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A practical, field-ready reference for designing Meta ads across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network and Threads.
The complete, field-tested reference for designers, media buyers & students
JULY 2026 EDITION • Andromeda-era delivery • Student Edition
| Inside this guide | |
|---|---|
| • Every current placement (FB, IG, Messenger, Audience Network, Threads) | • Safe zones for Reels & Stories, with practical margins |
| • Image, video, carousel, format, file-size & length specs | • The “how many creatives?” playbook |
| • Format × placement support matrix | • Facebook cover & web-banner sizes |
| • Glossary of key terms for beginners | • Student practice exercises + verification checklist |
| ⓘ NOTE How this guide is sourced Specifications are based on Meta’s published Ads Guide and Business Help Center guidance, cross-checked in July 2026 against multiple current industry references. Throughout, Meta official specs are separated from expert best-practice recommendations. See Accuracy & Verification on the final page before relying on any figure. |
Contents
1. How to Read This Guide
This is a working reference, not a poster. Read it front-to-back once, or jump straight to the Quick-Reference Cheat Sheet (Section 12) when you are mid-build. Every table uses one colour language:
| Colour / Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green cell / ✔ | Recommended, best-performing, or fully supported |
| Blue heading row | Neutral specification data |
| Amber / ◐ | Supported but limited, conditional, or no longer recommended |
| Red cell / ✘ | Not supported, or an outright mistake to avoid |
| ✔ META OFFICIAL SPEC vs. best practice — the two labels you will see META OFFICIAL SPEC = a published Meta requirement or recommendation (dimensions, file limits, formats). PRO TIP = an expert recommendation based on how creatives actually perform. Meta accepts other options; these are what tend to win. |
| ⓘ NOTE New to Meta ads? If any term is unfamiliar (CTA, CTR, ROAS, safe zone, Advantage+…), see the Glossary in Section 15 before you begin. |
2. The Meta Placement Universe (July 2026)
Meta groups inventory into four apps plus its off-platform network. As of July 2026 the placement list has consolidated toward a small number of vertical, mobile-first surfaces, and several legacy desktop formats have been retired.
2.1 Facebook
Feed, Stories, Reels, In-Stream Video, Right Column (desktop only), Marketplace, Search Results, Business Explore, and the Reels overlay slot.
2.2 Instagram
Feed, Stories, Reels, Explore, Explore Home, Profile Feed, and Search Results.
2.3 Messenger
Inbox ads, Stories, and Sponsored Messages (to people who already message your business).
2.4 Audience Network
Native, banner and interstitial units plus Rewarded Video across third-party apps and sites. Display varies by publisher, so multi-ratio assets are essential.
2.5 Threads
Threads ads reached broad availability in early 2026 and accept image, video and carousel formats, with specs mirroring Instagram Feed (4:5 or 1:1) — effectively free extra reach if you already design for Feed.
| ⓘ NOTE The Advantage+ default By default, Meta enables Advantage+ placements (formerly “Automatic Placements”), delivering one ad set across every eligible surface — which is exactly why crop-safe, multi-ratio creative matters. |
3. Core Aspect Ratios at a Glance
Almost all inventory is served by just four aspect ratios. Understand these and you understand ~95% of the system. The table below shows the standard pixel dimensions and the placements each ratio serves.
| Ratio | Pixels | Primary use | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | Reels & Stories (FB + IG), Threads video | Essential |
| 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 | All Feeds, Threads, Explore, Messenger | Best for Feed |
| 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 | Carousel, Right Column, Marketplace, Audience Network | Reliable |
| 1.91:1 | 1200 × 628 | Legacy desktop link previews | Not recommended |
| ★ PRO TIP The 90/10 rule Design at 1080 × 1350 (4:5) and 1080 × 1920 (9:16) and you have covered roughly 90% of where budget is actually spent. Everything else is marginal optimisation. |
4. Master Specification Tables
4.1 Image specifications by placement
META OFFICIAL SPEC. Recommended resolutions and the ratios Meta displays without letterboxing.
