An Essential Guide to Digital Ad Specs for Seamless Campaign Launches

Quick guide to common programmatic ad sizes including display, mobile, native, audio, video, CTV, and out-of-home.

Creating the right sized ads for the right channel helps expedite campaign delivery and keeps your brand looking its best on every screen. This guide provides a clear and comprehensive overview of the creative specifications needed to seamlessly launch digital ads across multiple platforms.

Display

Include these 5 most popular IAB standard ad sizes to maximize reach and audience engagement:

5 Required Sizes (width x height):

  • 300 x 250 px – medium rectangle (desktop and mobile)
  • 320 x 50 px – horizontal mobile banner (mobile only)
  • 728 x 90 px – horizontal leaderboard
  • 160 x 600 px – vertical skyscraper
  • 300 x 600 px – vertical half-page
300 by 600
300 by 250
728 by 90

Bonus Sizes — 2 premium, high profile ad sizes deliver high response and provide even more opportunities to amplify brand exposure:

  • 970×250 – horizontal billboard
  • 320×480 – full screen mobile interstitial

File Types: jpg, gif, HTML5 (note: png not recommended but may be accepted)

Native

Native ads require a main image, a logo or icon, and a few text assets. Keep them concise and follow these specs to maximize compatibility with the most ad opportunities.

  • Title: 25 characters
  • Description: 140 characters
  • Call-to-Action text (CTA): 15 characters
  • ‘Sponsored by’ text: 25 char
  • Main image: 1200 x 627px minimum
  • Logo icon: 300 x 300px max

Video

  • Video Ad Length: most common are :10 :15 or :30 secs
  • Size/Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (1080p) best for high resolution viewing
  • Minimum bit rate: 2500kbps
  • File Format: MP4 recommended; VAST 2.0+ or MOV are acceptable

BONUS: Vertical Video (size: 1080 x 1920) is highly recommended for connecting with the growing number of consumers who prefer vertical mobile viewing.
Considerations: Amazon video requires :15 or :30 secs. Google will not accept video files under :10 secs.

CTV/OTT

Similar to online video, but files must be trimmed to the exact lengths to play on streaming TV—even a millisecond off can prevent it from playing.

  • Video Ad Length: :15 or :30 secs
  • Size/Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (1080p)
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • File types: MP4 required

Considerations: Bitrate must be within 15,000-30,000 Kbps to be accepted by popular streaming vendors including Hulu and Netflix.

Audio

Most platforms include a visual companion ad to complement the audio. We highly recommend this as the sound + sight combination boosts recall with consumers plus creat more opportunity for engagement at no added cost.

  • Audio Ad Length: :10, :15, :30 secs
  • File Format: MP3
  • Companion Ads:
    • 300x250px banner
    • 640x640px tile
    • File Type: jpg
300 by 250

DOOH

The most common DOOH displays are large roadside bulletins, posters, and bus shelters/urban panels.

  • Ad Sizes (width x height):
    • Bulletins (most common) – 1400x400px
    • Posters – 840x400px
    • Bus shelters/Urban panels – 1080x1920px
  • File Format: jpg (similar to display)
1400 x 400
1920 by 1080

Summary

Designing digital ads to fit creative specs ensures your ad campaigns run seamlessly, look professional, and deliver the desired impact without technical setbacks. Gigawatt Media can provide digital design services to help clients execute campaigns quickly and efficiently. Whether you need end-to-end creative development or assistance with adapting existing content for digital advertising channels, we ensure smooth campaign execution and timely launches.

For a more comprehensive guide on additional ad sizes by product, file types, and design details view our Digital Creative Specs.

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