Placements

Placements are the places where your ads can appear. On Meta, they span Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network and other Meta surfaces, and include formats such as feeds, Stories, Reels, in-stream video, search results and messaging inboxes. The exact list changes as Meta adds and retires surfaces, so check Ads Manager for the current options at the time of writing.

Advantage+ placements versus manual placements

• Advantage+ placements: formerly automatic placements. Meta distributes your budget across eligible placements, aiming for the best overall result, and recommends this option for most advertisers.
• Manual placements: you choose which placements to include or exclude.

Advantage+ placements give the system more room to find cheaper results, while manual placements give more control over where your brand appears.

Why placements matter for creative

Each placement has different dimensions, viewing behaviour and attention levels:

• Feeds: square or vertical 4:5 assets are common, and people scroll past many posts.
• Stories and Reels: full-screen vertical 9:16, where sound and motion matter more.
• In-stream video: shown during other video content.
• Audience Network: ads in partner apps, often with different user intent.

Using a single asset everywhere can lead to awkward crops or text hidden behind interface elements. Supplying placement-specific versions, or using asset customisation in Ads Manager, helps each placement look native.

In practice

• Review results by placement breakdown before excluding any.
• Remember that a placement with a lower CPM is not always better if CTR and conversion are weaker.
• Keep important text inside safe zones for vertical formats.