For about a decade, the advice on Facebook and Instagram ads was simple: use more video. This week, Meta ads specialist Ben Heath said that trend has reversed in his data, and static image ads are now winning more often.
Here's what he and Sabri Suby said about ad creative this week, and how a Las Vegas business should use it.
What Ben Heath is seeing
Heath says he has advertised on Meta since 2013 and spent more than $300 million, and that his agency spent almost $100 million last year across hundreds of clients. He shared a series of polls of his audience asking which ad format works best:
- About four years ago: 44% video, 38% single image
- About three years ago: video up to 53%
- About two years ago: 60% video, 27% image
- A poll taken days before his video: 54% static, 38% video, 8% other
He said he first noticed it in his own agency's accounts, where Meta was shifting more budget toward statics in ad sets that mixed formats.
Why statics are winning again
Heath's explanation is attention. People are used to getting information in seconds, and fewer are willing to sit through a video ad. He pointed out that if your video's drop-off rate is 90%, only 10% of people ever hear your offer. A good static ad can be understood at a glance.
He also thinks statics now stand out, because most of what people see in their Instagram feed is video. Years ago it was the reverse.
Don't switch to statics only
This is the part most people will miss. Heath was clear: "don't just make statics." Different people respond to different formats, and Meta can sequence them, showing a video first to build awareness and a static later to retarget. He also said Meta is getting better at matching format to how long someone tends to stay on the app, like a longer lunch-break session versus a quick check before bed.
His approach is to keep several formats in the same ad set and let Meta decide. Because statics are cheaper and faster to make, they make it easier to produce the volume and variety he says Meta now rewards. His example: reaching 20 ads with 16 statics and 4 videos is easier than 10 and 10.
He added a warning: statics that obviously look AI-generated have performed poorly for his team, though AI is fine for things like placing a real product photo in a new background.
When video still wins
Heath listed cases where video tends to do better:
- A new or unfamiliar offer that needs explaining or demonstrating.
- Expertise-based services, where people need to trust you before they buy, especially when advertising to people who don't know you yet.
But with warm audiences, people who already follow your content, he says statics with your face on them often outperform, because the convincing has already happened.
For a Las Vegas service business, that suggests a natural split: video to introduce your crew and your work to new people, and simple statics to remind the people who've already seen you.
Your words do the targeting
Both experts said ad copy matters more than ever. Heath recommends making statics more specific because there's no narration to explain who it's for. His example: not just running shorts, but running shorts for long-distance runners in sub-zero temperatures. He suggests slicing your market into many small groups with an ad written for each.
Sabri Suby calls this "your copy is the targeting." He says that because of Meta's Andromeda system, you can take a winning ad, change just two or three words to name a different group of customers, and Meta will find those people. In another video he described turning one winning ad into about 30 variations this way.
For a local business, that might mean one ad for Summerlin homeowners, one for Henderson property managers, and one for North Las Vegas landlords, with the same offer and slightly different words.
The cheapest leads aren't the best
Suby also warned that "the cheapest leads are the worst leads possible." He suggests looking at your close rate: if it's above 40%, your forms may have too much friction and you could open them up; under 20%, you may need more qualifying questions. Test it before deciding.
How to apply this
- 1Keep video and statics in the same ad set and let Meta choose.
- 2Use video for new audiences and services that need explaining.
- 3Use clean, specific statics for retargeting and warm audiences.
- 4Write a separate version of your best ad for each customer group you serve.
- 5Judge ads by booked jobs, not cheap leads.
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