You’re getting ready to launch a new campaign. The strategy is set, the goals are clear, and your content assets are ready to be promoted. But before you launch, you need to make sure that your digital ads are up to spec. More specifically, you need to make sure that each ad is tailored to the platform you will be using to promote your campaign, and that requires knowing the dimensions and requirements of every ad.
But rather than spending time sifting through each platform’s ad requirements, bookmark this page to ensure you hit the mark on B2B digital ad specs every time. We know the struggle of ensuring each ad has the correct dimensions to provide a seamless and frictionless experience for your target audience, which is why we created this guide. Below are the ads we’ll be covering in this blog:
- LinkedIn Ad Requirements
- Google Ad Requirements
- Facebook Ad Requirements
- X Ad Requirements
- Instagram Ad Requirements
- YouTube Ad Requirements
LinkedIn Ads
If LinkedIn isn’t a part of your B2B marketing arsenal, you’re doing it wrong. LinkedIn is the world’s largest global network for professionals, accounting for over 845 million users. Business Insider has also cited it as the most trusted social platform, so you can identify the incentive for B2Bs to advertise on LinkedIn, getting front and center of their target audience.
LinkedIn offers multiple ways to target your audience, but here are the most commonly used ad specs and sizes.
Single Image Ads
Single image ads look like typical posts and appear in your news feed, making it easy for users to like, share, and comment. They also appear on your company page as a page update and are the most commonly used ad type overall.
Example of LinkedIn Single Image Ad (Source: LinkedIn)
LinkedIn has three types of posts depending on whether they appear on desktop, mobile, or both. Here they are below:
Horizontal: Best for mobile and desktop
- Thumbnail Dimensions: 7680 x 4320 px
- File Size: 5MB max
- File Types: JPG, GIF, PNG
Square: Best for desktop and mobile
- Thumbnail Dimensions: 4320 x 4320 px
- File Size: 5MB max
- File Types: JPG, GIF, PNG
Vertical: Best for mobile
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- Thumbnail Dimensions: 2430 x4320 px
- File Size: 5MB max
- File Types: JPG, GIF, PNG
Carousel Ads
One LinkedIn ad format that is proving effective in driving conversions is carousel ads. They are great for giving your audience a sneak peek into your content offer. One way we like to use LinkedIn carousel ads for clients is to promote a case study with a bottom-of-the-funnel offer, like requesting a demo or getting in touch.
Example of LinkedIn Carousel Ad (source: Cox 2M)
Another example is to take a white paper and tease out the first couple of pages, then have a CTA to encourage the reader to download the offer. Regardless of what you do, the key is to keep the ads simple and engaging.
Here are the specs to create your carousel ads:
- Introductory text: 255 characters
- Card Headline: 45 characters
- Card: 10 max
- Card file size: 10 MB
- Card image specs: 1080 x 1080 px
- Media formats: JPG, PNG, GIF
- Headline for each card: Two lines max
- Links: 10 max (1 per card)
- Landing page URL: Required
- URL characters: 2,000 characters for destination field URL
Message Ads
We typically advise against sending message ads (they used to be called InMail ads) to prospects because they can come across as spammy. But one area in which we’ve seen great success is advertising events. This is a great way to warm up a lead before meeting them. You can share a one-pager or additional content that could help them solve a particular challenge or drive awareness of your product or solution.
If you’re going down this route, make sure your message is personalized and tailored to that prospect. For example, you’ll want to understand what your prospect does and the potential challenges they might face. The last thing you want is to send an InMail that gets their title or industry wrong.
Here are the specs you need for a LinkedIn message ads
- Subject line: 60 characters max
- Message text: 60 characters max
- Message text: 1,500 characters max
- Custom footer: 2,500 characters max
- Call-to-action: 20 characters max
- Banner ad dimensions (optional): 300 x 250 px
- Banner ad file types (optional): JPG or PNG
- Banner File Size (optional): 2MB
- Landing page URL: Required
- URL characters: 1,024 characters for destination field URL
Video Ads
Unlike sponsored content and InMail, you can use animation and video ads to delight and attract your target audience’s eyes to your offer. You can use this to promote highlights from a recent eBook, white paper, or client testimonial.
