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Video ads by channel / X (Twitter)

Video ads for X.

Square for the timeline, vertical for the viewer, and the whole idea before the skip button at six seconds.

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01

The medium

On X, video autoplays in the timeline, the Explore tab and almost everywhere else, and X writes its guidance for people who watch without sound: its pre-roll advice is to express the message without audio and caption it, and its view counts include the moment someone taps to expand or unmute. The exception is the Immersive Media Viewer, the full-screen vertical feed, where X says Vertical Video Ads are sound-on by default.

Its spec page favors the square. A 1:1 video at 1200 by 1200 renders square on desktop and mobile and takes as much feed space as 9:16, while 16:9 takes the least, and any video under sixty seconds loops. Amplify Pre-roll runs before clips from more than 200 publishers, with X's own overlays in three corners and a tap-to-skip button at six seconds, and X calls six seconds the ideal length.

Self-serve campaigns have no minimum spend; Amplify Sponsorships and videos over 2 minutes 20 seconds go through an X account manager.

02

The specs

Quoted from the platforms' own pages. The source and the date each was read are under the table.

PlacementRatioResolution and fileLengthSound and captionsSafe zone and rules
Video Ads (promoted video in the timeline)1:1, 4:5, 2:3, 16:9, 9:16 and 1.91:1; 1200 x 1200 recommended for 1:1, 1920 x 1080 for 16:9MP4 or MOV, up to 1 GB, under 30 MB recommended; H.264 4:2:0; 6,000 to 10,000 kbps at 1080p; 29.97 or 30 fps, up to 60, never upsampled15 seconds or less recommended; up to 2 minutes 20; up to 10 minutes for select advertisersAAC LC; captions or text overlays strongly recommendedA logo, if used, persistent top left; videos under 60 seconds loop; post copy 280 characters, a link costs 23
Vertical Video Ads (Immersive Media Viewer)9:16 recommended; 16:9 and 1:1 accepted but not ideal720 x 1280 to 1080 x 1920; up to 60 fps; target 5 to 10 Mbps, 25 Mbps maximumUnder 15 seconds recommended, 15 called ideal; up to 2 minutes 20Sound-on by default; subtitles inside the video for speechOverlays clear after 2 seconds; the call to action appears after 1; the most important visual at 3 seconds; Media Viewer selected as the only placement
Amplify Pre-roll1:1 recommended; matched to publisher clips of a similar ratio1200 x 1200 recommended, 600 x 600 minimum; otherwise 640 x 360 minimum; up to 1 GB15 seconds or less recommended; 6 called ideal; up to 2 minutes 20Captions for sound-off viewers recommendedX places the logo top left, a publisher thumbnail bottom right and a countdown bottom left; tap to skip at 6 seconds
Amplify Sponsorships (managed)16:9 or 1:1 by publisher content; taller than wide is cropped to 1:11200 x 1200 recommended; up to 1 GB6 seconds or less recommendedCaptions or text overlays strongly recommendedNot available to self-serve advertisers
Video CarouselOne ratio per carousel800 x 450 for 16:9 or 800 x 800 for 1:1 recommended; Video Ads file rulesAs Video AdsAs Video Ads2 to 6 slides; up to six destinations; website title 70 characters
Spotlight Takeover (Explore tab)16:9, 1280 x 720 recommendedMP4 video or static imageNot statedNot statedTrend name 20 characters, description 30; 3 to 6 companion Promoted Ads; not age-gated; delivered as a darkpost
  1. X Business Help, creative ad specifications, read October 27, 2026
  2. X Business, Vertical Video Ads, read October 27, 2026
  3. X Business Help, pre-roll views campaigns, read October 27, 2026
  4. X Business Help, ads pricing, read October 27, 2026
  5. X Business Help, ads policies, read October 27, 2026
  6. X Business Help, alcohol content, read October 27, 2026
  7. X Help, videos on X, read October 27, 2026

X's help pages refuse automated reads, so every row was read in a browser on X's own pages on the read date. X does not say in a sentence that timeline video plays muted; that is inferred from its view definitions and its pre-roll advice, and worded that way above. No total user figure is quoted: the only audience numbers on X's live pages are vertical video statistics from October 2023.

03

How we build an ad for it

Directed by people, made with AI, finished by hand. You approve the script and the sound before any footage is made.

