Formats
Video Ad Specs for Facebook: What You Need to Know
Short answer: Facebook video ads need to be vertical (9:16), square (1:1), or landscape (16:9), at least 1,080 × 1,920 pixels for vertical, run 15 seconds or less (or up to 2 minutes 20 seconds for awareness campaigns), be under 4 MB, and play without sound in the first 3 seconds. Pluto delivers all three aspect ratios in a paid-ready cut so you upload and run the same day.
The tension every founder faces is this: you have a message that matters, but Facebook's algorithm—and its viewer's thumb—will kill it in the first frame if the format is wrong. Most creators upload a landscape video or a square that wasn't built for the feed. The video gets crushed by bad aspect ratio, sounds like nothing without captions, and dies before the 3-second hook lands. You spent the time and budget and got nothing.
Here's what Facebook actually rewards:
Aspect ratio. Vertical (9:16) performs best in feed and Stories. Square (1:1) works in feed and Reels. Landscape (16:9) is the lowest performer but still viable. The first two fill the mobile screen. Most people scroll feed on their phone—vertical wins.
Resolution. 1,080 × 1,920 pixels minimum for vertical. 1,080 × 1,080 for square. 1,920 × 1,080 for landscape. Going bigger is fine; Facebook compresses on delivery anyway.
Length. 15 seconds ideal for feed ads. You can go up to 2 minutes 20 seconds for awareness, but attention dies after 6 seconds. Shorter wins.
File size. Keep it under 4 MB. Smaller loads faster; faster means fewer drops before play.
Sound. Most viewers have sound off. Your first 3 seconds must work silent. Captions, on-screen text, and visual storytelling do the work. Then—if they haven't scrolled—sound kicks in and deepens the idea.
Format. MP4 or MOV. H.264 video codec, AAC audio codec.
This is where most in-house video or generic agencies fail. They deliver one format and hope. Or they shoot landscape, try to crop it square, and lose the frame.
Pluto's process builds for this. The small senior creative team shoots and edits with Facebook's actual constraints in mind from the start—not as an afterthought. When you get your deliverables, you get three ready-to-run cuts: vertical, square, and landscape. Full sound design. Captions burned in where they matter. All three are optimized for the feed algorithm. You don't have to re-edit, re-caption, or guess about file size. You upload the vertical cut to Facebook's Ad Manager, set your audience and budget, and you're live. No rendering surprises. No "it doesn't fit" at 2 a.m.
Every project includes two rounds of changes until you sign off. You own the work in writing on day one and can run it anywhere—Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, your website—with no extra fees or permissions needed. The team has a first cut ready in days, and most projects ship in about a week.
The cost of not getting this right is real: a video that collapses on mobile, sounds like nothing to 80% of viewers, or bores them in the first 2 seconds. You paid for production and got scroll-throughs that convert to nothing.
If you're ready to move beyond guessing, Pluto can give you a fixed quote and get started. Reach out with your brief—the team will confirm the specs and timeline, and work begins once you approve the price.
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