Choosing the right ad type on Facebook can make or break your marketing strategy. But with so many types of Facebook ads available, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. At Mainn Media, we understand the importance of choosing the right ad format to maximize performance. In this post, we’ll break down all types of Facebook ads currently available so you can make informed decisions, create campaigns that convert, and get the best return on your investment.
Why Should You Advertise On Facebook?
Advertising on a powerful social media platform like Facebook offers your business, regardless of size and scale, numerous advantages. Here are four reasons why you should start utilizing Facebook ads for your marketing strategy:
Massive reach
With over 3.07 billion monthly active users, Facebook remains one of the largest social media platforms worldwide.
This vast audience enables your business to target and connect with potential customers worldwide. As a result, you can significantly boost brand visibility and expand your reach.
Engagement and interaction
Facebook is a dynamic platform where users actively engage with content. Advertisers can take advantage of this engagement by creating interactive and shareable contentthat motivate users to like, comment, share, and connect with the brand. This continuous interaction not only boosts visibility but also strengthens customer relationships, fostering trust and loyalty over time.
Cost-effective advertising
Advertising on Facebook is generally budget-friendly, making it ideal for businesses with limited funds. Advertisers can set daily or lifetime budgets, adjust bidding strategies, and refine campaigns based on performance to maximize their return on investment. This makes Facebook an ideal platform for businesses looking to get the most value out of their advertising dollars.
Various ads types
Facebook provides a wide range of ad formats, from image and video ads to carousel and collection ads, allowing businesses to tailor their campaigns to specific objectives. Whether you aim to drive traffic, generate leads, or boost sales, choosing the right ad type can enhance engagement and maximize return on investment.
All Types Of Facebook Ads Explained
Facebook offers a diverse range of advertising types designed to help businesses achieve specific marketing goals, from increasing brand awareness to driving conversions. Each Facebook ad type serves a unique purpose, allowing advertisers to engage their target audience in the most effective way possible.
Image ads
Image ads are the most straightforward and visually appealing option. They allow advertisers to showcase a single, high-quality image along with compelling copy and a call-to-action. This is, to the surprise of absolutely no one, one of the most commonly used ad types on Facebook.
Ad Specs:
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Recommended Resolution: 1080 x 1080 px (square) or 1200 x 628 px (landscape)
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File Type: JPG or PNG
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Max File Size: 30MB
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Primary Text: Up to 125 characters
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Headline: 40 characters
Best for: Brand awareness, website traffic, and product promotions
Video Ads
Facebook Video Ads provide an immersive experience that grabs user attention instantly. Video content tends to outperform static images in engagement and conversion rates, making it ideal for storytelling, product demonstrations, or customer testimonials. From my experience running campaigns, short-form videos (6–15 seconds) work best for engagement, while longer videos (30+ seconds) help build deeper connections.
Ad Specs:
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Resolution: At least 1080 x 1080 px (higher is better)
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File Type: MP4, MOV, or GIF
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Aspect Ratios: 4:5 (recommended for mobile), 16:9 (landscape)
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Video Length: 1 sec to 241 min (but best under 30 sec)
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Max File Size: 4GB
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Captions & Sound: Optional but recommended
Best for: Engagement, storytelling, product demos
Collection Ads
Collection Ads feature a primary image or video followed by a series of product images, creating a seamless browsing experience. When users click on a Collection Ad, they are taken to a fast-loading Instant Experience page, enhancing product discovery and conversions.
Ad Specs:
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Cover Image/Video: 1200 x 628 pixels (for image); 1080 x 1080 pixels (for video)
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Product Images: Pulled from product catalog
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Max Video Length: 120 sec
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File Types: JPG, PNG, MP4, MOV
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Headline: Up to 40 characters
Best for: eCommerce, product showcases
Carousel Ads
Carousel Ads allow businesses to display multiple images or videos in a single ad, each with its own headline, description, and CTA. I’ve personally used these for retargeting campaigns, and they perform exceptionally well for showcasing product features, step-by-step guides, or storytelling.
Ad Specs:
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Image Size: 1080 x 1080 pixels
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Max Video Length: 240 min
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Max File Size: 4GB (for video); 30MB (for image)
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Number of Cards: 2-10
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Headline: 40 characters per card
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Primary Text: 125 characters
Best for: Showcasing multiple products, storytelling
Slideshow Ads
Slideshow Ads display a series of 10 images in a sequence, much like a slideshow presentation or a flipbook. Each image in the ad is shown for a brief moment before transitioning to the next, creating a sense of motion and progression.
