It may come as a surprise, but the average view time of a video ad on Meta (Facebook/Instagram) is between 2-3 seconds! 

People are not on Meta to watch long-form video (people go to YouTube for that).

Knowing how people interact with video media on Meta will greatly boost the effectiveness of your video advertising efforts. 

Let’s break down 10 key points you need to consider before running any video media on Meta. 

2. Scroll Or Click

Always keep in mind that the goal of your video ad is not necessarily to inform prospects about your game or product, but to get a click. 

Clearly show your game’s theme up front or what makes it unique. Try and generate a “this looks interesting” or “no this is not for me” reaction.

3. No Audio

Assume people will watch your video with audio muted. This means if you have any voice over or talking heads that it is mandatory to have animated captions. Don’t expect Meta to automatically add captions, there is no quality control here. 

Ensure that the captions are just below the middle of the frame, this will allow your video to be better suited for multiple placements on the Meta platform. If your captions are near the edge of the video frame then they are at danger of being cropped off.  

4. Focus On Emotions

Try to represent how it feels to play the game. Bypass the logical objections, those will come up later and you can answer them on your landing page once you have earned a click. 

At this stage of your marketing you really need people to first be interested in what you are offering. This can be done by focusing on your game’s theme and the experience/feeling it offers players. 

5. Build Intrigue

Seek to build intrigue rather than inform. If you can hide something or create a sense of mystery that demands a click then you are on the sure path to having developed effective video ads for Meta.

6. Make The Video Loop

Meta will automatically play the video again once it ends. Ensure that there are no noticeable interruptions if your video was to end and start again instantly.  Since the average view time is only two seconds a video that is 10-15 seconds is ample. 

7. Find The Right Music

Meta has a whole audio library that you can use without issue on their platforms at https://facebook.com/sound

Filter by mood and genres to find the perfect fit for your video.

8. Dimension Friendly 

Have a square (1080x1080) and a vertical version (1080x1920) of your video so that you can meet all of the placement types on Meta’s platform. 

9. End With Your Website URL 

Include a URL to your domain at the end on screen. This is for organic reach on other platforms such as YouTube or Tikitok where your video ad can also be uploaded. It also ensures that if your video ad is shared but not clicked that others can discover how to engage with your project.

Finally, since your Kickstarter or pre-order will come to an end, you would have to export a video for each of these time specific stages of your marketing campaign.

By focusing on your non-time specific URL at the end you can run your video ad indefinitely. 

More Video Tips

Make sure to check out episode 42 of the Crowdfunding Nerds podcast (https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode42/) where we discuss 6 effective video ad types of tabletop marketing!