1 August 2022 | Cara Burkitt – Paid Social Executive at Tag Digital

Facebook ad formats are the layout of your ad that you choose in order to create your ads within Facebook Ads Manager. Selecting the correct Facebook ad types is crucial to the overall success of your campaign. 

1. Facebook Image Ads

Image ads are the most frequently used format when creating campaigns for Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. They contain a single image and can be used across multiple placements and platforms. The creation process for Image ads is quick and effective to build.

Using high-quality images, we are able to drive users within your target audience to the preferred website destination. This ad format is suitable for all stages of the funnel and helps meet all campaign objectives.

The ads are versatile and you can use them in a variety of placements including Desktop, Mobile Newsfeed, Instagram Feed, Messenger Inbox, and Instagram Stories. 

Example Image ads on Facebook:

Best practices for image ads: 

• Use images that consist of less than 20% text.
• High-quality images that are in a supported format for image ads.
• Text lengths:
  • Headline: 25 characters 
  • Main text: 125 characters
  • Link description: 30 characters 

2. Facebook Video Ads

Video ads are a great way to catch your audience’s attention while showcasing information about your event. We are now seeing video ads outperforming other ad formats, often leading to a lower cost per conversion.

High resolution is important where possible to be able to drive high audience engagement. Gain your target audience’s attention by using GIF graphics or other animations within video ads. Utilising videos across different stages of the funnel can help audiences understand your brand and result in maximum success. 

There is a platform on Facebook for interactive and immersive 360° videos. This allows users to explore 360 videos by turning their device or dragging their finger through the content. 

Best practices for video ads:

• Make sure videos are high resolution.
• Don’t overload videos with text, this can disengage the audience.
• Video thumbnails with more than 20% text may experience reduced results.
• We recommend keeping the videos under 30 seconds to keep the audience engaged, you want to grab their attention within the first 2 seconds. 

Example Video ads on Facebook:

3. Slideshow Ads

The slideshow ad format allows you to combine up to 10 images, and videos with text and sound to capture your audience’s attention. Slideshow ads will automatically play on Facebook and Instagram like a video and in a loop. This ad style offers an immersive ad experience for your target audience. 

Slideshow ads are an effective substitute for a video, they are a simplified version of creating videos through images. Video content is preferred as they often perform better and convey more information. 

4. Carousel Ads

This ad format allows you to showcase up to 10 images or videos within a single ad, each able to have its own link, headline, and description. Giving you the opportunity to showcase event highlights, speakers, exhibitors, key features, special offers, and more. 

Carousel ads also are a great way to highlight different features of your event including ticket offers, exhibition locations, and networking opportunities. 

Tag Digital recommends using a maximum of 5 images as this is shown to give the best performance based on previous testing.

Example Carousel ad on Facebook:

5. Story Ads

Stories are a great way to engage with your target audience. We recommend using image sizes 1080 x 1920px to ensure your stories fit the full screen on mobile. Video and slideshow creatives are suitable for this ad placement, allowing you to achieve more content with one creative.

Stories are increasingly popular on platforms Facebook and Instagram, Tag Digital recommends using stories for all campaigns. Learn more about Stories ads specs. 

Best practice for Facebook Story ads:

• Keep at least 14% at the top and bottom of the image text free to make sure the page name and call-to-action (CTA) aren’t covering important information. 

Example Stories ads:

If you are interested in learning more about Facebook advertising, the Tag Digital team is here to guide you through the best options based on your objectives – get in touch today or get started by requesting a proposal here.