VODOOAI Facebook ads: videos and pictures that stop the scroll
By VODOO AI · · 4 min read
On Facebook and Instagram, the ad itself does most of the work. The targeting is largely automatic now; what decides whether someone stops scrolling is the first second of your video or the first look at your picture. That's why the advertisers who win test many versions, not one.
AI makes those versions cheap. This guide covers the sizes Meta runs, how to write a hook, briefs to copy, and a simple way to test without a big budget.
The sizes that run everywhere
9:16, tall
- Where it shows
- Reels and Stories
- Make it as
- A 6 to 15 second video, key words away from the top and bottom edges
4:5, portrait
- Where it shows
- Facebook and Instagram feeds
- Make it as
- A picture or a short video
1:1, square
- Where it shows
- Feeds and the right-hand column
- Make it as
- A picture with one clear product
| Shape | Where it shows | Make it as |
|---|---|---|
| 9:16, tall | Reels and Stories | A 6 to 15 second video, key words away from the top and bottom edges |
| 4:5, portrait | Facebook and Instagram feeds | A picture or a short video |
| 1:1, square | Feeds and the right-hand column | A picture with one clear product |
If you only make one, make 9:16 video: it can run in Reels and Stories, and Meta can crop it for feeds. If you make two, add a 4:5 picture.
The first second decides
- Open on the product doing something, not on your logo.
- Show the result first: the clean kitchen, the finished look, the full plate.
- Put a person's face on screen early. People stop for faces.
- Assume no sound: most people watch muted, so put the key words on screen.
Briefs to copy
A vertical video ad. Close-up of a hand pressing a stainless steel cold-brew maker on a sunny kitchen counter, coffee streaming into a glass of ice, then the full glass lifted towards the camera. Bright morning light, quick cuts, no text in the top or bottom fifth of the frame.Make this in VODOO →
A 4:5 picture split down the middle: on the left a cluttered, dull bathroom shelf, on the right the same shelf tidy and bright with three amber glass bottles. Clean, even light, real textures, room at the top for a short headline.Make this in VODOO →
A vertical video of a woman in her twenties with curly hair in a sunny bedroom, holding a small linen backpack up to the camera and saying, excited but natural: "I've used this every day for a month, and look, not a single mark." Handheld, natural light, real room sound.Make this in VODOO →
Words on the ad
The words on your video or picture do a different job from the caption under it. On the ad itself, keep to one short line that says what changes for the viewer, such as "Iced coffee in 30 seconds" or "Your shelf, finally tidy". Put the price, the offer and the details in the caption and the headline field, where people look once they've stopped.
- Five words or fewer on screen at any moment.
- Big enough to read on a phone held at arm's length.
- High contrast: white with a dark shadow, or dark on a light band.
- Away from the edges, where buttons and profile names cover them.
Test on a small budget
- 01Make five versionsSame product, five different openings or pictures.
- 02Run them togetherPut them in one ad set with a small daily budget and let Meta spread the spend.
- 03Keep the winner, make more like itAfter a few days, keep the one with the lowest cost per result and make five new versions of it.
Meta asks advertisers to say when an ad shows realistic people or events made with AI, and it adds its own "AI info" label in some cases. Never show a real person, a celebrity or a customer who didn't agree, and never show a result your product can't deliver.
Make your first ad
- 01Open CreateChoose Ad, describe your product and who it's for.
- 02Ask for versionsAsk for three openings, in 9:16 and 4:5.
- 03Upload to Ads ManagerDownload them and upload them to one ad set to test.
Start in Create with 300 free credits a month, no card needed. For more on the format, see the AI ad generator guide and AI UGC ads.
Questions people ask
- Can I use AI-made ads on Facebook?
- Yes. Meta allows ads made with AI. It asks you to disclose realistic AI people or events in some cases, and it may label them itself.
- What size should a Facebook video ad be?
- Make it 9:16 for Reels and Stories, and 4:5 for feeds. A 9:16 video with the key words away from the edges runs nearly everywhere.
- How many versions should I test?
- Start with three to five versions of the same product with different openings, then make new versions of whichever one wins.