| Placement | Recommended size | Ratio | Min. width | Format | Max size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook / Instagram Feed | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 (1:1 ok) | 1080 px | JPG / PNG | 30 MB |
| Stories (FB + IG) | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | 1080 px | JPG / PNG | 30 MB |
| Reels cover / image | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | 1080 px | JPG / PNG | 30 MB |
| Explore / Marketplace / Search | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 | 1080 px | JPG / PNG | 30 MB |
| Right Column (FB desktop) | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 | 254 px | JPG / PNG | 30 MB |
| Messenger Inbox | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 | 254 px | JPG / PNG | 30 MB |
| Audience Network | 1080 × 1080 / 1920 | 1:1, 9:16 | ~400 px | JPG / PNG | 30 MB |
| Threads | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5, 1:1 | 1080 px | JPG / PNG | 30 MB |
| ⚠ WATCH OUT 1.91:1 landscape is no longer recommended Meta still accepts 1.91:1 for feed link ads, but in 2026 it standardised the Right Column to 1:1 and stopped recommending landscape for mobile. You no longer need a separate horizontal asset — repurpose your 4:5 or 1:1 Feed creative instead. |
4.2 Video specifications by placement
META OFFICIAL SPEC. Encode as MP4 or MOV, H.264 (H.265 supported), AAC audio, 30 fps, 1080p baseline.
| Placement | Rec. size | Ratio | Max length | Max file | Best length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feed (FB + IG) | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 / 1:1 | 240 min | 4 GB | 15–30 s |
| Stories (FB + IG) | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | 120 s | 4 GB | ≤15 s |
| Reels (FB + IG) | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | 90 s | 4 GB | 15–30 s |
| In-Stream (FB) | 1920 × 1080 | 16:9 / 1:1 | up to 10 min | 4 GB | 30–60 s |
| Messenger | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 / 4:5 | 240 min | 4 GB | ≤15 s |
| Audience Network | 1080 × 1080 / 1920 | 1:1, 9:16, 16:9 | varies | 4 GB | ≤15 s |
| Threads | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 / 9:16 | 90 s | 4 GB | 15–30 s |
4.3 Supported formats, file sizes & frame rate
| Attribute | Images | Video |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended formats | JPG, PNG | MP4, MOV |
| Also accepted | GIF (static) | GIF, and most common containers |
| Video codec | — | H.264 (recommended), H.265 |
| Audio codec | — | AAC, 128 kbps+, stereo |
| Max file size | 30 MB | 4 GB (keep under 1 GB for reliable upload) |
| Resolution baseline | 1080 px wide (min 500 px) | 1080p (min 720p) |
| Frame rate | — | 30 fps recommended (up to 60 fps) |
| Colour | sRGB / RGB | sRGB / RGB |
4.4 Video length limits (technical maximum vs. what works)
| Placement | Technical max | Performance sweet spot |
|---|---|---|
| Feed | 240 minutes | 15–30 seconds |
| Stories | 120 seconds | ≤15 seconds |
| Reels | 90 seconds | 15–30 seconds |
| In-Stream | up to 10 minutes | 30–60 seconds |
| Carousel (per card) | 240 minutes | ≤15 seconds |
4.5 Ad copy character limits
META OFFICIAL SPEC. Text fields are separate from the creative but govern how much of your message survives truncation.
| Field | Hard limit | Shown before “more” | Best practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary text | very high (~63,206) | ~125 characters (mobile) | ≤ 125 chars, hook first |
| Headline | ~40 characters | ~27 characters in Feed | ≤ 27 chars |
| Description | ~30 characters | varies | keep short / optional |
| Reels & Stories overlay | — | very limited | ≤ 10 chars, big & central |
4.6 Carousel & Collection specifics
Two multi-asset formats students ask about most. Design all carousel cards to the same ratio so the set looks consistent.
