Image Ads vs. Video Ads: Which Should You Run?
Static image ads and short video ads each do a different job. The right answer is usually "both," but knowing when each wins helps you spend your budget well.
When image ads win
Image ads are fast to make, cheap to run, and easy to test in volume. They are ideal for a clear product with a simple offer — a sale, a new arrival, a single strong benefit. Because you can produce many versions quickly, they are the workhorse of most performance campaigns.
When video ads win
Video earns attention and explains. If your product needs a moment to show how it works, or you want to tell a short story, sound-on vertical video in feeds and Reels tends to hold people longer and build more trust. It is also where a spokesperson or presenter can make the message feel human.
A simple strategy
- Prospecting: lead with a short video to grab attention and explain the product.
- Retargeting: follow up with punchy image ads that push the offer to people who already know you.
- Always test: the same message as both an image and a video, and let the numbers decide.
Produce both from one brief
Historically the blocker was production — image and video were two separate workflows. Adfinery generates both from a single brief: finished image ads in every size, and short sound-on video ads with script, voice-over, and captions, so you can run the two together without doubling the work.