15 Free Ad Templates To Save You Time (And Money)

The average person comes across up to 10,000 ads every single day.

Think about this for a second: Out of all the ads you’ve seen today, which ones can you remember?

Chances are, you’re going through countless images in your mind right now–images that were designed specifically to pique your interest. But, like I said, how many of them actually stick out in your mind?

Designing ads goes beyond aesthetics.It’s about creating a meaningful experience for the consumer in a way that resonates with them for a long time.

This is why finding the right ad templateis key to making your brand stand out.

Let's Dive in:

What Are Ad Templates?

Ad templates refer to pre-built layouts of varying sizes, styles and features which can be used to create full-fledged ads for various platforms.

You can modify these templates as you wish with the option to update your logo, add images, customize fonts and various other design components of your choice.

So without wasting any more time, here’s a full list of free ad templates online along with recommended ad specs and easy design tips.

Facebook Ad Templates

a. Feed

Ad Specs:

• File type: JPG or PNG for images; MP4, MOV or GIF for videos
• Resolution: At least 1080 x 1080 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 1.91:1 to 1:1 for images; 1:1 (for desktop or mobile) or 4:5 (for mobile only)
• Text: 125 characters
• Headline: 27 characters
• Description: 27 characters
• Video duration: 1 second to 241 minutes
• Video captions/sound: Optional but recommended.

Quick design tips:

1. Snappy copy

According to research conducted by the Mobile Marketing Association, our brains need less than half a second to engage with mobile advertising. Make sure you limit all text to a few words.
2. Consistency

Make sure your ad’s design is similar to your landing page’s design. This involves using the same type of colors, fonts and imagery.

3. Highlight value

Using bold letters and color contrast is a good way to highlight key points in an ad.

4. A/B test

Facebook gives you the option to run A/B tests(link to article on A/B Testing and Split Testing once published) which can help you zero in on the right design for your ad.

Read More: How PointCard Used Superside to Boost Their Ad CTR by 240%

b. Stories

Ad Specs:

• File type:JPG or PNG for images;MP4 or MOV for videos
• Maximum duration: 5 secs for images; 60 secs for videos
• Aspect ratio: 9:16 and 4:5 to 1.91:
• Maximum file size: 30 MB for images; 4 GB for videos
• Subtitles/Captions: Need to be added to videos
• Sound: Optional

Quick design tips:

1. Simplicity

A simple design that includes a captivating background image, short copy and limited graphics works well for stories.

2. Pick colors wisely

Choose a color palette according to the market you’re targeting. Follow the 60-30-10 rule: 60% of one neutral color, 30% of a color meant to evoke emotions and 10% of an accent color. Fun fact: Blue is the most popular color in the world.

3. Key messages

Place your key message or brand elements right at the beginning of the ad. This is necessary because people view stories faster than any other form of content.

4. Mixed formats

Campaigns with mixed format assets (motion and static) have a higher chance of driving more value for lower-funnel metrics.

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c. Carousel

Ad specs:

• File type: JPG or PNG for images; MP4, MOV or GIF for videos
• Resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 1:1
• Number of carousel cards: Minimum 2; maximum 10
• Video length: Up to 240 minutes (15 seconds recommended)
• Headline: 40 characters
• Link description: 20 characters

Quick design tips:

1. Unique image

Make sure the first image of the carousel is unique enough to encourage customers to swipe through the rest of the ad post.

2. Pay attention to all components

Don’t ignore all the other elements that go into making a great carousel ad post including creative headlines, fun descriptions and CTA buttons.

3. Make the post cohesive

Since you will be using multiple images/videos in the same post, try and include content with comparable themes.

4. Connect to your landing page

Small businesses can use carousels to display all their inventory.

Download Free Ad Templates For Facebook

Canva

Browse through thousands of high-quality Facebook ad templates for carousels, stories and feed for free.

vistacreate

Perfect if you’re looking for the right visual for your feed ad or want to create an entertaining video story.

PicMonkey

Opt for a free trial and get access to a huge collection of customizable ad templates.

Read More: How to Design Effective Facebook Ads in 2023

Instagram Ad Templates

a. Feed

Ad specs:

• File type: JPG or PNG for images; MP4, MOV or GIF for videos
• Resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 1.91:1 to 1:1 for images, collection and carousel; 1:1 (for desktop or mobile) or 4:5 (for mobile only) for videos
• Video duration: 1 second to 241 minutes
• Number of carousel cards: 2 to 10
• Headline: 27 characters for images and videos; 32 characters for carousel; 40 characters for collection
• Landing Page URL: Required for carousel and collection

Quick design tips:

1. Humanize your brand

When you show real people using your product or service, you’ll be able to make it seem more relatable. Images with people in them perform better.

2. Neutral background

Make certain details of your product stand out by having a plain backdrop.

3. Focal point

Creating a focal point can make product recognition easier for viewers.

4. Captions

Include enough text or captions to provide context for videos that appear with the sound off.

b. Reels

Ad specs:

• File type: MP4 or MOV
• Resolution: Minimum 500 x 888 pixels; 1080 x 1920 pixels recommended
• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Video length: 15-30 seconds
• Captions/Sound: Optional but strongly recommended

Quick design tips:

1. Use Reels Insights as a content guide

Take a look at your Reels analytics to determine which style of content to make.

2. Add audio

Instagram recommends using music in reels as it can help your content blend in with all the other reels–making it seem more organic.

3. Avoid too many visual distractions

Try not to place too many stickers or GIFs in one reel.

4. Include a CTA button

Point your customers in the right direction by including a clear call-to-action in your reels.

