Video Player FAQ & Best Practices
Get the most out of the Mediavine video player!
Have video content? Learn our best practices for using our player on your website.
Important Things to Note
➡️ Mediavine does not offer an autoplay instream video option, effective February 2023.
➡️ Mediavine DOES offer the Universal Player which creates a better user experience and increases revenue.
➡️ Upload and embed your quality video content! Embedded, click-to-play videos are valuable to your readers and your revenue.
➡️ Embed videos in your recipe or how-to cards if you have them.
Best Practices
Make the best quality videos you possibly can. If you don't shoot live video footage, learn how to make high-quality videos with your images and text overlays.
If you are looking to increase revenue, stay tuned in to our Recommended Settings.
Embed post-specific videos in the recipe or how-to card. This allows you to take advantage of the SEO benefits of video schema in the card.
Only if you're not using a recipe or how-to card, do we recommend placing the embed code in your content.
Reach out to us if you need help! We're happy to assist!
FAQ
How much do videos ads pay?
It depends! Video CPMs vary depending on the time of year, but video ads can easily add 15 - 30% to your overall RPM.
For any videos that you upload to the Mediavine dashboard, make sure each video has a post-specific permalink associated in your settings, and that you have relevant keywords set! This is how advertisers decide to spend on those click-to-play videos.
Can I still use YouTube?
Yes! The Mediavine Video Player exists to help you monetize your video content on your website. It's fast, earns well, and sends Google the proper schema so that they know you have video in your content.
Your YouTube audience is on YouTube! If you have a following, we recommend you still upload your video to YouTube as well.
You just want to be sure to use the Mediavine embed code on your site.
You can even link your YouTube channel so that a "Follow" button shows at the end of your video. Learn how here!
Can I upload any video?
No.
The videos you upload must belong to you, or you must have permission from the copyright owner to run the file (e.g. a movie trailer provided to you directly by the studio).
What are the required video specs?
The largest resolution we currently stream in is 720p.
File types: Any video file type (e.g. .mp4, .mov, etc.)
Resolution: 720p (anything higher will be downsized)
File size: 3 GB or smaller
How long should my video be?
Videos should be at least 45 seconds long for advertisers to spend. We recommend a video that is long enough to serve as a useful companion to your content.
If your videos are longer than 8 minutes, we suggest enabling mid-roll ads.
Can I Autoplay Videos?
No. Mediavine's approach to video has always been a feature that sets us apart from our competitors, creates a better user experience, and consistently makes publishers the most money. Effective February 2023 Mediavine has disabled autoplay instream options.
What quality can I expect?
Quality matters! Mediavine stores the original file that you upload to our dashboard in the cloud, and then we do what's called "transcoding" so that we have multiple versions of your video to serve to users. Then, based on a user's device and Internet speed, we figure out which version to "stream" to them.
If you're on a super fast connection you'll get the best quality we currently stream (720p) and it compresses all the way down for users on poor cellular connections.
What do I put in the permalink field?
The link to the MOST RELEVANT blog post.
This is really important. Advertisers use the permalink to understand how to spend, so make sure the provided link reflects the actual video content.
This link is also used to create the Mediavine Video Sitemap, so it’s important to fill this field in correctly.
Can I upload the video more than once?
You can, but because you should always be embedding the MOST RELEVANT video in a post, if you are uploading the same video multiple times, be sure the permalink you add is actually relevant to the post you intend to embed the video in.
Where should I place my video in my blog post?
If you are using a recipe card or how-to card, best practice is to embed the video IN THE CARD.
If you create content without a card, you can embed your video anywhere in the body of the post.
You should not embed more than one Mediavine video per post. If you have several videos you want to highlight, you can embed a custom playlist.
How do I get more people to watch my videos?
Create useful content that serves as a quality companion to your post. Most people don't visit blogs to watch videos, but they DO watch videos on a blog to better understand your topic or tutorial. For revenue purposes, we offer the Universal Player.
If you have an informative tutorial there are a few things you can do to entice more views.
Create a Custom Thumbnail for your video.
Embed the video in the right spot. If you have a recipe or how-to card, you want to embed the video there. If you don't have a card, embed the video in your blog post.
Curate customized playlists for roundup posts or categories.
You can learn more about how to best utilize our custom playlists here.
When uploading a video, can I add a permalink to an article that doesn’t actually host the video in question?
Yes, you can. We just need the URL that is relevant to the content that's in the video
Should I update my videos?
Advertisers don't watch your videos, but we understand that if your video-creation skills have improved, you may want to update the videos you are providing to your readers.
If you upload a new video for a post, you will want to be sure to:
Replace the embed in the card or post
Exclude the old video from any playlists:
Change the permalink in the dashboard so that you don't have two videos in your video site map pointing to the same post.
IMPORTANT: If you delete a video from your Mediavine dashboard you will also delete the associated historical data.