Target CPM and manage the target if the campaign must launch without waiting for eligibility.
The campaign is not spending
- Check policy approval and whether the video is eligible for the selected subtype.
- Review dates, budget status, location, audience, and other targeting restrictions.
- Inspect whether the audience is too small for the budget and delivery objective.
- Confirm that the campaign is not paused and that billing is active.
Average CPM is higher than expected
- Compare the audience size with the budget. A high budget against a narrow audience can increase average CPM.
- Review unique reach and delivery, not CPM alone.
- Allow the initial ramp-up period before making a major change.
- If an explicit average-cost limit is essential, switch to manual Target CPM and enter the target supported by your plan.
You entered a bid but wanted automatic mode
Open the ad-group bidding settings, remove the manual target by unchecking Set a target, and save. Then verify that the ad-group table shows Automated. If the interface does not permit the automatic state, the campaign is not currently eligible for the beta.
Practical decision checklist
Use this checklist before publishing:
- Is the campaign objective aligned with reach rather than views?
- Is the campaign type Video and the subtype one of the supported Video Reach choices?
- Does the account actually display the automated-bid option?
- Have you left the ad-group bid default unchanged and entered no manual bid?
- Is the budget daily or campaign-total, and does that choice match the flight?
- Can the selected audience absorb the budget without becoming unnecessarily restrictive?
- Are the video and format requirements satisfied for the chosen subtype?
- Have you planned to review delivery, unique reach, and average CPM after the initial ramp-up?
Official documentation
For the beta’s eligibility rules, supported subtypes, bidding controls, networks, budget types, and post-launch editing, see Google Ads Help: Automated bid for video reach campaigns.
For the current campaign-creation flow and subtype-specific formats, see Google Ads Help: Create a Video reach campaign. For the relationship between objectives and video campaign types, see Google Ads Help: About Video campaign objectives.
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