Facebook ad examples: 12 static ad formats that keep winning

These put the product or the deal at the centre of the frame. They suit products that people understand at a glance.

• Hero product shot. Your real product large and well lit, one short headline above it, proof or a call to action below. It tells a stranger what the thing is. Use it as the first ad for any new product and as the control you test other formats against.

• Feature callouts. The product on one side with three or four short labels, each written as a benefit. It suits considered purchases, where people need to see how something works before they trust it. Use it for warm audiences and for products with an ingredient or design detail worth explaining.

• Offer ad. The deal is the headline, such as a bundle, free delivery or a launch discount, with the product underneath and the terms visible. It gives people who already know you a reason to buy today. Only run an offer you honour.

Proof formats answer the doubt a reader has before they buy. Use only proof that is real, and get permission before you use a customer's words or photos.

• Review card. One genuine customer review set large on a plain card, often with a star rating, and the product overlapping a corner. A stranger's words carry more weight than yours. Use it for people who have seen the product and need a reason to trust it.

• Customer photo. A picture that looks like a customer took it, with the product on a bathroom shelf or a kitchen counter. It looks like a friend's post, so people look before they decide it is an advert. Use it to refresh an account full of studio images.

• Credential ad. A specific, checkable reason to believe, such as an accreditation, a press mention you really received or a number you can document. Use it for expensive products, and skip it if you have no real credential.

These formats show a difference and let the reader draw the conclusion.

• Us versus them. Two columns, your product against the usual alternative, with a short row of ticks and crosses. It frames the choice on your terms. Name the category, for example 'most protein bars', rather than a competitor, and only compare on points you can support.

• Before and after routine. The old routine beside the new one, such as a cluttered shelf and a tidy one. It lets the reader picture the result. Show the setting rather than a body, because Meta restricts before and after images for health and weight products.

• Problem and solution. The problem stated large in the top half, the product as the answer below. It works on cold audiences because it starts with something they already feel. Describe the situation rather than telling the reader they have a condition, which Meta restricts under its rules on personal attributes.

Some of the longest-running ads in the Meta Ad Library have little or no product photography. They win on the words.

• Big statement. One bold line fills most of the frame, with the product small or absent. A strong line is the quickest thing to read at thumbnail size. Use it for a contrarian or curiosity hook.

• Native post. An image styled as a phone note, a text message or a founder's letter. It does not look like an ad at first, so people read the opening line. Leave out fake play buttons and notification badges, because Meta rejects ads with features that do not work.

• Listicle. A short numbered list on the image, such as three reasons people switch. A list promises a quick read and delivers one. Keep each line to a few words.

Match the format to how well the audience knows you. Strangers respond to formats that create recognition, such as the hero shot, problem and solution, the big statement and the customer photo. People who have visited need a reason to trust, which is the job of review cards, feature callouts, credential ads and comparisons. People close to buying need the offer.

If you can make only a few ads this week, make a hero shot, a problem and solution ad and a review card, then test them against each other. The guide at /guides/ad-creative-testing covers how to run that test, and /guides/static-ad-types explains how each ad type fits a full account.

The Meta Ad Library is the free source. Search your category, filter to active ads, and look for ads that have run for months. The guide at /guides/meta-ad-library walks through the search, and /guides/facebook-ad-headlines covers the words that go on each format.

Mockingbird does that search for you. Pick an ad from its library, press remake, and get the same layout rebuilt with your product photos, colours and words, ready to upload to Ads Manager. If you saw an example elsewhere, upload the image and remake it in your brand. Uploads stay private.