Best Practices When Creating Facebook Video Ads
Published on 12.06.2026 by Chizoba T
As one of the most popular social media platforms, Facebook should be among the platforms to consider when planning ad placements. With a solid Facebook video marketing strategy, you can build brand awareness, increase engagement, and grab viewers' attention.
Despite the platform's popularity, competition is high, making it harder for brands to reach their target audience. One of the best strategies for standing out on Facebook is video ads. In this article, we guide you on creating outstanding video ads that deliver the results you want.
What are Facebook Video Ads?
As the name suggests, Facebook video ads involve creating video ads. This makes them a good choice for showcasing your brand in a new way and telling your brand story in a way that quickly captures people’s attention. Facebook makes it super easy to create a video ad through the Ad Manager. You can also boost a post you have created from the brand or business Facebook page.
Video ads can be placed on multiple locations on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network. Brands can select from different aspect ratios depending on where they want to place the video. They can also decide whether their goal is to upload the video or to use the video creation tools to create images.
Benefits of Video Ads for Businesses
73% of marketers say video ads are among the most effective on the platform, which is why they attract a large number of visitors, as they enable users to tell their brand story in an engaging way that captures the audience's attention. It can, therefore, be an effective tool for telling your brand story to your target audience and encouraging them to take a particular action, such as buying a product, downloading an ebook, or subscribing to your email list.
Videos also make it easier for brands to showcase their products easily. For instance, you can use video ads to showcase how potential customers are using the product easily. You can then add a call to action, making the ad very effective. These factors make video ads more likely to convert, which is the ultimate goal because it means more revenue. This is especially the case when cross-posting on Facebook and Instagram.
Where to Showcase Facebook video ads
Facebook video ads can be placed in different places, such as:
- In-stream. In-stream ads usually play while a video is playing and can affect the user experience. Therefore, these shouldn't be your first priority, and if you must use them, do so sparingly.
- Stories. The video ads can be displayed on Facebook and Instagram stories. This is also an effective strategy as the videos aren't very disruptive and are engaging
- Feed ads. They usually appear on people’s feeds when they are scrolling. They are more effective as they don't disrupt people's viewing experience, which can draw attention to your video.
- Marketplace ads. When people visit the Facebook marketing palace, they are already searching for products and have a high purchase intent. That means placing your videos on marketing platforms can be an effective strategy. However, when you place the ad in this space, it is also shown in the News Feed, as you cannot post ads automatically on the marketplace.
Determining the Ideal Length of a Facebook Video Ad
A good rule of thumb for Facebook video ads is to keep them under two minutes. According to a Wistia report, the engagement level of a 30-second video is almost the same as that of a two-minute video. That doesn't mean you should lengthen your video even when you have nothing important to say. It is advisable to say what you want to say and put across your points as soon as possible.
When viewers realize you are taking too long to make your point, they are likely to skip the video. However, when you make an interesting video that goes straight to the point, you can be assured of a better performance.
Best Practices for Creating a Killer Facebook Video Ad
To create an outstanding video ad, follow these best practices:
Create Mobile Ads
Statistics indicate that 81% of Facebook users access their profiles on mobile devices. Therefore, if you want to maximize the reach of your Facebook ads, target mobile users. You can experiment with square or vertical formats to find out which works best.
Start with a Hook
You need to capture viewers' attention as soon as possible, especially now that attention on social media is decreasing. A good idea would be to capture your audience’s attention within the first three seconds. You can use an attention-grabbing phrase, introductory sentence, or thumbnail to reach your target audience. Once you capture your audience‘s attention within the first three seconds, they are likely to watch to the end.
Keep it Short
Creating longer videos can be tedious and drive users away. On the other hand, the competition rate of shorter videos is higher. Therefore, if you want your videos to achieve the desired results, keep them short. While there are certain situations when longer video ads are fine, a good rule of thumb is to keep them around 30 seconds.
Add Captions
The Facebook autoplay feature usually starts with videos muted, and the user has to take action to turn the sound on. Therefore, you need to add subtitles that capture your target audience’s attention, or the video might not make sense to viewers without sound.
Use Storytelling
Storytelling is one of the most effective ways of capturing your audience’s attention, as everyone loves a good story. This can be a particularly important strategy for a brand awareness marketing objective where you want to introduce your brand to the target audience.
Capture Your Audience’s Emotions
The most effective ads are those that captivate their target audience's emotions. Adding an emotional response can make it easier for your audience to remember your content. Studies indicate that ads with emotional content tend to perform twice as well as those without.
Leverage Social Proof
Social proof means we buy from people recommended by our family and friends. This is one of the best strategies for driving conversion. Therefore, go ahead and add reviews, UGC, and PR awards to increase trust and CTR.
Join Audio and Video Trends
Trending content always receives higher visibility than other content formats. When you create ads on trending content, you can increase the video's visibility. However, only join trends that match your brand values and needs.
Create Video Ads for Different Audience Segments
Start by segmenting your audience into different categories before creating ads that target different user groups. You can even create Facebook look-alikes or custom audiences for each audience segment. While this may be quite intense, it can be key to maximizing your CTR and ROI, especially when using Facebook video ads.
Start with a Small Budget
No matter how good your ad strategy is, it can be hard to predict which ads will perform well. This is why it is advisable to start with a small budget and increase it as you see what works. This will help you to optimize your ad spend without wasting your budget on ads that don't work.
Leverage Retargeting
With so many users spending time on Facebook, retargeting can be a great strategy. You can create a custom audience of people who have already engaged with your brand and craft messages specifically tailored for them.
In Conclusion
As the reach of organic posts on Facebook decreases, video ads can be a good way to reach your target audience. However, with Facebook charging for ads based on how users engage with video, you need to follow best practices to achieve a lower budget and higher conversion rates. Therefore, use the above best practices to increase your engagement and conversions. We recommend you read our guide on optimizing YouTube videos to boost watch time.