Use case
Instagram Reels ads: 9:16 video ads that play between reels
Instagram Reels ads are vertical video ads that play between the reels people scroll through. Cutroom turns one phone video of you talking into a finished 9:16 Reels ad.
In short
- Instagram Reels ads are 9:16 video ads that play full screen between the reels people scroll through.
- Meta asks you to keep the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side free of text.
- An Instagram Reels ad can be up to 15 minutes long, in a file of up to 4 GB.
- A Reels ad has no fixed price to run. You set a budget in Meta Ads Manager and pick the Instagram Reels placement.
- Cutroom makes a 30-second Reels ad for 110 credits, and your first video is free.
- The shape of a Reels ad
- 9:16
- Bottom of the frame to keep free of text
- 35%
- Longest Instagram Reels ad
- 15 min
Instagram Reels ad specs
These numbers come from Meta's ads guide for Instagram Reels ads, read on 21 September 2026.
Instagram Reels ad specs, next to what Cutroom exports
Source: Meta Ads Guide, Instagram Reels.
| Spec | Instagram Reels ads | Cutroom export |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | 9:16 | 9:16 |
| Recommended size | 1440 x 2560 pixels | Full-size vertical video |
| Largest file | 4 GB | An MP4 |
| Length | Up to 15 minutes | Up to 3 minutes |
| Keep free of text | Top 14%, bottom 35%, 6% on each side | Move the captions up or down to stay clear |
Spec: Shape
- Instagram Reels ads
- 9:16
- Cutroom export
- 9:16
Spec: Recommended size
- Instagram Reels ads
- 1440 x 2560 pixels
- Cutroom export
- Full-size vertical video
Spec: Largest file
- Instagram Reels ads
- 4 GB
- Cutroom export
- An MP4
Spec: Length
- Instagram Reels ads
- Up to 15 minutes
- Cutroom export
- Up to 3 minutes
Spec: Keep free of text
- Instagram Reels ads
- Top 14%, bottom 35%, 6% on each side
- Cutroom export
- Move the captions up or down to stay clear
Where to put text on a Reels ad
Instagram draws its own buttons and text over your video. Anything you put there gets covered.
- In Cutroom you move the captions up or down and set their size with a slider.
- Before you spend money, upload the MP4 in Ads Manager and check the Reels preview.
What sits on top of a Reels ad
| Part of the screen | What Instagram puts there | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Top 14% | Instagram's own header | Keep text out |
| Bottom 35% | Account name, ad text and the button | Keep captions out |
| Right side | Like, comment and share buttons | Keep text away from it |
| Middle | Nothing | Put your captions here |
Part of the screen: Top 14%
- What Instagram puts there
- Instagram's own header
- What to do
- Keep text out
Part of the screen: Bottom 35%
- What Instagram puts there
- Account name, ad text and the button
- What to do
- Keep captions out
Part of the screen: Right side
- What Instagram puts there
- Like, comment and share buttons
- What to do
- Keep text away from it
Part of the screen: Middle
- What Instagram puts there
- Nothing
- What to do
- Put your captions here
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
What makes a Reels ad work
A Reels ad plays between reels from friends and creators. So we recommend making it look like one: a person, a phone and captions.
- Start with your point, because people can swipe to the next reel at any moment.
- Show a real person talking to the camera, filmed on a phone, so the ad looks like the reels around it.
- Put captions in the picture, so the ad makes sense with the sound off.
- Make several versions and swap them often. Only 5 to 8% of ads become winners, per Motion's analysis of 550,000+ Meta ads.
How to run a Reels ad, and what it costs to run
You run the ad in Meta Ads Manager. Meta has no fixed price for a Reels ad. You choose the budget, and Meta's ad auction sets what you pay.
- You create a campaign in Ads Manager, then choose where the ad shows in the ad set.
- To show it only on Reels, choose Manual placements and tick Instagram Reels. Or keep Advantage+ placements and let Meta choose.
- You set a daily budget, or a lifetime budget for the whole time the ad runs.
- What you pay for each view or click depends on who you target and how many other advertisers want the same people.
- Upload the 9:16 MP4 in the ad, then check the Reels preview before you publish.
How to make a Reels ad with Cutroom
You change the video by changing its words. There is no timeline to learn.
- Cutroom adds captions timed to your voice and drafts a headline for the opening seconds. On Punch and Native it also shortens the long pauses.
- Cutroom keeps the lines you say, so to lose a slow start, film the take again and open on your point.
- To add a clip, you highlight a phrase and the clip plays over exactly those words. Your own product clips stay in your library.
- The style you pick before you upload sets the pace. Even on the fastest styles, Punch and Native, the clips Cutroom adds cover at most 52 percent of the video, so you stay on screen.
- You pick one of 40 caption styles, then its font and colour.
From a phone video to a Reels ad
Film
One video of you talking, up to 3 minutes
Upload
Cutroom writes out every word and makes the first edit
Change the words
Fix a word, put a clip on a phrase
Export
A 9:16 MP4 for Meta Ads Manager
What it costs to make
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 is built for Reels ads where a person talks to the camera.
- Cutroom only exports 9:16. It does not make square or 4:5 versions for the feed.
- Cutroom does not run your ads. You upload the MP4 in Meta Ads Manager and set the budget there.
- Cutroom edits one video of up to 3 minutes into one ad.
- If nobody will go on camera, the avatar add-on makes a presenter from a photo and a voice-over, for 350 credits a minute on Basic and up.
Questions people ask
- What size should an Instagram Reels ad be?
- Vertical 9:16. Meta recommends 1440 x 2560 pixels, in a file of up to 4 GB. Cutroom exports a 9:16 MP4.
- How long can an Instagram Reels ad be?
- Up to 15 minutes, according to Meta's ads guide. A Cutroom video is 3 minutes at most.
- Where should captions go on a Reels ad?
- In the middle of the frame. Meta asks you to keep the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side free of text. You can move Cutroom captions up or down.
- How much does it cost to run an Instagram Reels ad?
- There is no fixed price. You set a daily or lifetime budget in Meta Ads Manager, and Meta's ad auction sets what you pay, so it depends on who you target.
- How do I choose the Instagram Reels placement?
- In the ad set, choose Manual placements and tick Instagram Reels. Or keep Advantage+ placements, and Meta decides where the ad shows, which can include Reels.
- How much does a Reels ad cost to make with Cutroom?
- 110 credits for a 30-second ad: 100 for the edit and 10 for the export. Lite is $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 11 ads.
- Can I try it for free?
- Yes. Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark, and Lite at $19.99 a month removes it.
Film one video on your phone and have a Reels ad ready today. Your first video is free.