AdSense RPM dropped by 60% after enabling mid-roll ads – is this normal?

This is actually a common misconception. When you enable mid-roll ads, YouTube may serve more ad breaks, but the RPM can drop because the average view duration often decreases—viewers click away when an ad interrupts mid-video. Also, automatic ad placement can sometimes place mid-rolls in awkward spots, hurting viewer retention. My advice: check your average view duration in YouTube Studio. If it dropped significantly, that's your culprit. Try using manual ad placements instead, and only insert mid-rolls at natural breaks (like when you transition topics). For 10-12 minute videos, 1-2 mid-rolls max is usually safe. Also, keep in mind that RPM fluctuates seasonally—Q1 is often lower due to lower advertiser demand. Give it another week or two before making drastic changes.

I'd also add that automatic ad placement is notoriously bad for mid-rolls. It often inserts them at the worst times, like right in the middle of a sentence. I switched to manual placement a while ago and saw my RPM stabilize. Here's what I do: I watch my video and mark 2-3 spots where there's a natural pause or a change in topic. Then I place the mid-roll ad at those exact timestamps. This keeps the viewer engaged and increases the chance they'll watch the ad. Also, check your CPM vs. RPM—if your CPM is stable but RPM is down, it's a watch time issue. Another thing: if you have a lot of viewers from developing countries, their ad rates are lower, so if your audience mix changed (e.g., a video went viral in a low-CPM region), that could explain the drop. Use the 'Revenue by country' report to see if that's a factor.

Thanks for the insights, cutpro67 and frameclub13. I checked my analytics, and my average view duration did drop from about 4:30 to 3:10 after enabling mid-rolls. That's a huge difference. I'm going to switch to manual ad placement and only use one mid-roll at a natural break, as suggested. I'll also keep an eye on the country breakdown—I did notice a recent video getting more views from India, so that might be affecting RPM too. I'll give it a week and see if things improve. Appreciate the help!