How long should a Facebook video ad be? Lengths, sizes and what Meta recommends
There is no length Meta requires or recommends for every placement. Feed video ads can run from 1 second to 241 minutes, Facebook Stories up to 3 minutes and Instagram Reels up to 15 minutes. The “15 seconds” you read everywhere is Meta’s ceiling for in-stream ads and an undated tip — not a rule. What Meta does say clearly is to put the key message in the first 3 seconds. The freshest independent data, 421 videos in 2026, found cost per result within 6% of each brand’s median at every length. For a lead business: make the video as long as the offer needs, start with the offer, use 4:5 for feeds and 9:16 for Stories and Reels, add captions — and judge by cost per lead, not view metrics.
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Length limits and sizes by placement
| Ratio | Length | |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook Feed | 4:5 (1440×1800) | 1 second to 241 minutes |
| Facebook Stories | 9:16 (1440×2560) | 1 second to 3 minutes |
| Instagram Stories | 9:16 (1440×2560) | 1 second to 60 minutes |
| Instagram Reels | 9:16 (1440×2560) | up to 15 minutes |
| Facebook in-stream | 16:9 or 1:1 | 5–15 s on desktop, 5 s–10 min on mobile |
From Meta’s Ads Guide on 17 October 2026, for the Leads objective where it has a page (Feed, Stories, Reels, Instagram Stories, in-stream). Every placement takes MP4 or MOV up to 4 GB; captions and sound are “optional, but recommended” (“strongly recommended” for Reels and in-stream). Older charts that cap Stories at 2 minutes or Reels at 90 seconds are out of date.
Keep text and logos out of roughly the top 14%, bottom 35% and 6% on each side of 9:16 videos — that’s where the app’s buttons sit.
What Meta actually recommends
Videos should capture attention and include key messaging or branding within the first 3 seconds.
- 15 seconds: on its video ad page Meta says
we generally recommend a 15 second maximum
— for in-stream ads (source). An undated mobile video guide addsConsider delivering your message in 15 seconds or less.
(source) without a study behind it. - Vertical:
Use an aspect ratio of 4:5 for Feed or 9:16 for Stories and Reels placements.
(source) - Sound: the old rule was
Build for sound off. Delight with sound on.
(source). Reels changed it:Over 75% of Reels views on Instagram are sound on
(Meta, 2024). Make feed videos work with captions; give Reels real sound too.
Meta publishes no study comparing video lengths by leads or sales — its research on video measures ad recall and brand lift.
Why short videos look better in reports
Two counting rules favour short videos, whatever they bring in leads:
- ThruPlay counts when someone
watches at least 15 seconds of your video, or to 97% completion if shorter than 15 seconds
(source). A 10-second video needs 10 seconds watched; a 40-second one needs 15. - Looping: on Facebook, videos of 30 seconds or less loop for up to 90 seconds, sometimes 180; longer videos don’t. On Instagram, every video loops while it’s on screen (source).
The “47% in 3 seconds” figure
Meta’s often-quoted claim that up to 47% of a video campaign’s value comes in the first three seconds comes from a 2015 Nielsen analysis of ad recall, using only campaigns that had shown a positive lift (MarTech, 2015). It’s about remembering brands, not leads. So is “85% watch without sound” — a 2016 figure from publishers, not Meta (Digiday).
Does length change cost per lead?
| Share of videos | Cost per result vs brand median | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 s or less | 10% | 0.95× |
| 11–15 s | 10% | 1.03× |
| 16–30 s | 36% | 1.03× |
| 31–45 s | 23% | 0.94× |
| 46–60 s | 12% | 1.00× |
| Over 60 s | 9% | 0.95× |
Biddyco, an agency, analysed 421 videos from 21 brands with $10.3 million spend, July–October 2026, comparing each video with its own brand’s
median. The median viewer watched about 3–5 seconds at every length. Their conclusion: The length matters a lot less than the first 3 seconds.
(source) The brands were mostly online shops, not lead businesses — test on your own numbers.
A video plan for a lead business
- Seconds 0–3: the offer and who it’s for. “Free implant consultation in Warsaw” on screen, not a logo intro.
- Then the proof: a person on camera, a before-and-after, a student’s result — as long as it takes, usually 15–45 seconds.
- End with what happens next: “Leave your number — we’ll call within an hour”.
- Make two lengths of the same idea — a 15-second cut and a 40-second one — and compare cost per lead, not ThruPlays (A/B test).
- Add captions in Ads Manager, and export 4:5 and 9:16 versions.
Writing the words on screen and in the ad text: AI ad copy. Since March 2026, a 5-second view counts as engagement for website conversions — see attribution settings.
Compare videos by leads and sales: Variafy
Variafy connects ChatGPT, Claude and other assistants to your Meta ad accounts. Ask “Is the short or the long video bringing cheaper leads?” — it compares your ads’ spend, leads and cost per lead, and with sales from your CRM, which video brought customers. It doesn’t edit or cut videos.
How we checked
Checked on 17 October 2026 against Meta’s Ads Guide (video specs by placement, Leads objective), Meta for Business pages (video ad format, Tailored Campaigns, mobile video guide), Meta’s Business Help Center (ThruPlay, video length and looping — read in a browser that day), Meta’s 2024 Reels post, MarTech’s 2015 report on the Nielsen study, Digiday (2016) and Biddyco’s October 2026 study. We also read the pages that rank for these searches.
Variafy is our product.
Questions
How long should a Facebook video ad be?
As long as the message needs, with the offer in the first 3 seconds. Meta sets no recommended length for feeds; a 2026 study of 421 videos found similar cost per result at every length. For leads, test a short and a longer cut.
What is the maximum length of a Facebook video ad?
Per Meta’s Ads Guide in October 2026: 241 minutes in Facebook Feed, 3 minutes in Facebook Stories, 60 minutes in Instagram Stories, 15 minutes in Instagram Reels, and 15 seconds on desktop in-stream.
What size should a Facebook video ad be?
4:5 (1440×1800) for Facebook and Instagram feeds, 9:16 (1440×2560) for Stories and Reels. Files up to 4 GB in MP4 or MOV.
Does Meta recommend 15-second video ads?
Only for in-stream ads, where it suggests a 15-second maximum, and in an undated tip. The Ads Guide sets no recommended length for feed, Stories or Reels.
Do short videos get cheaper leads?
No evidence says so. Short videos score better on ThruPlay and loop on Facebook, but Biddyco’s 2026 study found cost per result 0.94–1.03× the brand median at every length.