| Attribute | Carousel | Collection |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 2–10 cards, swipeable | 1 hero + 4+ products → Instant Experience |
| Card / hero size | 1080 × 1080 (1:1) | 1080 × 1080 (1:1) hero |
| Also supported | 4:5 (1080 × 1350), uniform across cards | hero can be image or video |
| Per-card / asset limit | Image ≤30 MB · Video ≤4 GB | same per asset |
| Formats | JPG / PNG / MP4 / MOV | JPG / PNG / MP4 / MOV |
| Text | Headline + description per card | Headline on hero |
| Best for | Multi-product, steps, storytelling | Mobile catalogue / shopping |
5. Which Placements Accept Which Formats
Before choosing a creative type, confirm it can run where you want. ✔ supported ✘ not supported ◐ supported but limited / varies.
| Format | FB Feed | IG Feed | Stories | Reels | Messenger | Right Col. | Mktpl / Search | Aud. Net. | Threads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Image | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Video | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Carousel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ◐ | ✔ |
| Collection | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ◐ | ✘ | ✘ | ◐ | ✘ | ✘ |
| ⓘ NOTE Reading the ◐ cells Collection is rock-solid in Feed and Stories; its Reels and Marketplace/Search delivery is limited and varies by objective and region, so confirm in Ads Manager before promising it. Carousel on Audience Network is publisher-dependent. |
| ⓘ NOTE Collection moved in 2026 Collection ads are no longer a top-level choice in Ad Setup; you now enable them inside Ad Creative → Format Display settings. The format still pairs one hero image/video with a fast-loading Instant Experience catalogue. |
6. Safe Zones — Where Text & Logos May Live
A 9:16 creative fills the whole phone, but Meta layers its interface on top: profile info at the top; likes, comments, share, audio, caption and your CTA at the bottom. Anything placed in those bands can be covered, clipped, or ignored. In 2026 Meta unified its vertical placements (FB/IG Stories + Reels) onto a single 9:16 safe-zone approach expressed as percentages.
6.1 Reels safe zone
META CREATIVE GUIDANCE. Keep essential content clear of roughly the top 14%, bottom 35%, and 6% on each side (these are Meta’s recommended design margins, not a hard rejection rule). Reels stack the most UI, so they need the largest bottom margin.
6.2 Stories safe zone
Stories carry lighter UI, so the bottom margin relaxes to ~20% (top 14%, sides 6% unchanged). Design to the Reels margin for a single asset that is safe on both.
| Zone | Reels | Stories | What lives there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | 14% (~268 px) | 14% (~268 px) | Profile photo, account name |
| Bottom | ~35% (~672 px) | ~20% (~384 px) | CTA, like/comment/share, caption, audio |
| Left & right | 6% (~65 px) | 6% (~65 px) | Action rail, edge fade |
| Center | Safe | Safe | Your message, product, logo, key text |
| ★ PRO TIP Design once, place everywhere Build your 9:16 asset with a central 1080 × 1080 core holding the logo and headline. It stays safe in Reels and Stories, and if reframed to 4:5 for Feed, nothing important is lost. |
7. Which Dimensions Actually Perform Best
Supported is not the same as effective. These are the expert best-practice winners:
| Goal | Use this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Feed real estate + CTR | 4:5 — 1080 × 1350 | Fills far more of the mobile Feed viewport than 1:1 or 16:9; the tallest ratio Feed allows, so it out-competes them for attention. |
| Full-screen immersion | 9:16 — 1080 × 1920 | The only ratio with zero letterboxing in Reels/Stories; owns 100% of screen and audio. |
| Multi-product / storytelling | 1:1 carousel — 1080 × 1080 | Uniform cards, swipe-friendly, works across the most placements at once. |
| Broadest single-asset reach | 9:16 video, center-safe | The system reframes it into Feed/4:5, so one file competes across surfaces. |
7.1 Dimensions that are no longer recommended
| Discouraged / retired | Replace with |
|---|---|
| 1.91:1 landscape link image (1200 × 628) | 1:1 (1080×1080) or 4:5 — Meta still accepts 1.91:1 but no longer recommends it for mobile |
| 16:9 horizontal video in mobile Feed | 4:5 or 9:16 vertical |
| Ratios taller than 4:5 for Feed images | 4:5 (1080×1350) — the current Feed maximum |
| The “20% text rule” mindset | Rule is gone, but keep text light — heavy overlays still lose reach |
8. The Practical “How Many Creatives?” Playbook
The section most people came for — clear answers to everyday production questions.
