Ad creative specs for five feeds, cut from one ad that works.
Cut it vertical at 9:16 for TikTok, Snapchat and Reels, 4:5 for the Facebook feed, under 15 seconds with captions for X, and rewrite it as headlines for Google Search. The idea stays, the frame and the first seconds change.
One ad, cut five times.
TikTok, 9:16. Text inside the safe zone, which moves with the caption length. No hashtags or @ in the caption.
Snapchat, 9:16 at 720x1280. Offer inside the first 2 seconds. Headline up to 34 characters.
X, 16:9. Under 15 seconds, captions on, brand inside the first 3 seconds.
Google Search, no video. Headlines of 30 characters, descriptions of 90.
The cut sheet.
What you decide when you cut, and what each platform says about it. Read 4 November 2026.
| When you cut | What the platforms say | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Frame | TikTok recommends 9:16 at 540x960 or more, and also runs 16:9 and 1:1. Snapchat ads are 9:16 at 720x1280. Meta recommends 4:5 in the Facebook feed and 9:16 in Reels. X suggests 16:9 or 1:1, and 9:16 for its vertical video ads. | TikTok spec page updated June 2026. X from an archived copy of 29 September 2026. |
| Length | TikTok's spec page allows up to 10 minutes, and its Smart Fix check flags videos over 60 seconds or under 5. Snapchat's single video ads take 3 to 180 seconds, and its advice in 2023 was under 10. X advises under 15 seconds for completion, and its pre-roll can be skipped after 6. | Smart Fix updated January 2026. Snap's advice from a post of 13 April 2023. |
| First seconds | TikTok's 2026 playbook calls the first 3 to 6 seconds crucial. Snap's advice of 2020 puts the main message in the opening frame and the offer inside 2 seconds. X asks for movement early and the brand inside 3 seconds. | TikTok's playbook is the 2026 edition for Australia and New Zealand. Snap's post is of 9 June 2020. |
| Sound | TikTok cites research from 2021 that its users are 15% more likely to skip an ad without sound. Snap said 64% of its ads were viewed with sound on, a figure from the first quarter of 2019. X asks for captions or text overlays for people watching muted. | Each figure is the platform's own study, with its year. |
| Words on the ad | Google Search takes up to 15 headlines of 30 characters and 4 descriptions of 90, and wants them different from each other. Snapchat allows a headline of 34 characters and a brand name of 25. X keeps hashtags and URLs out of the ad text, allows one emoji at most outside Japan and Korea, and says its top performing ads run 50 to 100 characters. TikTok captions can't carry clickable links, @ or hashtags. | X's quality policy from an archived copy of 25 October 2026. |
| Safe zone | TikTok's safe zone changes with the frame and the caption length, and it publishes a separate set of files for Arabic, which reads right to left. On Meta's 9:16 placements a taller phone may zoom the ad, so critical text and visuals stay inside the safe zone. | TikTok's files are downloads on its spec page. |
Frame
- What the platforms say
- TikTok recommends 9:16 at 540x960 or more, and also runs 16:9 and 1:1. Snapchat ads are 9:16 at 720x1280. Meta recommends 4:5 in the Facebook feed and 9:16 in Reels. X suggests 16:9 or 1:1, and 9:16 for its vertical video ads.
- Read
- TikTok spec page updated June 2026. X from an archived copy of 29 September 2026.
Length
- What the platforms say
- TikTok's spec page allows up to 10 minutes, and its Smart Fix check flags videos over 60 seconds or under 5. Snapchat's single video ads take 3 to 180 seconds, and its advice in 2023 was under 10. X advises under 15 seconds for completion, and its pre-roll can be skipped after 6.
- Read
- Smart Fix updated January 2026. Snap's advice from a post of 13 April 2023.
First seconds
- What the platforms say
- TikTok's 2026 playbook calls the first 3 to 6 seconds crucial. Snap's advice of 2020 puts the main message in the opening frame and the offer inside 2 seconds. X asks for movement early and the brand inside 3 seconds.
- Read
- TikTok's playbook is the 2026 edition for Australia and New Zealand. Snap's post is of 9 June 2020.
Sound
- What the platforms say
- TikTok cites research from 2021 that its users are 15% more likely to skip an ad without sound. Snap said 64% of its ads were viewed with sound on, a figure from the first quarter of 2019. X asks for captions or text overlays for people watching muted.
- Read
- Each figure is the platform's own study, with its year.
Words on the ad
- What the platforms say
- Google Search takes up to 15 headlines of 30 characters and 4 descriptions of 90, and wants them different from each other. Snapchat allows a headline of 34 characters and a brand name of 25. X keeps hashtags and URLs out of the ad text, allows one emoji at most outside Japan and Korea, and says its top performing ads run 50 to 100 characters. TikTok captions can't carry clickable links, @ or hashtags.
- Read
- X's quality policy from an archived copy of 25 October 2026.
Safe zone
- What the platforms say
- TikTok's safe zone changes with the frame and the caption length, and it publishes a separate set of files for Arabic, which reads right to left. On Meta's 9:16 placements a taller phone may zoom the ad, so critical text and visuals stay inside the safe zone.
- Read
- TikTok's files are downloads on its spec page.
Pages read 4 November 2026. TikTok's spec page, Smart Fix and 2026 playbook. Snap's ad formats and its posts of 2020 and 2023. Meta's aspect ratios by placement. Google's Ad Strength for responsive search ads. X's creative best practices from an archived copy of 29 September 2026 (live page) and its quality policy from an archived copy of 25 October 2026 (live page).
The hook travels. The cut doesn't.
A hook that sells on Meta is new to a TikTok audience, but the cut rarely carries over as it is. We take the ad that's working, keep the idea and the opening line, and cut the version each feed asks for, with you.
Meta does some of this on its own side. Advantage+ creative can crop or expand a video to 9:16 or 4:5, and Meta says the media you upload may be adjusted while the core message stays.
Taking the ad to a second platform with us? The second platform plan says what carries over and works out the Second Platform fee.
The rules travel even less.
A frame you fix in an edit. A claim you can't. The same nutra ad gets a different answer on each platform, and on Bigo the creative rules change by region. Read how each one reviews before you cut.
Spec details that trip people up.
What aspect ratio works on every platform?
None does everywhere. 9:16 covers TikTok, Snapchat, Meta Reels and X's vertical video ads, but Meta recommends 4:5 for the Facebook feed and X suggests 16:9 or 1:1 for its standard ads. Cut at least two frames.
How long should a TikTok ad be?
TikTok's 2026 playbook asks for at least 10 seconds, and its spec page allows up to 10 minutes. Its Smart Fix check flags anything over 60 seconds or under 5.
Are these specs current?
They come from the platforms' own pages, read on 4 November 2026, and each line carries its date. Snapchat's creative advice comes from posts of 2020 and 2023, so check its spec page before a big shoot.
One ad in, a cut for each feed.
Send the ad that works and name the next platform. We answer with the cut that platform needs.
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