As of April, 2021 Facebook no longer offers cover videos, although some accounts will still have temporary access while the platform phases out the feature.
A Facebook cover video is a prime piece of real estate on your business page. You may have some great cover artwork with a Facebook cover photo at present, but nothing will attract your customers more than some beautiful moving images.
If you’ve been unable to tear yourself away from Facebook as of late, you’ll notice we recently updated our Biteable page image to a pretty snazzy Facebook cover video – check it out.
If you’d like to make one of your own, the quickest way is with a Biteable template.
But before you do, here’s everything you need to know about setting up your Facebook cover video, and getting those all-important technical details right.
Facebook cover video specs
The great thing about a Facebook cover is that it is public, so anyone on or off Facebook has the ability to view it. This means even those who aren’t fans of your page can see everything your business has to offer.
You would typically target people who are not fans of your page through an ads campaign where you could use your FB cover video as well.
The cover video is the first opportunity you get to impress your potential customers, so it pays to get all those teeny tiny details right.
You may already have a Facebook cover video, but be aware that some cover videos specs have changed between 2018 and 2019. Let’s quickly run through the latest specs to help you avoid headaches later on.
Size
The file size for your Facebook cover video isn’t specified, but overall across the site, videos must be less than 1.75GB. It’s best to choose a file size that isn’t too large so users with slower browsing speeds can view your video easily.
Dimensions
The requirements for the dimensions of your cover video are least 820 x 312 pixels. For optimal results, add a video that’s 820 x 462 pixels.
When you upload your cover, it’ll automatically resize to a 16:9 aspect ratio.
It’s important to note that on the Facebook mobile app, the sides of the cover are cut off, making it 640 pixels wide by 360 pixels tall. Therefore, to make sure it will look fab on smartphones, ensure any text is centered.
Format (file type)
Your cover video should have a maximum resolution of 1080p, and you can upload it in .mp4 or .mov. Other formats are possible, but those two are the ones Facebook recommends. You can always use a free online file converter if you have a different file type.
How long can a Facebook cover video be?
Ideally, your Facebook cover video length should be between 20-90 seconds. It’s like a mini-advert playing continually on a loop.
Crop
Keep size in mind. Since you’ll be dragging and cropping your video to the correct size, try to keep any images or text in the center of your banner so they don’t get cut off.
Setting up your Facebook cover video
Now all the boring tech details are out of the way, it’s time to upload! Haven’t got a video yet? Check out our video templates.
At present you can’t upload a cover video to your profile, this feature can only be used for your business page.
How to upload
In order to add a Facebook cover video, first make sure it’s the right size and conforms to Facebook’s specs, then open Facebook. Hover over and click the icon in the top left corner of your cover to select ‘Upload Photo/Video’. Facebook will automatically crop your uploaded video to the required specs. Repeat these steps if you want to change it.
Enable Facebook cover video
Woohoo! Now you’re all set and your video will be viewable. Make sure you test your shiny new cover online via both mobile and desktop browsers to see how it looks.
Examples and templates
If you’re a bit pressed for time or have no video making skills, Biteable has a range of Facebook cover templates you can use to make a cover video quickly and easily.
Our favorites
Here are our favorite cover video scenes combined into one template. All you have to do is pick and edit the scenes you like, then delete the rest.
Real estate Facebook cover
Do you have a real estate business? This montage of pictures on our Real Estate Video Template (yes, you can absolutely upload your own!) is a perfect choice for your Facebook cover video, with some great after effects thrown in.
Christmas Facebook cover
Want a temporary Facebook video cover to celebrate the festive season? Fear not, we have a Christmas cracker at your disposal. This Christmas video template is a winning seasonal option for your Facebook cover video and could also work well for a Facebook event.
Troubleshooting / Things to note
Here are the solutions to any pesky roadblocks you may encounter with your Facebook cover video.
Facebook cover video not playing on mobile
Check you’re using the latest operating system and have an up-to-date browser installed. If not, get the free download and try again to upload your cover video. Make sure the size of your video fits within the right dimensions to display correctly on mobile (820 x 462 pixels).
Video not uploading
If you can’t upload, check the file size and specs. That’s usually why you’ll have a problem. Next, check your browser speed. It could just be that it’s slow to upload. If you find it’s taking longer than normal to upload, contact Facebook to report a problem.
360-degree video
You can upload a 360° video to your Facebook page in the same way as you would a normal video, as long as the video was recorded with a 360° or spherical camera system that adds 360° metadata to the video. This funky new feature will set you apart from the crowd, so we recommend it if it’s possible. Facebook has details on how to change it in its editor if it’s not automatically encoded into the file.
Audio
Remember that sound on Facebook videos is muted by default so you can include it on your cover video, but don’t make it critical to your message. 85% of all videos watched online are viewed without sound.
3 tips for a great cover video
Here are the solutions to any pesky roadblocks you may encounter with your Facebook cover video.
Keep it unique but professional. It’s OK to have fun with your video on social media, but don’t go too crazy or off-brand.
Make sure your video starts and ends with a natural loop. It’s set to autoplay so everyone will see it.
- Keep size in mind. Since you’ll be dragging and cropping your video to the correct size, try to reposition any images or text in the center so they don’t get cut off.
While Facebook supports a number of video file formats, .mp4 or .mov format is recommended. We’ve got you covered because Biteable exports .mp4 format videos.
Ready to get cracking and create your own Facebook cover video? Get started by browsing our range of templates now.