One way we recently leveraged video ads at Marsden was to do a video ad to surround our campaign for migrating your Oracle database to the cloud for our IT consulting client. The theme of the video ad was to have two subject matter experts talk about how AWS can help fund your Oracle migration. This was linked to a resource on a landing page: once the prospect converted on it, they were dropped into an email nature campaign.
Example of LinkedIn Carousel Ad (source: TekStream)
Regardless of intent, follow these specs and let your creativity fly:
- Dimensions: Vertical (4:5) — 1536 x 1920 px/ Vertical (9:16) — 1080 x 1920 px/ Landscape (16:9) — 1080 x 1920 px/ Square (1:1) — 1920 x 1920 px
- Max file size: 200 MB
- Duration: 30 minutes max
- Video caption: Optional
- File Types: MP4
- Recommended frame rate: 30 frames per second
- Minimum aspect ratio: 16:9
- Max height: 1920 pixels
- Max width: 1920 pixels
- Landing page URL: Required
- URL characters: 2,000 characters for destination field URL
Dynamic Ads
Dynamic ads are great for making your marketing messages extremely personalized and targeted. LinkedIn offers several options, but we will focus on spotlight ads and follower ads. Here’s a closer look at the requirements for each.
Spotlight Ads:
- Logo file size: 2MB
- Logo image dimensions: 100x100 pixels
- Logo file types: JPG or PNG
- Background image file type (optional): JPG or PNG
- Background image dimensions (optional): 300 x 250 px
- Background image file size (optional): 2MB
- Headline: 50 characters
- Description: 70 characters
- Company name: 25 characters
- Call-to-action: 18 characters
Follower Ads:
- Logo file size: 2MB
- Logo image dimensions: 100 x 100 px
- Logo file types: JPG or PNG
- Headline: 50 characters
- Description: 70 characters
- Company name: 25 characters
Google Ads
Everyone knows about Google, so there’s no need to tell you why you should consider investing in Google Ads. However, if you still need some convincing, consider this: approximately $162.45 billion is spent globally on search ads annually. Need we say more? Here are some of the more popular ad specs you should know, especially if you’re a B2B.
Text Ads
Text ads, better known as search ads, are usually hard to identify as ads because they look like typical search results. To tell the difference, look for the word “Sponsored” above the search result. That’s what usually sets them apart. These ads are text-based, and what you’re paying for here is the keyword.
Example of Google Text Ad
Usually, the most popular and seemingly easy keywords are already taken by larger brands, which means you have to get creative with long-tail keywords to rank on top of Google’s search results.
Before starting, we recommend you do keyword research using your favorite SEM/SEO tool. At Marsden Marketing we use SEMRush. Once you have a list of keywords, do a Google search to see what ads come up, and study each one to think through how you could differentiate yourself from the competition.
It’s interesting to note that Google has recently added machine learning to search ads, allowing you to load multiple marketing messages while using AI to learn which ads perform best and serving those up accordingly. Talk about A/B testing on the go.
Here are some general rules you’ll want to follow for maximum impact:
- Headline 1: 30 characters
- Headline 2: 30 characters
- Headline 3: 30 characters
- Description 1: 90 characters
- Description 2: 90 characters
- Path (2): 15 characters each
Call Only Ads
Call ads are only available for mobile use, which is nice considering that approximately 95.8% of users start their search on mobile. To get started with yours, use these specs:
- Headline 1&2 (optional): 30 characters
- Business name: 25 characters
- Phone number: No limit
- Description 1 & 2 (with 2 being optional): 90 characters
- Display path: 15 characters
- Display URL: No limit
Facebook Ads
Facebook may not be your platform of choice, but don’t let it fool you. As of 2023, the social media platform boasts over 3 billion monthly active users — a 3% increase from the previous year. Helpful Hint: To make your digital advertising efforts impactful, leverage private groups to connect and engage your prospects. Here are the top ad specs and sizes to use.
Carousel Ads
Like its namesake, the Facebook carousel ad option allows you to display up to 10 images or videos to your intended audience. Each image or video can have its dedicated link, making it great if your B2B has multiple products or services.
