Snapchat ad formats: Stories, Spotlight, Chat, and AR

Snapchat offers several full-screen formats. Most standard assets use 9:16 creative, and Single Image or Video Ads plus Story Ads support 3–180-second video.¹ The technical range is wide. Your creative should not be.

Decide what the viewer must understand, feel, or do. Then choose the format that gives that job enough room without adding unnecessary steps.

Use these for one clean proposition: a product reveal, testimonial, offer, direct demo, brand message, or retargeting reminder. Snapchat lists them as a starting format for new advertisers, and they can appear in Stories and Spotlight placements.

• Cold-audience testing.
• Product discovery.
• Retargeting.
• Fast creator-style demos.
• Offer or benefit communication.

Use Story Ads when the viewer needs a sequence of connected moments. Each card should earn the next: problem, product, proof, selection, or action.

Do not take a long commercial, divide it into several cards, and call it a Story. Build each card so it answers the question created by the card before it.

Story Ads fit product education, multiple use cases, category explanation, product collections, and sequential brand stories.

Use Collection Ads when browsing multiple products is part of the value. The hero asset creates desire. The products underneath make the next choice easy.

If the hero does not establish the category and give the viewer a reason to browse, adding a product row will not solve the creative problem. Collection Ads fit ecommerce, seasonal drops, product variants, bundles, and dynamic retargeting.

Commercials are built for premium, full-screen video storytelling. Snapchat says the first six seconds are non-skippable; extended commercials can run from 7 to 180 seconds after that opening window.¹

Use those first six seconds responsibly. Make the opening useful, visually clear, and branded. Non-skippable is not permission to make the viewer wait for the point.

Sponsored Snaps are full-screen image or video ads delivered in Snapchat's Chat Feed. Recipients can reply, and brands can enable an auto-response. This is a conversation-adjacent format, so a direct, useful message beats a recycled product commercial.

Sponsored Snaps require a linked Public Profile and 9:16 creative.²Snapchat also lists placement restrictions for competitive social or messaging platforms, offer-based ads, and Health, Employment, or Credit categories. Eligibility, availability, and restrictions vary by account, region, and program version, so confirm current details in Snapchat's documentation before producing a Chat-only asset.

AR Lenses invite people to interact with a brand through Snapchat's camera. The value is participation: trying a look, exploring a feature, visualizing a result, or sharing an interaction.

Snapchat requires a visible logo or brand name on Face and World Lenses.¹ Keep that mark out of the interface collision zones and away from the lower carousel. The brand should be clear without blocking the experience.

1. Snapchat for Business. "Snapchat Ad Formats & Specs." Accessed August 24, 2026. forbusiness.snapchat.com
2. Snapchat for Business. "Sponsored Snaps." Accessed August 24, 2026. forbusiness.snapchat.com