Everything You Need to Know About Facebook Ads Sizes and Specs in 2018

Ads can make or break your business — especially if you get your sizes and specs wrong.

If you’re going to spend your hard-earned money advertising on Facebook, you need to be sure to get all the specs right before you run them.

Facebook constantly changes their ads requirements. So, it can be a real challenge to stay on top of things. Because of that, we’ve made a complete, most-up-to-date guide for you — all updated for 2018.

1. Sizes and specs for Feed Ads

The News Feed is the most competitive space for advertisers. However, it is also the best place to make your ads really stand out to users personally. The key thing is here is you’ll need to make sure your videos and images are optimized for both mobile and desktop users.

2. Sizes and specs for Right Column Ads

Ads in the right column are image-only and would only appear on the desktop News Feed, not on mobile. That means that your engagement is limited to only one device type. However, right-column ads are great for businesses who want to advertise in a less competitive space than the Feed, and want to drive awareness to their Pages.

Images guidelines

3. Sizes and specs for In-Stream Video Ads

In-Stream video ads are different from regular video ads on the News Feed in two ways: length and completion rate. They only last between 5 to 15 seconds, and users cannot skip ahead. Because of that, their completion rate is 70% and most users play the ads with sound on.

Quick and easy to view, the In-Stream video ads are perfect for businesses that want to captivate their audience with the smallest yet most effective of interactions.

Video guidelines

4. Sizes and specs for Collection and Canvas Ads

Collection Ads are a great way for a business to provide highly visual and interactive content. Interestingly, they also allow a combination of photos and videos in the same ad. 

Firstly, when users click the video ad on mobile, they are sent to the Facebook Canvas, which is Facebook’s latest ad format. Then, users are taken to an immersive, full-screen version of the ad — this is where they can immerse themselves in the content in a new, highly engaging way.

5. Sizes and specs for Messenger Ads

Facebook Messenger is another new ad placement option available on the platform. When users scroll through their messages, you can run sponsored ads that will appear between conversations. Do note: the ad format is image-only and appears only on the Messenger app, not on the desktop version.

Image guidelines

6. Sizes and specs for Marketplace Ads

Facebook Marketplace is another new addition to Facebook. Basically, it works as a hub for people to buy and sell items with others in their community. While scrolling through this hub, users will run across Facebook Marketplace ads.

The Marketplace is ideal if you want to attract users to your site who are searching for a specific product, or even location. Also, you can run the ad with both images and video.

4 key takeaways for all ad types          

• Firstly, it’s very important to follow guidelines on character limits. Facebook has explicitly warned that ads with more than 20% text will increase chances of failed delivery. Consequently, if you use more than what Facebook recommends, your ads won’t be shown to as many people as you’d want them to.
• Secondly, always use photos and videos with the highest specs possible — and always check whether the images and videos are displayed correctly for both mobile and desktop users before you run them.
• Also, it’s 2018 and everyone loves creative, highly interactive ads. Because of that, Facebook is placing more emphasis on videos over images and link-based ads. When in doubt, always go with a video ad for higher engagement.
• Finally, some ads work better in certain placements over others. You won’t know until you run them. Always test to see what works, and analyze the data you’ve gathered in the Pixel.