Facebook is one of the most popular advertising platforms that offer a variety of ad formats. With over 74% of Facebook users visiting the site each day, it creates an excellent opportunity to showcase your business to the social media audience.

Every marketer’s main objective is to have their ads reach a vast audience in a highly saturated platform. Hence, it would be best to keep reviewing any ad type or creative strategies that often emerge to stay ahead of your competitors. When optimized effectively, images can help you quickly achieve your marketing goal. They grab the viewer’s attention, convincing them to click, like, or share a post.

Facebook Ad Sizes: Best Practices

It’s also worth noting that the Photo size for Facebook ads significantly affects your campaign results. Marketers need to use the right image size to avoid presenting a distorted, blurred, or stretched image.

In this guide, we have put together all the necessary information to help address the question – what is the best image size for Facebook ads. Read on to understand the most up to date image specs for your next campaign.

Single Image Ads

It is the oldest ad image type available and is particularly useful when you want to introduce your products or services in a clear, simple image. The ad merely consists of an image with a link, headline, and copy. It works well with almost all ad objectives except video views. Besides, you can quickly set the ad up with a minimal budget. For instance:

(Image Credit: PowerAdSpy)

First, choose your campaign objective, target audience, upload your content, then the image, and remember to include a link. If you are new to Facebook ads, it would be best to start with single image ads to quickly boost brand awareness and promptly capture your target audience’s attention. Avoid too much text in the ad’s images if you want high brand exposure and image distribution.

Additionally, be cautious of text-based logos, watermarks, or numbers since they also contribute to your ads’ text number. However, this text rule exempts ads like games, product images, event posters, books, and album covers. Also, try using panoramic photos or those with a 360 image format to provide a more interactive and engaging experience to your users.

For single images, you can use them with or without a link. Still, the supported file types are either jpg or png. Here are the best dimensions for Facebook ad image under this category.

• Resolution: 1,080 x 1,080 px
• Image ratio: 1.91:1 to 4:5
• Minimum size: 476 x 249 pixels
• Ad headline characters: 25
• Link description: 30 characters
• Copy text: 125 characters
• Resolution: The highest possible
• The volume of text you can include on the image: 20% or less

Carousel Ads

This Facebook ads type gives marketers a chance to display their businesses using several images to provide the audience with a clear view of their offering. You can include about two to ten photos and link each of them to a different page. They work best for brands dealing with multiple products, those that want to highlight reviews, testimonials, or offers in a single ad. They create a very engaging format that allows you to break down complex product features into smaller understandable bits. You can even use this type to display different item colors or sizes. Here is an example of a carousel ad:

(Image Credit: Ignite Social Media)

Carousel ads work well in creating brand awareness, generating traffic, boosting reach, conversions, lead generation, engagement, product catalog sales, and app installs campaign goals. These ad types are quite versatile, and you can display them in different locations. They can appear on Facebook feeds, instant articles, right column, messenger inbox, market place, or the audience network. The Facebook ad dimensions image for this section are:

• Image ratio: 1.1
• Supported image file type: png or jpg
• The most appropriate image size: At least 1080 x 1080
• Headline characters: 25
• Allowed text size: Not more than 20%
• Description text: 125 characters when there is no link, and excluding the right column
• Link description characters: 20
• Recommended file size for the image: 30MB
• Minimum of two pictures and a maximum of ten

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Instant Articles Ads

Facebook also gives marketers a chance to publish instant article ads to distribute interactive content quickly in the platform. These articles load around ten times faster than other standard web articles, which gives you a better chance to interact with a vast range of potential customers, even those with slow internet. You can place your ads on these articles in the form of still images or videos. For example:

(Image Credit: Nieman Lab)

Businesses can use these ads to introduce new campaigns, boost existing ones, or even bring in direct sales campaigns. Instant articles have additional features that the audience can click and expand the ad to view content in a full-screen mode. They can even tilt their devices to change the ad orientation and view the image’s peripherals.

