Video Ad Specs

Aspect Ratio Reference

16:9 — Landscape (Horizontal)

• Pixel dimensions: 1920×1080 (Full HD), 3840×2160 (4K)
• Use for: YouTube pre-roll, LinkedIn feed, desktop-dominant placements
• Character: Wide, cinematic, comfortable on desktop

9:16 — Portrait (Vertical)

• Pixel dimensions: 1080×1920
• Use for: TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook Stories, Snapchat
• Character: Full-screen mobile, immersive
• Critical: Over 60% of all social video is now consumed vertically

1:1 — Square

• Pixel dimensions: 1080×1080
• Use for: Facebook/Instagram feed, LinkedIn feed (performs well)
• Character: Platform-neutral, good fallback when shooting only one format
• Tip: Repurpose 16:9 with zoomed crop + logo/text banner top and bottom

4:5 — Vertical (Portrait Landscape Hybrid)

• Pixel dimensions: 1080×1350
• Use for: Instagram feed (takes up more screen space than 1:1)
• Character: Slightly taller than square — greater visual real estate in feed

Safe Zone Guidelines

Safe zones are the areas guaranteed to be visible and unobscured by UI overlays on every platform.

9:16 Safe Zones (TikTok / Reels / Stories)

┌─────────────────────┐
│   ← 150px top →    │  ← Avoid: profile info, sound icon
│                     │
│                     │
│   SAFE CONTENT      │  ← All critical text/visuals here
│      AREA           │
│                     │
│   ← 250px bottom → │  ← Avoid: CTA buttons, caption overlay
└─────────────────────┘
Left edge: 50px safe margin
Right edge: 50px safe margin

16:9 Safe Zones (YouTube / LinkedIn)

• Keep all text and critical visuals within the inner 80% of the frame
• Action safe area: 5% in from all edges
• Title safe area: 10% in from all edges (for text/logos)

Technical Specifications (All Platforms)

Video Codec

• Required: H.264 (most widely accepted)
• Also accepted: H.265 (HEVC) on YouTube and some Meta placements
• Avoid: ProRes, MJPEG, or uncompressed — too large, often rejected

Audio Codec

• Standard: AAC
• Sample rate: 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz
• Channels: Stereo (2-channel) preferred; mono accepted
• Bitrate: 128 kbps minimum; 192–320 kbps recommended

Frame Rate

• 23.976 fps (film look)
• 24 fps (cinema)
• 29.97 / 30 fps (standard broadcast, most social platforms)
• 60 fps (sports, screen recordings, slow-motion source)
• Do NOT submit variable frame rate (VFR) — convert to CFR before upload

Recommended Bitrate by Resolution

Duration Strategy

Optimal Ad Duration by Objective

Non-Skippable Ad Duration Limits

• YouTube non-skip: 15 sec (some markets allow 20 sec)
• LinkedIn: No non-skippable format
• TikTok TopView: First 5 sec non-skippable; up to 60 sec total
• Meta: No enforced skip; viewers abandon — treat first 3 sec as critical

Pre-Upload Checklist

File Preparation

• Exported as MP4 (H.264) container
• Correct aspect ratio for target placement
• Resolution at minimum 1080p
• Frame rate is constant (not variable)
• Audio encoded as AAC stereo
• File size within platform limit
• No black leader frames at start or end

Content Compliance

• No prohibited content per platform ad policies
• Captions / subtitles included (85% of social video watched muted)
• CTA text within safe zone
• Logo / branding visible within first 5 sec
• All music and footage is licensed for paid advertising (not just organic use)
• No third-party trademarks shown without permission

Platform-Specific Final Checks

• TikTok: Resolution 1080×1920, duration 5–60 sec, music licensed through TikTok's commercial library if using platform audio
• Meta: No more than 20% text coverage on thumbnail frame (guideline, not hard limit)
• YouTube: Custom thumbnail uploaded separately, description and target URL set
• LinkedIn: Company page linked as ad account, video ad objective matches campaign goal