When it comes to growing online sales, Facebook ads are typically among the first tactics to be listed and praised.
It makes sense: when done right Facebook ads can be affordable but provide a staggering ROI.
The potential gains have helped Facebook advertising grow more than 40 (!) times over the last decade:
Advertising on Facebook is often made out to be an easy win for an ecommerce business owner, but it’s not—it’s actually *really* hard. If you play it by ear and do what feels intuitive, it will take you a long time (and money!) to see tangible results.
You might also find it hard to benchmark your advertising results seeing how much outcomes vary between industries:
- Average click-through rate varies from 0.47% to 1.61%
- Average cost per click ranges from $0.45 to $3.77
- Average conversion rates start at 2.31% and rise up to over 14%
Here’s the thing—we don’t want you to burn money (figuratively or literally).
One of the huge factors in your campaign success is the Facebook ad format you choose. In this guide, we’re taking you through everything you need to know about Facebook ad formats to
Why the focus on ad formats?
Unlike strategy-driven campaigns, objectives, and placements, Facebook ad formats are the creative, visual appearance of your ad.
In other words: Facebook ad formats emphasize the graphics you use, such as images and videos, as well as their layout and presentation, to bring your story and your products to life.
Ad formats matter because they’re built with the immediate context and end user in mind. From device and screen size to copy and layout, ad formats are tailored to naturally suggest the next best action for the user.
You can see how important it is to focus on the format that is best suited for your goal in these two examples:
First, we have a 10-second video ad from Budweiser that aims to get the brand onto their ideal audience’s brand. This format captures short bursts of attention in the feed and keep the brand top of mind:
On another hand, this carousel ad from Jasper’s market emphasizes different cookware categories with discounts for each, aiming to drive sales:
The video format wouldn’t have worked for multiple discounts like the carousel format did because it wouldn’t provide the logical next step so clearly.
Another benefit to knowing ad formats inside out is their power to look their best on the devices they’re displayed on.
For example, desktop formats will allow for longer copy and more details, while mobile formats will focus on an immersive, full-screen experience—while communicating the same message.
This is crucial because research has revealed that:
- As many as 40% of online transactions now involve multiple devices along the way
- Customers who shop on more than one channel have a 30% higher lifetime value than those who only shop on one
There was never a better time to be present on all devices in a way that feels relevant.
Let’s dive into each Facebook ad format to help you run ads that work for your business and products.
The six Facebook ad formats
Facebook ad formats you can choose from include:
Side note: While canvas ads are technically an ad destination rather than a format, they can be used in combination with standard ad formats and provide a superb full-screen experience.
It is driven by visuals and appropriate for every step of the customer journey, so it definitely earns its place here.
1. Video ads
Organic video content on Facebook has been on a rapid growth track for a while, and impacted strategies of brands of all sizes and industries.
In fact, it was early 2016 when published and shared videos skyrocketed while referral traffic and photo posts started noticeably underperforming:
It’s no surprise video ads nowadays make up a huge chunk of Facebook advertising efforts.
It’s best to use video ads for: A scroll-stopping, compelling experience that engages the viewer.
Videos are the most dynamic content you can serve in a busy Facebook feed. A compelling first screen combined with clear copy has the power to capture and retain viewer’s attention and drive it to the ideal next step you chose for your campaign.
Along with image ads, the video ad format is the most widely applicable format across the full customer journey, from awareness through to conversion.
Video ad specifications: In short terms—your video needs to be of the highest possible quality from a technical point of view. Crisp footage is a must!
Make sure to also follow these video ad technical requirements:
- Video Ratio: 9:16 to 16:9
- Video File Size: 4GB Max
- Video Length Limitations: 1 second to 240 minutes
- Video Captions: Optional but recommended
- Video Sound: Optional but recommended
- Text: 125 characters
- Video thumbnail images that consist of more than 20% text may experience reduced delivery
- Vertical videos (with aspect ratio taller than 2:3) may be masked to 2:3
- Video ads with a link: Headline length 25 characters, link description 30 characters
Tips to make video ads successful: Video ads empower you to show off what makes you unique and worth the attention.
