Creating and running ads on Facebook is a great way to reach your target audience and increase your chances of growing your customer number. But besides a well-chosen objective and a catchy call-to-action, a very important factor in the success of an ad is the content itself. It must be customized to follow Facebook’s recommendations. In this article, we will share with you the most recent specs the social platform recommends to make sure you get the newsfeed ad size right.

Some brands and businesses, especially those new to Facebook advertising, might find themselves wondering how big an image for a newsfeed ad should be. They also want to know what‘s the size for the thumbnail in the case of a video ad, or how much text they should use. Those still looking for answers to the above questions have come to the right place. This piece will provide them with up-to-date information on newsfeed ad size and how such an ad should look.

Facebook newsfeed ad size recommendations

Marketers have the option to try the “one-size-fits-all” method that does not guarantee they will end up with an effective ad. A better idea would be to make ads customized for the exact placement and ad type they want to use.

Newsfeed image ads

Image ads are very popular and the most used format on the social platform. Marketers run image ads in an attempt to drive people to their websites or apps through high-quality visuals.

When it comes to the images, the design recommendations are as follows:

• File type: jpg or png
• Image ratio: 9:16 to 16:9
• Resolution: the highest-resolution image available
• 20% text on images
• Text: 125 characters

For those who don’t know about the 20% text rule, we should clarify that image text means any text that is overlaid on your ad image or creative. It does not include text outside of the image/video, such as the body text of the ad.

 

If it’s an image with the link, the recommended specs are:

• Images cropped to 1.91:1
• Resolution: at least 1200 x 628 pixels
• Headline: 25 characters
• Link description: 30 characters

Technical requirements for images:

• Minimum image width in pixels: 600
• Minimum image height in pixels: 600
• Aspect ratio tolerance : 3%

Besides single image ads, Facebook also allows advertisers to create carousel ads and collection ads. They usually include more than one image or video. The carousel format is perfect for those who want to showcase more products within a single ad. It allows up to ten images or videos to be used, each with its own link. It can also be used to highlight different functions of a single product or even tell a story in sequences. Meanwhile, the collection ad format offers a special experience as well. It allows businesses to catch the attention of Facebook users with a cover image or video, followed by several product images.

In the case of these formats, the newsfeed ad size recommendations change a bit, as follows:

• Video maximum file size: 4 GB
• Image maximum file size: 30 MB
• Recommended resolution: at least 1080 x 1080px
• Recommended ratio: 1:1
• Video format: MP4 or MOV is recommended, but most formats are supported
• Video length: up to 240 minutes

Newsfeed video ads

They say an image is worth a thousand words, but a video is way better if you want to tell a story and move people through sound and motion. Video ads are a perfect fit for marketers wanting to show off their product’s features or advantages of their services. It’s also important to know the newsfeed ad size when you are creating a video ad. The recommendations from the social platform in terms of design for video ads include:

• most file types are supported
• use the highest-resolution source video available
• no letter or pillar boxing (no black bars)
• use H.264 compression, fixed frame rate, square pixels, progressive scan and stereo AAC audio compression at 128+ kbps.

Also, other technical requirements include:

• Video ratio: 9:16 to 16:9
• Video length minimum: 1 second
• Aspect ratio tolerance: 3%
• Video captions: Optional but recommended
• Video sound: Optional but recommended
• Text: 125 characters
• Vertical videos (with aspect ratio taller than 2:3) may be masked to 2:3
• Video file size: 4 GB max.
• Video length maximum: 240 minutes

If you create a Facebook video ad with a link, keep in mind that the headline should not exceed 25 characters and the link description 30 characters. Moreover, keep in mind that you still have to follow the 20% text rule for the video thumbnail image, otherwise your ad may experience reduced delivery.

It should also be mentioned that Facebook admits both 360° images and videos for newsfeed ads. Actually, the platform provides an interactive and immersive experience through 360° videos and panoramic images. And it’s very easy for users to explore this kind of content, just by turning their device or dragging their finger on the screen to see the whole content.

Conclusion

Newsfeed ads are more likely to generate more leads for your business as they are more visible to Facebook users. Businesses need to manage to narrow down target audiences to find the right people to show their ads and use the recommended newsfeed ad size. As a result, their chances of increasing product purchases will significantly increase.

And given that Facebook ad options are constantly evolving and changing, it is essential to stay updated with the latest recommendation in terms of newsfeed ad size. This way you can make sure you create ads with the best odds to succeed.

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