Use case
Before and after video ads: show the change, and say how long it took
A before and after video ad shows what something was like before your product or service, and what it is like now. Cutroom turns a phone video of you talking, plus your before and after clips, into a 9:16 ad.
In short
- A before and after video ad shows the change your product or service made, with real photos or clips of both.
- Before and after video ads are allowed on Meta. Health, weight-loss and cosmetic ads have extra rules, such as an 18+ audience.
- Cleaning, renovation, car detailing and gardening ads fall outside Meta's health rules. Only its general ad rules apply.
- For health and beauty ads, a customer can also describe the before in words, and say how long the change took.
- Cutroom plays your before and after clips over the words where you describe them. A 30-second ad costs 110 credits.
- Age Meta requires for cosmetic before-and-after ads
- 18+
- Longest video you can upload
- 3 min
- Basic, about 22 ads a month
- $39.99
What to show in a before and after ad
The best proof is your own footage of the same thing, before and after. Free stock clips cannot prove a result.
- Film the before and the after from the same place and angle, so viewers can see that nothing else changed.
- Say out loud how long the job or the result took, so it shows in the captions.
What to show, by kind of business
| Kind of business | What to show | Extra ad rules |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning, renovation, car detailing, gardening | The same spot before and after the job, from the same angle | Not covered by the health rules below |
| Cosmetic products and procedures | Photos or clips of the result, with how long it took | Yes, on Meta |
| Weight-loss products | A person using it and the effect, with how long it took | Yes, on Meta and TikTok |
Kind of business: Cleaning, renovation, car detailing, gardening
- What to show
- The same spot before and after the job, from the same angle
- Extra ad rules
- Not covered by the health rules below
Kind of business: Cosmetic products and procedures
- What to show
- Photos or clips of the result, with how long it took
- Extra ad rules
- Yes, on Meta
Kind of business: Weight-loss products
- What to show
- A person using it and the effect, with how long it took
- Extra ad rules
- Yes, on Meta and TikTok
Before and after ad rules on Meta and TikTok
Meta has extra rules for health, weight-loss and cosmetic ads, and TikTok for weight-loss ads. These come from their ad policies, read on 21 September 2026, and are not legal advice.
- Ads for cleaning, renovation, car detailing or gardening do not fall under these health rules. The general rules, such as no misleading claims, still apply.
- Other countries have their own rules, so check each place where the ad will run.
Rules for before and after ads
Sources: Meta Advertising Standards, Health and Wellness; TikTok Advertising Policies, Weight Management.
| Kind of ad | Platform | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic products and procedures | Meta | Before-and-after is allowed, in ads aimed at people 18 or older |
| Weight-loss or weight-gain products | Meta | The ad can show the effect if it clearly says how long results took; aim it at 18 or older |
| Health, cosmetic and weight ads | Meta | No statements that attack how someone looks |
| Weight-loss or muscle-gain claims | TikTok | Aim at 18 or older, and never say results are easy or guaranteed |
| Weight-loss ads | TikTok | No shaming people about their bodies, and no suggesting there is one ideal body |
Kind of ad: Cosmetic products and procedures
- Platform
- Meta
- Rule
- Before-and-after is allowed, in ads aimed at people 18 or older
Kind of ad: Weight-loss or weight-gain products
- Platform
- Meta
- Rule
- The ad can show the effect if it clearly says how long results took; aim it at 18 or older
Kind of ad: Health, cosmetic and weight ads
- Platform
- Meta
- Rule
- No statements that attack how someone looks
Kind of ad: Weight-loss or muscle-gain claims
- Platform
- TikTok
- Rule
- Aim at 18 or older, and never say results are easy or guaranteed
Kind of ad: Weight-loss ads
- Platform
- TikTok
- Rule
- No shaming people about their bodies, and no suggesting there is one ideal body
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Photos of the change or a before described in words
Photos or clips show the change directly. A before described in words suits health and beauty ads, where photos have the most rules.
- A described before still has to follow the rules. It must not attack how anyone looks.
Photos or clips vs a before described in words
Best for
- Photos or clips
- Cleaning, renovation, detailing and other visible jobs
- Described in words
- Health and beauty products
Platform rules
- Photos or clips
- Extra rules for health, weight-loss and cosmetic ads
- Described in words
- No photos of anyone's body to check
Viewer doubt
- Photos or clips
- Lighting and angles can be changed
- Described in words
- Nothing to retouch
What you need
- Photos or clips
- Photos or clips taken before the change
- Described in words
- A customer who remembers what it was like
| Photos or clips | Described in words | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Cleaning, renovation, detailing and other visible jobs | Health and beauty products |
| Platform rules | Extra rules for health, weight-loss and cosmetic ads | No photos of anyone's body to check |
| Viewer doubt | Lighting and angles can be changed | Nothing to retouch |
| What you need | Photos or clips taken before the change | A customer who remembers what it was like |
How to describe a before in words
Say what the person did, not how they looked. A behaviour is hard to fake, so it is easy to believe.
