Meta offers more ad formats than most people realise, and choosing the wrong one for the wrong job wastes money. A dynamic product ad shown to cold traffic is probably going to flop. A single image ad used for retargeting might do exactly what you need.
The good news: you don't need to master all six formats at once. Most Artvertise clients start with two, get the fundamentals right, then layer in the rest as they scale.
Here's how each format works, when to use it, and what to avoid.
1. Single image
The simplest format. One photo, a headline, primary text, and a CTA button. It loads fast, looks clean in the feed, and is easy to produce at volume.
When to use it: Retargeting. Single image works well when someone already knows you - they've been to your store, followed you on Instagram, or bought before. The image doesn't need to do heavy lifting; it just needs to remind them.
It can work for cold traffic too, particularly if the image is strong. A beautifully shot product-in-context photo - your print above a leather sofa in warm afternoon light - can stop a scroll from a stranger.
Best practices:
- Use 1:1 (square) format for feed placements
- High contrast images outperform low contrast in a busy feed
- Minimal or no text overlay on the image itself - Meta penalised heavy text overlays for years and the principle still holds
- Let the image do the work; the primary text handles the story
What not to do: Don't use your product on a plain white background as your only creative. It looks like a supplier photo. Fine for fashion, weak for art.
2. Video
Video consistently outperforms static images for cold audiences. Movement catches the eye in a way a still image simply cannot. For art stores specifically, video has an additional advantage: it can show the work being made, which is more persuasive than the product alone.
When to use it: Cold audience prospecting. Video is your primary format for finding new buyers who don't know you yet.
Best practices:
- Keep it under 60 seconds. Under 30 is better for most ad placements.
- Hook in the first 3 seconds. The most visually compelling moment goes first.
- Always add captions. Most people scroll with sound off - if your ad needs audio to land, most viewers are missing it.
- 1:1 or 4:5 ratio for feed. 9:16 for Reels/Stories.
- Process content - time-lapse painting, drawing, printing - is among the best-performing video creative we see in art accounts.
What not to do: Don't start with a logo card or title screen. Don't use generic stock music. Don't make the video feel like a television commercial.
3. Carousel
A carousel lets you show 2-10 images or videos in a single ad, which viewers swipe through. Each card can have its own headline and link.
When to use it: Showing range. If you have a collection - say, five coastal prints in the same palette - a carousel shows the breadth of what's available in one placement. It's also useful for showing a single piece from multiple angles: framed, unframed, in context, close-up detail.
Best practices:
- Lead with the strongest card. Many people won't swipe beyond the first.
- Keep the visual style consistent across cards. Mixing product-on-white with lifestyle photos looks messy.
- 3-5 cards is the sweet spot. More than 7 and engagement drops sharply.
- Link each card to the specific product, not the homepage.
What not to do: Don't use carousel as a substitute for a proper collection page. It should create interest and direct people somewhere specific, not try to be your entire shop in an ad.
4. Reels and Stories
These are full-screen vertical placements - Stories appear between people's story content, Reels appear in the Reels tab and feed. Both use 9:16 format.
When to use it: Awareness and reach. Reels and Stories typically have lower CPMs than feed placements, meaning you reach more people for the same budget. They're best for the top of funnel - getting your name in front of new people, warming up audiences who'll later see your retargeting.
Best practices:
- Shoot native vertical content. Repurposed landscape video cropped to 9:16 looks amateurish.
- Use captions. Use music if the creative calls for it (Meta has a royalty-free music library).
- Quick cuts, movement, and visual variety hold attention better than a slow single-shot clip.
- Keep Stories under 15 seconds. Keep Reels under 30 for best completion rates.
What not to do: Don't run the same creative for Reels/Stories that you're running in feed. The placements feel different, and content that works in feed often looks off in full-screen.
5. Collection ads
Collection ads use a hero video or image at the top, with a grid of products from your catalogue below it. Tapping opens a full-screen "Instant Experience" within Meta - a fast-loading mini storefront.
When to use it: Mid-funnel to bottom of funnel, once you have a product catalogue set up and a reasonably sized audience. Collection ads work well for artists with larger inventories - 20+ products - who want to show a themed group of works together.
Best practices:
- Your hero creative matters most. This is what earns the click.
- Keep your catalogue well-organised with strong product photos and accurate descriptions.
- Use collection ads for specific themes: "coastal prints under £50" or "new summer collection" rather than just your whole shop.
What not to do: Don't set up collection ads until your catalogue is in good shape. Poor product images in the grid undermine the whole ad, even if the hero creative is strong.
6. Dynamic product ads (DPA)
DPAs automatically show products from your catalogue to people who have viewed those products on your store but haven't purchased. Meta handles the personalisation - it knows someone looked at a specific print and will serve them an ad featuring that exact print.
When to use it: Retargeting. This is non-negotiable for any art store that has traffic. DPAs are typically the highest-ROAS campaign in an account because the audience is already warm and the product is already familiar.
Best practices:
- Set up your Meta pixel and product catalogue first - DPAs won't work without both.
- Use the "viewed or added to cart but not purchased" audience as your primary target.
- Exclude recent purchasers from your DPA audience.
- You can customise the ad copy even though the product images are pulled automatically. Use this to add a short, compelling line: "Still thinking about this one? It ships in 48 hours."
What not to do: Don't run DPAs without checking your catalogue for errors first. If your product images are missing, prices are wrong, or URLs are broken, Meta will serve broken ads.
Where to start
If you're new to Meta ads or rebuilding from scratch, the recommended stack is:
- Single image + video for prospecting - test process video against a strong lifestyle shot to cold audiences
- DPA for retargeting - set up once your pixel has been firing for a few weeks and you have some traffic
Get those two working and profitable before adding carousel, collection, or Reels into the mix. More formats don't mean better results - they mean more complexity to manage.
Once you have a stable foundation, layer in Reels for cheaper reach, carousel for collection launches, and collection ads when you're ready to scale aggressively.
Not sure which formats are right for where you are now? Artvertise offers a free ad account audit - we'll look at what's running, identify what's working, and flag what to change. [Book your free audit here.]
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