What video should I use in the background of a Meta ad for my newsletter?
Short answer
Something that looks fun and makes people feel they're missing out: a festival, a market, kids playing, live music. Not the famous local bridge. A recognizable landmark is the most common mistake. Cut it into quick 3-second clips, show people in the first two seconds, and the location barely matters.
The biggest mistake almost literally every single person makes is thinking the background video just has to be recognizable to the area.
"He had videos of the local bridge everybody knows. Who cares about the bridge? I care about having fun with my family or my friends."
What should the video show?
A feeling: this looks fun, and I'm missing it. The ad is meant to stop people from scrolling, and the reason to stop is that it looks fun.
- Good: festivals, fairs, farmers markets, live music, crowds, kids playing, people hugging.
- Weak: the resort pool, the water park, a helicopter shot over downtown, empty venues.
- Best case: a recognizable place that also hosts recurring events.
Amenities are weak for a simple reason. People see the hotel pool ad all the time. Do they really need help finding the cool resort in town? They already know it.
Does the footage need to be from my town?
Not really. I've run the same nondescript downtown festival clip in about 20 locations. Nobody can tell the grass is too green. The exception: avoid footage that's obviously wrong for the place. We rejected a desert driving clip because it would look off anywhere outside a desert town.
How should I edit it?
Quick cuts. Instead of an uncut 15-second walk through a First Friday, do three seconds of the booths with tons of people, three seconds of the band, three seconds of kids on the playground next to it. It's five videos in one, even from one event.
- Keep each clip around 3 seconds, 5 at most.
- Open with people in frame in the first two seconds.
- Film a lot and cut down. Shot horizontally? Crop it vertical. It doesn't matter.
- No fancy transitions. Cut straight from one clip to the next.
I still run the older single-clip version too, since I know it works. The new quick-cut version runs alongside it.
Should I build a footage library?
Yes, if you can. A media pro I worked with suggested spending a day shooting local clips so new ad ideas can be built quickly from owned footage instead of stock. Almost nobody has that stockpile, and it would solve a lot of problems.
No footage at all? A few local photos animated with AI, or a fast-forward first-person night drive in 9:16 that could be anywhere, can get a generic ad launched. See using AI video in Meta ads.
Answered by TJ Larkin. From publisher cohort calls, newsroom creative sessions, and consulting calls in 2025 and 2026. Last updated .