One of the biggest advantages of slideshow ads is their low file size, which ensures fast loading times and smooth playback, even on slower networks.
Ad Specs:
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Image size: 1280 x 720 pixels
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Aspect ratio: 16:9, 1:1, or 2:3
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Number of images: Between 3 to 10 images
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Image format: JPG or PNG
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Ad length: Up to 15 seconds.
Best for: Businesses on a budget, brands targeting slow-internet regions, and companies looking for lightweight animated ads.
Stories Ads
Stories Ads are full-screen visual advertisements that appear within the Stories feed on mobile devices. They can be in the form of images, videos, or carousels, providing an engaging and immersive ad experience.
From my experience, interactive elements like polls and swipe-up links significantly boost engagement, making Stories Ads an excellent choice for driving traffic and conversions.
Ad Specs:
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For Stories Image Ads:
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Minimum resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels
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Recommended ratio: 9:16
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Minimum width: 500 pixels
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Maximum file size: 30MB
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Recommended image formats: JPG, PNG
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For Stories Video Ads:
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Minimum resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels
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Recommended ratio: 9:16
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Minimum width: 500 pixels
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Max file size: 4GB
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Video length: 1 second to 2 minutes
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Recommended video formats: MP4, MPV and GIF
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Frame rate: 30fps
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Best for: Brands looking to drive engagement, increase conversions, and promote time-sensitive offers.
Messenger Ads
Messenger Ads are paid promotional posts that appear directly in a user’s Messenger inbox or feed. These ads encourage direct communication by allowing users to initiate a chat with your business with just one click.
Facebook currently offers three types of Messenger Ads:
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Destination Ads: Appear in the Facebook Feed and open a Messenger chat when clicked.
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Sponsored Messages: Delivered directly to users who have interacted with your business before.
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Home Section Ads: Appear in the Messenger app’s home tab.
With Messenger Ads, businesses can build stronger relationships with potential customers, answer inquiries in real time, and generate high-quality leads through automated or manual messaging.
Ad Specs:
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Recommended image size: 1200 x 628 pixels
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Recommended image formats: JPG, PNG
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Initial greeting message: No character limits
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Question: 80 character
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Automate question responses: No character limits
Best for: Lead generation, customer support, and businesses looking to engage with potential customers in real-time.
Instant Experience Ads
Instant Experience Ads, formerly known as Facebook Canvas Ads, offer an immersive full-screen experience that loads instantly when a user taps on the ad. These ads allow businesses to showcase their brand, products, and services using a combination of images, videos, text, and call-to-action buttons.
Since these ads appear only on mobile devices, they provide a seamless, interactive browsing experience optimized for mobile users.
Ad Specs:
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Image size: 1200 x 628 pixels (recommended)
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Video size: 1200 x 1200 pixels or 4:5 aspect ratio
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Max video length: 120 seconds
Best for: E-commerce brands, real estate, and businesses looking to create an interactive full-screen ad experience.
Dynamic Ads
Dynamic Ads automatically promote the most relevant products to each user. These ads use Facebook’s AI and machine learning to display personalized product recommendations based on a user’s browsing history, interests, and previous interactions with your website or app.
Since Dynamic Ads work with a product catalog, businesses can showcase multiple items without manually creating individual ads. This makes them ideal for scaling advertising efforts while ensuring potential buyers see tailored product recommendations.
Ad Specs:
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Image size: 1200 x 1200 pixels (recommended)
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Video size: 1200 x 1200 px or 1:1 aspect ratio
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File formats: JPG, PNG, MP4, MOV
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Primary text: Up to 125 characters
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Headline: Up to 40 characters
Best for: eCommerce brands looking to retarget users who have interacted with their products.
Augmented Reality (AR) Ads
Augmented Reality (AR) Ads create immersive and interactive ad experiences, allowing users to try out your brand’s AR camera effects directly from the ad. Whether it’s a virtual makeup test, trying on sunglasses, or placing furniture in a room, AR Ads enhance engagement and help users experience products before making a purchase.
