Instagram Ad Sizes and Formats: A Practical Specification Guide

During campaign preparation, open separate specification pages for images and video in the same placement. The Feed image page recommends 4:5, while the video page recommends 9:16. This does not mean all Feed assets need one identical canvas.

Review the complete product, main message and necessary information at mobile viewing size. More vertical space alone does not guarantee higher click-through rates. The video guide describes captions as optional but recommended; they help viewers understand spoken information without sound. “Every video must be under fifteen seconds” is not a technical upload requirement.

Vertical video design should keep words and logos away from interface overlays. The Stories guide recommends leaving roughly 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side clear of important elements. These are design recommendations, not guarantees of identical display on every device.

According to Meta’s safe-zone guidance, 9:16 Feed videos follow the Stories/Reels guidance too. Use the safe-zone guardrail and inspect each placement preview. Reels ads carrying a disclaimer have an additional bottom-40% caution. Include captions, prices and product labels in the review.

Being able to upload a long Stories video does not mean the entire video will play uninterrupted. The current guide explains that videos of sixteen seconds or longer may be divided into cards with viewer-specific delivery. Do not confuse the ninety-second requirement for boosting a Reel in the app with the general Ads Manager video maximum.

When preparing product advertising, a card’s correct destination matters alongside its size. The Feed carousel guide distinguishes 4:5 image-only carousels from 1:1 carousels containing video. Check the format offered in the campaign interface and use a consistent composition across the cards.

Match each card’s heading, link and product variant, and consider whether ordering options affect the intended story. The collection guide describes a cover followed by three product images and an Instant Experience. Its cover uses the experience’s first media asset. Do not treat this as the same deliverable as a standard carousel.

For catalogue images, show products at a comparable scale and inspect automatic crops using representative products. A fixed six-hundred-pixel or twenty-pixel-padding rule does not ensure correct presentation in every placement. Additional placements such as Explore also require the appropriate image/video specifications and their own previews.

The handover between production and ecommerce teams should define file types. Meta’s supported image list includes HEIC and WEBP, while recommending JPG or PNG. It is inaccurate to state that iPhone images are never supported.

The inspected video guides list MP4, MOV or GIF; follow the requirements for your selected format and placement. Stories design guidance includes H.264, constant frame rate and AAC audio. Recheck text, colours and audio synchronisation after compression. A small file or a high-resolution appearance does not establish music licensing or the accuracy of product claims.

When reviewing advertising outcomes, separate aspect ratio from offer, message, audience and placement effects. If video, price and targeting changed together, results cannot be attributed to size alone. Write down the variable being tested before comparing outcomes.

Repairing clipped text resolves a readability problem; it does not promise a specific CPM, CTR or ROAS improvement. Do not apply the old twenty-percent text rule as an automatic rejection or fixed-cost-increase formula. Use enough readable text for the task, and report media delivery separately from purchasing outcomes.