Types of Facebook ads and the main requirements
In this article, we will discuss the most popular types of Facebook ads and the main requirements for them - image and video size, character count in text, and so on.
Formats of Facebook ads
Text + Image
The most popular and versatile creative option. The main goal here is to attract the user's attention. There is no need for a lot of text in such ads (the creative should not be overloaded with text either).
Suitable for various tasks: selling products, promoting services, increasing brand awareness.
Recommendations:
- Facebook and Instagram feed - format 4:5 or 1:1.
- Facebook and Instagram Stories - format 9:16.
- You can also use 4:5, but in stories, the ad text will be cropped. It is better to use a vertical image.
- Minimum size: 600x600
- Title: 40 characters
- Main text: 125 characters
- Description: 30 characters
Video
A more comprehensive format that allows to engage with your audience better. Videos can tell us more about the product than an image with text.
Suitable for many businesses and verticals. In most locations, video ads will show better results than simple image ads.
The tasks it solves:
- Reach;
- Brand awareness;
- Traffic;
- Engagement;
- Likes on the page;
- Responses to invitations (event promotion);
- App installations.
Recommendations for sizes and format:
- Format: MOV or MP4
- Video settings: H.264 compression, fixed frame rate, stereo, square pixels, progressive scanning
- Aspect ratio: 16:9, 9:16, 4:5, 1:1
- 128 kbit/s+ for compressing audio in AAC format
- Captions (subtitles) for video: Optional, but recommended
- Resolution: at least 1080 x 1080 pixels
Slideshow
An inexpensive and simpler alternative to video ads. It combines up to 10 images, text, and an audio file. Facebook automatically creates a slideshow from the uploaded files and shows it to users as a full video.
An excellent option for showcasing a product or offer from different angles. This option is also good for locations with slow internet - slideshows load faster than videos.
Recommendations for sizes and format:
- Images: square or rectangular, minimum 1280x720 pixels.
- Title: up to 25 characters
- Text: up to 90 characters
Carousel
In a carousel ad, you can add up to 10 images or videos that users can scroll through. For each card in the carousel, you can specify a separate link and text.
Ideal for advertisers who want to highlight the advantages of their company or provide detailed information about a single offer. It is also suitable for showcasing multiple products at once.
Recommendations for size and formats:
- Connected stories: It's better when each card in the carousel is part of one story. For example, you can create a weight loss story in the carousel.
- Large details: Images in the carousel should be of small size, as small details or text will not be visible.
- Capture attention immediately: The first 2-3 cards should grab the user's attention, otherwise, they may not scroll through the entire carousel.
- Format: aspect ratio 1:1. If the image is of a different format, it will automatically be cropped to a square.
- Minimum number of cards: 2, maximum: 10.
- For videos: minimum 1080 x 1080 px.
- Title: 40 characters
- Main text: 125 characters
Instant Experience (Canvas)
Canvas is primarily a mobile version format on Facebook, appearing as a full-screen landing page that opens after clicking on an ad post with an image or video. The landing page can include images, texts, videos, and carousels describing various products.
Great for catalogs and promoting full-fledged brands or local companies with a wide range of products. Not suitable for arbitrage with individual offers.
Recommendations for format and sizes:
- Image type: PNG or JPG
- Aspect ratio: 1:1
- Video file type: MOV, MP4, or GIF
- Resolution: at least 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Main text: 125 characters
- Title: 40 characters
Boosted Posts
A post that has already been uploaded to a Fan Page on Facebook can be turned into an advertisement and promoted. The promoted post retains all the "Likes" and comments from subscribers when new users see it as an ad. This increases trust in the brand. You can use any of the described formats and optionally add buttons, such as a button to collect "Likes".
It is well suited for promoting arbitrage offers, for warming up an account and FanPage, for increasing activity, and for more accurate monitoring of audience reactions
Lead Ads
If you are promoting a business where success depends on lead generation, then Lead Ads are the most suitable advertising format. The ads contain a feedback form that can be synchronized with a CRM system.
It is best to ask for only the most essential information in the form, as users are not inclined to fill out long forms and share personal information. You can choose the fields that will be in this form, the quantity, and the order in which they are filled out.
Facebook already knows something about users (such as their name, surname, city, age, and so on), so the system will automatically complete these fields (only if the data is not hidden by privacy settings).
Lead generation forms are inconvenient to fill out on smartphones because they do not support responsive design. Because of this, some users drop off during data entry or even before starting. Facebook offers a ready-made solution optimized for all types of devices from which users check social networks.
Offers
This literally means promotions and discounts. Offer is an advertisement in the form of an image or an image with text of a special offer. After clicking on the ad, the user has the option to buy at a physical store or online (if the seller offers a choice of purchase location). In the first case, after clicking, a QR code is displayed, which can be presented at the physical store to receive a discount. In the second case, a promo code will appear for entering on the website.
Page Likes (page promotion)
Such ads help increase organic reach. They are shown to users in their feed and encourage them to like the page. In the ad, you can use images, videos, or slideshows.
Make sure to monitor the quality of content on the page and name important reasons to like the page in the ad itself.