Meta Ad Formats in 2025: How to Choose the Right Ones for Your Marketing Objectives

Facebook has more than three billion users worldwide, which means a huge audience is already scrolling, sharing, and shopping every day. Running a page or a shop is a start, but the real opportunities come when you use Meta Ads to reach people where they spend the most time. Ads let you drive traffic to your website, highlight products, and tell your brand story across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Audience Network.

Understanding ad formats and placements is the first step to running campaigns that actually work. Different ad types have different goals, and each comes with its own specifications for 2025, from image sizes to video length and character limits.

In this guide, you’ll find:

1. A breakdown of Meta ad formats – what they are, where they appear, and what they do best.
2. Technical specs for 2025 – images, videos, and copy requirements so your ads look great everywhere.
3. How to connect ad formats to objectives – traffic, engagement, conversions, and app promotion.
4. How Metricool can help – create, schedule, and track ads efficiently from one dashboard.

By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap for planning and running your Facebook and Instagram campaigns confidently. 

Meta Ad Formats & Spec for 2025

Choosing the right ad format can make your campaigns feel more natural and engaging. Some ads work better for storytelling, others for showcasing products, and some give viewers a hands-on experience with your brand. 

Meta Ads Manager gives you several options, each with its own placements, specs, and objectives. Let’s break them down so you can pick the format that fits your goals and audience.

Flexible Ads

Flexible ads automatically test different combinations of images, videos, and carousels to show the version that performs best for each viewer. This format is great if you have multiple goals in one campaign because it adapts your creative to the audience.

Placement: Feed, Stories, Reels, Marketplace, Audience Network
Objective: Traffic, engagement, sales, app promotion

Specs:

• Upload up to 10 images and videos
• Supports single image, video, or carousel formats
• Conversion locations may affect availability:
  • Website for traffic
  • Website or Messenger for engagement
  • Website, App, or Messenger for sales

Flexible ads save time by letting the system test combinations automatically. Just focus on strong visuals and copy. 

Single Image or Video Ads

These ads are perfect for highlighting one product, service, or story in a simple and direct way. You can also create a slideshow to show different features or variations. These ads are simple, direct, and work well for awareness or promoting a specific offer.

Placement: Feed, Explore, Stories
Objective: Awareness, engagement, conversions

Specs:

• Image: JPG or PNG
• Video: MP4, MOV, or GIF
• Recommended sizes:
  • Image: 1080 x 1080 (1:1) or 1080 x 1350 (4:5)
  • Video: up to 4 GB, 1440 x 1440 (1:1) or 1440 x 1800 (4:5)

Keep your messaging clear and focus on one product or story per ad to avoid overwhelming viewers.

Carousel Ads

Carousel ads let users swipe through 2–10 images or videos, each with its own headline, link, and CTA. They are perfect for showcasing multiple products, features, or storytelling sequences in one ad, giving viewers more interactive options.

Placement: Feed, Messenger, Explore
Objective: Product promotion, engagement, multi-product storytelling

Specs:

• File type: JPG/PNG for images, MP4/MOV/GIF for videos
• Aspect ratio: 1:1 or 4:5
• Max file size: 30 MB for images, 4 GB for video
• Cards per carousel: 2–10
• Character limits:
  • Headline: 45
  • Primary text: 80
  • Description: 18

Collection Ads

Collection ads combine a cover image or video with multiple product images underneath. Clicking the ad opens a full-screen Instant Experience, creating a mini storefront. They work really well for ecommerce brands looking to drive conversions.

Placement: Feed, Stories
Objective: Ecommerce conversions, product discovery

Specs:

• Image: 1080 x 1080, JPG/PNG, max 30 MB
• Video: 1080 x 1080, MP4/MOV/GIF, max 4 GB
• Character limits:
  • Headline: 40
  • Primary text: 125

Stories & Reels Ads

Stories and Reels are full-screen, mobile-first formats. Stories expire after 24 hours, while Reels stay in feeds alongside other short-form videos. Both are excellent for building brand awareness, showcasing behind-the-scenes content, or promoting limited-time offers.

Placement: Stories, Reels, Messenger Stories
Objective: Engagement, brand awareness, limited-time promotions

Specs:

• Image: 1080 x 1920, max 30 MB, JPG/PNG
• Video: 1080 x 1920, MP4/MOV/GIF, max 4 GB
• Max video length: Stories 2 minutes, Reels no maximum
• Character limits:
  • Primary text: 125
  • Headline: 40

Messenger & Playable Ads

Messenger ads are designed to start conversations and integrate automation with chatbots or customer support. Playable ads let users interact with a preview of your app or game before downloading, which helps boost app installs and engagement.

Placement: Messenger, in-app for playables
Objective: Customer engagement, app downloads

Specs:

• Playable HTML5: Max 5 MB, portrait, responsive, includes CTA code
• Playable ZIP: Index.html < 2 MB, max 5 MB, max 100 files

Right Column & Marketplace Ads

Right column ads appear on desktop only, offering brand visibility alongside other Facebook content. Marketplace ads target people actively shopping, putting your products in front of motivated buyers. Right column ads are subtle but can help keep your brand top of mind, while Marketplace ads reach people ready to buy.

Placement: Right column (desktop), Marketplace (mobile and desktop)
Objective: Awareness, product promotion, direct conversions

Specs:

• Right column: Minimum image 254 x 133 px, headline 40
• Marketplace: 1080 x 1080 px, headline 40, primary text 125, description 30

Advanced Meta Ad Formats

Advanced formats give brands high-visibility or interactive campaign options beyond standard ad types.

• Audience Network: Dynamic ads across third-party apps and websites
  • Objective: Retargeting, broad reach
• Instant Experience: Full-screen mobile landing page
  • Recommended image: 1080 x 1920
  • Video: MP4/MOV, under 2 minutes
  • Objective: Product discovery, immersive experience
• Business Explore: Ads triggered by organic posts from other brands
  • Specs similar to feed ads, headline 27, primary text 125
  • Objective: Awareness, competitive discovery

Meta Ad Objectives and Format Matching

Before you start creating an ad, it helps to think about what you want it to achieve. Meta allows you to pick objectives that match your business goals, and your choice affects which ad formats and placements you can use. Picking the right objective makes your campaigns more focused and helps you get meaningful results.

Create and Manage Meta Ads with Metricool

Running ads on Facebook and Instagram can feel complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. Metricool brings everything into one place so you can focus on creating ads that reach the right people and get results.

With Metricool, you can run cross-platform campaigns without jumping between tools. Manage ads on Facebook and Instagram from the same dashboard and get a clear picture of how each campaign is performing.

• Cross-Platform Campaigns: Manage ads on Facebook and Instagram from a single dashboard.
• Ad Creation: Upload images, videos, or carousels; add captions and CTAs; preview placements.
• Scheduling & Automation: Set ad start/end dates, automate posting, and adjust budgets in real time.
• Analytics & Optimization: Track impressions, clicks, conversions, and compare performance across campaigns.

With the right ad formats, clear objectives, and a tool that simplifies management, you can tell your brand story effectively. Metricool helps you create, schedule, and track campaigns that connect with your audience and drive measurable results in 2025.

Gretchen Oestreicher , 19 November 2025