No matter whether you’re an entrepreneur, small business, or global corporation, social media is now an essential aspect of any digital marketing campaign. However, with nearly four billion people regularly using some form of social media, being able to stand out from the crowd and cut through all that noise has never been more challenging.
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Video content is now crucial in helping you to reach new customers and improve brand reputation. Yet creating those perfect videos can be incredibly challenging, particularly with social media trends changing continuously. Of course, not only are trends always changing, but every platform has different specifications when it comes to videos, which only adds another layer of complication.
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Here at VID, we know how tough it can be. That is why we thought we would take a closer look at the latest video advertising specs, ensuring you can maximize your results.

Channel

YouTube

YouTube is one of the most powerful content and ad platforms available for any size of business. And YouTube continues to expand its audience to over 2.3 billion monthly active users! Save this guide as your primary source for YouTube video ad specs.

YouTube Ad Types

Sponsored cards
Display ads
Overlay ads
Unskippable bumper ads
TrueView video ads
In-stream TrueView ads

Make A YouTube Video

Display Ads

These are the adverts that are shown on the right column, and while they do not play automatically, they will load when clicked.

Dimensions: 300 x 250 pixels
Format: GIF, JPG, PNG
Size: max 150 KB

Unskippable Bumper Ads

These ads play before you can watch a video. Bumper ads are skippable after six seconds of watch time. They are common for both mobile and desktop YouTube videos.

Dimensions: 300×60 pixels
Format: JPG, PNG, GIF (static)
Size: max 1 KB

Overlay Ads

Overlay ads is common when a simple image or GIF with subtle movement lays over the bottom of your video screen. It’s designed to take up less than 20% of a desktop video’s available space, so it’s considered a less interuptive YouTube ad style.

Dimensions: 480 x 70 pixels
Format: GIF, PNG, JPG
Size: max 150 KB

TrueView Video Ads

TrueView video ads appear on YouTube search results and the mobile and desktop “Watch” pages. Clicking on the ad will take you into its own watching experience, like another channel page.

Dimensions: 640×360 or 480×360 pixels
Format: AVI, ASF, Quicktime, Windows Media, MP4 or MPEG
Size: max 1 GB
Must be 30 FPS in 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio

In-Stream TrueView Ads

This type of TrueView ad can run on desktop, mobile apps, connected TVs, and other sites in Google’s Display Network (GDN). You can also create this type of ad within Google Ads directly.

Dimensions: 640×360 or 480×360 pixels
Format: AVI, ASF, Quicktime, Windows Media, MP4 or MPEG
Length: 12 seconds to 3 minutes
Size: max 1 GB
Must be 30 FPS in 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio

Types of YouTube Videos

Case Study

Tutorial

Testimonial

Fundraising

Recruiting

Sales Enablement

User Generated Content

Spokesperson

Channel

Facebook

Despite the rising popularity of newer platforms, Facebook remains the most popular social media network in the world. This means that having an active presence is essential if you want to ensure you are maximizing the reach of your brand.

Facebook Ad Specs Overview

File Type: MP4, MOV or GIF
Ratio: 4:5
Video Settings: H.264 compression, square pixels, fixed frame rate, progressive scan and stereo AAC audio compression at 128kbps+
Resolution: At least 1080 x 1080 pixels

Make A Facebook Video

When sharing videos on Facebook, the platform can place them in various locations, including:

Facebook Feed

For video adverts that appear in a Facebook feed, the recommended size is 1280x 720 pixels (with a minimum width of 600 pixels). Brands can also choose between a range of aspect ratios, including 16:9, 9:16, 2:3, 4:5, and 1:1. Videos being posted to the feed can be no larger than 4GB or longer than 240 minutes.

360 Videos

The use of 360 videos can transform your engagement and draw more viewers to your page. For these kinds of videos, the maximum pixel size is 4096 x 2048, while the aspect ratio must be 2:1. 360 videos can only be 40 minutes in length and not exceed 26GB in size.

Carousel Videos

For carousel videos, the recommendation is that they should be 1080 x 1080 for both square and landscape videos (although the minimum is 600 x 600). The file size should be no larger than 2.3GB, while the maximum video duration is up to 240 minutes.

Facebook Messenger

Advertising in Facebook messenger is a very popular choice, and these clips should be 1280 x 720 pixels while aspect ratios range from 16:9 to 1.91:1. These clips can be up to 240 minutes in length, while the maximum file size is 4GB.

