Multi-Channel Retargeting for CTV Visitors

Your CTV ad runs. The viewer watches the full :30, 95%+ completion rate. Then they go back to their show.

Unless you follow them.

The play: retarget those CTV visitors across every screen they touch. Meta. Instagram. YouTube. Google Display. The average household has 16 connected devices. Your TV impression should be the first touch, not the only one.

Why CTV Visitors Are Different

CTV viewers aren’t cold traffic. They:

• Watched your entire commercial (non-skippable)
• Saw you on the most credible screen in the house
• Are now familiar with your brand and message
• Just need reinforcement to take action

This is warm audience behavior. Retargeting warm audiences converts dramatically better than prospecting cold ones.

The Surround-Sound Effect

Multi-channel retargeting creates omnipresence:

Touchpoint	Device	Context
CTV ad	TV	Lean-back, high attention
Meta retargeting	Mobile	Social scrolling
Instagram retargeting	Mobile	Visual feed
YouTube pre-roll	Mobile/Desktop	Video content
Google Display	Desktop/Mobile	Web browsing

The viewer sees your firm on TV. Then in their Instagram feed. Then before a YouTube video. Then on a news site. You’re everywhere, and that repetition builds trust and action.

Seven exposures before conversion. That’s the research. Multi-channel compresses the timeline by reaching viewers across every screen, not just waiting for them to return to CTV.

Channel-by-Channel Setup

Meta/Instagram Retargeting

3+ billion monthly users across Meta platforms. Pre-filled instant forms reduce friction. Visual format reinforces TV creative.

Setup requirements:

• Meta Pixel on your website
• Custom audience: Website visitors (CTV-tagged)
• Lookalike optional for expansion

Ad formats:

• Video (repurpose CTV creative for feed)
• Carousel (multiple case types/messages)
• Instant forms (for lead capture)

Instant forms vs landing pages:

Meta’s data shows instant forms with conditional logic deliver 50% more leads converted to customers and 62% higher lead-to-customer conversion vs basic instant forms.

Bottom line: For high-value PI leads, test both. Instant forms drive volume; landing pages drive quality. The winner depends on your intake capacity and qualification process.

Google Display Network

Massive reach across 2M+ websites. Follows users across the web. Lower CPMs than social. Reinforces brand everywhere.

Setup requirements:

• Google Ads remarketing tag
• Audience list: All website visitors
• Segment by page visited if volume allows

Ad formats:

• Responsive display ads (multiple sizes auto-generated)
• Static banners (if brand control matters)
• Video (YouTube + Display network)

YouTube Retargeting

Video format matches CTV creative. High attention (especially non-skippable). Google’s cross-device graph connects TV viewers to YouTube.

Setup requirements:

• Same Google Ads remarketing tag
• Video assets (can repurpose CTV :15/:30)
• Audience list synced from website visitors

Ad formats:

• Skippable in-stream (cost-efficient, lower completion)
• Non-skippable in-stream (guaranteed view, higher CPM)
• Bumper ads (6 seconds, frequency builder)

Reddit (Emerging)

Underutilized by legal advertisers. Highly engaged users. Strong for specific injury communities. Lower competition = lower CPMs.

Setup requirements:

• Reddit Pixel
• Custom audience from website visitors
• Subreddit targeting for prospecting expansion

Audience Pool Minimums

Don’t launch retargeting until you have enough scale:

Platform	Minimum Audience	Stable Performance
Meta	1,000 users	5,000-10,000+
Google Display	100 users (minimum)	1,000+
YouTube	1,000 users	5,000+
CTV retargeting	Few thousand monthly visitors	5,000+

For PI specifically: Don’t spin up channel-specific retargeting until you have ≥1,000 tagged users in that slice. Don’t go heavy on multi-channel overlays until your global remarketing pool is several thousand monthly.

Building Your Pool

If you’re under these thresholds:

1. Run CTV prospecting first. Build website visitor volume.
2. Ensure pixels are firing. Every platform’s tag on every page.
3. Extend cookie windows. 30-90 day lookback captures more users.
4. Consider broader audiences. All visitors vs. specific pages.

The Integration Model

Here’s how the channels work together:

Frequency Management

With multiple channels retargeting the same users, frequency management matters:

Channel	Recommended Frequency Cap
Meta	3-5x per week
Display	5-7x per week
YouTube	2-3x per week
Combined	15-20x per week max

Over-frequency annoys prospects and wastes budget. Platform frequency caps prevent the same person from seeing your ad 50 times.

