How to Create Facebook In-Stream Ads People Will Watch

In-stream is just Facebook's fancy term for ad breaks. In-stream ads are inserted into videos and live streams on Facebook Watch. They can be ... SkiptoprimarynavigationSkiptomaincontentSkiptoprimarysidebarSkiptofooterWanttogetinfrontofvideoviewersonFacebook?WonderinghowtorunFacebookin-streamvideoads? Inthisarticle,you’lldiscoverhowtocreateFacebookin-streamvideoadsthatpeoplewillwatch. WhatAreFacebookIn-StreamAds? In-streamisjustFacebook’sfancytermforadbreaks.In-streamadsareinsertedintovideosandlivestreamsonFacebookWatch.Theycanbefrom5secondsto10minuteslong,andappearatleast1minuteintovideocontent. Butthereareafewkeylimitationsthatmakethisformatreallyinteresting. Firstofall,Facebookin-streamadsareonlyshowntomobileusers.IfyouwatchFacebookvideosondesktop,you’llneverseeanin-streamad.Adplacementsarealsolimiteddependingonhowmuchtimeyou’vealreadyspentviewingadsthatday.Soifyou’vealreadyscrolledpastafewdozensponsoredposts,orwatchedalongvideospot,thenFacebookmightgiveyouabreakfromtheads. Secondly,in-streamadsonlyappearincertaincategoriesofFacebookvideo: On-demandvideofrompublishersandcreators.CreatorshavetoapplytoFacebooktobeeligibleforin-streamadplacementsandtherearestrictcriteriainplace.It’suptocreatorswhichoftheirvideoscontainads. Live-streamvideofromFacebookpartners.ThatmeanscreatorsandpublisherswhohavebeenapprovedbyFacebook—specificallyintheworldofgaming,entertainment,andsports. Thisispartofawidertrend.Facebookisinvestingalotintogaming,sports,andnewvirtualrealitytech.It’sfavoringcreatorsinthesesectorsbygivingthemearlyaccesstoin-streamads.And,ifyoucheckouttheWatchtabintheFacebookmobileapp,you’llseethatFacebookispushingGamingasoneofthehomecategories: Whenyoucreateanin-streamad,Facebookwillautomaticallyplaceitinavideofromthesecategoriesusingitsadspaceauctionsystem.Adspotsarespacedoutoverthecourseofvideocontentsoviewersaren’tfloodedwithads.Whencreatorsuploadvideostotheirprofiles,theycanevensuggestcuesforcommercialbreakssothingsflowmorenaturally. BenefitsofUsingFacebookIn-StreamAds Butbeforewediveintothetechnicaldetails…areFacebookin-streamadsworthit?Beforeyoufireupthecameraandredistributeyouradbudget,here’swhatyouneedtoknow. PeopleconsumeahugeamountofvideocontentonlineandagoodquarterofthatcontentcomesfromFacebook.Withinthesocialnetwork,anestimated65%ofallvideoviewsarebymobileusers—whichisgoodnewsforin-streamadsbecausethey’remobile-only. Amongallofthosevideos,dopeoplestillwatchads?Theanswerisyes.AccordingtoFacebook,over70%ofFacebookin-streamadsareviewedallthewaythrough.That’snotjustduetounskippableads;usersareactivelychoosingnottoskipwhengiventhechoice. In-streamadsalsocomewithaguaranteedaudiencesize.Creatorsandpublishershavetomeetstringentrequirementsbeforetheycanmonetizetheirvideoswithadplacements: TheConferenceYou'veBeenWaitingFor Asasmallbusinessmarketer,youcanprobablyonlypickoneortwoeventstoattendeachyear.GetbackintothegamewithanunbeatableconferenceexperienceandexperttrainingatSocialMediaMarketingWorldinsunnySanDiego,California—fromyourfriendsatSocialMediaExaminer. 🔥🔥Asavaluedreader,youcansave$750ifyouactnow!SaleEndsWednesday! CLICKHERETOLEARNMORE Atleast10,000followers Atleast30,000videoviewsinthelast60days Inaneligiblecountry Inotherwords,whenyourunin-streamads,youradsareguaranteedthatlevelofaudienceengagement.Facebookalsoappliesitsusualbrandsafetyfilters,andspecificallyexcludescontentfromgovernmentalorreligiouspagessoyoudon’thavetoworryaboutunfortunateassociations. Withallthatsaid,in-streamadswillalwaysbeunpopularwithsomeviewers.SomepeopleresentFacebookadbreaksbecausethey’reoftenunskippableandappearatunpredictablemomentsthroughoutvideos. Thereareseveralwaystogetaroundthisproblemofviewerfatigue.First,andmostobvious,youshouldcreateadsthatareworthwatching:entertaining,attention-grabbing,andcompatiblewithviewers’interests. Someexpertsalsorecommendtargetingin-streamadstoviewerswhoarealreadyawareofyourbrand.They’remorelikelytowelcomeadswhenthey’realreadyinterestedinaproduct. Inthenextcoupleofsections,we’llcoverexactlyhowtocreatein-streamadsandhowtomakesureviewerslovethem. HowtoCreateFacebookIn-StreamAds