It’s possible that the creative you’re using doesn’t meet Meta’s recommended aspect ratio. You’d be forgiven if this is the case, as Meta’s own process for uploading images and videos almost guarantees that this will happen.
Of course, some extra work is required to achieve the goal of providing optimally sized images and videos for ads. But this article will help highlight exactly what you need to do to make it a reality.
I recorded a short video explaining how Meta recommends a 4:5 aspect ratio for many placements where you might use 1:1. However, things are not that simple. The recommended aspect ratio usually depends on whether you’re working with video or still images.
Let’s clear up any confusion so you can use the best creative sizes in the future.
aspect ratio grid
Let’s jump straight to the most important resources you’ll want to save for later.
Placements are listed in “Placement Groups,” which are created when uploading creatives in Ads Manager (we’ll cover this later). On the right are the aspect ratios of videos and still images that Meta actually recommends in these placements.
These recommendations often conflict with the aspect ratio that Meta requests when allocating placement groups.
Creative upload confusion
When you create an ad, Meta attempts to simplify the creative upload process by asking you to provide three different variations:
When you do this, Meta automatically assigns these variations to different placement groups.
- Information flow, video and scroll ads, and search results are 1:1
- 9:16 Stories and Reels, Apps and Websites
- 1.91:1 Right column, search results
It would be nice if these placement groups aligned with Meta’s own recommendations, but that’s often not the case.
Recommended sources
I rely on some resources when creating the grid.
1. Supported aspect ratios for placements in Meta Ads Manager
The first thing that caught my attention was this table. It highlights the acceptable and recommended aspect ratios for each placement. Here’s an example of what that looks like…
2. Placement Preview
Interestingly, most of the recommendations in the table above are consistent with Meta’s recommendations in the placement preview. Below is an example of a Facebook Feed.
Although advertisers are required to upload 1:1 creatives for this placement during the ad creation process, Meta recommends a 4:5 ratio for images and videos in the Facebook feed.
3. Best Practices for Aspect Ratios
This resource is a little more detailed than the table, but it helped answer some questions I had when I saw conflicting information.
4. Format specifications and recommendations
This resource covers content beyond creative aspect ratios, and the recommendations are not always clear-cut. But that’s how I come up with the 1:1 recommendation in the right hand column. Although the table mentions it as an option, this resource actually recommends it.
conflict
You’ll see this in the grid at the top of this article, but let’s summarize the conflicts I found. Most conflicts are for video, specifically within placement groups where Meta assigns 1:1.
While the aspect ratios Meta requires you to create are still valid, they may not be optimal in these cases…
Facebook updates: Meta recommends 4:5 for both videos and images (requires uploading 1:1)
Facebook in-stream video: Meta recommends 16:9 or 4:5 video (requires 1:1 upload)
Ads on Facebook Reels: Meta recommends 9:16 videos (requires 1:1 upload)
Facebook Market: Meta recommends 4:5 videos (requires uploading 1:1)
Facebook profile feed: Meta recommends 4:5 videos (requires uploading 1:1)
Facebook video source: Meta recommends 4:5 videos (requires uploading 1:1)
Instagram updates: Meta recommends 4:5 videos (requires uploading 1:1)
Instagram Explore: Meta recommends 4:5 videos (requires uploading 1:1)
Instagram Explore Home Page: Meta recommends 4:5 or 9:16 videos (requires 1:1 upload)
Instagram profile source: Meta recommends 4:5 videos (requires uploading 1:1)
Facebook Business Discovery: Meta recommends 4:5 videos (requires uploading 1:1)
Facebook search results: Meta recommends 1:1 videos (requires uploading 1.91:1)
Facebook right column: Meta recommends 1:1 for both videos and images (1.91:1 is requested for uploads)
How to customize via placement
Now that you know which aspect ratio you should use for each placement, let’s discuss how to execute it.
1. When you initially upload your creative, your method will differ depending on whether you’re using video or images. For video, provide 4:5, 9:16, and 1:1 for the initial placement group. If it’s an image, please provide 1:1, 9:16 and 1:1.
2. Now you need to customize your creative with placements. Let’s say you’re working with an image and uploaded a 1:1 version for one of your placement groups. This will satisfy Meta’s recommendations for almost all feed placements (except the Facebook feed).
In the Media section, expand the Sources group. Then hover over the Facebook Feed and click the Edit icon.
On the left, click to change the media for the selected placement.
Once you’ve uploaded and selected your new image, an icon will appear indicating that you’ve customized the placement.
You’ll then need to repeat this for each conflicting placement. You can even choose to provide a mix of images and videos for a single ad, depending on the placement. This will require a reasonable amount of work, but you may find it’s worth it if the performance improvements come with it.
now you
Of course, everything in this article is subject to change. I wish Meta would change the initial upload process so that the requested aspect ratio is consistent with their recommendations. Until then, you need to do some manual work.
Are there any other conflicts I’ve missed? Let me know in the comments below!