Conversion Path Reality

CTV doesn’t produce direct-click conversions. Here’s the actual path:

What people expect: TV ad → Call now

What actually happens: CTV ad → Later search → Website visit → Retargeting exposure → Another search → Form/call

Multi-channel retargeting inserts touchpoints throughout this journey:

Stage	Channel	Action
Awareness	CTV	Watch commercial
Consideration	Meta retargeting	See follow-up ad
Research	YouTube retargeting	Watch shorter video
Intent	Display retargeting	See reminder on news site
Conversion	Search/Direct	Submit form or call

70%+ of trackable conversions after CTV exposure show up on mobile web, search, LSAs, or phone calls, not on the TV itself. Retargeting captures users in those downstream moments.

Expected Results

Based on platform data and case studies:

Lift from Adding Retargeting

Metric	CTV Only	CTV + Multi-Channel
Conversion rate	Baseline	+20-40%
CPA	Baseline	-25-40%
Branded search	Baseline	+2-4x during flights
Overall ROAS	Baseline	Significantly higher

Retargeting vs Prospecting Performance

Audience	Relative CPA
Cold prospecting	Baseline (highest)
CTV retargeting	40-60% lower
Multi-channel retargeting	Lowest

Retargeting your CTV visitors with coordinated multi-channel delivers the best efficiency because you’re reaching already-aware, already-interested users.

Technical Setup Checklist

Budget Allocation

For a firm spending $30K/month on CTV:

Channel	Budget	Purpose
CTV Prospecting	$20K	Top-funnel awareness
Meta Retargeting	$5K	Warm audience conversion
YouTube Retargeting	$3K	Video reinforcement
Display Retargeting	$2K	Web omnipresence

This 67/33 split (prospecting/retargeting) is a starting point. As your retargeting pool grows, you can shift more budget to the higher-efficiency retargeting channels.

Measurement Framework

Track these metrics to evaluate multi-channel retargeting:

Leading Indicators

• Retargeting pool size (growing?)
• Frequency per user (manageable?)
• Click-through rate by channel
• Cost per click by channel

Conversion Indicators

• Form submissions from retargeting
• Calls from retargeting (use unique numbers)
• Cost per lead by channel
• Lead-to-case rate by source

Business Outcomes

• Total leads (CTV + retargeting combined)
• Blended cost per lead
• Cost per signed case
• Return on total video investment

The goal: retargeting should double your lead volume from the same CTV investment by capturing users who would otherwise drift away.

Common Mistakes

1. Launching Too Early

Don’t start retargeting with 200 visitors. You’ll overspend on tiny audiences with volatile results. Build to 1,000+ first.

2. Ignoring Frequency

Showing the same ad 30 times creates annoyance, not action. Cap frequency across all channels.

3. Mismatched Creative

If your CTV ad says one thing and your Meta retargeting says something else, you’ve broken the narrative. Consistent messaging across channels.

4. No Landing Page Strategy

Retargeting to your homepage wastes the warmth you’ve built. Send retargeting traffic to dedicated landing pages with clear conversion paths.

5. Measuring Wrong

Judging retargeting by last-click attribution undervalues CTV. Use multi-touch or look at blended metrics across the full funnel.

The Bottom Line

CTV builds awareness. Multi-channel retargeting converts it.

A $30K CTV investment without retargeting reaches households and hopes they remember you. The same investment with coordinated Meta, YouTube, and display retargeting:

• Reaches the same households on TV
• Follows them across every device
• Reinforces your message 7+ times
• Captures them when they’re ready to act

20-40% better conversion rates. 25-40% lower CPA. That’s not incremental. That’s a different outcome.

Your CTV visitors are warm. Don’t let them go cold.

References

1. Google. “Cross-Channel Performance Study.” 2024.

2. Meta. “Instant Forms Best Practices.” 2024. https://www.facebook.com/business/help/lead-ads

3. MNTN Research. “Multi-Channel Attribution in CTV.” 2025. https://research.mountain.com/

4. Criteo. “Retargeting Benchmark Report.” 2024.

5. eMarketer. “US Programmatic Display Ad Spending.” 2025.