# Getting Started with Catalog Ads on Facebook Over 6,000 users. November 16, 2022 Written by [Dan Pantelo](/content/authors/dan-pantelo/index.html) average reading time: 5 minutes ## How can catalogs help you to bring in more customers? Here go through everything you need to know to get started with catalog ads on Facebook. .jpeg) If you’ve never used a catalog ad to promote your business on social media, you’re probably wondering where to begin. This blog post will walk you through the essentials of catalog ads, from setup to optimization. Plus, we’ll share a secret method for creating effective **catalog ads** that will help your products stand out in the feed and grab customer attention. ## What are catalog ads? _Examples of Facebook catalog ads in different formats_ Catalog ads are shoppable ad formats designed to showcase the products, services, or experiences you sell online. You’ve definitely seen them before—those clean, scroll-stopping product images in your Facebook feed, often against a plain white background. And they’re not just on Facebook. Catalog ads are used across multiple platforms, including [Instagram](/content/blog/optimize-your-instagram-product-ads-with-marpipe/index.html), [Snapchat](/content/blog/mastering-snapchat-product-feeds-tips-tools-and-best-practices-for-success/index.html), [Pinterest](/content/blog/get-more-eyes-on-your-products-with-pinterest-product-ads/index.html), and [TikTok](/content/blog/what-are-tiktok-catalog-ads/index.html). ### Why are catalog ads effective? As any online advertiser knows, there are countless ads and product recommendations vying for your customers' attention. So what makes an online catalog ad so effective? - **Dynamic Retargeting:** Catalog ads automatically show products that users have previously viewed, increasing the likelihood of conversion. - **Personalized Shopping Experiences:** AI-powered ad delivery ensures the right products reach the right audience. - **Efficient Scaling:** Instead of creating individual ads for every product, catalog ads dynamically generate content based on your inventory. - **Creative Enhancements with Third-Party Tools:** Platforms like Marpipe help marketers create [enriched catalog ads](/content/enriched-catalogs-library/index.html) that go beyond basic product images—adding overlays, reviews, pricing badges, and more. ## Which Platforms Use Catalog Ads? Catalog ads are used by many online social media platforms, most notably, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Pinterest. For all of these platforms, you will have the option to upload your product feed via CSV, XML, or have it directly imported from the product feed from your e-commerce website (think Shopify, WooCommerce, or similar e-commerce sites). However, each social media platform varies slightly on how to import this data, so be sure to take a look at the requirements for each, or you risk having your items and product data formatted incorrectly, which will cause issues when it comes time to create your ads. Additionally, each of these platforms have slightly different formats of catalog ads, so let's take a look at some of the differences between each one. ### Meta Ad Formats (Facebook and Instagram) When you use the Meta Ads Manager for managing your catalog ads, you have a couple of different options of ad formats to choose from, including carousels, collections, collaborative ads, and finally there are Meta Advantage+ catalog ads (which you may know as dynamic ads). If you haven’t used any of these before, here's a quick breakdown of each type: - **Meta Advantage+ Catalog Ads:** [Advantage+ catalog ads](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/397103717129942) automatically deliver the most relevant products to each shopper based on interests, intent, and actions. These require a Facebook Pixel or Conversions API to track user behavior. - **Collection Ads:** [Collection](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1128914607238107) is a hero image or video with four product tiles below, allowing users to browse similar items. - **Carousel Ads:** A [carousel](http://carousel/) is a swipeable ad format featuring multiple products, each with its own link. - **Collaborative Ads**: If your brand sells items through a participating merchant, [collaborative ads](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/330750424503545) allow you to run direct sales campaigns. Your merchant partner shares a segment of their catalog with your business, which you can use to run Advantage+ catalog ads. Note that some of these formats are only available for mobile, such as collection ads. It’s also worth mentioning that in order to manage your Instagram catalog ads with the Meta Ads Manager, you will need to have a professional Instagram account that is also linked to your Facebook Business Manager and Meta Ads Manager accounts. 💡 Pro Tip: You don’t need a separate website to create catalog ads in Meta’s ecosystem—you can create, advertise, and sell directly within Facebook and Instagram. ### Snapchat Catalog Ad Formats Snapchat’s catalog ads offer a highly visual, interactive shopping experience tailored to a younger, mobile-first audience. With a variety of formats, brands can capture user attention and drive direct product engagement. _An overview of Snapchat’s catalog ad formats_ - **Single Image/Video Ads** – Feature a single product with a direct call to action. - **Collection Ads** – Show a main image with smaller, tappable product tiles underneath. - **Story Ads** – Appear in the Discover section, allowing users to swipe through multiple products. - **Dynamic Product Ads** – Uses Snapchat Pixel or Snap App ID to retarget users with personalized product recommendations. ### Pinterest Catalog Ad Formats On Pinterest, businesses can promote their catalog products using two primary ad formats: Shopping Ads and Personalized