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When used correctly, Facebook video ads pay off big time and can win their place in the marketing mix of any brand, big or small.
Brands all over the world have noticed their effectiveness and are advertising more and more using Facebook videos to attract new audiences and generate more leads.
Facebook research shows that 39% of people have discovered new brands or products as a result of watching a mobile video. That’s precisely why you should focus your efforts on creating more video content to promote your products or services.
With Bannersnack’s video maker, you can easily create and edit videos in minutes, so they meet the Facebook video ads requirements.
If you want to start creating video ads for Facebook, but you don’t know what the video ads specs are, we’re here to help.
Join us on a journey to discover the Facebook video dimensions, best practices, sizes, and specifications to help you decide which ones fit your business’s needs.
Facebook Video Size And Aspect Ratio
Facebook videos can have different aspect ratios you can use for your ads. You can choose any ratio from 9:16 to 10:9 to make sure your video looks great on any device.
It’s easy to see that landscape and square videos fit desktop devices better, while vertical and full portrait modes look great on mobile devices. Make sure you consider this before choosing the right video aspect ratio for your ad.
Also, remember that since we live in a mobile world and people use their phones to check their social media feed more than ever, vertical videos have a huge advantage, especially when it comes to Facebook ads.
A Facebook ads case study from Animaker shows that the vertical videos perform much better than the horizontal ones in terms of reach, engagement, and even video completion rates.
Remember that there’s no success recipe, and you should still test what’s the best ratio for your niche and audience.
Not all video aspect ratios are allowed or even fit all the Facebook video ads placements, so make sure you carefully read the video ads Facebook specs.
Check out this comprehensive table where you can find the different video requirements across ad placements.
Furthermore, we’ll break down each ad placement to see what are the video requirements, best practices, and specifications.
Also, I’m going to show you a few examples of brands that nailed their video ads for each placement.
Facebook Videos Specs and Placements for Video Ads
As the network is getting more and more diverse, it offers a wide range of placements where you can advertise your video.
The Facebook videos can bring you different types of results depending on the user’s intent, so results may vary, and you should choose what works best for you after setting up your goals.
But, generally speaking, you can create Facebook ads to:
- Expand your reach
- Boost engagement
- Increase video views
- Drive conversions
Let’s take a look at the characteristics of each placement to see where each of them excel, so you can decide where to place your video ads to maximize results.
1. Facebook Feed Video Ads
Facebook video feed ads are amongst the most popular ads, and for a good reason. They show up in the best place to get people’s attention, alongside posts from friends, family, and favorite brands—their newsfeed.
You can upload a simple video, a 360 video, or a video carousel to show up on the user’s newsfeed, so let’s take a look at what are the technical specifications and sizes for each video type.
A. Video
The feed video ad is the easiest way to advertise on the platform and one of the most effective choices in terms of reach, engagement, and conversions. Let’s take a look at the specifications to see the Facebook video dimensions and other details you should know about this placement.
- Video resolution
Facebook recommends uploading the highest resolution source video available that meets the Facebook video ad size and ratio limits, without letter or pillar boxing. The video resolution should be at least 1,280 by 720 pixels.
- Video aspect ratio
As you can see in the video requirements across ads placements, the Facebook feed video supports all aspect ratios from 9:16 to 16:9, so it all depends on your targeting and where your audience spends the most time.
You can use the square size that fits most devices, or you can break down your ads and create different versions of your video for the mobile feed and desktop feed.
- Video length
You can upload videos that have up to 240 minutes. However, studies show that the best Facebook video ads length is approximately 15 seconds, since shorter videos may perform better.
This way, users can watch your whole video, and you can successfully share your entire message. Facebook recommends videos that quickly communicate the message or grabs people’s attention and encourages them to stay for a longer video.
- Video file type
Most file types are supported, but MOV or MP4 videos are recommended for the best results.
- Facebook video thumbnail size
The Facebook video thumbnail should have the same aspect ratio as your video and a high resolution, at least 1,280 by 720 pixels. If your video thumbnail has more than 20% text, you might experience reduced delivery in the video.
- Video file size
The Facebook video upload limit is 4GB.
- Video caption.
Optional but recommended.
- Video sound.
Optional but recommended.
- Facebook video with link.
Headline: 25 characters, description: 30 characters.
Below, you can see a great Facebook video ad example from Red Bull that promotes their annual Flugtag event, a competition where participants build their own flying machines. The video content with footage from the event is exciting and naturally engaging, so ads like this get great results.
Fun and creative videos like this one, created to boost engagement and reach, are great for the newsfeed placement since they usually capture the audience’s attention in seconds and are likable and shareable.
B. 360 video ads
360 videos are immersive experiences where viewers can explore the videos by turning their device or dragging their finger to view the surroundings. That’s a great way to advertise a video, since the scenes seem to come alive in front of your audience, making a significant impact.
