AppLovin Creative Best Practices: Ad Specs, End Cards and What Converts

AppLovin creative best practices come down to building for a full-screen, vertical environment: a 9:16 video of up to 60 seconds (unskippable for 5 seconds in interstitials and up to 60 in rewarded placements), followed by an Interactive Page that closes the sale. Treat the closing seconds and the end card as the conversion step, give the engine a steady supply of varied Creative Sets, and don’t upload a resized Meta ad and expect Meta results.

The rest of this page is the working detail: the exact specs, how to structure the video, what goes on the end card, how much creative to produce, and a brief template you can hand to your team.

The short version

Question	Answer
What does a Creative Set need?	At least one 9:16 video and one Interactive Page (WKND’s setup requirement, matching AppLovin’s web setup docs)
Video specs	9:16, MP4/MOV/M4V, max 1 GB, min 270×480, max 60 s
Interactive Page specs	Portrait image (GIF/JPEG/PNG, max 10 MB, GIF ≤60 s, min 270×480) or HTML built in AppLovin’s Creative Studio
How long should videos be?	Test a range. AppLovin encourages a good selection of videos of 30 seconds or more
What fails most often?	Meta ads uploaded as-is. The hook, pacing and end card usually need rebuilding
What should you check first?	The end card: the last seconds of the video and the Interactive Page after it
How much creative?	More variety than you think. AppLovin says variety helps the engine learn and recommends adding new creative weekly

AppLovin ad specs for web campaigns

These are the specs on AppLovin’s Ad specs and requirements page for advertisers promoting a website, as read on September 27, 2026. Specs change, so recheck the page before a production run.

Video

Spec	Requirement
Orientation	Full-screen vertical, 9:16
File types	MP4, MOV or M4V
Max file size	1 GB
Min resolution	270×480
Max length	60 s
Playback	Unskippable for 5 s in interstitial placements and up to 60 s in rewarded placements (AppLovin)
Length mix	A range of lengths, “ideally with a good selection of longer videos (30 seconds or more)”
Style	Diversify styles. AppLovin notes UGC often performs
Sound	Include captions so the ad works with sound off

One detail to know before you plan edits. The web specs page says “unskippable for up to 60 seconds”, but that is the rewarded maximum. AppLovin’s ad experience page says interstitial viewers must watch at least 5 seconds before they can skip, while rewarded video plays through its duration, up to 60 seconds. So the practical rule holds: the opening has to earn attention quickly, and the ending has to be built for someone who stayed.

AppLovin Interactive Page (AIP)

The Interactive Page is the interactive screen that appears after the video. You can build it two ways:

• From a portrait image: GIF, JPEG or PNG, max 10 MB, GIF up to 60 s, min 270×480.
• From an HTML file built in AppLovin’s Creative Studio (click Create in the HTMLs tab of the Media library). The specs page publishes no HTML size limit; portrait images must be GIF, JPEG or PNG, up to 10 MB, at least 270×480.

Previewing

AppLovin’s Preview app (iOS only, per the specs page) shows your creative on a real device. Use it. A caption that reads fine on a laptop can sit under a UI element on a phone. To preview, select your campaign and Creative Set, then Play Ad.

AppLovin ad formats: the three-part experience

A web ad on AppLovin is a sequence, not a single asset:

1. Portrait video. Full screen, 9:16.
2. Interactive Page. A mini landing experience inside the ad: product, benefit, offer, proof, CTA.
3. Dynamic Catalog. Where applicable, products pulled from your catalog, personalized to the user.

Then the click goes to your site.

Which placements carry that sequence (interstitial versus rewarded, which games, who is watching) is covered in Where Do AppLovin Ads Appear?. This page is about producing the assets.

AppLovin’s consumer-brands page also says you can upload videos, statics and playables. So the practical format list for a web advertiser is:

Asset	Role in the sequence	Production note
9:16 video	The main attention window	Build a length range, captions on
Interactive Page (image)	The end card / closing screen	Fastest to iterate; one clear CTA
Interactive Page (HTML)	A richer end card	Built in Creative Studio
Dynamic Catalog	Product selection after the AIP	Only as good as your feed
Statics	Image creative	On web, a static is the portrait image behind an Interactive Page (uploaded in the Images tab)
Playables	Interactive mini-experience	See the playables section

A note on words. “End card” is the older mobile-ad term for the closing screen. On AppLovin web campaigns, that job is split between the last seconds of your video and the Interactive Page. When we say end card in this article, we mean both.

Why Meta creative underperforms on AppLovin

Most brands arrive with a library of Meta winners and upload them. That is a sensible first test. It is rarely the end state.

Our view, as published on the services page: “Axon creative optimization is a format problem before it is a messaging problem.” The message that wins on Meta may be right. The container is wrong.

What changes:

• The hook. A feed ad has to stop a thumb. An AppLovin ad has already taken the screen. The first seconds still matter, but their job is orientation (what is this, why should I keep watching), not interruption.
• The pacing. Feed edits are cut for people who may leave at any moment. In a full-screen video that can run to 60 seconds, a frantic edit wastes the attention you have. AppLovin reports a 35-second median engagement on its consumer-brands page (AppLovin-reported).
• The end card. A Meta ad ends and the feed moves on. An AppLovin ad ends on an Interactive Page that is designed to be tapped. If your video ends on a logo flash, you have skipped the step that converts.

That is why, when Meta creative underperforms on Axon, the hook, pacing and end card get rebuilt, and why we check the end card first. It is also the part of creative built for app placements that most teams underinvest in.

