Instagram and Meta ads glossary for online stores

Instagram posts

Carousel

A single post with several photos or videos that people swipe through. Instagram allows up to 20 slides. Carousels suit lists, guides, product ranges and stories told in steps. See the carousel size guide.

Slide

One photo or video inside a carousel. The first slide is the cover: most people decide on it whether to swipe.

Aspect ratio

The shape of an image, written as width to height. 4:5 is a portrait, 1:1 a square, 9:16 a tall story.

4:5 portrait

1080 by 1350 pixels: the tallest shape the feed shows without cropping, and the best size for carousels.

Profile grid

The grid of posts on your profile. It shows each post as a 3:4 preview, so the sides of a 4:5 post are trimmed there.

Safe zone

The part of a slide that is never cropped or covered. Keep words and faces inside it: about 60 pixels in from each edge, and inside the middle 1080 by 1610 pixels of a story. Check yours with the size checker.

Story

A full-screen 9:16 post that disappears after 24 hours unless saved as a highlight.

Reel

A short vertical video, 1080 by 1920 pixels, shown in the Reels tab and the feed.

Motion carousel

A carousel where every slide is a short looping video instead of a still image.

Caption

The text under a post. It carries the message for people who do not swipe, and the hashtags.

Meta ads

Meta Ads Manager

Meta’s tool for creating and running ads on Facebook and Instagram.

Carousel ad

An ad with 2 to 10 cards that people swipe, each with its own image or video, headline and link. All cards use the same shape.

Primary text

The words above an ad’s image or carousel. About 125 characters show on Instagram before "more", about 80 on Facebook. Try the ad copy checker.

Headline

The bold line under an ad’s image or each carousel card. About 40 characters show before it is cut.

Description

A short line under the headline, shown on some Facebook placements only, about 18 characters.

Placement

Where an ad appears: the Instagram feed, stories, reels, the Facebook feed and more.

Advantage+

Meta’s automated options, which let Meta choose the audience, placements or creative changes to improve results.

Pixel

A small piece of Meta code on your website that tells Meta which visits from an ad led to a purchase or a sign-up.

CTR (click-through rate)

The share of people who saw an ad and clicked it.

CPA (cost per acquisition)

What an ad costs for each purchase or sign-up it brings.

ROAS (return on ad spend)

Sales from an ad divided by what the ad cost. A ROAS of 3 means three in sales for every one spent.

Figcel words

Pack

What Figcel makes from one store link: one or two carousels or ads, with their copy, in every size.

Look

A design system for slides: the layout, type and rhythm a carousel is built in. Figcel has looks for launches, guides, festivals and more.

House style

A brand’s own look, made from its website: its colours, fonts, photos and voice, kept the same in every carousel.

Brand kit

The logo, colours and fonts Figcel reads from a store’s website.

Festival pack

A pack made for a festival or a sale day, such as Diwali, Black Friday or Christmas. See the festival and sale calendar.