This can be by showcasing a product, service, or your brand as a whole. The variety of it is where the beauty is!
Keep in mind you’re trying to win viewer’s attention in the sea of other videos. Here’s how to make sure you stand out:
- Have a single message. Your viewer will know what to do next if you convey that *one* message instead of trying to get them to visit the store, sign up for discounts, and buy all at once!
- Keep it short. Shorter videos have a higher completion rate, so the message you choose to convey will have a better chance of being shared!
- Feature your product or brand message as early as you can. This will increase brand recognition and later recall.
- Go square or vertical to take up the screen on mobile. Leave no room (literally!) for any distractions.
The brands that absolutely nailed video ads:
As mentioned above, video ads work equally well for awareness, consideration, and decision stages.
On the left-hand side below, you can see Perrier with a brand awareness campaign that features a looping video. This short video built on a large TV campaign that featured the visual metaphor of hot air balloons as bubbles.
On the right-hand side, you can see a product launch campaign from Nescafé with an equally short video.
What made these campaigns so successful is the end user in mind. The dynamics, short scenes, and clear messaging contributed to the successful delivery of both messages.
2. Image ads
Us humans are visual beings, and the idea of a picture being worth a thousand words is nothing new.
The image ad format has the advantage of being the easiest to make and launch into the world. However, that doesn’t mean there’s any room for images of poor quality.
Whether it’s low resolution, bad color or font choices, or simply a visual that doesn’t align with the rest of your brand, a poor image in a Facebook ad will do you more damage than good.
It’s best to use image ads for: A mini-website of sorts.
Since image ads can be used for any of the advertising objectives, it truly comes down to the message you want to communicate. A single image (as opposed to carousels or collections, which we’re covering later) can be powerful with carefully written copy, both short and long.
Think of a website you like that has a strong message. A good Facebook image ad can represent this by inspiring, surprising, or educating its viewer. A great example of this is an ad from Wix, a website building platform:
Image ad specifications: Once again, high-quality visuals have the priority.
Here are some design and format recommendations for image ads:
- File type: jpg or png
- Image ratio: 9:16 to 16:9
- Recommended resolution: Upload the highest resolution image available
- Minimum resolution: 600 x 600 pixels
- Images that consist of more than 20% text may experience reduced delivery
- Text: 125 characters
- Image ads with a link: Headline length 25 characters, link description 30 characters
Tips to make image ads successful: Other than the non-negotiable high resolution of the images, keep in mind these extra tips.
- Have a clear goal. Because you’re dealing with a static visual, you might be tempted to cram a lot into it. Err on the simple side and let your one product or promotion really shine through.
- Show dynamics and interactivity. This is necessary to stop the scrolling, so show your product or customers in action. This is a great example from Sunnyside Bar:
- The less text on the image, the better. Facebook punishes too much image text and only allow up to 20% text-to-image ratio. If you feel the need to add a lot of text to your image, try revisiting the image itself—is it because it doesn’t speak enough on its own? Make sure to test all your images through the Image Text Check tool.
The brand that absolutely nailed image ads:
M.J. Bale’s suits, a men’s fashion brand, ran this campaign to promote their suits for business travel.
What really stands out in this ad is the long, diary-style caption, one that you’d expect from a friend on your feed more than from a brand. It perfectly told the story of the product without complicated or expensive visuals.
3. Collection ads
It’s time to dive into the wonderful mix of video, slideshow, and product image visuals that you can use to create a seamless, full-screen experience with high brand awareness and deep product focus.
It’s best to use collection ads for: Product discovery, browsing, and purchase on mobile devices.
Collection ads are an ecommerce dream. By pairing video or imagery with relevant products, you can drive inspiration and directly connect it with your products and offers.