Channel

Instagram

Instagram ads and promotions help you tell your brand’s story and bring awareness to your products or services. Use these expert tips and best practices to create attention-grabbing Instagram video ads.

Instagram Ad Specs Overview

MP4 is the best format (H.264 codec)
AAC audio
3500 kbps bitrate
Maximum of 60 seconds
Frame rate of 30 FPS
Maximum 920 pixels tall
Maximum 1080 px wide

Make An Instagram Video

Instagram Stories

Stories are one of the most popular features on Instagram, which makes them incredibly popular for brands. These full-screen vertical videos are recommended to be 1080 x 1920 pixels and with an aspect ratio of 9:16. The maximum file size is 30MB, and it is important to remember that stories can only be 15s in length (so longer videos will need to be split).

In-Feed Videos

These kinds of videos allow for a range of sizes, including 600 x 315, 600 x 600, and 600 x 700 pixels. The aspect ratio for these three respectively, are 16:19, 1:1, and 4:5, while the maximum file size is also 30MB.

Carousel Videos

Very similar to Facebook Carousel ads, the minimum size is 600 x 600 pixels, although the recommended is 1080 x 1080. The aspect ratio is 1:1, and again the file size is 30MB.

Channel

When it comes to B2B digital marketing, LinkedIn is one of the most effective platforms there is, and with the right video advertising strategies, you can transform your business.

LinkedIn Ad Specs Overview

Video file type: MP4
Video file size: 75 KB – 200 MB
Length of video: between 3 seconds and 30 minutes long
Video sound format: AAC or MPEG4. Captions optional (but recommended)
Recommended 30 frames per second (FPS)
Adding a custom thumbnail is recommended (but optional)
Video ratio: 16:9 (landscape), 1:1 (square), or 9:16 (vertical)

Make A LinkedIn Video

In-feed Videos

For in-feed videos, the minimum size is 256 x 144 pixels while the maximum is 4096 x 2304, and the platform can support ratios between 1:2.4 and 2.4:1. While videos can be up to thirty minutes, it is recommended to keep them under 90 seconds.

Results For Clients In All Industries

Software and Tech

MacPaw

Spokesperson video ad series delivered. CleanMyMacX sales pipeline supported. Global Mac software marketing assets built.

Learn More →

Marketing and Advertising Agencies

Franke + Fiorella

Full ADA compliance achieved. Animation system delivered. Brand video library made inclusive.

Learn More →

Fintech and Financial Services

Relay

Short-form video system delivered. Consistent platform output established. B2B fintech pipeline supported.

Learn More →

Channel

X (Formerly Twitter)

Although X might be declining in popularity, it is still one of the most used social media platforms in the world and can transform your digital presence. Organic posting has never been more challenging, which means video advertising is crucial.

X Ad Specs Overview

Video size limit: 512 MB (async) /15 MB (sync)
Minimum video resolution: 32×32
Maximum video resolution: 1920×1200 and 1200×1900
Accepted aspect ratios: 1:2.39 – 2.39:1
Maximum frame rate for videos: 40 fps (frames per second)
Supported video formats: MOV and MP4 formats for mobile
Twitter supports these web video formats: MP4 video uploads with H264 format and AAC audio.

Make A X Video

There are two types of video adverts available on X:

Horizontal

Horizontal videos have a maximum size of 1920 x 1200 pixels, while the aspect ratio can be between 1:2.30 and 2.39:1. The maximum file size is 512MB, while the frame rate must not exceed 40fps and length no longer than 140 seconds.

Vertical

For vertical videos, it is recommended that they are 1200 x 1900 pixels and not exceed the same frame rate or video size as the horizontal option.

Channel

Pinterest might not be the first social media platform that springs to mind, but it is incredibly popular, particularly for creative audiences. Not only is the platform very engaging and easy to use, but the video specifications are also very straightforward.

Pinterest Ad Specs Overview

Video file types: .mp4, .mov, and .m4v
Aspect ratios: 1:1, 2:3, or 9:16. Remember – any Pins that exceed a ratio of 2:4.2 will get cut off in users’ feeds
Video length: can range from 4 seconds to 15 minutes long
Video size: can be up to 2GB in size

Make A Pinterest Video

Square Videos

One style of video advert that you can share on Pinterest is the square. This is a 600 x 600 pixel clip with a 1:1 aspect ratio. The maximum length can be no more than thirty minutes, while the maximum file size is 2GB.

Vertical Videos

For vertical videos, the recommended pixel size is 600 x 900 and an aspect ratio of 9:16. As with the square option, the maximum file size is 2GB, and videos cannot exceed thirty minutes.

