Meta video ads, explained

Ratio, resolution, length, file size and file types for Facebook and Instagram video ads, from Meta's Ads Guide, checked October 2026.

Reels ads are 9:16 at 1440 x 2560, MP4 or MOV, up to 15 minutes. What Meta asks for on sound, captions and music, and what covers your video.

Stories ads are 9:16 at 1440 x 2560, up to 60 minutes, and split into cards at 16 seconds. Here's what differs from Reels ads, from Meta's Ads Guide.

Meta's Reels and Stories safe zone: top 14%, bottom 35%, 6% each side. Here it is in pixels on a 1080 x 1920 frame, and what to keep inside it.

Meta lists 4:5 at 1440 x 1800 for Facebook Feed video. When 1:1 or 9:16 makes sense instead, and why we render each ratio on its own.

A step-by-step way to test new video ads on Facebook and Instagram without a big budget: how to set it up, how many ads, how long, and what to judge on.

What creative fatigue is on Facebook and Instagram, how to spot it in Ads Manager, what Meta says to do about it, and how often to add new video ads.

Hook rate is 3-second video plays divided by impressions. How to add it as a custom metric in Meta Ads Manager, and what it does and doesn't tell you.

Hold rate shows how many people keep watching after the first 3 seconds. How to work it out from ThruPlays or 15-second views, and how Meta defines a ThruPlay.

What Meta's Advantage+ creative enhancements do to a video ad, from auto-crop to added music and translated voiceover, and which to switch off to keep control.

Meta allows 50 ads per ad set, but the real question is how many different ideas you can fund. What Meta says now, and where the old six-ad rule went.

Meta suggests 15 seconds or less. Why our ad formats run 13 to 19 seconds, which placements cut longer ads, and when a longer ad is worth it.

A scene-by-scene script template for short Facebook and Instagram video ads, with seconds per scene from two ad formats we use and an example script.

Burn captions into your Meta video ads, keep them inside the Reels safe zone, and know when Meta's own captions are enough. Steps with Meta sources.

What Meta's "AI info" label on ads means, what triggers it, where it shows, and the extra AI disclosure rules for political and social issue ads.

What Meta's ad standards say about before-and-after images for weight loss, cosmetics and health, and how to make a before-after ad that gets approved.

What US brands pay for a UGC video ad: marketplace packages, freelance creator rates, usage rights extras and the AI route, each price linked to its source.

When an AI presenter ad is the right call, when to pay a real creator, and what the FTC endorsement rules mean for testimonials in your Meta ads.