Marketing

Facebook Cover Videos: Everything You Need To Know

Koushik Marka
August 7, 2019
Contents

Facebook is also the most popular channel for businesses to share video content. With 81% percent of businesses sharing their content as Facebook videos, it has beaten even YouTube by a whopping 19%, for video content sharing!

Being a very popular base, it’s important for your business to stand out and do something different. Facebook offers a variety of options to help you with this and cover videos are one such way. 

In this guide, we’ll take you through everything you need to know and do regarding Facebook cover videos.

What is a Facebook cover video?

A cover video of a business’s Facebook page gives the user a sneak peek of what your business is about. It creates a first impression of the brand, product or service. It’s an opportunity to grab the viewer’s attention and convey your message quickly and effectively.

Like Facebook cover images, cover videos are used to entice the audience to know more about your business. 

As of now, Facebook only allows cover videos for a business page. 

This being said, there are certain tips that will prove useful in making a great cover video.

Tips for a great cover video

These best practices will prove useful in making your cover video as engaging as possible. 

1. Keep it unique, but professional

It’s good to have fun with the video to make it interesting and catchy, but make sure you don’t lose track of your main purpose. Stick to the point of showcasing your business.

2. Keep ‘loop’ in mind

Facebook cover videos automatically play in a loop. 

A looped video is more pleasing and interesting aesthetically when done right. It should work with the purpose of the video and should have a seamless flow that makes sense when it starts over. 

3. Don’t rely on audio

According to Facebook, as much as 85% of video content is viewed without sound!

Videos that go on autoplay do so without audio. Normally, you’ll have to manually enable audio to hear it.

With this in mind, it’s vital not to rely on sound. With more users viewing video content on-the-go, they tend not to use audio. 

When making your cover video, try to optimize it to look as interesting and engaging without having to listen to it. 

One way to do this is to add text to give the video context without audio. 

4. Keep it updated

It’s best to keep updating your cover video ever so often with new and relevant content. This way, you prevent important events from getting buried in your page where users can’t find it. 

Unlike other elements of Facebook, like a cover photo or a profile photo, a cover video requires very strict specifications which have to be taken into account in order for you to upload it. 

So, without further ado, let’s look at the specifications of a Facebook cover video.

Facebook cover video specs

If your cover video doesn’t meet Facebook’s specs, it’ll automatically resize it to meet their specs. 

Ensure that your video meets their requirements.

The recommended size for your cover video is 820 x 462 pixels. It’s best to keep all the important text centralized so they won’t get cut. The video automatically resizes to a 16:9 aspect ratio once uploaded.

The cover video should ideally be between 20-90 seconds. If less or more than said range, Facebook will again crop it for you, and not in a way you’ll like. 

It’s best to create the video in such a way that it starts and ends with a natural loop to have that seamless flow.

As for the format (file type), while Facebook supports a number of formats, the recommended format is .mp4 and .mov. It should have a maximum resolution of 1080p.

With these criteria in mind, let’s find out how to upload a cover video on Facebook.

How to upload a Facebook cover video

Before you upload the video, remember to make sure the video meets the required specs. Currently, you cannot upload a cover video on a mobile, so make sure to use a computer for this. 

  • Log onto Facebook and open your home page. You’ll find the ‘Change cover’ option on the cover area. Click that and select ‘Upload Photo/Video’. 
Change cover
  • A window will open where you can select the video you want to upload. Simply, drag and drop the video into the cover area. Once it has been uploaded, you can choose to reposition the video to your liking before it gets published. 
facebook cover video reposition
  • Upon repositioning, Facebook gives you 10 thumbnail options to choose from the video. To entice your viewers, be sure to make a good impression with the video thumbnail. 
Thumbnails for video
  • Once you’re happy with it, click ‘Publish’ and your cover video is set.

Be sure to test your cover video on both the desktop and the mobile app to see how it looks. 

Now, in case you’re wondering how to make a Facebook cover video, don’t worry. There are some really useful cover video makers that you could use. 

Facebook cover video makers

Given below are few reliable and convenient tools to help you create facebook cover videos. 

Sure, making a Facebook cover video may seem daunting, but it’s really worth it. Check out these examples to see what I mean.

5 effective Facebook cover video examples

These cover videos are a beautiful blend of elements that make it powerful. Take a look at these for some inspiration. 

1. One&Only Resorts

There’s nothing more beautiful than letting your surroundings do the talking. This is exactly what One&Only Resorts makes use of in their page’s cover video.

2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Playing on people’s curiosity can be very helpful. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) does a great job at giving sneak peeks of what they offer to their viewers.

3. National Geographic

The National Geographic page greets you with a vibrant display of wildlife. It’s exactly what they are about, and their cover video is a great glimpse of their work.

4. Australia.com

There’s something elegant about drone photography. Australia.com makes the best use of it to showcase the best of Australia. The cover video is a stunning portrayal of a portion of the country.

5. Easil 

Easil is an easy-to-use tool for creative visuals. Their cover video shows how to use their tool, and when you take a look, you notice how simple yet beautiful it is. They have let their product do the talking, and it works!

There you go. That’s everything you need to know about Facebook cover videos.

Now step out there, make your own cover video and get your business into the world!

As always, if you have any doubts, feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Koushik Marka

Founder @ Studiotale. He is passionate about helping brands grow with video and has expertise in video marketing & 2D animation. When he is not working, he loves playing video games and traveling.

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