If you want to create a 360 video, you have to use a 360 camera. The technical requirements your video should meet can be found below.
- Video dimensions
The maximum width is 120 px, and the maximum height is also 120 px.
- Video length
Up to 241 minutes.
- Video size
The video size can have between 1 MB and 26 GB.
- Video aspect ratio
The minimum aspect ratio is 100 x 400 px and the maximum aspect ratio is 400 x 100 px.
National Geographic has always been a promoter for all kinds of innovative types of content. Here’s a great example of a 360 video that’s incredibly appealing, making people want to see more.
C. Facebook carousel video ads
Carousel ads are among the most efficient types of ads for driving conversions, with 30% to 50% lower cost-per-conversion than single-image link ads.
The great news is that now you can also add video content to make your carousel come to life. This format allows you to showcase up to 10 images or videos, so you have more space to highlight different products, showcase specific details, or tell a story about your brand.
They are great for eCommerce, but you can also find creative ways to use them to promote all kinds of video content. Check out these Facebook carousel ads examples to get inspired.
Here are the technical requirements you must check before launching your carousel video ads:
- Number of cards
You can have anywhere from 2 to 10 video cards.
- Video file type
Most file types are supported, but MOV or MP4 videos are recommended for the best results.
- Video file size
Up to 4 GB.
- Video length
Videos can have up to 241 minutes each, but due to the carousel format, shorter videos where you encourage users to explore your story from card to card are recommended.
- Video aspect ratio
The recommended aspect ratio is 1:1 for each uploaded video.
- Text & link
For this type of ad, the landing page link is required. The primary text can have up to 125 characters, and for each card, the headline can have up to 25 characters and the description up to 20 characters.
One of the most iconic Facebook carousel video ads is this one from Target Style. The character walks from card to card to showcase the online store’s products.
2. Facebook Instant Articles Ads
Facebook Instant Articles ads allow publishers to share fast-loading, mobile-optimized articles directly in the Facebook app.
Approved publishers may choose to place ads within their Instant Articles, and your video ad can appear whenever people from your audience read these articles.
Check these specifications before you create a video for Instant Article ads:
- Resolution
Facebook recommends uploading the highest resolution video available that meets the size and ratio limits, without letter or pillar boxing (black bars).
- Source aspect ratio
All aspect ratios from 9:16 to 16:9 are accepted. However, vertical videos may be masked to a ratio of 4:5.
- Video length
You can upload videos that have up to 240 minutes. However, shorter videos may perform better.
- Video file type
Most file types are supported, but MOV or MP4 videos are recommended for the best results.
- Facebook video thumbnail size
The Facebook video thumbnail should have the same aspect ratio as your video and a high resolution. Images with more than 20% text may be removed.
- Video file size
Up to 4 GB.
- Video captions
Video captions are not available for this ad placement, so if needed, you need to add subtitles when you create the video.
- Video sound
Optional but recommended.
- Facebook video ad with link
Headline: 25 characters. Description: 30 characters.
As you can see from this beautiful example from National Geographic, Instant Articles look beautiful, and they are suitable for extensive, premium content. That means your video ad will always be in good company and get noticed.
3. Facebook In-stream Video Ads
Facebook In-stream video ads are short videos that are placed before or during other popular Facebook videos or live streams. This way, they are more similar to good old TV commercials.
With this type of ad, the audience is already watching captivating video content, so it may be more receptive to your video ad. A creative video delivered at the right audience may have great results in terms of engagement and reach.
These are audience-based, so viewers of the same video may see different ads, depending on their interests.
- Resolution
Facebook recommends uploading the highest resolution source video available that meets the size and ratio limits, without letter or pillar boxing.
- Source aspect ratio
The Facebook in-stream video supports all aspect ratios from 9:16 to 16:9, but 16:9 is recommended.
- Video length
The length of the video must be between 5 and 16 seconds. Note that shorter videos work best.
- Video file type
Most video file types are supported, but MOV or MP4 are recommended for the best results.
- Facebook video thumbnail size
The Facebook video thumbnail should have the same aspect ratio as your video and a high resolution. Images with more than 20% text may experience reduced delivery or get rejected.
- Video file size
Up to 4 GB.
- Video captions
Optional.
- Video sound
Sound is optional but strongly recommended by Facebook in this context.
The already iconic Squatty Potty ad has reached over 50 million views on Facebook and YouTube using Instream Ads. As a result, the company also saw a 600% increase in online sales.
4. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is a great place to discover and purchase items, so if you are looking for conversions, it’s one of the best places to start. The best thing about Facebook Marketplace ads is that people are already there intending to buy something.
Since the Marketplace is dominated by static images, videos will stand out a lot more and have better results.
- Resolution
Facebook recommends uploading the highest resolution video available that meets the size and ratio limits, without letter or pillar boxing (black bars).