You might think collection ads are similar to Facebook Page posts with tagged products, but there is a key difference. Page posts are completely organic and they’re visible on all devices. Collection ads, however, empower you to specifically target your ideal audience on mobile devices and get them to purchase on your website or app.
Collection ads can be used for traffic, conversions, catalog sales, and store visits advertising objectives.
Collection ad specifications: Collection ads create a visual and immersive shopping experience and typically include a cover image or video followed by several product images.
The mechanics of a collection ad: user clicks on a Collection ad and land on Canvas—a full-screen experience that drives engagement and nurtures interest and intent.
Make sure to follow these specifications:
- Image or Video: The cover image or video that displays in your collection ad uses the first media asset from your full-screen Canvas
- Headline: 25 characters
- Text: 90 characters
Tips to make collection ads successful: Collection ads perform the best when they are tied to a hyper-specific, product-driven goal.
Here are the best ways to identify the best one for you:
- If you want to showcase your products in a grid so that your visitors would browse more products in one place, use the Sell Products (Grid Layout) template
- If you want to tell a strong brand message and encourage discovery and sales for your products, use the Sell Products (Lifestyle Layout) template
- If you want to encourage people to visit your website or app to learn more and purchase, use the Showcase Your Business template
- If you want to drive conversions with a mobile landing page that encourages action, use the Get New Customers template
You can explore the Facebook Canvas templates here.
The brand that absolutely nailed collection ads:
It was a struggle to limit this to just one brand because retail brands are absolutely killing it in this area.
And that’s expected—I can hardly think of another way an ecommerce business can draw their audience in so deeply and immersively like with collection ads.
Here’s an example from Lowe’s Home Improvement whose collection ad is a true example of interior design inspiration that leads directly to relevant, beautiful products:
4. Carousel ads
Carousel ads are arguably the most flexible and spacious ad format because they allow you to showcase up to 10 images or videos within a single ad, each with its own link.
It’s another creative ecommerce dream. When done well, carousel ads can be the driver of the most valuable user actions for your sales.
It’s best to use carousel ads for: Highlighting a range of products or showcasing specific details about one product.
The swiping feature of carousel ads creates the ground for the natural progression through a list of products, a product’s feature, or a story you want to tell about your product.
Carousel ads cover all three stages of the buyer’s journey and supports the reach, brand awareness, traffic, app installs, lead generation, conversions, and catalog sales ad objectives.
Carousel ad specifications: Once again, the emphasis goes to the quality and focus of each image and/or video you use in your ad. This becomes more challenging with carousels as the number of cards can go up to 10, so it requires a little extra attention.
Follow these technical and design recommendations:
- Number of cards: minimum 2, maximum 10
- Video maximum file size: 4GB
- Video length: up to 240 minutes
- Image maximum file size: 30MB
- Recommended resolution: at least 1080 x 1080px
- Recommended ratio: 1:1
- Text: 125 characters
- Headline: 40 characters
- Link description: 20 characters
- Images that consist of more than 20% text may experience reduced delivery
Tips to make carousel ads successful: Carousel ads might have the steepest learning curve, but they also come with the most opportunities to test, play, get creative, and tell your brand and product story in a way that is unique to you.
Get creative with carousel ads:
- Test the effectiveness of a carousel ad. Create two sets in one campaign, one based on multiple images or videos in single image/video format, and the other one should be in the carousel format with those same images or videos. This way, you’ll learn if it makes sense to run it for your particular audience.
- Raise your click-through rate by featuring multiple products with different landing pages. This will help you understand which products drive higher interest and action while also increasing the appeal of your brand to the audience.
- Highlight multiple angles or details of a product. Best product pages feature all angles and detailed product photography—why would a carousel ad be any different?
- Use cohesive, engaging images. This can include same color schemes, product lines, or any other way you can provide a similar feel to your gallery of images or videos.
