Ad Creatives: Formats, Safe Zones and Text

Formats, resolutions, safe zones and how much text to use: Meta's and TikTok's official specs for ad creatives that don't get cropped or covered.

Published on October 2, 2026 · Content creation

An effective ad creative follows three rules: the right format for each placement (square or 4:5 in Feed, vertical 9:16 in Stories, Reels and on TikTok), safe zones kept clear where the interface appears, and little text in the image. Here are Meta's and TikTok's official specs as of September 2026, and how to prepare a creative that won't be cropped or covered.

This article builds on our guide Meta Ads for beginners: your first campaign, step by step, whose step 5 covers building the ad. Specs change regularly: always check the official pages linked below before you launch.

Throughout the examples we follow Maison Sirop, a fictional small-batch syrup brand preparing an ad for its seasonal gift box.

Why does format matter so much?

The same ad can show up in Facebook Feed, Instagram Feed, Stories and Reels, and each placement has its own shape. If you provide a single creative, the platform crops it or pads it with bars, and cropping often cuts off the product or the headline. Meta has a page on best practices for aspect ratios across placements: the safest answer is to supply one creative per main format family.

Which formats for Meta ads?

As of September 2026, the Meta Ads Guide gives these benchmarks for images:

Facebook Feed accepts ratios from 1.91:1 (landscape) to 4:5. In practice, 4:5 takes up more of a phone screen than landscape, and 9:16 is a must as soon as you let Meta deliver in Stories and Reels. The detailed guide pages (Instagram Reels, Instagram Stories) list minimum sizes, file types and text limits by objective.

What are Meta's safe zones?

In Stories and Reels, the interface covers part of the screen: account name at the top, call-to-action button and caption at the bottom, icons on the side in Reels. Anything underneath is hidden. Meta explains this on its page about text overlays and the safe zone for Stories and Reels ads:

• Stories: keep roughly 14% of the height (about 250 pixels) free of text and logos at the top and bottom of your image or video.
• Reels: keep roughly 14% free at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side, so the profile icon, caption and call to action don't cover anything important.

The bottom of the screen is the riskiest area, especially in Reels. Put the headline in the upper third of the safe area, the product in the center, and never put a price or promo code at the very bottom.

How much text should go in the image?

Meta dropped the old rule that capped text at 20% of the image. But in its best practices for text in ads, Meta notes that images with less than 20% text perform better and recommends short, clear, concise copy. In other words: you can add more text, but you often pay for it in performance.

A good split: in the image, a hook of a few words and, if needed, the product name; in the ad's primary text, the argument; in the button, the action. Maison Sirop's creative reads "The Winter Box" over three bottles, the ad copy talks about the flavors, the button says Shop Now.

Which formats for TikTok ads?

TikTok lists its specs on its help page for Auction In-Feed Ads (updated June 2026). For a standard video ad (non-Spark Ads):

Spark Ads, which turn an existing organic post into an ad, reuse the original video's caption, shown on up to four lines. They are TikTok's version of a boosted post, which we compare to a full campaign in Boosting a post vs. running a real ad.

What is TikTok's safe zone?

TikTok doesn't give a single percentage: according to its page on Reservation In-Feed Ads, the size of the safe zone depends on the format (vertical, horizontal or square), the caption length and any interactive add-ons. The longer the caption, the smaller the safe zone. TikTok provides downloadable safe zone templates and a preview tool in Ads Manager.

Two other TikTok guidelines are worth remembering:

• Avoid white or transparent backgrounds: the account name, caption and app icons are white, so they would become unreadable.
• Keep the caption short: TikTok recommends under 100 characters in Latin-alphabet languages, so the text isn't cut off behind "See more".

TikTok also recommends high-resolution videos with no watermark and with sound.

How do you prepare a creative that works everywhere?

1. Start from 9:16. Compose vertically, with the subject in the center and the text inside the safe area. It is easier to get a 4:5 out of it than the other way around.
2. Adapt to 4:5 and 1:1 for Feed, cropping cleanly yourself instead of letting the platform do it.
3. Lay a safe zone template over each version before exporting.
4. Keep text to a short hook that reads on a small screen.
5. Check the preview for each placement in Meta's or TikTok's Ads Manager before publishing.
6. Prepare two or three variations (video, carousel, still image) to let the algorithm find the best one.

To judge which variation wins, read the right metrics, explained in CPM, CPC, CTR, CPA, ROAS: how to read ad numbers. If your best ads are carousels, our article on automating carousel creation will save you time. For organic formats, our Instagram formats guide remains the reference.

What mistakes show up most often?

• A single square creative delivered in Stories, with two big blurry bars.
• A promo code at the bottom of a Reel, right under the call-to-action button.
• A logo stuck in a top corner, covered by the account name.
• A TikTok video on a white background where the caption disappears.
• An image crammed with text, unreadable on a phone.

Where does Oposto fit in?

Oposto doesn't create or run your ad campaigns: that happens in Meta's and TikTok's own tools. It helps with the raw material. It learns your brand from your website (voice, colors, products, audience) and generates posts, image carousels, design carousels and short videos with voiceover and captions, adapted to each network, which you approve before they go out. Your best-performing organic content then becomes a strong candidate for your ads. The Pro plan adds ad advice and analysis.

To produce on-brand creatives without spending your days on them, try Oposto for free, no credit card required.

Frequently asked questions

Which image format should you use for a Facebook and Instagram ad?

For Feed, 4:5 (1440 × 1800 px recommended by Meta) takes up the most space on mobile, and 1:1 (1440 × 1440 px) is safe everywhere. For Stories and Reels, plan a vertical 9:16 creative.

Does the 20% text rule still exist?

No, Meta no longer limits the amount of text in ad images. It does note that images with less than 20% text perform better and recommends keeping copy short.

What area should you keep clear in a Reels ad?

Meta recommends keeping roughly 14% of the height clear at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side, free of text, logos or key elements, so the interface doesn't cover them.

What video size should you use for a TikTok ad?

TikTok recommends vertical 9:16, with a resolution of at least 540 × 960 px, a file of 500 MB at most and a duration of up to 10 minutes for Auction In-Feed Ads.