Paid social and ad creative terms

Ad creative, testing, CPM, ROAS, retargeting and the image sizes every platform asks for. 28 terms, each with what it means, why it matters and what to do about it.

A/B testing

A/B testing compares two versions of an ad, page or post that differ in one thing, to see which performs better on a chosen metric.

Ad copy

Ad copy is the written text of an ad: the headline, primary text, description and call to action that persuade people to click or buy.

Ad creative

Ad creative is the visible part of an ad: the image, video, headline and text people actually see, as opposed to targeting and budget.

Ad frequency

Ad frequency is the average number of times each person in your audience has seen your ad. It equals impressions divided by reach.

Banner ad

A banner ad is a rectangular image or animated ad shown on websites and apps, in standard sizes like 300×250, 728×90 and 320×50.

CPA (cost per acquisition)

CPA, or cost per acquisition, is what you pay in ads for each conversion, such as a sale, sign-up or lead. It equals spend divided by conversions.

CPC (cost per click)

CPC, or cost per click, is what you pay on average each time someone clicks your ad. It equals ad spend divided by the number of clicks.

CPM (cost per mille)

CPM, or cost per mille, is what an advertiser pays for 1,000 ad impressions. It is the standard way to compare the price of reach across platforms.

Creative fatigue

Creative fatigue is when an ad stops performing because the audience has seen it too often, so clicks fall and costs per result rise.

Creative testing

Creative testing is running several versions of an ad against each other to learn which image, video, hook or copy brings results most cheaply.

Display ad

A display ad is a visual ad (image, animation or video) shown on websites, apps and video platforms, as opposed to text ads in search results.

Dynamic creative

Dynamic creative is an ad feature that mixes your images, videos, headlines and text into combinations and shows each person the ones likely to work.

Facebook cover photo size

The Facebook cover photo displays at about 820×312 on desktop and 640×360 on phones. Upload at least 851×315, and keep key content centered.

Instagram post size

The Instagram post size is 1080 px wide, at 1080×1080 (square), 1080×1350 (portrait 4:5) or 1080×1440 (3:4); portrait fills the most screen.

Instagram story size

The Instagram story size is 1080×1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical frame. Keep text and buttons out of the top and bottom edges, where the app overlays UI.

LinkedIn banner size

The LinkedIn banner size is 1584×396 pixels (4:1) for a personal profile. Company Page covers are 1128×191. Keep text clear of the profile photo.

Lookalike audience

A lookalike audience is a group of new people an ad platform finds because they resemble a source audience you provide, such as your customers.

Open Graph image (OG image)

An Open Graph image is the picture shown when a link is shared on social media or in chat apps, set with the og:image tag. Use 1200×630 pixels.

Paid social

Paid social is advertising on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn, where you pay to show posts to a chosen audience.

Pattern interrupt

A pattern interrupt is anything unexpected in a video, ad or post that breaks the viewer's autopilot and wins their attention back.

Retargeting

Retargeting shows ads to people who already interacted with your business, such as site visitors or video viewers, to bring them back to buy.

ROAS (return on ad spend)

ROAS, or return on ad spend, is the revenue earned for each dollar spent on ads. A ROAS of 4 means $4 in sales for every $1 of ad spend.

Social media image sizes

Social media image sizes are the pixel dimensions and aspect ratios each platform recommends for posts, stories, ads, profile banners and link previews.

Spark Ads

Spark Ads are TikTok ads that promote existing organic TikTok posts, from your account or a creator's, keeping their likes, comments and profile link.

Thumb-stopping content

Thumb-stopping content is a post or ad that makes people stop scrolling on their phone, usually through a striking first frame or hook.

UGC ads

UGC ads are paid ads that use user-generated content, or content made to look like it: real customers or creators talking about a product on camera.

X (Twitter) header size

The X (Twitter) header size is 1500×500 pixels, a 3:1 ratio, as JPG or PNG up to 5 MB. Keep text clear of the profile picture in the lower left.

YouTube thumbnail size

The YouTube thumbnail size is 1280×720 pixels (16:9), at least 640 px wide, as JPG, PNG or GIF, within YouTube's file size limit (long 2 MB).