Promoted Ads (Image and Video)
Image and video ads that look like posts in the X timeline, with Website Card for site traffic and App Button for app installs.
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X ad format
X (Twitter) Vertical Video Ads in the Immersive Media Viewer
When someone taps a video on X (formerly Twitter), they enter the full-screen Immersive Media Viewer and swipe up from one video to the next. X Vertical Video Ads appear in this stream, full screen and with sound. An edit made for the small video frame in the timeline does not work here; it takes a video made for 9:16. We build the campaign for this surface, from the creative edit to the billing point.
Purpose and appearance
What do we use this format for?
We use X vertical video ads so that brands with 9:16 videos made for Reels or TikTok can reach full-screen viewers on X. For products best explained through motion and sound, such as games, beauty or trailers, we add reach that timeline video cannot, and report 6- and 15-second views as awareness and consideration signals.
Funnel stages it serves
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Conversion
- Loyalty
How the X Media Viewer differs from the timeline
In the main timeline, users read, scroll and occasionally stop on a video. In the Media Viewer, they are there to watch video; there are no other posts or text on screen. X says video is the fastest-growing surface on the platform. In Türkiye, 27 billion video views were recorded on a 28-day average in the first quarter of 2025 (X internal data, Q1 2025).
This difference changes planning too. The Media Viewer placement can only be selected under the Video views objective; it can be switched on alone or together with other placements. In campaigns with vertical creative, we run the Media Viewer alone in a separate ad group. Only then can we read cost and view time without mixing them with main timeline results.
Editing vertical video ads for X
Cropping a horizontal TV spot from the center into 9:16 is the most expensive shortcut for this format. The product at the edge of the frame disappears and text runs off screen. Videos shot for TikTok In-Feed or Reels are a better starting point, but we recut those too for X's sound-on, full-screen context. For videos conceived vertically from the shoot onward, we use this checklist:
- Product, face or brand on screen in the first second; logo visible at the start and end of the edit.
- Made to be watched with sound, but the full voiceover is also clear through subtitles.
- Key text in the middle of the screen, away from interface elements at the top and bottom edges.
- One message, one call to action; a Website Card or App Button to move to the site or store.
- 6- and 15-second cuts of the same video, each matched to the billing point.
Billing points and brand safety for X video ads
The four billing points under the Video views objective apply here too; the 2- and 3-second thresholds work together with a viewability requirement. Because the video fills the entire screen in vertical full screen, views are easy to rack up at short thresholds. If our goal is anything other than awareness, we choose 6 or 15 seconds; we want the views we pay for to actually carry the message.
X states that the Immersive Media Viewer maintains the same level of brand safety as the main timeline, and that keyword and @handle adjacency controls also apply to the videos before and after the ad. Vertical video inventory is also pre-screened by Integral Ad Science (IAS). We review account-level exclusion lists again before these campaigns. We compare which openings get watched through ad creative analysis and show the product page with Promoted Ads to people who watch the video to the end.
Vertical Video Ads: when do we recommend it?
We recommend it
- Brands already producing 9:16 video for Reels, Shorts or TikTok
- Categories that need motion and sound to explain the product: gaming, automotive, beauty, entertainment
- Accounts looking for additional reach on top of main timeline video campaigns
- Series, films and concerts promoted through trailers
We don't recommend it
- Brands with only a horizontal TV spot and no budget for a new edit
- Campaigns where view time carries no value and only forms or carts matter; an ad with a Website Card is a better fit there
How we manage Vertical Video Ads
- Vertical video reviewWe sort existing vertical videos by length, opening frames and subtitle status.
- Cut planWe brief 6- and 15-second versions of each main video for editing.
- Separate ad groupWe run the Media Viewer placement on its own to track costs separately from the main timeline.
- Adjacency checkWe update exclusion lists with video-focused terms and take the placement live.
- Placement comparisonAfter the first two weeks, we compare the 6-second view cost of the Media Viewer and main timeline groups and shift budget to the stronger placement.
Vertical Video Ads: metrics and requirements
Metrics we track
- 6-second and 15-second view rate
- Cost per view
- Average view time
- Sound-on view rate
- Unique reach
What you need to get started
- A 9:16 vertical video with a strong first second
- A subtitle file or burned-in subtitles
- Cuts of the same video in different lengths
- An X campaign with the Video views objective
Official sources
The Brand Move X Team
Contact us nowTo learn more about Vertical Video Ads or other X ad formats, contact The Brand Move X team today.
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X Ads overview
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ExploreFrequently asked questions
Vertical Video Ads: frequently asked questions
What are X vertical video ads?
They are full-screen, sound-on 9:16 video ads that appear between organic videos in X's Immersive Media Viewer, the full-screen stream people enter when they tap a video. They are bought through the Video views objective with the Media Viewer placement.
Do vertical video ads require a reservation?
No. According to X, Vertical Video Ads are open to all advertisers. Selecting the Media Viewer placement in a Video views campaign is enough. Unlike Takeover products sold by reservation, we set the budget, dates and audience ourselves in the auction and can adjust them during the day.
Can we use the same vertical video in the timeline?
We can, but in the timeline a vertical video takes up a smaller part of the screen and starts muted. That is why we keep the two placements in separate ad groups and, where needed, use a shorter, subtitle-led cut for the timeline.
How long should an X video ad be?
X's general recommendation is to keep promoted videos at 15 seconds or under. Viewers in the Media Viewer can be more patient, but we still deliver the message in the first 6 seconds and keep longer versions for content that needs storytelling.
Which billing point should we choose?
For awareness, short view thresholds can work. For anything else we choose 6 or 15 seconds, because in a full-screen vertical video short views are easy to rack up and we want the views we pay for to carry the message.
Let's run a first Vertical Video Ads review together.
In a free call we review your creatives, pixel and Conversions API setup and audience structure, then send you the first three opportunities in writing.
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