Example of Facebook Carousel Ad (source: Email Drips)
With the latest updates, you can feature carousel ads as reels, stories, and more. Below are the requirements.
Design Recommendations:
- File: JPG or PNG
- Video file type: MP4, MOV, or GIF
- Resolution: 1080 x 1080 px
Text Recommendations:
- Primary Text: 125 characters max
- Headline: 32 characters max
- Description: 18 Characters max
- Landing Page URL: Required
Technical Requirements:
- Cards: 10 max
- Image size: 30MB
- Video size: 4GB
- Video ratio: 1:1
- Video size: 4GB
- Video length: 240 mins max
Image Ads
Images are the most commonly used format on Facebook. To make sure your ad doesn’t get lost in the haystack, make sure to use high-res photography that's true to your brand. The last thing you want is your ad to be ignored because it wasn’t easily identifiable. Here are the specs to use in your next ad project:
- File: JPG or PNG
- Resolution: 1080 x 1080 px
- Image size: 30MB
- Ratio: 1:1
- Primary text: 125 characters
- Headline: 27 characters
- Description: 27 characters
Video Ads
Did you know that people watch an average of 16 hours of video online a week? It makes sense when you think about it. Video is much easier to consume than reading an article, and it instantly catches your audience's attention.
Example of Facebook Video Ad (source: Aaron Zakowski)
Make sure to follow these requirements your Facebook video ads:
- File type: MP4, MOV, or GIF
- Size: 4GB Max
- Ratio: 1:1 (for desktop or mobile) or 4:5 (for mobile only)
- Resolution: 1080 x 1080 px
- Length: 241 minutes max
- Primary text: 125 characters
- Headline: 27 characters
- Description: 27 characters
Collection Ads
This ad type is relatively new and more commonly used by B2C companies. However, if you’re a B2B whose audience uses Facebook and you have a lot of products to offer, you may want to consider testing out a collection ad. These ad formats are great for making it easier for people to browse and purchase products or services in a more visual and immersive way.
A collection ad typically features a cover image or video and three product or service images. However, you need to turn on Instant Experience to use it. Learn more about that here. To that end, here are the specs for building this ad type:
- Image type: JPG or PNG
- Video file type: MP4, MOV, or GIF
- Ratio: 1:1
- Resolution: 1080 x 1080 px
- Primary text: 125 characters
- Headline: 40 characters
- Landing page URL: Required
- Image file size: 30MB max
- Video file size: 4GB max
X Ads
It’s perfectly fine not to know X ad specs off the top of your head, but taking advantage of the collapse function (when you click on a picture and it either expands or collapses the tweet) will benefit you if it’s used correctly. Pay attention to how many characters you use when writing your copy. Here are a couple of formats to consider.
Text Ads
Most X users are scrolling their timelines on their phones to pass the time. Get your characters together to ensure they aren’t passing your post. Helpful Hint: Create space between wordy posts to increase their legibility. Best practices to follow:
- Characters: 280 max
- Shorten URL links
- Keep copy short and snappy
Image Ads
People retain information better when it’s paired with a relevant image. You'll see how effective the right image can be when used for your digital marketing efforts.
Potential Example of X Image Ad (source: HubSpot)
Follow the specs to help your ad cut through the clutter effectively:
- Characters: 280 max
- Dimensions: 800 x 418 px for all image ad types except standalone which is 1200 x 1200 px
- Size: 5MB max
- File type: JPEG or PNG (BMP and TIFF not supported)
Video Ads
Grab your audience's attention with moving images that have a purpose or an engaging video that highlights your products or services' unique value proposition creatively. Whatever your preference, make sure to follow these rules:
- Copy: 280 characters
- File type: MP4 or MOV
- Size: 1GB max
- Ratio: 16:9 or 1:1
- Frame rate: 29.97 FPS or 30 FPS
- Thumbnail:
- Supported files: PNG or JPEG
- Aspect ratio: Match video size
- Max size: 5MB
Carousel Ads
Similar to Facebook and LinkedIn, X has carousel ads that can be used to provide your target audience with a more immersive ad experience. This is great for teasing out stats and figures from a white paper or case study. Just get creative and think about what kind of story you could tell that would pique your audience’s interest and get them to learn more. To that end, here are some specs to consider when exploring this route:
- Number of slides: 2-6 (images or videos)
- Image size: 800 x 418 px
- Video size: 800 x 450 px for 16:9 ratio/ 800 x 800 px for 1:1 aspect ratio
- Link: Up to six unique web destination
Instagram Ads
You might be wondering what Instagram is doing on this list. After all, when you think about Instagram, you’re likely thinking of it as a B2C play. But we are here to tell you the opposite. Effective B2B marketing is all about knowing where your audience goes to consume content. If your audience and competitors are on this platform, you may want to consider investing in this channel.