- 'I stopped going to the pool' describes a behaviour. So does 'I bought the bigger size and told myself it was the brand'.
- Ask customers what they stopped doing before they found you, not how it changed their life.
- Keep the after small and specific, like 'I went twice last week'.
- Say how long it took, including the weeks when nothing seemed to happen. Meta asks for this on weight-loss ads.
How to make a before and after ad with Cutroom
You film one video of yourself or a customer talking about the change, up to 3 minutes. Your before and after photos or clips go on top.
- If you have before and after photos or clips, upload them to your library and highlight the words where you describe each one. They play over exactly those words.
- Photos go in as JPG, PNG or WebP, and clips as MP4, MOV or WebM.
- Each photo or clip can go full screen, on a small card, in a bottom band or on a tilted card.
- If a line claims too much, or the ad platform rejects it, film the take again without it, because Cutroom keeps the lines you say.
- To make the line with how long it took stand out, you select those words and give just them their own caption style and colour.
A before and after into a finished ad
Film
One video about the change, up to 3 minutes
Upload your before and after
Photos or clips go in your library
Place them
Highlight the words where you describe each one
Export
A 9:16 MP4 with captions
What a finished before and after ad looks like
You get a 9:16 MP4 with the captions in the picture, ready to upload in your ad account.
A finished frame: the speaker stays on screen
The speaker stays on screen, a clip sits on a card beside them, and captions show every word.
How many before and after ads to test
Only 5 to 8% of ads become winners, according to Motion's analysis of 550,000+ Meta ads. So one ad is not a real test.
- Make each ad about a different before, such as a different job, a different customer or a different problem.
- Twelve different ads cost 1,320 credits, which fits in one month of Basic at $39.99 for 2,500 credits.
What it costs
A 30-second ad costs 110 credits: 100 for the edit and 10 for the export. Exporting costs 20 credits per minute of video.
Cutroom plans and 30-second ads per month
| Plan | Price | Credits | 30-second ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, no card | Your first video, made within 7 days | 1, with a Cutroom mark |
| Lite | $19.99 a month | 1,250 | About 11, no mark |
| Basic | $39.99 a month | 2,500 | About 22, plus avatars and generated music |
| Premium | $79.99 a month | 5,000 | About 45 |
| Top-up | $39.99 once | 2,500 | About 22 more |
Plan: Free
- Price
- $0, no card
- Credits
- Your first video, made within 7 days
- 30-second ads
- 1, with a Cutroom mark
Plan: Lite
- Price
- $19.99 a month
- Credits
- 1,250
- 30-second ads
- About 11, no mark
Plan: Basic
- Price
- $39.99 a month
- Credits
- 2,500
- 30-second ads
- About 22, plus avatars and generated music
Plan: Premium
- Price
- $79.99 a month
- Credits
- 5,000
- 30-second ads
- About 45
Plan: Top-up
- Price
- $39.99 once
- Credits
- 2,500
- 30-second ads
- About 22 more
What Cutroom does not do
Cutroom edits the video. It does not review your claims or take the photos.
- Cutroom does not check your wording against ad policies. It will edit a sentence that a platform later rejects, so have claims reviewed before you film.
- Cutroom cannot make a before for you. You need your own photos or clips from before the change.
- Cutroom only exports 9:16, and each video you upload makes one ad.
- Use the real person. An avatar describing a change it never had is not a real customer.
Questions people ask
- Are before and after ads allowed on Facebook and Instagram?
- Yes. Ads for health, weight-loss and cosmetic products have extra rules: cosmetic before-and-after ads must be aimed at people 18 or older, weight-loss ads must say how long results took, and no ad may attack how someone looks.
- Are before and after ads allowed on TikTok?
- It depends on the product. For weight-loss and muscle-gain claims, TikTok requires an 18+ audience and bans saying results are easy or guaranteed, or shaming people about their bodies. Check TikTok's ad policy for your category before you film.
- How do I put before and after photos into a video?
- Upload them to your Cutroom library, then highlight the words where you describe each one. The photo or clip plays over exactly those words, full screen or on a card beside you.
- What if Meta rejects a line in my ad?
- Film that take again without the line and upload it as a new project. Cutroom keeps the lines you say, so it cannot cut the line out for you.
- Can an AI avatar tell the before story?
- It should not. A generated presenter describing a life it never had is not a real customer. In the US, the FTC's 2024 rule bans testimonials from people who do not exist.
- How much does a before and after video ad cost with Cutroom?
- 110 credits for a 30-second ad. Twelve different ads cost 1,320 credits, which fits in Basic at $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits. Your first video is free.
Film yourself talking about the change, add your before and after clips, and have an ad today. Your first video is free.