Vertical (9:16)
A 9:16 aspect ratio video format (1080×1920 px) for full-screen mobile placements like TikTok, Reels and Stories.
Vertical 9:16 video fills the entire phone screen, removing all distractions — which is why it consistently outperforms other ratios on mobile-first placements. TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and Stories all default to 9:16.
For performance advertisers, 9:16 is the priority format. Creative teams typically produce the hero asset in 9:16, then crop or letterbox to 1:1 and 16:9 for secondary placements.
Safe zones matter: keep text and faces within the center 80% of the frame to avoid being obscured by platform UI elements (profile picture, caption overlay, bottom navigation). Recommended resolution is 1080×1920 pixels.
Related terms
Square (1:1)
A 1:1 aspect ratio video format (1080×1080 px) that works across most placements on Meta, LinkedIn and X without cropping.
Horizontal (16:9)
A 16:9 aspect ratio video format (1920×1080 px) standard for YouTube pre-roll, desktop placements and traditional video ads.
Story
Stories are full-screen, vertical, ephemeral posts on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat — typically 15 seconds or fewer — widely used as an ad placement.
Reel
Reels are short-form, looping vertical videos on Instagram and Facebook, up to 90 seconds, designed for entertainment and discovery.
Short
YouTube Shorts are vertical videos up to 60 seconds that appear in YouTube's short-form feed, competing with TikTok and Reels.