Collection Ads. - **Shopping Ads** showcase a single product image, making them ideal for direct promotion. - **Personalized Collection Ads** feature a hero image followed by a curated selection of products tailored to the user’s interests, creating a more immersive shopping experience. Pinterest also offers dynamic retargeting, allowing advertisers to reconnect with users who have previously visited their website or left items in their shopping cart. Before uploading a catalog, businesses must first claim their website on Pinterest. This involves verifying ownership by adding a DNS TXT record or uploading an HTML file to the site. While this process may sound technical, Pinterest provides clear, step-by-step instructions to guide users through it—making it accessible even for beginners. ### TikTok Catalog Ad Formats TikTok’s Shopping Ads make it easy for brands to integrate their product catalogs into engaging, short-form video content. With TikTok’s unique blend of discovery-driven commerce and viral trends, catalog ads help brands connect with consumers in a more organic and engaging way. - **Video Shopping Ads** – Auto-generate video ads featuring products from your catalog, optimized for TikTok’s For You Page. - **Catalog Listing Ads** – Promote products directly in TikTok’s Shopping Tab, even without video content. - **Live Shopping Ads** – Drive traffic to TikTok Live sessions where products from the catalog are featured in real-time. - **Dynamic Product Ads** – Automatically serve personalized product recommendations to users based on their browsing behavior. - **TikTok Pixel Required** – To enable retargeting and dynamic ads, businesses must install the TikTok Pixel on their website. ## What You Need to Get Started with Catalog Ads _Ensure your product feed is complete with details for each variant._ ### A Product Database or Feed This serves as the foundation of your ad catalog. Most businesses pull this data directly from their website, but a well-structured spreadsheet can also work. Be sure to include all product variants—if a shirt comes in three colors and three sizes, each variation should be listed separately. ### High-Quality Product Images Clear, visually appealing images are essential. Ideally, you should have multiple images per product, with a recommended size of at least 500x500 pixels for best display. _Examples of clear, sharp and high-quality product images_ ### Product Details & Attributes Your catalog should include pricing, SKUs, inventory levels, and any other relevant product information to ensure accuracy across platforms. ### Budget, Audience, & Goals Define your budget, target audience, and key performance metrics before launching your campaign. Are you focusing on sales, engagement, or retargeting? Identifying success indicators early on will help optimize your strategy. ### Seamless Integration & Data Accuracy Consider how your catalog will integrate with your existing tech stack. Ensuring real-time updates and consistent product data across platforms is crucial to avoid discrepancies that could impact your ad performance. By taking the time to answer these questions, you will set yourself up for success when it comes time to start setting up your catalog ads. ## How to Set up Catalogs As mentioned above, the ways of setting up and adding items to your catalog vary between each platform (because of course, that would be too easy if they were all the same). Luckily we’ve gone ahead and looked into all the deets for each and saved you the hassle. So here’s what you need to know, broken down by platform: ### Facebook & Instagram - [**Manual Upload**](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1670875312991238) **:** Add products individually via Commerce Manager. - [**Data Feed Upload**](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/125074381480892?id=725943027795860) **:** Use CSV, XML, or Google Sheets to bulk upload product listings. - [**Meta Pixel Sync**](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/887775018036966?id=725943027795860) **:** Automate product updates directly from your website. **File Limits:** - Max file size: **100MB (manual upload) or 8GB (scheduled feeds)** - Max items per feed: **1 million recommended** Other requirements for using data feeds: - Must be one of these formats: CSV, TSV, Google Sheets, XML (RSS/ATOM). - File size limit: 100 MB for a one-time file upload or 8 GB for a scheduled feed. We also support compressed ZIP and GZIP files up to 30 GB. Files over 4 GB may take several hours to upload, so you may want to split it into multiple feeds and upload them separately. - Item limit: One million items per data feed recommended. If your data feed contains more items, split it into multiple feeds and upload them separately. You can upload as many data feeds as you want, but they must all contain different items. - Line length limit: 5 MB (5,242,880 characters) for each line or row of your data feed. ### Snapchat - Using a CSV file, up to 500mb - Supports **CSV, TSV, TXT, XML** file formats - Allows uploads via **HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, or SFTP** ### Pinterest Methods for adding items to your catalog: - Tab separated (TSV) ( [Download TSV example](https://help.pinterest.com/sub/helpcenter/assets/pinterest_product_sample_tsv_feed.tsv)) - Comma separated (CSV) ( [Download CSV example](https://help.pinterest.com/sub/helpcenter/assets/pinterest_product_sample_csv_feed.csv)) - XML (RSS 2.0, ATOM 1.0) ( [Download XML example](https://help.pinterest.com/sub/helpcenter/assets/pinterest_product_sample_xml_feed.xml.zip)) - Self-hosted on an FTP/SFTP server, or set up an HTTP/HTTPS direct download link. They also accept compressed files (.zip, .giz, .gz, .bz2 and others) but do not support encrypted, password-protected compressed files. Google Drive and Dropbox feeds are also not supported.