Video ad glossary

Ad frequency is the average number of times each person saw your ad. Formula, how frequency connects to creative fatigue, and how to manage it.

Ad variations are different versions of one ad built to test or to fight fatigue. Which elements to vary, how to name them, and how many you actually need.

An AI avatar is a generated presenter who delivers a script on camera. What they are good for, where they fall short, and the disclosure rules to respect.

Aspect ratio is a frame's width compared with its height. What 9:16, 4:5, 1:1 and 16:9 mean, which placements use each, and how to convert between them.

An attribution window is how long after a click or view a conversion is credited to an ad. How windows work, and why changing them changes your CPA and ROAS.

B-roll is supporting footage cut over the main shot: product close-ups, hands, settings. How b-roll is used in UGC and demo ads and how much an ad needs.

Burned-in captions are subtitles rendered into the video picture. Why they matter for muted feeds, how to place them inside safe zones, and accessibility.

A call to action tells the viewer what to do next. How CTAs work in video ads, the button versus the spoken CTA, and why specificity beats urgency.

Click-through rate is clicks divided by impressions. How to calculate CTR, link CTR versus all CTR, and why a high CTR can still mean a bad ad.

Conversion rate is conversions divided by clicks or visits. How to calculate it, where ad creative affects it, and why it belongs next to CTR.

CPA is ad spend divided by conversions. How to calculate it, how to set a target CPA from your margins, and how it differs from CAC.

CPC is spend divided by clicks. The formula, how CPC connects to CPM and CTR, and why the cheapest click is not always the best one.

Cost per view is ad spend divided by counted video views. How CPV is calculated, how platforms define a view, and when CPV is the right metric.

CPM is cost per thousand impressions. How to calculate it, what pushes CPM up or down on social platforms, and why creative affects what you pay.

A creative brief is the document that tells whoever makes an ad what it must achieve. The fields a video ad brief needs, with an example for a short-form ad.

Creative fatigue is when an ad's results decline because the audience has seen it too often. How to spot it in your metrics and how to plan a refresh cadence.

Creative testing means comparing ad variations to learn which concepts, hooks and formats work, and why. A plain definition, what to test first, and when a result is real.

Whitelisting is when a brand runs ads through a creator's account with permission. How it works, what platforms call it, and what to agree in the contract.

Dynamic creative lets an ad platform mix supplied headlines, videos and text into combinations and deliver the best performers. When it helps and what it hides.

Hold rate measures how many viewers who got past the hook keep watching a video ad. Common formulas, a worked example, and how to read it with hook rate.

Hook rate is the share of impressions that watch the first few seconds of a video ad. The usual formula, a worked example, and what actually moves it.

Incrementality is the share of conversions that happened because of an ad. How holdout and lift tests measure it, and why it matters for retargeting.

A lookalike audience is a targeting group a platform builds to resemble a source audience, such as customers. How to choose a good source and where creative fits.

Primary text is the main body copy above a Meta ad. Meta's recommended lengths by placement, how truncation works, and how to write it for video ads.

Retargeting shows ads to people who already visited your site or engaged with your content. How it works, what creative to use, and how to judge results.

ROAS is revenue from ads divided by ad spend. How to calculate it, how to find your break-even ROAS from margin, and why ROAS is not profit.

A safe zone is the part of a video ad frame not covered by app buttons and captions. Meta's published margins for Reels and Stories, and how to design for them.

Spark Ads are TikTok ads that promote an existing organic post, keeping its account, caption and engagement. How they work and when to use them.

A storyboard maps a video ad shot by shot before production. A simple table format for short-form ads, with timing, visuals, audio and on-screen text.

A talking head video shows a person speaking directly to camera. Why the format performs in social ads, how to frame it, and how to keep it moving.

Thumb-stop ratio is the share of feed impressions where someone stops scrolling to watch a video ad. How it is calculated and how it relates to hook rate.

A UGC ad is made in the style of user-generated content: a person talking to camera about a product. Why the format works and what must be disclosed.

View-through rate is the share of video ad impressions that are watched to a defined point, often completion. Formula, examples, and how platforms define a view.

A voiceover is narration recorded separately from the picture. When voiceover beats on-camera talent, how to write for it, and AI voice disclosure.