8.1 If I only design ONE image, what size?
Answer: 1080 × 1350 (4:5). Meta’s primary Feed recommendation; the most vertical real estate a Feed image can hold, and it down-scales cleanly to 1:1. Keep your logo and headline inside the central 1:1 so a square crop never cuts them.
8.2 If I want ONE video that performs almost everywhere?
Answer: 1080 × 1920 (9:16), 15–30 seconds, content inside the central 4:5/1:1 safe area. A well-composed vertical video can be reframed into Feed (4:5) and square automatically, so one master serves Reels, Stories, Feed, Explore and Threads. Hook in the first 3 seconds, design for sound-off with captions, and keep the CTA out of the bottom ~35%.
8.3 If I want THREE creatives to cover almost every placement?
The efficient professional kit — three ratios, near-total coverage:
| # | Creative | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9:16 — 1080 × 1920 (video) | Facebook & Instagram Reels + Stories, Threads video |
| 2 | 4:5 — 1080 × 1350 (image or video) | All Feeds, Explore, Threads, Messenger inbox |
| 3 | 1:1 — 1080 × 1080 | Carousel, Right Column, Marketplace/Search, Audience Network |
| ★ PRO TIP The one-line takeaway Two sizes for 90% (4:5 + 9:16), three sizes for ~100% (add 1:1). Never fewer than the 4:5 + 9:16 pair. |
9. Mobile-First Design Best Practices
The overwhelming majority of Meta impressions are on a phone held vertically. Design for the thumb, not the desktop.
-
Go vertical by default. 4:5 for Feed, 9:16 for Reels/Stories. Horizontal is a desktop relic.
-
Win the first 3 seconds. Lead with the product, the face, or the payoff.
-
Design for sound-off. Most people watch muted — burn in captions and make the message legible without audio.
-
Make text thumb-legible. Aim for ~30 px+ type at 1080 width; one idea per frame, high contrast.
-
Respect the safe zones. Keep logo, headline and CTA inside the green core (Section 6).
-
Use 1080 px as your floor. Upload at 1080 px+ so Meta’s compression starts from a clean source.
-
Brand early. Show your logo/product in the first few seconds — many viewers never reach the end.
10. Common Mistakes Designers Make
| ✘ AVOID The nine most expensive errors 1. Using one 1:1 asset everywhere. You leave Feed real estate (4:5) and full-screen impact (9:16) on the table. 2. Putting the CTA or logo in the bottom band. Reels/Stories UI covers the lower ~20–35%. 3. Exporting horizontal (16:9) for mobile Feed. It shrinks to a letterboxed strip. 4. Text too small or too much of it. Illegible on a phone and still down-ranked by delivery. 5. Ignoring sound-off viewers. No captions = no message for the muted majority. 6. Uploading below 1080 px. Meta up-scales and your ad looks soft next to competitors. 7. A slow, generic first frame. The hook must land before the thumb moves. 8. Designing to the old 1.91:1 / 20%-text rules. Both are retired guidance; you would be optimising for 2019. 9. Shipping near-identical variants. Look-alike creatives compete against each other and suppress reach (Section 11). |
11. Creative Optimisation for the Andromeda Era
“Andromeda” is the widely-used nickname for Meta’s overhauled ad retrieval and ranking system that matured through 2025–2026. It shifted the emphasis from audience-based to creative-based delivery: the system evaluates a huge pool of ads and surfaces the best matches per user, making your creative — not your audience settings — the primary lever. Dimensions still matter, but so do creative volume and diversity.