CreatingFacebookin-streamadsisjustlikecreatinganyothercampaigninFacebookAdsManager.You’llrecognizeallofthefamiliarsteps:namingyourcampaign,choosingplacements,definingyouraudience,andfinallyuploadingtheadcreative. Justmakesureyou’vetickedIn-Streaminthelistofadplacements.Youcanalsorunotheradtypesatthesametime;forexample,in-streamadswithFacebookStoriesisapopularcombination.Aswe’llseebelow,Facebookitselfrecommendscombiningin-streamadswithstaticadsinthesamecampaign. Butfirst,let’slookthroughthedetailedsettingsforFacebookin-streamads. Onceyou’veselectedyouradplacements,clickShowMoreOptionsatthebottomofthelist.You’llseeasettingaboutskippableadplacements. IfyouchooseDon’tIncludeSkippableAdsinThisAdSet,thenyourin-streamadwillalwaysappearasanunskippablebreak.However,youcanalsochoosetoleavethissettingoff,givingusersthechoicetoskipyourvideos. It’sworthnotingthatFacebookonlymakesthefirst15secondsofanyvideounskippable.Atthe15-secondmark,viewerscanchoosewhethertocontinuewatchingsoyoucan’tgetawaywith10-minuteunskippableads.It’sprobablyforthebest. Whenyou’rehappywiththesettingsonthispage,clickNexttostarteditingyouradcreative. Facebookhasquitelimitedspecificationsforin-streamvideo.Allin-streamadsmustbeina16:9or1:1aspectratio,withatleast1080x1080pixels.Youcanupload.mp4,.mov,or.gifvideofilesbuttheyhavetobesmallerthan4GB.(Ifyouwantevenmoredetailedvideospecsaboutthingslikesquarepixels,checktheofficialguidance.) JustlikeothertypesofvideoadsuchasInstagramReelsads,therearethreewaystoaddvideotoyouradcampaign.Youcan: Uploadanewvideothatyou’vecreatedalready. UseanexistingvideofromyourFacebookcontentlibrary. UsethevideocreatortoolinFacebookAdsManager. Thebuilt-invideocreatorisareallygoodoptionifyouwanttomakeshort,fastvideoswithaclearvisualidentity.Itusesphotosandstaticimageswithvisualeffectstocreateaverysimple,slideshow-stylevideo. GetExpertSocialMediaMarketingTrainingfromthePros Wanttogetaheadofthecompetitionandlearnhowtodiversifyyoursocialmarketingstrategy? Learnfromtheindustry'smosttrustedexperts,rubelbowswithothersmartmarketers,andtakeyourmarketingtothenextlevelduringthis3-dayeventinsunnySanDiego,California. CLICKTOLEARNMORE Butifyouwanttotakefulladvantageofthelongervideolengthforin-streamads,thenit’sworthfilminganduploadingyourowncreative.Remember,youhaveupto10minutestotellastorythatdrawsviewersinandmakesthemconvert. Finally,don’tforgetthattextstillmattersforvideoads.WhenyoucreateaFacebookin-streamad,youcanaddprimarytext.Thisislikeavideocaptionthatappearsatthebottomleftofthescreen,anditcanbeupto125characterslong. 10WaystoMakeFacebookIn-StreamAdsMoreEffective Facebookin-streamadshavenowbeenaroundlongenoughthatwecandrawsomeconclusionsabouthowtheywork.Whilesomeoftheserecommendationscouldapplytootheradtypesaswell,therearesomeintriguingdifferences. SomeofthesetipscomefromtheCreativeGuidanceNavigator(CGN),anewdatabaseofbestpracticesforadsonFacebook,Instagram,Messenger,andFacebook’sAudienceNetwork.It’supdatedregularlywithnewresearchandideastotry.AccordingtoFacebook,brandsthatfollowedtheadviceintheCGNsaw6.5%moregrowthinadrecall. Solet’sgettoit—10waystoincreaseviews,clicks,andbrandrecallforin-streamadsonFacebook. StartStrong Thefirst3secondsofanin-streamadarethemostimportant.That’swhenviewersdecidetowatchorskip. Soyouradneedstomakeaninstantimpact.Usecolors,sound,andmovementtograbviewers’attentionandattracttheirinterest. CreateaDistinctiveLook Facebookin-streamadshavetostandoutintwoways:theyhavetobedifferentfromotheradsandtheyhavetobedifferentfromthesurroundingcontent.You’llneedtouseallofthetricksatyourdisposaltocreateadistinctivelook: Showyourbrandlogoimmediately. Usebrandcolorsandfontsforaclearvisualidentity. Iftargetingviewerswhoalreadyknowyourbrand,tryusinganestablishedscriptstructure. GiveaSimpleCalltoAction