What You Will Learn
- How carousel ads work — up to 10 cards, individual CTAs, swipeable
- Carousel card specifications — dimensions, text limits, link options
- Dynamic carousel — automatically populated from your product catalogue
- Collection format — cover creative + product grid opening to Instant Experience
- Instant Experience (Canvas) — the full-screen mobile landing page
- Creative frameworks: storytelling, product showcase, and before/after sequences
Carousel Format
A carousel ad displays 2–10 individual cards that users swipe through horizontally. Each card contains an image or video, a headline, a description (optional), and a CTA — each card can link to a different URL. This makes carousels uniquely flexible: each card can showcase a different product, feature, or chapter of a story.
Carousels are available in Facebook Feed, Instagram Feed, Messenger, and the Audience Network. They are not available in Stories or Reels placements (which use single-image or single-video formats). When Advantage+ Placements is selected, Meta automatically serves single-image/video variants in Stories/Reels placements while serving the full carousel in Feed placements.
Cards per carousel
Minimum 2; maximum 10 cards per carousel
Aspect ratio
Square (1080x1080) recommended for all carousel cards
Dynamic support
Catalogue-connected carousels populate automatically
Carousel Specifications
| Element | Specification |
|---|---|
| Image dimensions (per card) | 1080 x 1080 px recommended (1:1); minimum 600 x 600 px |
| Video dimensions (per card) | 1080 x 1080 px (1:1) recommended; 4:5 also supported in Feed |
| Image file formats | JPG, PNG |
| Video file formats | MP4, MOV |
| Maximum image file size | 30 MB per card |
| Maximum video file size | 4 GB per card |
| Video length per card | 1 second to 240 minutes; 15 seconds recommended |
| Primary text | 125 characters (2,200 max) |
| Headline per card | 40 characters (25 recommended) |
| Description per card | 20 characters |
| Link per card | Each card has its own destination URL |
| CTA per card | Each card can have a different or the same CTA |
Card order options
By default, cards display in the order you set. Meta can be allowed to automatically reorder cards — putting the best-performing cards first based on CTR data. Enable this option when cards are interchangeable (product showcase) rather than sequential (storytelling). Disable it when the order is intentional (narrative arc, before/after).
Dynamic Carousel (Catalogue Ads)
Dynamic carousels automatically populate cards from your Meta product catalogue — each card shows a specific product with its image, name, price, and a link to its page. For remarketing campaigns, dynamic carousels show the specific products a user viewed or added to cart. For prospecting, they show products most likely to interest users based on Meta's predictions.
Requirements for dynamic carousels
- Active Meta product catalogue in Business Manager (via Merchant Center sync, data feed URL, or Meta Pixel catalogue integration)
- Meta Pixel with ViewContent, AddToCart, and Purchase events firing on product pages
- Sales campaign objective with Catalogue as the conversion source
Dynamic carousel campaign types
- Retargeting (DPA). Shows previously viewed products to users who visited your website. Highest conversion rate of any Meta ad format — users see exactly what they considered buying.
- Broad audience (cross-sell). Shows products to users who have purchased — recommending complementary items based on purchase history.
- Prospecting. Shows products to new audiences based on Meta's prediction of what they'd be interested in — using catalogue data and audience signals.
Collection Format
Collection ads combine a prominent cover image or video with a grid of 3–4 products below it. Tapping the ad opens an Instant Experience — a full-screen, fast-loading mobile landing page. Collection ads are exclusively mobile and appear in Facebook and Instagram Feeds.
| Element | Specification |
|---|---|
| Cover image | 1200 x 628 px (1.91:1) or 1080 x 1080 px (1:1) |
| Cover video | 1:1 or 4:5 recommended; 9:16 supported |
| Product images below | Automatically pulled from catalogue; square images recommended |
| Headline | 25 characters |
| Primary text | 90 characters |
| Instant Experience | Required — opens when ad is tapped |
Instant Experience
Instant Experience (formerly Canvas) is Meta's full-screen, fast-loading mobile landing page that opens when users tap a Collection or other compatible ad format. It loads within the Facebook/Instagram app — no browser required — making it significantly faster than a standard landing page redirect on mobile. Meta reports Instant Experience pages load up to 15x faster than standard mobile websites.
Instant Experience templates
- Instant Storefront. Product grid connected to your catalogue — best for e-commerce discovery
- Instant Lookbook. Lifestyle imagery with tagged products — best for fashion and home goods
- Instant Customer Acquisition. Lead form within the Instant Experience — contact details captured without leaving Meta
- Instant Storytelling. Brand narrative with mixed media — images, videos, and text in a scrollable format
Instant Experiences can link to external URLs (your website) or to additional Instant Experiences. For e-commerce, the most effective structure is: Collection ad → Instant Storefront → product page on website for checkout.
Carousel Creative Frameworks
Product showcase carousel
Each card features a different product from your range. Card 1: hero/bestseller product; Cards 2–8: supporting range; final card: "View all products" linking to category page. Enable automatic card reordering to put best-performers first. Best for: e-commerce with diverse product range.
Feature/benefit carousel
Each card explains one feature or benefit of a single product or service. Card 1: hook/problem statement; Cards 2–6: one benefit per card with supporting visual; final card: CTA. Keep consistent visual style across all cards for cohesion. Best for: SaaS, complex products, service businesses.
Sequential storytelling carousel
Cards tell a narrative from left to right. Visually connect cards using an image that continues across card edges (the bleed/panorama technique — design one wide image split across 3–4 cards so the panorama is revealed as users swipe). Disable automatic reordering. Best for: brand campaigns, tutorials, before/after demonstrations.
Authentic Sources
Carousel format documentation including specifications and card options.
Collection ad format, Instant Experience requirement, and setup.
Instant Experience creation, templates, and specifications.
Dynamic carousel setup, catalogue requirements, and retargeting configuration.