11.1 What the system rewards
| Lever | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Volume | Test many new ads each month, not a handful |
| Concept diversity | Several distinct concepts, a few executions each |
| Similarity | Vary hook, format & message — near-duplicates can be treated as one |
| Refresh cadence | Refresh often; fatigue windows are short |
| Format mix | Express one idea as UGC + single image + motion + carousel |
| Advantage+ creative | Often lifts efficiency vs. fully manual setups |
| ⚠ WATCH OUT Duplicate creatives cannibalise each other When many creatives look near-identical, the system can treat them as a single entity that competes against itself. Vary the hook, format, framing and message — not just the button colour. |
| ⓘ NOTE On the numbers in this section Specific benchmarks often quoted for the Andromeda era (exact ad counts, ROAS-lift percentages, “similarity score” thresholds) come from agency analyses and third-party studies, not official Meta figures. Treat them as directional, and validate against your own account data. |
12. Quick-Reference Cheat Sheet
Print this page. Everything you need at build time on a single spread.
12.1 The dimensions that matter
| Ratio | Pixels | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | Reels, Stories, Threads video |
| 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 | All Feeds (the default) + Threads |
| 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 | Carousel, Right Column, Marketplace, Audience Network |
12.2 Non-negotiable limits
| Images | Video |
|---|---|
| JPG / PNG · max 30 MB · ≥1080 px wide | MP4 / MOV · max 4 GB · H.264, 30 fps, 1080p |
| Feed 4:5 · Stories/Reels 9:16 | Reels ≤90 s · Stories ≤120 s · best 15–30 s |
12.3 Decision shortcuts
| If you can make… | Make these exact sizes |
|---|---|
| 1 image | 1080 × 1350 (4:5), message in the center 1:1 |
| 1 video | 1080 × 1920 (9:16), 15–30 s, center-safe |
| 3 creatives | 9:16 video + 4:5 image/video + 1:1 square |
| Highest CTR in Feed | 4:5 — 1080 × 1350 |
| Avoid for mobile | 1.91:1 landscape / 16:9 in mobile Feed |
13. Worked Examples
Three realistic briefs and the exact creative plan a professional would ship.
Example A — Local restaurant, small budget, one designer
Brief: Promote a weekend deal; limited time to design.
-
Ship: one 1080 × 1350 (4:5) image. Dish photo fills the frame; price + “This weekend” in the central square; logo top-center of the safe core.
-
Result: runs across FB/IG Feed, Explore, Threads and Messenger from a single file; square-crops cleanly for Marketplace.
Example B — D2C skincare, performance campaign
Brief: Scale purchases; testing-driven.
-
Ship the 3-creative kit: (1) 9:16 UGC testimonial video, 22 s, captions burned in; (2) 4:5 before/after image; (3) 1:1 carousel of 4 hero ingredients.
-
Testing layer: produce a few hooks per format so the system has diverse candidates; refresh regularly.
-
Coverage: Reels, Stories, all Feeds, Threads, Marketplace, Right Column and Audience Network — from one shoot.
Example C — SaaS lead-gen, video-first
Brief: One flagship explainer, maximum reach.
-
Ship: a 1080 × 1920 (9:16), 28-second video, all UI and text inside the central 1080 × 1080 core, CTA in the lower third but above the ~35% band.
-
Why: the same master reframes into 4:5 Feed and 1:1, so one video competes in Reels, Stories, Feed and Threads without a re-edit.
| ★ PRO TIP Golden rule to leave students with Design vertical, keep the message centered, respect the safe zone, and give the system variety. Master those four habits and the exact pixel numbers become second nature. |
14. Appendix — Facebook Cover & Web-Banner Graphics
These are organic Page and website graphics, not paid-ad placements — but designers are constantly asked for them alongside ad creative, so they are included for completeness. Page-asset sizes shift with UI updates, so verify against Facebook’s Help Center before a final export.
