Social Media Ad Specs: Make it Right the First time
Marketers face many challenges. But perhaps the greatest challenge is to stay relevant in an ever-changing world.
Advertising has changed with social media. Brands are increasingly relying on video ads. It’s not enough for brands to know what type of ads they should post. They must also consider the appropriate visuals and social-media ad formats to be posted on the platform.
Facebook Video Specifics
Facebook has been growing in popularity every year since its introduction in 2004. It is now the most popular social platform where users can upload pictures, videos and update about their lives. Advertisers love Facebook advertising. The platform generates a large portion of its revenue through advertising.
Facebook offers too many options for what kind of video you can post, which is a problem for advertisers. These are the guidelines to follow.
Videos of landscapes
Video dimensions – 1280 x 720
Minimum width – 1200 pixels
Aspect ratio – 16:9
Maximum file size: 4GB
Video format – MP4 and MOV
Maximum frames – 30fbs
Video length max – 240 minutes
Portrait videos
Video dimensions – 1280 x 720
Minimum width – 1200 pixels
Aspect ratio – 9:16
Maximum file size: 4GB
Video format – MP4 and MOV
Maximum frames – 30 fbs
Video length max – 240 minutes
Brands should upload high resolution videos (1080×1080) to ensure maximum viewership. Each type of Facebook advertisement is unique. With the increasing number of advertisers on Facebook it becomes more important for brands to get the social media advertising formats right.
Instagram Video Specs
In 2013, Instagram’s video function was launched. It quickly became a success and, by 2015, Instagram advertising was the most effective way to get immediate results.
Instagram is primarily an image and video sharing platform, so advertisers need to get their ads right the first time.
Feed Videos
Minimum resolution: 1080×1080
Recommended horizontal resolution – 1920
Landscape aspect ratio – 16:9
Vertical aspect ratio – 4:5
Square aspect ratio – 1:1
Max file size (all formats) – 4GB
Video formats that are recommended – MP4 and MOV
Video length – 3-60 seconds
Carousel Video Ads
Minimum resolution 600×600
Maximum resolution: 1080×1080
Maximum file size – 4GB
Aspect ratio – 1:1
Video format recommendations – MP4 and MOV
Videos per ad post – 2 to 10 videos
Instagram Reels
Insta reels were a new feature that social media giants introduced in 2020. Instagram reels are similar to TikTok’s short videos and easy sharing.
Recommended resolution: 1080×1080
Aspect ratio – 9:16
Video length – 15-30 seconds
Formats recommended – MP4 and MOV
Maximum file size: 4GB
TikTok Video Specs
TikTok was popular right when many social media users were searching for new platforms to entertain and keep them entertained. Although the social media platform was immediately a hit with younger users, some professionals still have not mastered TikTok’s marketing and how to use ads best.
TikTok’s short videos make it easy for content creators to create trendy content. TikTok allows users to easily create, share, and view videos. Creators need to ensure that the dimensions of videos are consistent with the standard mobile phone dimensions.
TikTok Feed Ads
Resolutions: 540×960, 960×540, or640x640
Aspect ratio: 9:16, 1:1 or 16:9
Recommended length: 9 to 15 seconds
Maximum file size – 500MB
Bitrates minimum – 516 kbps
Video formats – MOV, MP4, MPEG, AVI, 3GP
TikTok Organic Videos
Resolutions – 1080×20
Aspect ratio – 9:16
Length: 15-60 seconds
Maximum file size – 287.6MB
Video formats – MP4 and MOV
Twitter Video Specifics
Twitter is another popular social media platform, with 206 millions active users each day. Some of the most well-known people have large followings on Twitter. Former President Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian (reality star) and Rihanna (singer) are some of the most popular Twitter accounts.
The “bird app”, as it is commonly referred to, allows brands to advertise content in a variety of industries, including the entertainment and sports sectors. Twitter allows you to easily share content. However, the dimensions of the in-feed content can change.
Landscape resolutions – 1280×720
Portrait resolutions – 720 x 1280
Square resolution -720×720
Aspect ratio (portrait/landscape) – 16:9
Square aspect ratio – 1:1
Maximum file size -512MB
Video formats that are recommended: MP4 and MOV
Video length – 140 seconds
Recommended frame rates: 30 or 60 fps
Maximum character count – 280 characters
YouTube Video Specifics
YouTube is the most popular search engine. It is also the best network for video content. Marketers can use the space to promote their products and share video content.
YouTube is always evolving and finding new ways to reach people regardless of their age. It offers everything from promotional videos to full-length movies. Learn more about each video format available on YouTube.
Standard YouTube Video
Dimensions recommended: 3840×2160. 2560×1440. 1920×1080. 1280×720. 854×480. 640×360. 426×240.
Aspect ratio – 16:9
Maximum file size – 128GB
Video formats – MP4, MOV and MPEG4, MPEG4 MPEG-PS and AVI, WMV, FLV and 3GPP
Maximum video length: 12 hours
YouTube Shorts
Dimensions recommended – 2160×3840. 1440×2560. 1080×1920. 720×1280. 480×854, 360×640. 240×426.
Aspect ratio – 9:16
Maximum video length: 60 seconds
Video formats – MP4, MOV and MPEG4, MPEG4 MPEG-PS, and AVI, WMV. FLV, FLV, and 3GPP
Maximum title character – 100 characters
Maximum video length: 15 seconds
Social media advertising campaigns offer endless possibilities. Now is the right time for brands and marketers to integrate video content into their marketing plans. It shouldn’t be difficult to navigate the details of these video ads.