Search Marketing FAQ

Vertical 9:16 (1080x1920) for Reels and Stories - the dominant Meta video format. Square 1:1 (1080x1080) or 4:5 (1080x1350) for feed. 15-30 second videos for feed; 6-15 second videos for Reels/Stories. MP4 or MOV format. 4Mbps minimum bitrate. Captions baked in (85% of viewers watch muted).

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Aspect ratio 9:16 vertical. Resolution 1080x1920. Length 5-60 seconds; 9-15 seconds for highest completion. MP4 or MOV format. Less than 4GB file size. Captions baked in. Safe zones: avoid the top 14% and bottom 35% of the frame for critical content (covered by Reels UI elements - username, CTA, sound bar).

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Vertical 9:16 (1080x1920). Length up to 60 seconds for video; 5 seconds for image. Captions baked in. Safe zones: keep critical content in the middle 70% of the frame to avoid UI overlap. Use bold text, large fonts, and high contrast - Stories are viewed at arms' length on small screens for 1-3 seconds each.

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Square 1:1 (1080x1080) or vertical 4:5 (1080x1350). 4:5 takes more screen real estate and typically outperforms 1:1 by 10-20%. Image or video up to 240 minutes for video. Text overlay below 20% of image area performs best (no penalty since 2021 but still a creative best practice for clarity).

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Vertical aspect ratios (4:5 or 9:16). Bold typography readable at thumb-zoom. High contrast colors. Critical message in first second. CTAs large enough to tap (44x44 px minimum). Avoid small detail (faces, fine text) - mobile viewers see 4-8 inches diagonal. Test on actual mobile devices before publishing, not just desktop preview.

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Meta removed the strict 20% text overlay rule in 2021. But minimal text still performs better. Aim for one short headline (3-7 words), one supporting line, and a clear CTA. Long text overlay reads as cluttered on mobile. Use the image for the visual story and the ad copy (primary text) for explanation.

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Pattern interrupts. A surprising image, a question, a bold number ('Save 30 hours a week'), a problem statement ('Stop wasting Q4'), a celebrity or recognizable face, or motion in the first 0.5 seconds for video. The goal is to make the thumb stop scrolling for 0.5 seconds longer than the next post.

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Feed: 15-30 seconds is the sweet spot - long enough for a story, short enough to retain viewers. Reels and Stories: 6-15 seconds. In-stream: 5-30 seconds. Most Meta video views drop sharply at 3-second and 15-second marks; structure your video so the key message and CTA land before each drop.

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Specific and action-oriented. 'Shop summer sale' beats 'Learn more.' 'Start your free 14-day trial' beats 'Sign up.' Match the CTA button (Meta provides Shop Now, Sign Up, Get Quote, etc.) to the conversion stage. Make the CTA visible in both the creative and the ad copy. Repeated CTAs across creative and copy lift CTR 10-15%.

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Primary text (the body copy above the image): hook in the first sentence, expand the value prop, end with the CTA. Keep under 125 characters if possible (longer copy gets truncated with 'See more'). Headline (below image): 5-10 word value prop. Description: optional, used by some placements. Match copy tone to the audience and creative.

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Five to ten words, under 40 characters. Meta truncates headlines beyond 40 characters in feed; some placements truncate even shorter. Front-load the most important word. 'Save 30% on summer dresses' beats 'Summer dresses are on sale for 30% off.' Headlines are a billboard, not a sentence.

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Open with a hook in the first sentence (problem, statistic, question). Expand the value prop in 1-2 short sentences. Include social proof or specifics (numbers, named customers). End with a clear CTA matching the button. Aim for 50-125 characters total. Avoid jargon. Use line breaks sparingly. Test 3-5 primary text variations per ad.

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Dynamic Creative is Meta's auto-optimization for creative variations. You upload multiple assets (up to 10 images/videos, 5 headlines, 5 primary texts, 5 descriptions, 5 CTAs) and Meta tests combinations algorithmically, surfacing the highest-performing variations per user. Saves manual A/B testing setup. Best for accounts with broad creative diversity to test.

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Upload multiple assets per element (image, video, headline, primary text, description, CTA). Meta combines them into variations and tests which combinations convert best for each user, learning over the first 7-14 days. After learning, the algorithm surfaces winning combinations. Lower learning overhead than manual A/B but less granular visibility into which specific combination wins.

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Use dynamic creative when you have 5+ creative variations per element and want to test the matrix automatically. Use manual testing when you have a specific hypothesis (e.g., does urgency CTA beat benefit CTA) and want clean before/after data. Most accounts run both: dynamic creative for prospecting, manual testing for specific hypotheses.

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Use 3-10 cards. Open with the strongest card (Meta does not auto-sort by default unless toggled). Each card should stand alone but contribute to a narrative. Use square or vertical 1:1 aspect. Vary creative angle per card (product, feature, testimonial, CTA). Carousels typically outperform single-image ads for product catalogs by 20-30%.

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Three to five cards is the sweet spot. Below 3 the carousel does not look like a carousel. Above 5 most users do not swipe far enough to see them. For product catalogs, more cards (8-10) work because users browsing products expect catalog depth. Test card count when you have enough data.

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Five strong patterns. Product range showcases (different products per card). Feature breakdowns (different feature per card with image). Before-and-after sequences (problem card, solution card, result card). Step-by-step instructions. Social-proof stacks (different testimonials/reviews per card). Always end with a clear-CTA card if not closed in earlier cards.

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Test one variable at a time. Use Meta's built-in Experiments feature for clean split-traffic testing. Run each test 7-14 days minimum. Test creative angle first (hook, format, message), then targeting (audience, lookalike percentage), then bidding (lowest cost vs cost cap). Avoid testing multiple variables at once - you cannot isolate which lifted performance.

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Creative angle. Creative drives 60-80% of Meta Ads performance variance. Test hook (problem vs benefit), format (image vs video vs carousel), and length (short vs long video). Once creative is dialed in, test secondary variables: CTA, primary text, audience, bid strategy. Creative tests deliver larger lifts than targeting or bidding tests.

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Three to five ad variations per ad set in testing campaigns. Below 3, learning is slow. Above 5, spend dilutes and no ad gathers significant data. Meta's algorithm allocates more impressions to winners after 50+ events; trust the algorithm rather than killing low-impression ads early. Refresh test ads when winners stabilize.

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Every 3-6 weeks for prospecting campaigns. Every 1-3 weeks for remarketing (smaller audiences fatigue faster). Watch frequency: when it exceeds 2.5-3, CTR usually starts declining. Also watch CPM rise as a fatigue indicator. Replace at least 1-2 creative variations per refresh cycle; do not refresh everything at once (kills learning).

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Open Ads Manager > select campaign or account. Default columns show Results (cost per result), Reach, Impressions, Spend. Customize columns to add CTR, CPC, ROAS, conversions by event, attribution-window options. Use breakdowns (time, delivery, action) to segment. Export to CSV or schedule via Meta Insights API for cross-channel dashboards.

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Six core. CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions). CTR (click-through rate). CPC (cost per click). Conversions (matched to objective). Cost per result (CPA, CPL, or CPP per objective). ROAS (return on ad spend, e-commerce). Add Frequency for fatigue diagnosis. Use Spend as the size indicator. Avoid Likes, Comments, Shares as performance KPIs unless objective is Engagement.

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