When we worked with an OEM manufacturer of wires and cables, it turned out that Instagram was one of their target audiences' most used platforms. That’s right. Engineers in the B2B preferred Instagram over other channels.
So, how can you make sure your Instagram ads stand out? Here are the top formats and their requirements to consider.
Image Ads
Instagram is an image-based platform, so it makes sense that the most commonly used ad format is an image. But for that reason, you have to make sure your ad creative stands head and shoulders above your competitors’ ads to be successful.
Example of Instagram Image Ad (source: PixelMe)
Outside of the actual creative, adhere to these specs to win with an image-based ad:
- Image File Type: JPG or PNG
- Ratio: 191 x 100
- Resolution: 1080 x 1080 px
- Primary ext: 125 characters max
- Headline: 40 characters max
- Hashtags: 30 max
- File Size: 30MB max
Stories Ads
You already know about the effectiveness of video, so we won’t go down that rabbit hole. However, for Instagram, you want to focus on stories rather than regular video posts since stories get more engagement.
Example of Instagram Stories Ad (source: Quickbooks)
Here are the specs to keep in mind, and if you're looking for standalone video ads that appear in your feed, just reference the Facebook section since you can promote across platforms, and the specs are 1:1:
- File type: MP4, MOV, or GIF
- Ratio: 9:16
- Resolution: 1080 x 1080 px
- Primary text: 125 characters max
- Length: 60 mins max
- Size: 4GB max
Instagram has several other ad formats that are 1:1 to Facebook, so for specs on the collection, carousel, or video ads, go back to the Facebook section here.
Youtube Ads
I’m sure you've heard that YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google. In fact, YouTube has over 2.5 million logged-in users monthly and over 1 billion hours of video watched daily. With Google's latest SGE updates, video is quickly becoming the preferred search result, outranking other search results by a long shot.
So, if you want to stand out, you have to explore video ads on YouTube. Ad formats typically come in three formats:
- Skippable video ads: These videos allow viewers to skip the ad after 5 seconds.
- Non-skippable video ads: Requires the viewer to watch the ad before they can view their content
- Bumper ads: These are short, non-skippable ads that last up to 6 seconds and are embedded throughout a video. Think of them as little commercial breaks.
Here are the specs for all three formats:
- Resolution: 1080p (Full HD)/ 720p min
- Ratio: 16:9 (horizontal)/ 9:16 (vertical) / 1:1 (square)
- Format: MPG or MOV (can’t accept audio files like MP3, WAV, or PCM)
- Size: 256 GB max
- Thumbnail resolution: 1280 x 720 px
- Thumbnail ratio: 16:9
- Thumbnail format: JPG, GIF, or PNG
- File Size: <2MB for videos; <10MB for podcasts
Getting Started With B2B Ads
There are several other B2B platforms where you can advertise your products and services, all of which come with their own specs and dimensions. Think Ad Roll, Terminus, and more. There are also online publications that offer digital promotion opportunities for a small fee; you just have to download their media kits to access the types of ads, dimensions, and requirements.
But regardless of what channel you use to promote your B2B organization, the same principles apply. Know your audience. Use engaging creative to get eyeballs on your ads. Make sure your messaging is relevant and engaging to drive your audience to act.
Bookmark this guide as your go-to resource to ensure your ads are always up to spec. And if you're looking for ways to create your B2B ads, check out our blog on free online design tools to kickstart your efforts.
