Static Ads vs Video Ads: Which to Run, and When to Mix Them

Run both. Meta, Google and TikTok have each published a number, and each says campaigns with images and video together do better than one format alone.¹²³

In short

• Meta: "campaigns with both static images and video achieved conversion lift at a 17% higher rate than campaigns with just static images".¹
• Google: Demand Gen advertisers who added images to video "saw 20% more conversions at the same cost per action".²
• TikTok: "advertisers see 19% more conversions in campaigns that combine video and images".³
• LinkedIn leans to video: "Video Ads drive 3x higher engagement than non-video formats".⁴

What is the difference between a static ad and a video ad?

A static ad is one frame: a picture, a few words and a button, all seen at once. A video ad is a sequence: it can show your product working, carry a voice, and tell a short story in order.

Static ads are quicker to make. TikTok says of image ads: "Compared to videos, they require less time and fewer resources to produce".³ Video can show what a picture only claims: the app doing its job, step by step.

What do the platforms' own numbers say?

Each figure below is the network's own data, with the dates it gives:

Google sums it up on its Demand Gen page: you can run a campaign that is only video or only images, "However, using both typically yields better performance."⁶

When does a static ad do the job better?

When the message fits in one look:

• An offer: a price, a free trial, a free night. The offer itself is the picture.
• A number: 67 games, 29 004 phones. A number set huge reads at once.
• A date: an event, a launch, a sale that ends.
• Many ideas to test: a still is quick to make, so ten headlines can run side by side.

On Snapchat, a still is turned into a short video anyway: "The image will be converted into a video of 5 second duration."⁷

When does a video ad do the job better?

When the product has to be seen working. Think of an app that types for you, or a game. In a still you can only claim it; in a video you can show it.

LinkedIn's own pages lean this way: "Video Ads earn 30% more comments per impression than static images in the LinkedIn newsfeed."⁸ Video also carries sound, where a feed plays it.

How do you run static and video ads together?

Make the same idea in both formats, then let them compete:

1. One idea, two formats. The same first line and the same offer, as a still and as a film.
2. Separate ads. Meta's advice for apps: "Use video in one ad and images in another, then test them."⁹
3. Every shape. Vertical for Stories and Reels, square for feeds; Google asks for several shapes of each.⁶
4. Let the numbers decide. Snap's line: "Test all types of image or video ads, from video, stills, GIFs, or cinemagraphs (one per Ad Set). Then pick the ones that worked best."¹⁰

Here is the video ad from that picture, in full:

TikTok's own pages disagree on where images run. Its carousel page calls carousels "an alternative ad format to video if you don't have video creatives available", while another help page says "TikTok only supports video ads."¹¹¹² Check the placement before you plan stills for it.

How do you make both from one link?

With 10xvid, both come from the same plan. Paste your App Store link or your website into the chat; it reads your site and writes a blueprint of the ad. Motion V1 makes the films, and "The same blueprint makes still ads too, in the same three shapes."¹³

The still ads come from Image V1. It lays each image out as a page from your own pictures, colours and type. "It does not generate photos."¹⁴ Each image is judged at 8 of 10 and made again under it.¹⁴

Where 10xvid fits

10xvid, motion graphics ads for apps, makes the video and the image versions of one idea, in 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9. Image ads come with every paid plan; Solo includes about 30 videos and 40 images a month.¹⁵ The free first ad is a video, with no card: make your first ad.

For ten image ads taken apart, see static ads: ten image ad examples.

Questions about static ads vs video ads

Do static ads or video ads perform better?

Together, better than either. Meta, Google and TikTok each report more conversions from campaigns that mix both.¹²³

Are static ads cheaper to make?

Usually. TikTok says images "require less time and fewer resources to produce" than videos.³

Should I run static ads on LinkedIn?

You can, but LinkedIn's own data favours video: 3x the engagement of non-video formats.⁴

Can I test a static ad against a video ad?

Yes. Put each in its own ad and compare them, as Meta and Snap both advise.⁹¹⁰

1. Meta Business Help Center, "Creative Best Practices for Conversion Testing" (facebook.com/business/help/565573477186194), read on 23 October 2026. ↩
2. Google Ads Help, "Video Action Campaigns are being upgraded to Demand Gen" (support.google.com/google-ads/answer/15110871), read on 24 October 2026. ↩
3. TikTok for Business blog, image ads guide (ads.tiktok.com/business/en-US/blog/tiktok-image-ads-visual-marketing-guide), 13 September 2024, read on 24 October 2026. ↩
4. LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, video ads (business.linkedin.com/advertise/ads/sponsored-content/video-ads), read on 24 October 2026. ↩
5. Google Ads Help, "Creative Excellence Guide for Demand Gen Campaigns" (support.google.com/google-ads/answer/14733311), read on 24 October 2026. ↩
6. Google Ads Help, "About Demand Gen campaigns" (support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13695777), read on 24 October 2026. ↩
7. Snapchat Business Help Center, Single Image or Video ad specs (businesshelp.snapchat.com/s/article/top-snap-specs), read on 24 October 2026. ↩
8. LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, video ads best practices (business.linkedin.com/advertise/ads/sponsored-content/video-ads/best-practices), read on 24 October 2026. ↩
9. Meta Business Help Center, "Accelerate Your App's Growth With These Two Strategies" (facebook.com/business/help/1571320809813662), read on 23 October 2026. ↩
10. Snapchat Business Help Center, best practices for Single Image or Video ads (businesshelp.snapchat.com/s/article/snap-ads-practices), read on 24 October 2026. ↩
11. TikTok Ads Manager help, "About Carousel Ads" (ads.tiktok.com/help/article/carousel-ads), read on 24 October 2026. ↩
12. TikTok Ads Manager help, advertising on TikTok Ads Manager (ads.tiktok.com/help/article/advertising-on-tiktok-ads-manager), read on 24 October 2026. ↩
13. 10xvid.com/engine, read on 24 October 2026. ↩
14. 10xvid.com/docs/models, Image V1, read on 24 October 2026. ↩
15. 10xvid.com/pricing, read on 24 October 2026. ↩