A well-designed ad for one platform doesn’t necessarily translate to a well-designed ad for all platforms. Ever designed a great graphic, uploaded it only to have the text cut off or the most important part of the graphic not show up? Which is why it’s important to know the standard sizes of ads.
Each advertising medium has its own ad size, format and placement recommendations. When you’re designing campaigns for Meta, LinkedIn, Google, TikTok or Reddit, selecting the right size up front can save you a lot of time in the editing process down the line.
Let’s take a look at the most popular ad sizes that marketers should be familiar with.
Meta Ad Sizes
There are a number of formats to keep in mind: Meta such as Facebook and Instagram. A 1080 x 1080-pixel square is a good size for feed ads as it performs well on various placements.
The typical dimensions for Instagram Stories, and Instagram Reels, are 1080 x 1920 pixels with a 9:16 aspect ratio. This takes up the entire phone screen, and is perfect for immersive content.
How about landscape images? Link-based placements and horizontal creatives are usually found in a 1200 × 628 resolution.
Don’t only consider dimensions when creating Meta ads. Avoid placing key text and graphics elements on platforms near the edges where they will be obscured by platform interfaces.
LinkedIn Ad Sizes
While LinkedIn is a great choice for B2B advertising, it has a few different expectations when it comes to creating ads.
Square ads, with dimensions around 1200 × 1200 pixels, are a good choice for single-image ads. Alternatively, images for landscapes can be generated at around 1200 x 627 pixels and those for verticals at about 628 x 1200 pixels.
The main thing is to maintain a professional and easy to comprehend design. The visuals have to be relevant to the job and not distract the user because they are in a work-related mindset.
Google Ad Sizes
Google Ads offers a variety of placements, there’s no single size.
To create responsive display ads, advertisers typically create landscape images (1200 x 628 pixels) and square images (1200 x 1200 pixels).
Google can then optimize them for various placements.
The size of uploaded display banners varies widely, particularly when they are displayed on different sites. Common dimensions include 300 × 250, 336 × 280, 728 × 90, and 300 × 600 pixels.
For marketers looking to streamline the creative process, an ai google ads generator can also help create and adapt ad visuals for different formats, making it easier to prepare assets that fit common Google Ads placements.
All those numbers, what are they? That’s understandable. It’s best to create a limited number of formats that are widely accepted, not to create formats for each placement.
TikTok Ad Sizes
TikTok is all about content that is vertical and mobile-first. 1080 × 1920 pixels is the standard resolution for most in-feed ads and is recommended to have a 9:16 ratio.
Why vertical? Well, that is the way people use it, naturally.
The creative should be as full screen as possible and deliver the central message in a timely fashion. Try not to place critical text at the bottom or top as the TikTok interface may be able to obscure it.
For short videos, it’s best if they come across as natural, rather than like advertisements.
Reddit Ad Sizes
With ad placements, a couple of creative options are available for Reddit advertising.
If you are using image ads, a square creative (1200 x 1200) might be a good option, as well as landscape creatives (1200 x 628).
With Reddit communities, it’s not all about the visual as it tends to be very niche. To be relevant to the audience and to blend in with the surrounding content is the creative’s job.
An ad that is overly slick and definitely out of place may not get read. Context matters. From ad creation to optimization, Lapis AI agents manage paid campaigns across Meta, LinkedIn, Google, TikTok, and Reddit.
How to decide what size to pick for your ads?
So, create a unique design for each platform?
Yes, of course, but not every time, you don’t have to redesign your campaign each time.
Think creatively, then adapt to the formats that are relevant to your campaign. For instance, a square version can be used for feeds, while a vertical version can be made for Stories, Reels and TikTok.
Please always review the latest specification of the platform prior to running, as specifications might change.
Final Thoughts
The ad size is another detail you might think is insignificant, but it could make all the difference in the appearance of the advertisement. A creative that matches the size of the space will be easily seen, won’t be cropped and will provide the user with a better viewing experience.
If you are promoting on any of the major platforms like Meta, LinkedIn, Google, TikTok, and Reddit, consider the platform where your audience will encounter your ad and design it accordingly.
Clever as the message is not enough for good advertising. Sometimes, it’s just getting the message to fit on the screen.