How to Create Video Ads (for Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

Advertising on social media is an extremely effective way to nurture leads for your business and gain loyal customers. And video ads specifically can be a great way to draw people in. Compelling visuals and the chance to speak directly to your consumer base make video one of the most eye-catching and powerful ways to spend your ad dollars.

But how do you create video ads for Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms that will perform the most successfully? Read on for our best video ad tips!

How to Create Video Ads

Ask yourself the important questions

Before you start creating your video, make sure you’re moving in the right direction by asking yourself three very important questions. First: what type of video does your audience want? You could provide a tutorial, give a product demonstration, or go with a direct-to-camera approach where you speak personally to your audience.

Second: what message resonates with your ideal audience? This will help you figure out what tone and theme should guide your video ad. And finally: which platforms are preferred by your customers? You don’t need to pay to spread your video ad across platforms where your audience isn’t even present.

Check the length

The optimal length for your video ad will vary depending on which platform you’re using. Here’s a quick platform-specific breakdown:

Facebook

• Limit your video to 2 minutes maximum.
• Bear in mind that, in order for a video ad to appear before a Facebook Watch video, the ad has to be 15 seconds or less.

Instagram

• Limit your video to 60 seconds maximum.
• Optimal length is about 30 seconds.

Twitter

• Limit your video to 30 seconds maximum

Pick the right size

When you’re choosing a video size, you basically have four options: widescreen/landscape, square, vertical, and portrait. Much like length, the optimal video size will vary from platform to platform. You always want your video to be sized so that it takes up the most real estate possible in your audience’s newsfeed. Here’s a quick reference of the best sizes for each social media platform:

Facebook

• Traditional Facebook feed: Square
• Facebook Stories: Vertical

Instagram

• Instagram feed: Square
• Instagram Stories: Vertical

Twitter

• Vertical or Square

Pro tip: Worried you won’t remember which size to use on which platform? Zubtitle makes it easy! With our resizing feature, all you have to do is select which platform you’ll be using, and we’ll automatically resize your video for you.

Add subtitles

If you want to convert leads, you can’t risk missing out on those who are scrolling through social media on mute. In fact, studies show that approximately 80% of social media videos are watched without sound. To make sure your video ad is most effective, you have to include subtitles.

A lot of people skip out on adding subtitles because they don’t want to spend the time transcribing every word themselves (or the money on a VA or expensive video software). But here’s the good news: Zubtitle can make it easy to add subtitles while saving you money! Zubtitle is the first automated, on-demand social media video tool that automatically transcribes the speech in your video and converts it to captions.

Use captivating visuals

The only way to catch a potential customer’s eye in the days of fast-scrolling is to put an emphasis on visuals. To avoid having your video content glanced right over, make sure you choose visuals that highlight the best parts of your brand and utilize bold fonts/colors/imagery (especially in the thumbnail of your ad, which is the very first thing people will see). Zubtitle allows you to customize the style of your video. You can add your own custom fonts, use your brand colors, and optimize all of the styling to match your own branding.

Include a video headline

Subtitles may make it easier for more people to watch your video ad, but a headline is what will make those people stop to watch in the first place. A visually compelling video headline could be the difference between making or losing a sale. Make sure you use a headline that creates a sense of urgency for your audience — this is a great place to include a call-to-action.

Once you craft the perfect headline, you can easily add it to your video with Zubtitle! All you have to do is upload your video and navigate to the Text Editor, where you can add your headline. Then navigate to the Text Styles menu. In that section, you’ll have the capability to customize the style, position it, etc. For a detailed walkthrough on adding a video headline with Zubtitle, click here.

Are you ready to start creating video ads for Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms?

If you’re brand-new to Zubtitle, you can sign up for an account and create your first video for FREE!