What You Need To Know About Facebook Reel Ads

Why Use Short Form Videos?

In the relatively short time since Reels launched on Facebook (September 2021), the platform has made a significant push to promote this short-form video format. In addition to delivering reels to the feed, both Instagram and Facebook have dedicated areas for viewing short-form video. Meta’s focus on short-form video has already produced pretty incredible results. For example, the average Instagram Reels viewing session lasts 53 minutes.

And out of all social media platforms, Facebook ranks second most popular for short-form video content—behind only YouTube. Despite these impressive organic numbers, Reels hasn’t yet become overwhelmed with ads. While feed and Stories ads generally appear every three to five posts or stories, Reels ads display much less frequently, generally with at least a dozen organic videos in between.

What does that mean for your business and your social media ads strategy? With Reels ad placements, you have an opportunity to reach and convert customers in a space where they’re spending tons of time-consuming organic content. If you can create compelling short-form video ads, you can effectively leverage a format that has tremendous potential. In short, you have less competitors advertising to your market using reel ads.

Facebook Reels Ads Creative Specs

To advertise in the Reels feed, your creative should have a full screen 9:16 aspect ratio. Although your video can be as small as 500 x 888 pixels, it’s best to use MP4 or MOV files that are 1080 x 1920 pixels. Technically, Facebook doesn’t prohibit interactive stickers on Reels ads the way Instagram does. But because these stickers won’t be functional in your Facebook reel ad, you’ll probably get better results from choosing short-form videos without these elements.

Historically, users have watched the vast majority of Facebook videos without sound. Although audio is now a key part of short-form video, it’s reasonable to assume that part of your target audience will still view your ad without sound. That means it’s important to use royalty-free audio and voiceovers and add captions to your reel. By checking both boxes, you’ll be able to optimize for either preference and deliver the best possible experience on Facebook.

The Best Length for Facebook Reels Ads

The maximum length for Facebook reels is just 30 seconds. But Facebook Reels ads typically perform best when they run for just 15 seconds. Be sure to hook viewers from the beginning to prevent them from scrolling past your ad. Not sure which reel to use for your ad or can’t decide on a length? You can always use Ads Manager’s A/B testing tool to compare ads. Choose Creative as the testing variable and create a second with a completely new reel or a similar one that reflects the editing choices you want to test. Then review the results and use your insights to guide your strategy.

How to Make Effective Facebook Reels Ads?

Facebook doesn’t currently have a boost option for reels, so you’ll need to use Ads Manager for all Facebook Reels ads. But this is where it gets tricky. In theory, Ads Manager allows you to advertise existing posts in the Facebook Reels placement. But in reality, Facebook reels don’t appear in the list of available posts. That means your options are creating new reels for Facebook ads or promoting existing Instagram reels on Facebook. To drive your message home, you can also include up to 72 characters of primary text in your Reels ad.

Facebook reels ads are currently sitting as a massive untapped potential market for social media influencers, online marketers, and sales agents. Its no secret that people are moving away from the traditional Facebook feed for their daily social media consumption as they feel its overly saturated with irrelevant content and ads. Right now, if you want to stand out from the crowd on Facebook, reel ads are the way to go.