What Are Video Ads on Facebook and Instagram?

A video ad is any Meta ad whose creative is a video rather than a still image. It isn’t a separate campaign type: you choose an objective as usual and add video at the ad level. The same video can appear in many placements, though the supported aspect ratios and lengths vary by placement.

What does Meta say video ads are for?

Meta lists three uses:

Use	What Meta suggests
Show your product, service or brand in new ways	Use video to show unique features or tell your brand story
Capture attention quickly	Feature your product or brand message early to keep people engaged
Deliver a single message	Convey one clear, simple message that gets people to act, such as buying a product or visiting your site

How do you create a video ad?

There are two routes, according to Meta:

1. Create the ad in Meta Ads Manager, choosing one of the objectives that supports video.
2. Boost a post that includes a video from your Facebook Page.

For the video itself, you can upload your own, or create one from images with Meta’s video creation tools.

Where do video ads appear?

Meta says video ads appear in multiple placements across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and Meta Audience Network, and support a variety of aspect ratios depending on the placement. Different placements allow different video lengths, though Meta notes that shorter videos are usually more engaging on mobile devices.

You don’t need a separate file for each shape. Meta’s asset customisation feature in Ads Manager lets you use the same video across multiple placements and ratios. Exact sizes, ratios and file limits are covered in the video specs entry.

How does Meta count a video play?

Metric	How Meta counts it
Video plays	Each time a video starts to play after an impression is counted, whether it autoplays or someone clicks play. Replays, such as pausing and restarting, aren’t counted
Video plays at 100%	Each time the video was played to 100% of its length, including plays that skipped to that point

In formats with several videos, such as a carousel ad, Meta counts video plays separately for each video shown. Video plays at 100% measures how much of the video was played, not how much time passed while it was playing.

Can you use video inside an instant experience?

Yes. In an instant experience, videos autoplay with sound off and loop automatically. Meta asks for a minimum of 720 pixels in MP4 or MOV format, and advises against placing two videos on screen at once, because only the first one plays.

FAQ

Is a video ad a separate campaign objective?

No. Meta says you can create video ads using multiple objectives; video is the creative you choose at the ad level, not an objective of its own. Pick the objective that matches the result you want, then add the video as the ad’s media when you reach the ad level.

Does a video play mean someone watched the video?

Not necessarily. Meta counts a video play when the video starts playing after an impression, including when it starts automatically. So the metric tells you playback started, not how much was watched. Use video plays at 100% to see how many plays reached the end.

Can I turn photos into a video ad?

Yes. Meta says that when you create video ads you can upload your own video or create a video from images using its video creation tools. So still product photos are enough to start a video ad.