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0%The safest Meta ad workflow does not force one canvas into every placement. Feed and vertical placements give the creative different shapes, viewing behavior, and interface overlays.
Feed creative
Square 1:1 and portrait 4:5 assets are practical starting points for Facebook and Instagram feeds. A 4:5 image uses more vertical screen space, while a square asset can be easier to reuse.
Review at 1080 pixels wide or higher and check the real crop with the Facebook Ad Mockup Generator.
Stories and Reels
Vertical placements are designed around 9:16 creative, commonly 1080 × 1920. Meta specifically recommends Reels video made for 9:16, with audio and important elements inside the safe zone.
The full canvas is not equally usable. Account information and controls occupy the top, while captions, calls to action, and engagement controls cover areas near the bottom and sides. Keep the product, face, offer, proof, and essential text away from those interface regions.
Safe zones require visual review
A technical checker can draw an overlay, but it cannot automatically know which pixels contain the message that matters. Inspect the creative yourself:
- Is the product visible without being covered?
- Can subtitles be read above the lower controls?
- Does a price or proof point sit too close to an edge?
- Does the opening frame work before audio starts?
- Does the vertical crop remove context from a feed asset?
Upload the asset to the free Meta Ad Creative Fit Checker to inspect dimensions, aspect ratio, file size, video duration, audio-track presence, and placement compatibility locally in your browser.
Treat specifications as dated guidance
Meta can change placements, rendering, and recommendations. Record when your specifications were reviewed and check the current Meta Reels ad guidance before a major production handoff.
Avoid obsolete blanket rules. In particular, do not treat the old universal 20% image-text restriction as a current creative specification. Design for clarity, readable hierarchy, and the interface the viewer will actually see.
