In the year that video ads have been running on Facebook, we’ve watched video become an important and powerful medium for both people and businesses. In fact, Nielsen recently measured over 300 video campaigns and found that 73% of them had a significant lift in ad recall, and the average lift between test and control groups¹ was 86%.

As video continues to grow as a storytelling medium for people and brands, we’ve worked with hundreds of businesses on building and analyzing video ads to discover what makes great video creative. We found that, like advertising of all kinds, building effective video ad creative requires both art and science. So today we’re sharing our best practices for creating video ads on Facebook that grab attention and drive business goals.

People are more likely to pay attention to content that’s relevant to their interests, which means you’ll likely get better results if you customize your ad’s message for the people who see it. Consider creating unique videos (or different versions of the same video) for different audience segments.

Whether you use a camera phone or a production team, secure the best available creative resources and set a realistic production schedule and budget. People are more likely to watch and remember videos that are well-crafted and designed to play on every device.

Bring your story to life quickly, so as people scroll through News Feed looking for content, your video ad quickly piques people’s interest. Consider showing brand or product imagery in the first few seconds.

Video length is less important than telling a cohesive and concise story. Your video ad shouldn’t be longer or shorter than it takes to tell your story well, so create a storytelling arc from the first frame to the last that keeps your audience interested along the way.

Since videos on Facebook autoplay with sound off, it’s important to make sure your video ads entice viewers even when muted. When sound is off, beautiful imagery and on-screen text can help tell your story. When enabled, your video’s sound should offer additional value to viewers and further bring your story to life.

To further inspire advertisers and showcase great video ad creative, Facebook IQ launched the Video Ads Creative Spotlight, which, each month, will highlight video ad creative across nine verticals: Automotive, Consumer Goods, Entertainment, Financial Services, Gaming, Restaurants, Retail/eCommerce, Technology/Telecom/Durables and Travel.

To see our video creative best practices in action, check out the Video Ads Creative Spotlight on Facebook IQ.