How long should a Meta video ad be?

What Meta actually says

Meta's mobile video tips put it plainly: consider delivering your message in 15 seconds or less, start with your most captivating elements, and build for sound off. For in-stream ads, which can run from 5 seconds to 10 minutes, Meta suggests keeping them to 15 seconds at most.

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Where length starts to change how the ad plays

So 15 seconds is the line that matters most. Under it, the whole ad plays as one Story on both apps. Over it, part of your ad may not be seen on Stories.

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Why our ads are 13 to 19 seconds

The length comes from the scenes, not the other way around. A hook gets 2.5 to 4 seconds to land a line and a picture. Product and demo scenes get 3 to 3.5 seconds, enough to read a caption and see the thing. A problem-solution ad has six scenes to fit, so it runs 19 seconds; an offer ad has four, so it runs 13. Shorter would mean dropping a scene; longer would mean padding one.

When a longer ad is worth it

This is our view, not a Meta rule. Longer ads earn their time when the viewer needs more to say yes: a product that has to be shown working, a price that needs explaining, or a founder telling why they made it. They also suit people who already know you, since they're more likely to keep watching.

If you go long, front-load. Put the hook and the product in the first 15 seconds so the ad still makes sense when Stories cuts it to one card. Then test it against a short cut of the same idea instead of guessing.

Questions

What is the ideal length for a Facebook video ad?

Meta suggests 15 seconds or less. That keeps the ad in one card on Facebook Stories, where ads over 15 seconds are split. Feed allows far longer, but shorter is the safer default.

Are 30-second Instagram ads too long?

Not always. Instagram Reels allows up to 15 minutes. On Instagram Stories, though, anything 16 seconds or longer can be split into cards and some viewers won't see the end, so put the key message early.

What's the shortest video ad Meta allows?

Meta's Ads Guide lists 1 second for Facebook Feed, Facebook Stories and Instagram Stories, and 0 seconds for Instagram Reels. In-stream ads start at 5 seconds.

Why does my ad need a hook in the first 3 seconds?

Meta tells advertisers to start with their most captivating elements. Our hook scenes run 2.5 to 4 seconds. When you connect your Meta ad account, RhythmAds shows hook rate (3-second video views divided by impressions) so you can see whether the opening held people.