- Get inspired with these seven ways businesses are using carousel ads
The brand that absolutely nailed carousel ads:
This is likely one of my favorite examples of a Facebook ad *ever*.
Why? Because they have used a carousel ad to recreate the painful experience of not having enough storage to take a photo of an important moment. With the use of carousel format, they immediately provide relief.
Talk about a unique value proposition!
5. Slideshow ads
If you want to go beyond an image ad, but don’t have the budget or expertise to produce a high-quality video, slideshow ads are the perfect solution for you.
It’s best to use slideshow ads for: Repurposing images or videos you already have into a lightweight, ready-in-minutes video experience.
Heck, you can even use stock images and/or video footage to supplement any visuals you don’t have. They literally take minutes to create and are the perfect solution for a resourceful ecommerce business.
Just like video ads, slideshow ads are available across all advertising objectives, so you can tweak them for whatever products or categories you want to promote at any moment.
Slideshow ad specifications are identical to the video ad specifications:
- Video Ratio: 9:16 to 16:9
- Video File Size: 4GB Max
- Video Length Limitations: 1 second to 240 minutes
- Video Captions: Optional but recommended
- Video Sound: Optional but recommended
- Text: 125 characters
- Video thumbnail images that consist of more than 20% text may experience reduced delivery
- Vertical videos (with aspect ratio taller than 2:3) may be masked to 2:3
- Video ads with a link: Headline length 25 characters, link description 30 characters
Tips to make slideshow ads successful: You can create your slideshow directly from the Ads Manager as you progress through your campaign-building process. Once you kick off the creation, you will have the chance to add 3 to 10 images or upload a video.
After that, you will have the option to add music, edit the aspect ratio, image duration, and more.
Here are some tips on making the highest quality slideshow:
- Aim for images with similar image ratios to ensure consistency
- Experiment with cropping and reordering your images, adding text, and using fade effects
- Use your slideshow to show off your best products, demonstrate how your product works, or highlight unique benefits
- Make your branding obvious with your logo, color schemes, and similar signals
The brand that absolutely nailed slideshow ads:
Felix Gray, an eyewear store, decided to take the route that showcases their product from all angles. They also use their copy, heading, and subheading to emphasize why their product is life-changing:
6. Canvas ads
As mentioned earlier, canvas ads aren’t technically a Facebook ad format—they are a destination.
Still, because they are visually driven, it is important to mention them in this context so that you can select your ideal ad format and connect it to the relevant, aesthetically pleasing user experience after they’ve interacted with the ad.
To empower you to make the best ad format decision for your products, here is what you need to know about Facebook canvas ads:
- They are in-feed, instant-loading, full-screen experiences
- They are only available on mobile devices
- Components they are made of include a header, photo, text, video, carousel, button, and store locator
- Entry points include all ad formats—carousel, single image, single video, slideshow, or collection—as well as Instagram stories and Instagram feed
- You can use them for any goal for your online store
- You can create them from the Creative Hub, your Facebook Page, or Ads Manager
As with every other channel and method, you’ll see the best results if you start small and make upgrades to your campaign as you become comfortable with what you’ve learned so far.
Once you’re ready to experiment with canvas, check out the Canvas production guide to get up to speed on all you need to get started.
The shopping experience is everything
You’re now ready to get your products in front of your ideal customers in a way that will engage and entice them to get to know the products and your brand.
Even better: it will get them to buy… And to keep returning and buying again.
The experience they get after seeing your ad and going through with it can make or break their decision to part with their money in exchange for your product. Is the product they wanted in stock? Is it easy to check out?
Or do they have to jump between multiple pages and fill out endless forms just to complete their order?
If you’re unsure about your customer experience, make sure to sign up for the free jumper account. It takes 5 minutes (we timed it), and you’ll be able to sell from your Facebook ads (and not just them) in no time.
Happy selling!