This ad type works well for lead generation, traffic, reach, store visits, engagement, conversions, app install, and product catalog sales objectives. If you want to use instant articles, the right photo size for Facebook ads is;

• Supported file type: jpg or png
• Maximum Ad headline characters: 25
• The most appropriate size of the image: 1200 x 628
• Description text: 125 characters
• Amount of text allowed: 20% and below
• Link description characters: 30
• Image ratio: 1.91:1 in case of a link and 9:16 to 16:9 when there is no link
• Minimum width and height: 600 pixels

Collection Ads

If you have a product line that you want to display within an ad placement without overwhelming your viewers, you may want to consider collection ads. It allows people to go through a product catalog from a single central image followed by several other product photos. When the viewer clicks on the image, it opens up to a full-screen design, displaying a list of your products, which gives your audience a powerful instant experience. It helps drive quick traffic to your product page.

This option is only available for mobile use, and displays in Facebook feeds. This ad type suits you best if your campaign goals are traffic, store visit, conversions, or catalog sales.

Collection ads consist of a cover image or a brief descriptive video outlining your product’s core features. You can even include some graphical or musical effects to capture the viewers’ attention. You have a chance to add up to six other images besides the main one.

This ad type aims to make your target audience interested or excited about your business offerings. It makes it easier for the viewers to look through your products or even make purchases from their mobile devices. If you include the right information on the ad, more people will likely click it to find out more about the item or even make a purchase. For instance:

(Image Credit: Quora)

Hence ensure that the cover image is impressive enough, and this is where the image specs come. Since you wouldn’t want your collection ad image to appear distorted, here is the best image size for Facebook ads of this type;

• Recommended ratios: 9:16 for landscape and 1:1 for a square layout
• Maximum file size: 30MB
• Minimum width and height: 600 x600
• Image text: Not more than 20%
• Headline: 25 characters
• Image file type: jpg or png
• Recommended resolution: 1200 x 628 pixels
• Description text: 90 characters

Marketplace Ads

Facebook marketplace ads aim at attracting viewers interested in products from a local community. You can present your ads in the form of videos or images targeting viewers looking for a product within a particular region. People go to the Facebook marketplace intending to buy, so you are more likely to attract qualified leads from such ads. The image below shows an example of Marketplace ads:

The ad type suits you best if you deal with some local products serving a designated region. Focus on creating a personalized experience for all your customers. In case an item sells out, your campaign automatically stops. It’s an ideal option if your campaign goal is conversion, traffic, reach, lead generation, brand awareness, store visits, app installs, engagement, or catalog sales. For those still asking – what is the best image size for Facebook ads? in this category, use the following;

• Recommended image size: 1200 x 628
• Supported image file type: jpg or png
• Minimal height and width: 600 x 600
• Ad headline: 25 characters any elements beyond this limit shall appear truncated
• Link description: 30 characters
• Image ratio: Between 9:16 to 16:9, but if there is a link, you can crop it to 1.91:1
• Amount of text allowed on the image: 20% and below
• Description text: 125 characters with no link

Audience Native Network Ads

Marketers who wish to showcase their brand to other valuable third-party spaces via Facebook can use the Audience network. It helps you extend your reach, and you can still enjoy Facebook’s innovative features to configure your campaign. Such ads work natively on either banners or full-screen interstitial ads. Even better, your ad content can appear on either pre or mild roll placements on high reliable platforms. For instance:

(Image Credit: Marketing Land)

You can use the audience network ads in either video or image format. It gives you better insights into other spaces where your ads can appear to provide you with more control over your placements.

You will receive a set of established platforms that monetize Facebook’s ads through the Audience Network so your business can decide the best locations. Using Facebook Business Manager, you can even exclude specific categories with sensitive content, where you wouldn’t wish your ads to appear.

