4 ad formats dominating performance right now in paid social

If you’ve worked in paid social long enough, you begin to stop immediately obsessing over targeting and start obsessing over creative – because right now, format is performance.

Across Meta, TikTok and even LinkedIn, there are clear patterns emerging.

Here are the ad formats and creative styles dominating performance right now.

1. UGC-style video

If I personally had to name one format consistently outperforming polished brand creative, it would be a UGC-style video. It’s not glossy, not overproduced and not agency-polished. Just someone talking to the camera.

Across Meta placements, especially Reels and Stories, UGC-style ads continue to:

• Drive stronger hook rates
• Improve thumb-stopping performance
• Increase engagement & saves
• Often lower CPAs compared to traditional studio ads

Why? Because they feel like you’re consuming content, not advertising.

Consumers are increasingly sceptical (me being one of them) and a scripted brand film does not carry the same weight as someone saying “I’ve been using this product for two weeks and here’s what I think.” It feels like real-time validation.

But here’s the interesting twist…UGC is performing so well that we’re now seeing a surge in AI-generated UGC ads.

Brands (often newer or lower-budget) are creating ads that look like authentic creator content but the “person” isn’t real. And I’ll be completely honest, even I have to double check sometimes.

There are tell-tale signs that give it away, such as:

• Slightly unnatural facial movements
• Audio that feels just a bit too clean
• Micro-expressions that don’t quite match the tone

The fact that AI UGC exists at scale is proof of one thing: This format converts! Authenticity is currently winning, even when it’s synthetic.

2. Short-form vertical video (under 20 seconds)

Video length is rapidly shrinking. The highest-performing video creative I’m seeing right now tends to sit between 8-20 seconds.

The structure that works:

1. Strong hook in first 2 seconds

2. Immediate problem statement or a bold claim

3. Fast demonstration or proof

4. Clear CTA

Especially on Meta, vertical 9:16 is no longer optional – it’s a default expectation. Even if someone sees your ad in-feed, the behaviour patterns trained by Reels and Stories (and most definitely TikTok) carry over. Attention spans are being conditioned by short-form.

You know when you’re doomscrolling TikTok or IG Reels and if something doesn’t grab you in the first two seconds, you’re gone? Ads are no different.

On LinkedIn, whilst user behaviour is slightly varied, short native-feeling video is also outperforming longer, corporate-style edits.

3. Lo-Fi founder or expert-led content

On LinkedIn in particular, overly polished creative can actually reduce performance.

Founder-led content filmed on an iPhone often:

• Feels more trustworthy
• Reduces resistance
• Increases watch time

For B2B brands especially, audiences want credibility over cinematic quality.

A simple “Here’s what most companies get wrong about X…”, outperforms “Introducing our innovative solution…”

The tone shift matters more than the production value.

4. Shoppable carousels & collection ads (Ecommerce)

For ecommerce brands, carousel is still a high-performing format but the structure matters.

The strongest-performing ecommerce carousels I’m seeing right now across clients follow a simple formula:

• Card 1: Strong lifestyle image or video – not a flat product cut-out, not a white background. Instead, a visually engaging image or UGC-style video that shows the product in use and draws the viewer in.

This first card does the heavy lifting. It earns the swipe.

• Cards 2 & onwards: Product-focused cards. Think clear product imagery, short benefit-led copy, pricing or offer callouts where relevant. It essentially allows the user to “shop” within the ad unit before ever clicking through.

When structured well, carousels:

• Increase time spent with the brand
• Pre-qualify interest
• Improve click intent
• Often drive stronger conversion rates compared to single static ads

On Meta, Collection ads can also outperform in certain scenarios.

They work particularly well when:

• You have a strong product catalogue
• You are retargeting engaged audiences
• You want to create a mini storefront experience

The combination of a hero image or video at the top with shoppable product tiles underneath can reduce friction significantly, especially for mobile users.

So, what is actually dominating?

Yes, placements like Reels are dominating delivery. But more importantly, creative format is what’s driving performance.

The common thread across all high-performing ads right now this…

• Native over polished
• Human over corporate
• Fast over cinematic
• Conversational and authentic over scripted

And the rise of AI-generated UGC only reinforces how powerful that shift is. Because when brands are trying to artificially recreate authenticity, you know authenticity is converting.

If you’re navigating paid social in 2026 and feeling like performance is unpredictable, chances are it’s not your targeting – it’s your creative.

The brands scaling right now are not necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets. They’re the ones adapting to how people actually consume content. The brands willing to test, adapt and lean into native formats are the ones seeing the strongest results.

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