Video ad formats: Meta, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn

Use 9:16 for Reels, Stories, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and video in the Instagram feed, 4:5 for the Facebook feed and 16:9 as the basis for YouTube in-stream. LinkedIn recommends 4:5. So make one concept in three versions, and place text and logo within each platform's safe zones in every version.

Most overviews mix specs for regular posts with those for ads, without a source or date. Here you'll only find the specs for video ads, checked on 27 September 2026 on the official pages. In our studio for AI video production, we deliver vertical, square and widescreen versions for Meta, TikTok, YouTube and programmatic ^[1].

Which format for which placement?

Lengths, codecs, accepted ratios per placement and the safe zones in pixels are listed per platform in the download:

Keep text and logo in the safe zone

On vertical placements, the platform lays buttons, profile name and caption over your video, so whatever sits underneath gets lost. For Reels and Instagram Stories, Meta reserves 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side ^[2][3]; in Facebook Stories, 14% at the top and 20% at the bottom ^[11]. If you include disclaimers in a Reels ad, Meta asks you to keep the bottom 40% clear ^[12].

In 1080 × 1920, that is 269 pixels at the top, 672 at the bottom and 65 on each side: a usable zone of 950 × 979 pixels (our own calculation based on Meta's percentages). TikTok and YouTube offer their own templates ^[7][9].

That also applies to your AI label: a label under the buttons is not a clear disclosure. How long it has to stay on screen and which text to use is covered in Does your video ad need an AI label?

Meta: four things you need to know

• Tall video in the Instagram feed is no longer cropped. Since late 2024, Instagram shows videos taller than 4:5 in full in the feed; use the Reels safe zone for them ^[13][12].
• Stories split long videos up. An Instagram Stories ad plays in one piece if it is shorter than 16 seconds, otherwise in cards ^[3]. Meta writes that Stories ads perform best under 10 seconds ^[13].
• No licensed music in Instagram Reels ads. Meta recommends original audio, or music from the Meta Sound Collection ^[2].
• Meta fills in missing formats itself, with cropping, expanding and AI features, and itself recommends checking the result ^[14]. If you want control over text and product shots, deliver each version yourself.

TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn: the details that are often missing

• TikTok: video up to 10 minutes, a bitrate of at least 516 kbps, and no clickable links, @ or hashtags in the ad text ^[7]. TikTok names sound or music, 9:16, at least 720p and your content within the safe zone as the basics ^[15]. What TikTok costs in Belgium and which formats exist besides In-Feed is covered by Jonas in TikTok advertising in Belgium.
• YouTube Shorts: horizontal video gets blurred bars at the top and bottom, so deliver a separate 9:16 version ^[8]. The call to action only appears after 3 seconds, or after 10 with Video View and Video Reach, so put your offer on screen and in the voice-over too ^[8].
• YouTube in-stream: a skippable ad can be skipped after 5 seconds, and a bumper lasts at most 6 seconds ^[16]. A campaign with only vertical videos may not run, so always add 16:9 ^[17].
• LinkedIn: 3 seconds to 30 minutes, with 15 to 30 seconds recommended, less than 30 frames per second and subtitles as an SRT file ^[10]. For 9:16, 1080 × 1920 is the maximum: don't give LinkedIn 1440 × 2560.

Export once, and do it right

Start vertical and generate or film in 9:16 from the outset; Veo 3.1 makes 9:16 directly ^[18]. Reframe the 4:5 and 16:9 versions shot by shot instead of cropping, because horizontal often requires a different shot. These settings work on all four platforms:

Meta only generates automatic captions in English ^[20]. For a Belgian campaign, deliver a Dutch and a French version, each with its own subtitles, and bear in mind that a French sentence is often longer. Give each version a name that says what it is, for example brand_concept_hookA_15s_9x16_NL_v2.mp4.

How to build those versions from a few product photos is covered in from product photo to video ad with AI. And what happens in the first seconds matters more than the length: that is the subject of hooks for video ads.

Want to see one concept in every format, made from your own product images? Send your statics for a free test ad: one video ad on your own brand, ready to test.