14.1 Facebook Page cover photo
Recommended upload: 851 × 315 px (or 1640 × 624 px for a sharp retina display). Facebook then renders it at 820 × 312 px on desktop and 640 × 360 px on mobile — two different crops of the same file.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Recommended upload size | 851 × 315 px (retina: 1640 × 624) |
| Desktop display | 820 × 312 px |
| Mobile display | 640 × 360 px |
| Safe zone (keep text/logo inside) | center ~640 × 312 px |
| Profile-picture overlap | lower-left corner — keep it clear |
| Format & file size | JPG or PNG (use PNG for text/logos), keep ≤ ~100 KB |
| ⚠ WATCH OUT The mobile crop trap Desktop shows more width; mobile shows more height and cuts ~90 px off each side. Design in the 640 × 312 center safe zone so nothing important is lost, and remember the profile picture sits over the lower-left corner. |
14.2 Other common Facebook image assets
| Asset | Recommended size | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Profile picture | 320 × 320 px (min 180) | 1:1 |
| Event cover | 1200 × 628 px | 1.91:1 |
| Group cover | 1640 × 856 px | ~1.91:1 |
| Shared link preview (feed) | 1200 × 630 px | 1.91:1 |
14.3 Website & web-banner sizes
For website heroes and display banners (IAB standards). Keep each file under ~150 KB for fast load; JPG / PNG / GIF or HTML5. Ratios marked green are the highest-performing / most common.
| Banner | Pixels | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Website hero (desktop) | 1920 × 1080 (16:9) | Full-width homepage header / hero |
| Website hero (slim strip) | 1920 × 600 | Header strip / page banner |
| Website hero (mobile) | 800 × 1200 or 375 × 600 | Mobile hero, portrait |
| Leaderboard | 728 × 90 | Top-of-page display ad |
| Medium Rectangle | 300 × 250 | In-content — highest-performing display size |
| Large Rectangle | 336 × 280 | In-content, larger |
| Half Page | 300 × 600 | Sidebar, high impact |
| Wide Skyscraper | 160 × 600 | Sidebar |
| Mobile Leaderboard | 320 × 50 | Mobile sticky banner |
| Large Mobile Banner | 320 × 100 | Mobile in-content |
| ★ PRO TIP Web-banner design rules Export at 2× for crisp retina display, keep it to logo + one headline + one CTA, and never rely on the top or edges for critical content — ad containers crop. For website heroes, always ship a separate portrait mobile crop. |
15. Glossary of Key Terms
Plain-language definitions for every term used in this guide — share this with beginners first.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | The shape of a creative, written width:height (e.g. 9:16). Independent of pixel size. |
| Placement | A specific spot an ad can appear — e.g. Instagram Reels, Facebook Feed, Messenger Inbox. |
| Safe zone | The central area of a 9:16 creative that Meta’s buttons and text never cover — keep key content here. |
| Letterboxing | Ugly empty bars added when a creative’s ratio doesn’t match the placement (e.g. 16:9 in a 9:16 slot). |
| CTA | Call To Action — the button or line telling people what to do next (Shop Now, Learn More). |
| CTR | Click-Through Rate — the % of people who click after seeing the ad. A key attention signal. |
| ROAS | Return On Ad Spend — revenue earned for every unit of money spent on ads. |
| CPM | Cost Per 1,000 impressions — what it costs to show your ad a thousand times. |
| Hook | The first 1–3 seconds of a video (or top of an image) that stops the scroll. |
| UGC | User-Generated Content — authentic, phone-shot style creative that looks like a real person made it. |
| Advantage+ | Meta’s automation suite — Advantage+ placements delivers one ad set across all eligible surfaces. |
| Carousel | A swipeable ad of 2–10 cards, each with its own image/video and link. |
| Collection | A hero image/video above a grid of products that opens a fast mobile storefront (Instant Experience). |
| Instant Experience | A full-screen, fast-loading landing page that opens inside the app when someone taps a Collection ad. |
| sRGB | The standard colour space for screens — export in sRGB so colours look right on phones. |
| 1080 px | The quality floor for uploads — always design at 1080 px wide or larger. |
16. Student Practice Exercises
Apply the guide. For each brief, decide the format, exact pixel dimensions, ratio, and where the logo/CTA go. Then self-check against the box below.
