A format that fills the screen
Vertical video ads in 9:16 are a video format with a 9:16 aspect ratio that fills the whole smartphone screen. Shorts, Reels, TikTok and the ad inserts inside them live in this format. A 16:9 horizontal video in a vertical feed covers only part of the screen, so it loses contact area.
Vertical against horizontal: what differs
Horizontal video is made for a large screen and passive viewing. The vertical format is made for holding attention in a stream: the viewer holds the phone in one hand and decides within a second whether to watch or scroll.
| Parameter | 16:9 horizontal | 9:16 vertical |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | TV, monitor, YouTube | Smartphone |
| Contact area in the feed | Part of the screen | Full screen |
| Deciding factor | Creative and budget | Holding the first seconds |
| Typical length | From a minute | 15-60 seconds |
| Platforms | YouTube, website, presentations | Shorts, Reels, TikTok |
Why retention matters more than budget
In vertical feeds impressions are distributed by algorithms. A publication first gets a small test audience, and if the video holds the viewer, impressions expand. Budget does not affect the test: it can speed up reach, but it cannot fix a video that people scroll past within a second or two.
How to make a vertical clip for the feed
A vertical clip is built around the viewer's decision in the first second: a close-up, captions in frame, quick changes of shot. Length is usually 15-60 seconds, and the pace and captions are tuned to the requirements of the specific platform.
- a hook in the first seconds: a problem, a result or a strong shot
- a close-up of the product at the start
- captions in frame instead of voiceover text
- a change of shot every 1-2 seconds
- one video, one idea, no mixed bag
- one call to action, closer to the end
How to measure the result
Vertical video ads are not measured by views alone: retention to the end, completion rate and clicks matter. One video gives one data point, so you compare a batch. Across a hundred videos you see which scripts and hooks work, and those get scaled further.
When you need a lot of vertical videos
One-off shoots cannot cover the volume a vertical feed needs: the feed demands a constant stream. If you need AI video ads in volume, the production line makes them in batches from 100 a month up to 2,000 videos a day at full capacity, adapted to each platform.