The name Hulu needs no introduction. After all, the TV network is one of the most popular media companies in the world. It offers its subscribers entertainment video in every niche - from classic favorite flicks to binge-worthy new series.

Hulu announced a self-serve advertising platform in July for small to medium-sized businesses. The new platform lets advertisers and business owners with modest budgets reach the 32 million people that watch Hulu with ads.

Here’s a quick primer on the self-serve ad platform:

How Hulu's Self-Serve Ad Platform Works

If you have ever dreamed of advertising your business in shows that trend globally, this platform is made for you. The self-serve ads manager allows you to buy without the support of a sales team, and for as little as $500 in spend.

Campaign Setup

The simple self-serve ads manager walks you through every step of the process, from selecting date ranges and audience targeting to setting a budget and uploading ads.

The campaign dashboard shows which ads are running, start and end date for each, budgets, target impressions and serving status.

Audience Targeting

The audience placement tool allows you to target viewers by location (state, DMA, zip code or combination of the previous), age, and gender. You can also target by interest or show genre, but do not have the option to select the specific shows or movies your ads will display in.

Ad Creation

Hulu encourages creative and engaging ads that complement the drama, action and/or comedy in its shows.

The creative must be a video clip of between 15 and 30 seconds. You can upload ready-made HD video with stereo sound in .mov or .mp4 format. Currently, Hulu only allows one creative per campaign, and there is an ad approval process than can take up to three days.

Hulu's self-serve platform is designed for small businesses. The simple, no frills interface and low budget minimums are a major draw for SMBs looking to diversify their marketing dollars, increase awareness and level the playing field with larger competitors.

Hulu is still accepting beta testers for the SMB offering. They haven’t yet announced a full rollout of the self-serve platform. Interested businesses are encouraged to sign up for the beta, and patiently wait to be contacted.