Content production
Every platform publishes its own video specs, and each one updates them on its own schedule. These are the 2026 numbers from the platforms’ own help pages, checked on 14 September 2026, plus a way to make one campaign fit all of them.
The specs, from the source
| Platform and placement | Ratio | Size | Length |
| TikTok · In-Feed ads | 9:16 recommended; 1:1 and 16:9 accepted | At least 540 × 960 px vertical | Up to 10 minutes |
| Instagram · Reels ads | 9:16 | 1440 × 2560 px recommended | Up to 15 minutes |
| Instagram · Stories ads | 9:16 | 1440 × 2560 px | Up to 60 minutes |
| Facebook · Feed ads | 4:5 | 1440 × 1800 px recommended | Up to 241 minutes |
| YouTube · Shorts | Square or vertical | Not set by size | Up to 3 minutes |
| YouTube · Video ads | 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1 | 1920 × 1080, 1080 × 1920 or 1080 × 1080 px | Skippable after 5 seconds; bumpers are 6 seconds |
Sources: TikTok Ads Manager · Meta’s ads guide for Reels, Stories and Facebook Feed · YouTube Help · Google Ads Help on video ad specs and video ad formats. YouTube defines a Short by its length and shape rather than its pixel size. Specs change, so check the page before a big delivery.
The safe zone matters more than the size
The size gets a video accepted. The safe zone decides whether anyone can read it. For Reels and Stories ads, Meta’s guide asks you to keep at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text, logos and anything important, so the profile icon and the call-to-action don’t cover them. TikTok’s safe zone moves with the ratio, the caption length and any add-ons, and TikTok publishes downloadable templates for it.
35%
Of the bottom of a Reels or Stories ad that Meta asks you to keep clear of text and logos. Design the end card around it.
Shoot once, cut four ways
Four ratios cover every placement in the table: 9:16, 4:5, 1:1 and 16:9. The work is deciding that before production, not in the edit.
→ Frame for the middle. Keep the product, the face and the key line inside the area that survives every crop. Whatever sits at the edges of a 16:9 frame will not exist in 9:16.
→ Make the vertical master big. A 1440 × 2560 master meets or exceeds every vertical size in the table, so it only ever gets scaled down.
→ Put the type on last. Text is laid out per ratio and per safe zone, so it goes onto each cut rather than being baked into the master.
→ Let the idea set the length. Most limits in the table run to several minutes. The maximum tells you what a platform will accept, not what people will watch.
Animated campaigns meet the same problem from the other side: whether you build in 2D or 3D changes how easily a new framing can be made.
Where PUNX fits
This is the problem our AI social content production work is built around: one set of assets, sized and paced for TikTok, Reels and Shorts at once. Brands on our client list include GCash, Grab, KFC, P&G and San Miguel.
FAQ
What size should an Instagram Reels ad be in 2026?
Meta’s ads guide lists 9:16 at 1440 × 2560 pixels for Reels ads, up to 15 minutes long. Keep 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side clear of text and logos.
How long can a YouTube Short be?
Up to three minutes. YouTube counts square or vertical videos of up to three minutes, uploaded on or after 15 October 2024, as Shorts.
What video size does TikTok recommend for ads?
Vertical 9:16, at least 540 × 960 pixels. TikTok also accepts square 1:1 at 640 × 640 or more and horizontal 16:9 at 960 × 540 or more, up to 10 minutes and 500 MB.
Which aspect ratios cover one campaign across every platform?
Four: 9:16 for TikTok, Reels, Stories and Shorts; 4:5 for Facebook Feed; and 1:1 and 16:9 for YouTube ads and square placements.
Related
AI content production — commercials, brand films and social content
AI video production — single films and campaign hero assets
2D vs 3D animation for ads — which one fits the brief
One campaign, every feed
Bring the channel list and the deadline. We will plan the cut-downs before production, not after.
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