This type will serve you best if your objectives are conversions, app installs, traffic, reach, engagement, brand awareness, store visits, product catalog sales, and lead generation. The best image size for Facebook ads for this ad type is;

• Supported kind of file: jpg and png
• Recommended resolution: minimum of 398 x 208 px, but you can use the maximum resolution available
• Image ratio: 1.91:1 when there is a link and 16:9 to 9:16 if none
• Ad headline: 25 characters
• Link description: It’s optional but requires 30 characters when included
• Image to text ratio: 5:1, but keep text below 20% to minimize chances of failed delivery
• Description text: 125 characters maximum

Right Column Ads

It was the standard Facebook ads sometime back. They still work exceptionally well and can drive better results at lower costs, provided that you follow the right formatting requirements. Note that you can use two square images in the space provided rather than one full-sized photo. For example:

However, be very careful with the Facebook ad dimensions image for this category. If you use the wrong sizes and place the ads close together, they may appear odd. Right column ads appear on a desktop-only format in a still landscape image. Here are the best dimensions for Facebook ad image under this category;

• Image file type: png and jpg
• Text allowed: 20% and below
• Maximum headline characters: 25
• Image ratio: in the presence of a link 1.91:1, or 9:16 to 16:9 if no link included
• Recommended size: 1200 x 628 pixels
• Link description characters: 30
• Description text characters: 125
• Minimum width and height: 600 pixels

Stories Ads

Marketers can also post image ads on their Facebook stories that display for five seconds or until the viewers swipe to the next one. You can choose to either use still images or short videos. Facebook story ads create a full-screen experience and can be very useful provided that you use the right call to action. Here is an example:

(Image Credit: AdvertiseMint)

Also, use the right image ad size Facebook to ensure that you put across all the critical content of your ad. Leave around 250 pixels below and above the image and set aside this space for the call to action and profile picture. The recommended sizes for Facebook story ads images in this category are;

• Resolution: Use the highest available option
• Image ratio: 1.91 to 9:16
• The maximum amount of text: Less than 20%
• Image file type: Jpg and png
• Minimum width: 500 pixels
• The most appropriate image size: 1080 x 1920, and the text should be within 1080 x 1420

We hope that you found this article useful.

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Messenger Ads

Since there are about 1.3 billion messenger users worldwide, it offers marketers a fantastic opportunity to reach out to a vast number of potential customers. Further, most people are more actively engaged on messenger. It’s worth noting that this ad format only appears on the mobile messenger app in three places.

Sponsored ads appear as a private message directed to a specific target audience who have previously interacted with your brand. It’s vital for retargeting or when you want to keep your viewers on your page longer without bouncing off.

For the home ads, your main aim is to initiate a conversation with your audience. Once you capture their attention, you can tailor your marketing strategies to offer personalized service to the personals on your customer list.

On the other hand, the destination ads display on the audience’s news feed, with a call to action that links them to a conversation with a company on messenger. This ad type works well when you want to reach out to some cold targets without overwhelming them with a hard sell. The right dimensions to use on messenger ads are;

• Image file format: Jpg and png
• Recommended resolution: 1,200 x 628 pixels, but you can use the highest available.
• Description Text characters: 125
• Text allowed: 20% and below
• Minimum width and height: 254 x 133
• Headline characters: 25
• Image ratio: if you include a link, 1.91:1 or 9:16 to 16:9 if none
• Link description: 30 characters

(Image Credit: Hootsuite Blog)

Slideshow Ads

If you have a collection of images, you can use slide shows to display your ad in a video-like format. You can make the video with up to ten pictures, and it works for all campaign objectives except product catalog sales.

Pay attention to this ad format because if you use images with different dimensions, Facebook might crop them into the appropriate square sizes. Hence ensure that you build the photos exactly how you want them to appear in the ads using the following specs;

• Image file types: mp4 or MOV
• Text characters: 125
• Recommended image dimensions: 1,280 x 720 pixels
• Description characters: 30
• The right image ratio: 16:9, 4:5, or 1:1
• Headline characters: 25

Below is an image showing you the creation of a slideshow advertisement:

(Image Credit: AdvertiseMint)

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Only those businesses that come up with high quality and relevant photos succeed in a highly competitive space. The above guideline outlines various sizes and specifications that you need to create different Facebook ad formats. Partnering with Diib Digital will bring you an added measure of confidence that your images are the right size and quality. With custom metrics, you’ll have the actionable analytics at your fingertips. Here are a few of the features of our User Dashboard that set us apart from the crowd:

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