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Quick design tips:

1. Vertical format

Stories are likely to be viewed full screen so make sure your ad is designed to deliver the perfect mobile experience.

2. Interactive

You can always get more creative and include polls or quizzes to encourage viewers to interact with your stories.

3. Brand your stories

Viewers need to instantly recognize your brand so use the same colors as your company’s logo or website.

4. Announce offers

With the limited timeframe available to capture consumer interest, story ads can also be used to announce incentives such as discounts or free shipping.

Download Free Ad Templates For Instagram

postermywall

Get access to over 390,000 high-quality Instagram ad templates along with easy-to-use editing features in a jiffy.

pixelied

Making Instagram ads will be a breeze with these ready-made templates available for every occasion.

Vimeo

Sign up for free and start creating captivating Instagram video ads by choosing from hundreds of templates.

Read More: 11 Instagram Ads to Inspire You

Google Ad Templates

Ad specs:

• Top performing ad sizes: Medium rectangle 300 x 250; Large rectangle 336 x 280; Leaderboard 728 x 90; Half page 300 x 600; Large mobile banner 320 x 100; Netboard 580 x 400
• Skyscraper display ad sizes: Wide skyscraper 160 x 600; Skyscraper 120 x 600; Portrait 300 x 1050; Half-page 300 x 600
• Leaderboard display ad sizes: Leaderboard 728 x 90; Large leaderboard 970 x 90; Billboard 970 x 250; Top banner 930 x 180; Panorama 980 x 120
• Mobile ad sizes: Large mobile banner 320 x 100; Mobile banner 320 x 50
• Size limit for image ads: 150 KB

Quick design tips:

1. Don’t overlay logos and text

Google recommends using images with naturally embedded logos and text.

2. Use organic backgrounds

Natural shadows and lighting work better as compared to digital backgrounds.

3. Create contrast

This is especially helpful for making your CTA button pop. Use contrasting color or edit brightness and saturation.

4. Refresh campaigns

Take advantage of holidays and popular events to come up with new design ideas for old campaigns.

Download Free Ad Templates For Google

Template.net

If you’re looking for Google ad templates, you’ll have plenty to choose from by signing up for as little as $2 per month or simply use the free ad templatesinstead.

PhotoAdKing

Create a free account and get access to a nifty display ads maker that allows you to customize pre-built templates as you wish.

Envato Elements

Sign up for a 7-day free trial and choose from various templates of varying sizes for your Google ad design.

Banner Ad Templates

Ad specs:

• Sizes:300 x 250 (popular); 468 x 60 (banner); 728 x 90 (leaderboard banner); 250 x 250 (square); 120 x 600 (skyscraper); 320 x 50 (mobile leaderboard)
• Size limit: 150 KB

Quick design tips:

1. Clean design

A banner cluttered with too many messages orimages is not likely to be effective in persuading consumers to take action.

2. Show off your product

Banner ads provide an opportunity to prominently display your product and potentially entice customers into buying it.

3. Don’t make it boring

Get creative with your copy and design by using catchy headlines, vibrant colors and different font sizes.

4. Add animations

Static banner ads are not likely to get you the same attention as ones with some movement in them.

Download Free Ad Templates for Banners

Creatopy

Make the most of their huge collection of free design templates–categorized according to industry types.

Desygner

You don’t even need to create an account to start using their free ad templates which come with easy editing tools as well.

BannerBoo

Each template offers free fonts, optimized Google Adwords, GIF Animations and an HTML5 constructor. Jackpot!

Read More: Tips for Effective Banner Ads

TikTok Ad Templates

Ad specs:

• File type: MP4, MOV, MPEG, 3GP or AVI
• Resolution: 720 px (popular); 540 x 960 or 640 x 640
• Aspect ratio: 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9
• Video duration: 5-60 seconds; 21-34 seconds (recommended)
• Ad description: 1-100 characters (no emojis)

Quick design tips:

1. Show the product first

According to TikTok, 63% of all videos that show their product or key message within the first 3 seconds get the highest click-through rate (CTR).

2. Jump on trends

Using new effects or the latest editing trends can help your brand get noticed faster.

3. Overlay text

40% of auction ads with the highest view-through rate (VTR) have used text-overlays including stickers and effects.

4. Music

Use songs that'll appeal to your target audience.

Download Free Ad Templates For TikTok

Promo

Keep your credit card aside and select from any of the eye-catching video ad templates for your brand.

Kapwing

From reaction videos to vlogs, find a template that’ll go perfectly well with your campaign, apply a few edits and you’re good to go!

Simplified

Apart from adding your own colors, text, music and illustrations, you can even use an AI copywriter to generate copy for your TikTok template.

Read More: Everything You Need to Know About TikTok Advertising

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The Best Ad-vice

With so many helpful online resources available, making ads is no longer a mammoth task for designers and marketers. As newer opportunities open up for increasing brand awareness, businesses can greatly benefit from leveraging online tools that allow maximum creative freedom while keeping advertising costs low.

People Also Ask

What are ad templates?

Ad templates refer to pre-built layouts of varying sizes, styles and features which can be used to create full-fledged ads for various platforms.

Why are ad templates used?

Ad templates help save time as you can customize them however you like. You can even find free ad templates online that can help you reduce your advertising costs.

How are ad templates used?

AAd templates feature pre-built layouts which can be modified using editing tools. Options include updating your logo, adding images, customizing fonts and various other design components of your choice.

What platforms can ad templates be used for?

You can find templates for specific platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Google–allowing you to build ads within minutes.