Eventhoughin-streamadscanbeafull10minuteslong,youstillneedtokeepthingssimple.Whateveryourgoalforthecampaign,youwanttoconvertuserswithasingletap.Usetheprimarytext,URL,andvideocontenttomakethecalltoactionasclearaspossible. UseLargePrint Facebook’sresearchsuggeststhatviewersrespondwelltovideoadswithbig,cleartext.Thinkbigenoughtoreadonmobile(andremember,noteveryonehasthelatestenormousiPhone).Ifyouusetextinyourin-streamads,keepitshort,simple,andsizeable. IntroduceYourStarCharactersintheFirst3Seconds OneofthemostinterestingresearchfindingssofaristhatFacebookin-streamvideoadsworkdifferentlyfromothertypesofvideoad. InconventionalTVcommercials,charactersareusuallyintroducedmid-reelortomakeapointrightattheendofthead.Butin-streamadsaredifferent.You’llgetthebestresultsifyouintroduceyourstarcharactersinstantly—withinthefirst3seconds. CreateaSenseofIntimacy Onceyourcharactersareon-screen,youwantviewerstobuildanemotionalconnectionwiththemfast.Andyoucandoitwithcameratricks.Wheneveryoufilmanin-streamadthatfeaturesaperson,cropintightlysothatthecharacterfillsthescreen. Youcanalsoengageviewersbyusingeyecontactthroughoutthevideo,makingitfeellikeapersonalconversationratherthanacommercialpresentation. UseAudioBrandingasWellasVisuals Inthepast,mostFacebookuserswatchedvideoswiththesoundoffbutthat’schanging.AlargeportionofWatchviewerskeepthesoundonandothersocialnetworks(suchasTikTok)haveputsoundatthecenteroftheircontent. Thatmeansanopportunityforaudiobranding.Ifyourbrandhasasignaturetuneorjingle,usethat.Ifnot,youcouldchoosemusicthatreflectsyourbrandstyleandhighlightsthemessageofthead. IncludeCaptionsforSpeech Creatingsound-focusedvideosdoesn’tmeanyoucanskipthecaptions.Subtitlesarestillessentialforpeoplewhoviewwiththesoundofforhavehearingimpairments. Whenyoucreateavideoad,youcanuploadyourownsubtitlesasan.srtfileorletFacebookgeneratethemautomatically.I’drecommenduploadingyourownwheneverpossible.They’llbemoreaccurateandyou’llavoidanyawkwardtranscriptionmistakes. MixStaticandVideoAds AccordingtoFacebook,advertisersseebestresultswhentheymixandmatchadtypes.Thekeyistousecreativethatviewerscanrecognizeacrossvideos,staticposts,andothertypesofcontentfromyourfeed. Forexample,youcoulduseadistinctivecolorschemeforalloftheadsinacampaign;recycleframesfromthevideoasstaticposts;orcontinueabrandstoryacrossdifferentformats. Thisvideoadisaneatanimationofapopularbookcover,linkingonlineandofflinecontent. SupportYourFacebookIn-StreamAdsWithBrandedContent Facebookalsorecommendssyncingyourin-streamadswithbrandedcontent.Andintherarefiedworldofthesocialnetwork,brandedcontentmeanssomethingveryspecific:influencercontent. So,intheory,youcouldrunacampaignwhereyouradsappearinsomecreators’videoswhileothercreatorsaremakingvideosaboutyourbrand.Thisgivesviewersa360-degreeexperience.They’llfeellikethey’rehearingaboutyourbrandeverywhere.Ineffect,you’llcreateanillusionofsocialproof. Conclusion Facebookin-streamadsofferahugepotentialaudience.Andwithupto10minutesofairtime,there’splentyofroomforcreativity.Areyoureadytotrythisnewadformat? GetMoreAdviceonFacebookVideoAds CreateFacebookvideoadspeoplewillwatch. DesignFacebookvideoadswithoutsteppinginfrontofacamera. ReachlocalcustomerswithFacebookvideoads. CuriousaboutNFTs,DAOs,andWeb3? FollowtheCryptoBusinesspodcasttofindouthowNFTs,socialtokens,DAOs(andsomuchmore)willaffectyourbusinessinthenearfuture. EveryFriday,hostMichaelStelznerinterviewsleadingindustryexpertsaboutwhatworksrightnowinWeb3andwhattoexpectinthefuture,soyoucanprepareyourbusinessfortheshift,evenifyou'reatotalnewbie. FOLLOWTHESHOW AbouttheauthorCorinnaKeefeCorinnaKeefeisafreelancewriterspecializingindigitalmarketing,media,tech,andeducation.Shehaslivedintendifferentcountriesandworkswithbrandsandagenciesaroundtheworld.OtherpostsbyCorinnaKeefe» GetSocialMediaExaminer’sFutureArticlesinYourInbox! GetourlatestarticlesdeliveredtoyouremailinboxandgettheFREESocialMediaMarketingIndustryReport(39pages,50+charts)! 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