Snapchat supports five different ad formats: Single Image or Video Ads, Story Ads, Collection Ads, Filters, and AR Lenses.
This article goes through the differences between the ad formats and Smartly.io's support for each format.
You select the ad format when creating a new ad.
Supported ad formats
Here's a quick overview of the Snapchat ad formats supported by Smartly.io.
See more information on the ad formats in Snapchat's help, including examples and requirements for each ad format.
Ad format | Description | Smartly.io support |
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A full mobile screen single image or video media of size 1920 x 1080 pixels.
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Full support
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1-20 single image or video ads, combined with a tile. Story Ads are delivered between content and the tile is shown in Snapchat's Discover section. Tapping the tile shows the user the first image or video ad. Swiping to the side lets the user see more of the single image or video ads. |
Full support
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A combination of a single image or video ad and three or four thumbnails. Tapping the thumbnails can take the user directly to product pages. |
Full support
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Filters are artistic overlays that appear after you take a Snap and swipe left or right.
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You can duplicate ads and create new ads with existing media from the Snapchat Creative Library, but you cannot create new media.
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A powerful and memorable way to connect with consumers using augmented reality. Create memorable, interactive moments that Snapchatters can play with and send to friends. |
You can duplicate ads and create new ads with existing media from the Snapchat Creative Library, but you cannot create new media.
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On top of the ad formats, each ad can have an attachment. The attachment defines what happens when the user taps on the ad, for example, whether the user is taken to a website or an app.
"Commercial" is a special version of a Single Video ad. They are non-skippable if they're under 6 seconds long. Up to a three-minute "Extended Play Commercial" is skippable after the first 6 seconds. You enable commercials in the ad set settings, and they're restricted to certain countries.
Use the ad formats in campaigns
This section provides information on the ad format-specific things you need to be aware of and on the settings to use. Each Snapchat ad format has its own specification on the different media types.
Use this information alongside the instructions on how to create ads in new Snapchat campaigns or how to add ads to existing campaigns.
ℹ Note: When you're creating an ad, you select which ad sets you're creating it for. This selection also determines which formats you can use for the ad: each ad set defines what ad formats are allowed.
Single Image or Video Ads
Requirements
You can use either an image or a video as the media.
Image requirements:
- 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio)
- .jpg or .png format
- Max size 5MB
Video requirements:
- 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio)
- .mp4 or .mov format with H.264 encoding
- Max size 1GB
See more details in the specifications for Single Image or Video Ads in Snapchat's help.
Story Ads
Requirements
Main media requirements:
- 1-20 Single Image or Video Ads, with the same requirements
Background requirements:
- 360 px x 600 px image
- .png format
- Max size 2MB
Logo requirements:
- 284 x 993 px image
- .png format with transparent background
- Max size 2MB
See more details in the specification for Story Ads in Snapchat's help.
Ad settings for Story Ads
Use the following settings for a Story Ad:
- In Format, select the Story tab.
- In the Story Snaps section, add one or more Story Snaps. If you're creating dynamic ads, the Story Snaps will be created based on your catalog's products.
- To add a Story Snap, click
in the top-right corner of the section. You can add an empty Story Snap, duplicate the currently selected Story Snap, or copy a Story Snap from Snapchat Creative Library.
- To remove a card, click
.
- For each card:
- Define the media: either click Upload and upload a file from your local computer, click
and select a file from the Asset Library, or define the URL where the file can be found (in this case, also define the file format).
- Select the attachment for the Story Snap.
- Define the media: either click Upload and upload a file from your local computer, click
- To see the list of all Story Snaps, click Manage. In the dialog, you can also change their order, and add, duplicate, and delete Story Snaps.
- To add a Story Snap, click
- In Attachment, if you're creating dynamic ads, select the attachment for the ad and define the CTA.
- Dynamic Options:
- Image Template: To automatically generate the ad media based on a template and the feed, either select a Smartly.io Image Template, or click
above the field to use a Snapchat Dynamic Template created in Snapchat Ads Manager.
- URL Tracking Parameters: Define URL parameters for UTM tracking that help you track the impact of your ads in third-party analytics tools. You can use URL macros like {{creative.name}} to add details of your campaign, ad set or ad to your parameters. See Snapchat's URL Parameters and Macros for a list of the parameters available.
- Image Template: To automatically generate the ad media based on a template and the feed, either select a Smartly.io Image Template, or click
- In Discover Tile, define the content shown on the ad's Discover tile.
- If you're creating dynamic ads, first select whether you want to use images from the catalog as the Discover tile or upload a static image.
- Headline: Define the headline text.
- Background: Define the main image for the Discover tile. (If you selected to use catalog images for dynamic ads, Snapchat generates these based on the catalog.)
- Logo: Define a logo image, which is shown on top of the background image.
- In First Snap:
- With dynamic ads, all the Story Snaps are automatically generated, but you can show a custom-made first snap, such as a brand video.
- Enable Customize first snap and create a single Story Snap in the same way as described above in Story Snaps.
- In the Advanced section in Play style, define whether the Story Ad automatically advances to the next Story Snap or if it loops the same Story Ad until the user advances manually.
Collection Ads
Requirements
A Collection Ad can contain of a single image or video along with 3 or 4 thumbnails.
Main media requirements:
- Same requirements as for single image or video
Thumbnail requirements:
- A Collection Ad must have 3 or 4 thumbnails.
- 160 x 160 px image (1:1 aspect ratio)
- .jpg or .png format
- Max size 2MB
See more details in the specification for Collection Ads in Snapchat's help.
Filters
Creating new Filter Ads in Smartly.io is currently not supported.
You can create new Filters in Snapchat Ads Manager and reuse existing Filters in Smartly.io through the Snapchat Creative Library.
AR Lenses
Creating new AR Lenses Ads in Smartly.io is currently not supported.
You can create new AR Lenses in Snapchat Ads Manager and reuse existing AR Lenses in Smartly.io through the Snapchat Creative Library.