Channel

TikTok

TikTok has 689 million monthly active users worldwide, and the platform has completely dominated (and surpassed popularity) over other, long-standing channels like Pinterest, Twitter and Snapchat.

TikTok is the place to connect with younger audiences like Gen Z and Millennials. This platform provides several ad options to connect with this target audience.

TikTok Ad Specs Overview

62 percent of TikTok users in the US are between 10 and 29 years old, while only 7.1 percent of users are over the age of 50.
90 percent of all TikTok users access the app on a daily, while spending an average of 52 minutes per day browsing the app.
3 of 5 TikTok’s ad options are full screen, which means you can better captivate viewers with their full attention and potential for click-through.
3 of 5 TikTok’s ad options are full screen, which means you can better captivate viewers with their full attention and potential for click-through.
Aspect Ratio: 9:16.
Resolution: 720 x 1280px, 640 x 640px, and 1280 x 720px.
Length: 5 to 60 seconds, but 9 to 15 seconds is recommended.

Make A TikTok Video

Branded Takeover

These full-screen ads appear on the FYP immediately after a user opens the app. Plus, they can also appear in-feed. Users only see one Branded Takeover ad per day which means higher prices but less competition.

Video file types: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, or .avi
Aspect ratios: 9:16
Video length: 3-5 seconds
Video size: 500 MB

In-Feed Ads

In-Feed Ads appear in users’ news feeds or on their For You Page (FYP). They look similar to native TikTok content and blend right into users’ feeds.

Video file types: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, or .avi
Aspect ratios: 9:16
Video length: 5-60 seconds (9-15 seconds recommended)
Video size: 500 MB

TopView Ads

TopView Ads blend the best of the Branded Takeover and In-Feed Ads. They occupy TikTok’s prime real estate— the top of the For You Page— where they appear as fullscreen, in-feed posts 3 seconds after users open the TikTok app.

Video file types: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, or .avi
Aspect ratios: 9:16
Video length: 5-60 seconds (15 seconds recommended)
Video size: 500 MB

Branded Hashtag Challenge

These are sponsored hashtag challenges that are mostly featured at the top of TikTok’s Discover Page to help increase engagement and brand awareness.

Sponsored challenges offer maximum reach and guarantee more exposure for your brand, unlike organic (non-sponsored) challenges.

Branded Effects

Branded Effects are sharable stickers, special effects and AR filters that allow users to directly interact with a brand, making them a great option if you’re looking to engage your audience and gain more exposure.

And like emojis, they're easily recognizable across all languages. Filters can go viral, or brands can encourage followers to create content using Branded Effects in exchange for a prize or shout-out.

Channel

Amazon

Want to make your product listings stand out? Adding a video to your Amazon page can transform engagement and maximize your conversions. There are two main types of Amazon video advertisements for you to consider.

Website and App

This type of advert will be shown on the Amazon website and mobile app, and can be up to three minutes in length with a maximum file size of 500MB. Each video is recommended to be 1920 x 1080 pixels with an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Demand-Side Platform (DSP)

DSP adverts allow sellers to reach new audiences both on and off Amazon, ensuring you are always being shown to the most relevant people. These videos should be either 1920 x 1080 or 630 x 360 pixels with an aspect ratio of 16:9.

YouTube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn

Pinterest

TikTok

Amazon

YouTube

YouTube Ad Types

Sponsored Cards

Display Ads

Unskippable Bumper Ads

Overlay Ads

TrueView Video Ads

In-Stream TrueView Ads

Types of YouTube Videos

Case Study

Tutorial

Testimonial

Fundraising

Recruiting

Sales Enablement

User Generated Content

Spokesperson

Facebook

Facebook Ad Specs Overview

Facebook Feed

360 Videos

Carousel Videos

Facebook Messenger

Instagram

Instagram Ad Specs Overview

Instagram Stories

In-Feed Videos

Carousel Videos

LinkedIn

LinkedIn Ad Specs Overview

In-feed Videos

Results For Clients In All Industries

X (Formerly Twitter)

X Ad Specs Overview

Horizontal

Vertical

Pinterest

Pinterest Ad Specs Overview

Square Videos

Vertical Videos

TikTok

TikTok Ad Specs Overview

Branded Takeover

In-Feed Ads

TopView Ads

Branded Hashtag Challenge

Branded Effects

Amazon

Website and App

Demand-Side Platform (DSP)

Need help with your video content?

Dallin Nead

Tell us what video needs to do. We’ll show you the clearest way forward.