Exercise 1 — The one-asset challenge
| ✎ YOUR TASK Brief: A bakery has ONE product photo and no video. They want maximum reach for the least work. What single file do you deliver, at what pixel size and ratio, and where does the price go? |
Exercise 2 — Cover every placement
| ✎ YOUR TASK Brief: A gym wants ads in Reels, Stories, all Feeds, Marketplace and the Right Column. Using the fewest creatives possible, list each creative’s exact size and ratio, and name the one you would NOT use. |
Exercise 3 — Spot the mistakes
| ✎ YOUR TASK Brief: A student submits a 1200 × 628 (1.91:1) image with the logo in the bottom-right corner and 3 lines of small text, planned for Instagram Reels. List every problem and give the corrected spec. |
| ★ PRO TIP Self-check answers 1. 1080 × 1350 (4:5) single image; price inside the central 1:1 safe area so it survives square crops. 2. Three creatives — 9:16 (1080×1920) video for Reels/Stories, 4:5 (1080×1350) for Feeds, 1:1 (1080×1080) for Right Column/Marketplace. Do NOT use 1.91:1 landscape. 3. Wrong ratio (Reels needs 9:16 1080×1920, not 1.91:1); logo/CTA in the bottom ~35% UI band; too much small text. Fix: 1080×1920 vertical, logo & key text in the central safe zone, ≤10-char overlay, big and legible. |
Accuracy, Verification & Sources
| ✔ META OFFICIAL SPEC Read this before relying on any single figure Meta updates ad specs frequently and without notice, and its live Ads Guide is a dynamic, region-aware tool. The numbers here reflect Meta’s published guidance cross-checked in July 2026 against multiple current professional references, but the authoritative source on your build day is always the live spec shown inside Ads Manager for your specific placement and objective. |
Verify these 8 fast-moving numbers before you teach from them
A ~15-minute pass against the two Meta links below confirms everything that changes most often:
| # | Figure to confirm | Where to check it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reels / Stories safe-zone % (14% / 20% / 35% / 6%) | Ads Guide + Reels ad creative help |
| 2 | Minimum image width per placement (e.g. Right Column 254 px) | Ads Guide — select each placement |
| 3 | In-Stream video max length | Ads Guide — Facebook In-Stream |
| 4 | Threads ad formats & recommended ratio | Ads Guide — Threads |
| 5 | Feed image max ratio (4:5 vs taller) | Ads Guide — Facebook/Instagram Feed |
| 6 | Image max file size (30 MB) & video max (4 GB) | Ads Guide — any image / video format |
| 7 | Reels / Stories max length (90 s / 120 s) | Ads Guide — Reels & Stories |
| 8 | Facebook Page cover display & safe size | Facebook Help Center (link below) |
Where a figure is a hard Meta requirement it is marked META OFFICIAL SPEC; where it is an expert recommendation it is marked PRO TIP. Emerging-behaviour claims (2026 placement consolidation, unified safe zones, Threads rollout, Andromeda-era optimisation) are widely reported across the industry but move faster than the core dimensions — verify before betting budget on them.
Primary links to verify against
-
Meta Business Help Center — Creative best practices for text in ads
-
Facebook Help Center — Page profile picture & cover photo dimensions
Secondary references consulted for July-2026 confirmation (consolidated placements, unified 9:16 safe zones, Threads availability, Andromeda behaviour, cover-photo and web-banner sizes) include current spec compilations from established industry sources (TheOptimizer, Vizup, Get-Ryze, AdNabu, Superscale, Snappa, ShortPixel, IAB standards). These informed cross-checking; they are not a substitute for Meta’s live guidance.