  1. Square for the timeline, vertical for the viewer

    X recommends 1:1 because it renders square on desktop and mobile and takes as much feed space as 9:16; in the vertical viewer it wants 9:16 and calls 16:9 and 1:1 not ideal. We deliver two masters, a 1200 by 1200 square and a 1080 by 1920 vertical, and treat 16:9 as the last choice here.

  2. One sound-on cut, the rest silent

    The Media Viewer is the one placement X calls sound-on by default, so that cut is mixed for sound with subtitles burned in. The timeline and pre-roll cuts are written to read without sound, because X's own pre-roll advice is to express the message without audio.

  3. Clear corners for pre-roll

    On Amplify Pre-roll, X places the brand's logo and avatar top left, the countdown bottom left and the publisher's thumbnail, then the skip button, bottom right. Those corners stay empty in our frame, and no logo is burned in, since X adds its own.

  4. Before the skip at six

    A tap-to-skip button appears at six seconds on any pre-roll longer than that, and X calls six seconds the ideal pre-roll length. The brand and the one idea land before the sixth second, and a six-second cut is a deliverable in its own right.

  5. Timed to the vertical viewer

    In the vertical viewer the overlays clear after two seconds and the call to action arrives after one, and X says to put the most important visual at the three-second mark. The hero shot is held at three seconds, with the lower area free of key text where the button sits.

  6. An ending that loops

    Videos under sixty seconds loop on X, so the last frame cuts cleanly back to the first, or ends on a card that still makes sense when the film restarts. Files are H.264 at 29.97 or 30 frames, under the 30 MB X recommends, with no lower frame rate upsampled.

04

Films that fit

Finished Filmito films, labeled with what each one is. Hover or tap to play.

Flipper Intel, Vertical ad
Flipper IntelFlipper Intel, a 19-second ad composed natively in 9:16, the frame X recommends for its vertical viewer.
CaterBoss, AI commercial
CaterBossCaterBoss, a 42-second commercial. 16:9 master shown; its X versions are a square of fifteen seconds for the timeline and a six-second pre-roll.
Trueveyor, SaaS ad
TrueveyorTrueveyor, a 48-second SaaS launch film built on a hook-tested narrative; its X cut is a square of fifteen seconds or less.

All client films

05

What to order

X rewards frequent, short creative: a square, a vertical and a six-second pre-roll from each idea, several ideas a month, which suits Growth.

One adLaunch, 15 seconds$595

15 seconds. One idea, one hook, one clear ask. First cut in 3 days, 2 revision rounds, 16:9 and 9:16 included.

Launch on the pricing page
Every monthGrowth$2,497 per month

4 unique ads every month. Different angles, not shorter cuts.

Growth on the pricing page
06

Questions about X (Twitter) ads

Do X video ads play with sound?

It depends on the placement. In the timeline X plans for viewers who watch without sound: its pre-roll guidance asks for captions for sound-off viewers. In the Immersive Media Viewer, X says Vertical Video Ads are sound-on by default. We cut a version for each.

How long can a video ad on X be?

X recommends fifteen seconds or less and supports up to 2 minutes 20 seconds; select advertisers can ask an account manager for up to ten minutes. For Amplify Pre-roll, X calls six seconds the ideal length.

Can people skip an Amplify pre-roll on X?

Yes, after six seconds: on a pre-roll longer than that, a tap-to-skip button appears at the sixth second. The brand and the idea land before it, and the six-second version is written as a complete film.

Square or vertical for X?

Square, at 1200 by 1200, for the timeline and pre-roll, because X says it renders square on desktop and mobile and takes as much space as vertical. Vertical 9:16 for the Immersive Media Viewer, where X calls 16:9 and 1:1 not ideal.

Is there a minimum budget for X ads?

X says there is no minimum spend; self-serve campaigns run on an auction in your own Ads Manager account. Amplify Sponsorships and videos longer than 2 minutes 20 seconds need an X account manager. We make the films for either route.

Can alcohol be advertised on X in Saudi Arabia or the UAE?

No. X prohibits all alcohol advertising in every Gulf Cooperation Council country, including branding and events sponsored by alcohol brands, and tobacco is a restricted category that needs pre-authorization. We check the market before the script.

Keep planning

Other screens, the craft behind the films, and the public prices.

Filmito

Tell us the screen. We build the film.

Six short questions about your brand and where the ad will run. A person replies within one business day with the idea, the price and the date.

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