These ads appear in the Facebook Mobile News Feed, blending seamlessly into the user’s content. With one-click activation, AR ads encourage more interactions, making them one of the most engaging Facebook ad types for fashion, beauty, gaming, and retail brands.
Ad Specs:
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Placement: Facebook Mobile News Feed
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File Type: FBX, glTF
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Aspect Ratio: 9:16 (Full-Screen Vertical)
Best for: Brands looking to offer interactive product experiences and boost engagement.
Lead Ads
Facebook Lead Ads simplify the lead generation process by allowing users to submit their contact information directly within Facebook, without needing to leave the platform. These ads are optimized for collecting high-quality leads through pre-filled forms, making the process smooth and frictionless for users.
Businesses can customize Lead Ads to capture details like name, email, phone number, and custom questions. Additionally, calling & messaging lead ads enable direct conversations with potential customers.
Ad Specs:
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Image Size: 1200 x 628 pixels (recommended)
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Video Size: 1200 x 1200 px or 4:5 aspect ratio
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Headline: Up to 40 characters
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Primary Text: Up to 125 characters
Best For: Businesses focused on lead generation, customer acquisition, and form-based sign-ups.
Poll Ads
Poll Ads provide a two-way interactive experience, allowing brands to engage directly with their audience. These ads encourage users to vote, share opinions, and express preferences, providing businesses with valuable insights that can be used for product development and marketing decisions.
They appear in both the Facebook News Feed and Instagram Stories, where users can respond to multiple-choice questions.
Ad Specs:
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Image Size: 1080 x 1080 pixels (recommended)
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Video Size: 9:16 (for Stories), 1:1 (for Feed)
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Primary Text: Up to 125 characters
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Headline: Up to 40 characters
Best For: Brands looking to boost engagement, conduct surveys, and gather audience feedback.
Playable Ads
Playable Ads offer a “try-before-you-buy” experience, allowing users to interact with an app or game before downloading. Unlike traditional video ads, Playable Ads engage users by giving them a hands-on preview of an app’s core functionality, increasing conversion rates and app retention.
These types of ads on Facebook are especially effective for mobile game developers and app marketers, as they attract high-intent users who have already engaged with the demo before installing the app.
Ad Specs:
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File Type: HTML5
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Aspect Ratio: 16:9, 9:16, or 1:1
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Max File Size: 2MB
Best For: App and game developers looking to acquire high-quality users who are likely to engage with their product.
How To Choose The Right Ad Types On Facebook?
Selecting the right Facebook ad type is essential to ensure your advertising campaign delivers optimal results. To make a well-informed choice, follow these steps:
1. Define your campaign goal
First, you have to identify what you want to achieve with your campaign. Whether your goal is to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, generate leads, or boost online sales, your choice of ad type should align with your objective. Understanding your campaign goal helps you narrow down the best Facebook ad type for success.
2. Understand the different ad types
Facebook offers various ad formats, each designed for specific purposes. For instance:
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Image ads: Simple yet effective for grabbing attention quickly.
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Video ads: Engage users with dynamic storytelling and motion.
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Carousel ads: Display up to 10 images or videos within a single ad.
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Stories ads: Full-screen immersive ads that blend seamlessly with organic content.
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Lead ads: Optimized for collecting user information without leaving Facebook.
By familiarizing yourself with these Facebook ad types, you can select the best-performing one based on your campaign objectives.
3. Target the right audience
Even the most well-designed ad won’t be effective if shown to the wrong audience. So, once you’ve selected the appropriate ad type, the next step is to decide on the right audience to target. Facebook offers advanced targeting tools that enable advertisers to connect with users based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and geographic locations. You can build a custom audience tailored to your ideal customer profile, considering factors such as age, gender, location, interests, and purchasing behaviors.
4. Test, analyze, and optimize
Finally, don’t forget to test your ads, evaluate their performance, and make adjustments if needed. This process helps you determine what resonates most with your audience and enhances overall campaign performance. By leveraging Facebook’s advanced analytics tools, you can monitor ad performance, gain insights into user interactions, and pinpoint areas for optimization.
Wrap-up
Facebook ads types provide businesses with powerful tools to reach their target audience, boost engagement, and drive conversions. Understanding the different types of ads on Facebook and selecting the right format based on your marketing goals can significantly improve your campaign’s effectiveness. If you’ve benefited from this post or learned something new, don’t forget to share this post with others who might find it helpful!