- Source aspect ratio
All aspect ratios from 9:16 to 16:9 are accepted.
- Video length
You can upload videos that have up to 240 minutes. However, shorter videos may perform better.
- Video file type
Most file types are supported, but MOV or MP4 videos are recommended for the best results.
- Facebook video thumbnail size
The Facebook video thumbnail should have the same aspect ratio as your video and a high resolution. Images with more than 20% text may be removed.
- Video file size
Up to 4 GB.
- Video captions
Video captions are not available for this ad placement, so if needed, subtitles or captions must be added when you create the video.
- Video sound
Optional but recommended.
- Facebook video ad primary text and link
Primary text: 125 characters. Headline: 25 characters. Description: 30 characters.
An excellent Facebook Marketplace ad example comes from BarkBox, a monthly subscription service that includes food and toys for dogs.
To test their performances, they ran a Facebook split test for their ad. The results showed that the campaign performed better when ads were shown in both Marketplace and News Feed, compared to News Feed alone.
This shows that the Newsfeed is the perfect place to generate demand while the Marketplace is a great place to fulfill that demand. So, if you get the chance, use both placements for your ads to maximize conversions.
5. Facebook Stories Video Ads
Facebook Story ads are full-screen vertical ads that appear between Stories for up to 15 seconds, or until the viewer dismisses the ad. As stories become more and more popular, the Facebook Stories ads also get better results.
- Resolution
Facebook recommends you to upload the highest resolution source video available that meets the size and ratio limits, without letter or pillar boxing (black bars).
- Safe area
Consider leaving about 14% (250 pixels) of the top and bottom of the video free from text and logos to avoid covering these vital elements with the profile icon or call-to-action. If your video is 1080 x 1920 px, ensure key elements appear within a 1080 x 1420 title-safe area.
- Video aspect ratio
The aspect ratio can vary from 1:91 to 9:16. For videos under 9:16, colored gradient bars are rendered above and below. Content from the “Text” field is placed below the video.
The minimum aspect ratio is 90 x 160; the maximum aspect ratio is 191 x 100, and the aspect ratio tolerance is 0.01.
- Video length
The maximum video duration is 2 minutes.
- Video file size
Up to 4 GB.
- Video captions
Not available.
- Video sound
Optional.
- Video dimension
The minimum width is 500 pixels.
Here’s a great Facebook Story Video Example from TOMS that increased brand awareness as a result of this video ad that’s not explicitly highlighting their products. They appealed to the audience’s curiosity and had great results.
6. Facebook Search Results Video Ads
Another great place to advertise your video is the search results page on Facebook.
Similar to a Google search, with the Facebook search, you can satisfy demand and reach people who are in this discovery mindset, which leads to increased Facebook Ads conversions.
- Video aspect ratio
1:1 is the best ratio for this type of ad. Vertical 4:5 ratio is also accepted but not recommended.
- Video resolution
Facebook recommends uploading the highest resolution source video available that meets the size and ratio limits.
- Video length
You can upload videos that have up to 240 minutes. Keep in mind that shorter videos may perform better.
- Facebook video thumbnail size
The Facebook video thumbnail should have the same aspect ratio as your video and a high resolution. Images with more than 20% text may be rejected, or experience reduced delivery.
- Video file size
Up to 4 GB.
- Video captions
Not supported.
- Video sound
Optional but recommended.
- Facebook video with link
Headline: 25 characters. Description: 30 characters.
7. Facebook Video Feeds Ads
With the video feeds ad placement, you can insert your video ads in the video feeds that opens whenever people click on a video from their newsfeed.
Maybe you didn’t know you can advertise your video in this place, but it’s highly efficient. Similar to the Facebook In-stream video case, your audience is already in the watching mode, so you can reach them and get your message across in a compelling manner.
- Video resolution
Facebook recommends uploading the highest resolution source video available that meets the size and ratio limits, without letter or pillar boxing.
- Video aspect ratio
The Facebook feed video supports all aspect ratios from 9:16 to 16:9.
- Video length
You can upload videos that have up to 240 minutes. Use shorter videos that quickly communicate the message or longer videos that grab people’s attention and encourage them to stay.
- Video File Type
Most file types are supported, but MOV or MP4 videos are recommended for the best results.
- Facebook video thumbnail size
The Facebook video thumbnail should have the same aspect ratio as your video and a high resolution. Images with more than 20% text may not be delivered.
- Video file size
Up to 4 GB.
- Video captions
Optional but recommended.
- Video sound
Optional but recommended.
- Facebook video with link
Headline: 25 characters. Description: 30 characters
Here’s an example of how a Facebook Sponsored Video looks like in the video feed.
Conclusion
So, there you have it.
These were all the Facebook video sizes and specifications you need to know to start rocking your ad campaigns.
Now, all you have to do is get creative and make a video that amazes your audience.