For the budget side of the same comparison, see AppLovin vs Meta Ads.

AppLovin creative best practices for a full-screen, vertical video

A structure that uses the attention the placement gives you:

Segment	Job	What to put there
Opening seconds	Orient	Product in hand, the problem it solves, a caption stating the benefit. No slow logo build
Middle	Demonstrate	The product working, the before and after, a UGC testimonial, the objection answered
Proof beat	Reassure	Reviews, press, guarantee, the number of customers (only if true)
Closing seconds	Set up the tap	Restate the offer and the one action. Show the product the viewer will see next on the Interactive Page
Interactive Page	Convert	Same product, same offer, same words, one CTA

Two third-party views are worth knowing. Sweatpants’ agency page (sweatpantsagency.com/applovin-advertising-agency) describes the environment as captive and argues that the last three seconds carry outsized weight, with the feed, video and end card working as layers. The Social Savannah has a long AppLovin creative session on YouTube, “AppLovin Ad Creative Secrets from The Top eCommerce Advertisers”. These are their views, not AppLovin rules. They match what we see: the closing seconds are where a watched ad becomes a click.

On length, AppLovin encourages a good selection of videos of 30 seconds or more, and its optimization guidance says the top 5% of ads on the platform average 37 seconds (Optimizing your campaign, AppLovin-reported). That is a platform observation, not a target. Test short and long versions of the same concept rather than guessing.

Checks that catch most problems before upload:

• Captions are burned in and readable on a phone.
• The product appears early and more than once.
• The offer in the video matches the offer on the Interactive Page and on the landing page.
• The last frame hands off to the Interactive Page instead of ending the story.
• Nothing important sits where on-screen controls may cover it (check in the Preview app).

The AppLovin end card: what goes on the Interactive Page

The Interactive Page is not decoration. AppLovin describes every ad as a full-screen video followed by an interactive page and a dynamic catalog (The AppLovin ad experience), and its specs call the Interactive Page the screen that “drives action with clear calls to action, product showcases, or branded visuals”. Treat it as its own asset, not an afterthought.

An end card checklist:

1. One product or one offer. The one the video just sold.
2. One CTA. Shop now, get the offer, take the quiz. Pick one.
3. Continuity. Same colors, same product shot, same claim as the closing seconds.
4. Proof. A star rating, a short review or a guarantee, if you have it.
5. Legible at a glance. Large type, high contrast, no paragraph copy.
6. A variant plan. Build at least two versions of the end card for the same video, so you can learn whether the video or the close is the constraint.

That last point is where the quickest wins usually hide. A new end card is cheaper to make than a new video, and it sits right at the moment of the tap. One client, Jenny Trinh of Daniel Patrick, put it this way: “Those new end cards are sick!! CTR literally doubled.” That is one client’s reported result on one account. It is a reason to test your end card, not a promise of the same lift.

AppLovin playable ads: when they’re worth building

AppLovin’s consumer-brands page lists playables alongside videos and statics as creative you can upload. A playable is a small interactive experience: tap to try, swipe to choose, a mini-game built around the product.

What we don’t have from AppLovin’s web documentation in this review: the file format, size limits, technical standard and upload location for web-advertiser playables. Google’s results for applovin ad specs do show an AppLovin Playable Preview page and third-party playable builders, so the tooling exists. Confirm the web requirements before you commission one.

When a playable is worth the cost:

• The product benefits from being tried: a configurator, a shade picker, a before-and-after slider.
• You already have video and Interactive Page variety, and the Creative Set still fatigues.
• You have a developer or vendor who can build to AppLovin’s spec and iterate.

When it isn’t: you still have one video and one end card. Fix volume first.

AppLovin Axon creative optimization: volume and testing cadence

Axon is the AI recommendation system behind AppLovin Ads (AppLovin renamed the platform itself from Axon to AppLovin Ads on June 22, 2026, per its announcement). Axon creative optimization means the engine shifting delivery toward the creative combinations that contribute to conversions. Your job is to give it enough to choose from.

What AppLovin says, per its creative volume and diversity and optimization guidance, as cited in our existing articles:

• Start with what you have and add new creative weekly.
• More creative variety gives the model more opportunities to match messages to people.
• Don’t pause assets too quickly. A median converting user sees multiple distinct ads before purchasing, so one creative may open the journey and another may close it.
• Revenue, ROAS and CPP are reported at the Creative Set level. Asset-level metrics in the Media Library cover impressions, clicks, CTR and spend (Analyzing campaign performance).

That last point shapes how you test. You can’t read a clean ROAS for each video, so structure Creative Sets so that each one answers a question.

A suggested starting cadence (our recommendation, not an AppLovin rule):

When	What to add	What you learn
Launch	Your best existing videos, re-edited to 9:16 with captions, in a short and a longer cut, each with an Interactive Page	Whether the concepts transfer at all
Each week	New hooks and new end cards on the concepts that are getting spend	Whether the open or the close is the constraint
Each week	At least one new concept (new angle, new creator, new format)	Whether you have a second winner
Before a budget step-up	Fresh variants of the winners	Headroom for the higher frequency that more spend brings

When a concept works, build from it: new hooks, different opening sequences, adjusted pacing, added proof, new Interactive Pages, new catalog or offer variations.

Where Creative Sets live in the interface is covered in our AppLovin Ads Manager walkthrough. If spend has already stalled and you suspect fatigue, start with AppLovin ads not scaling. Fatigued creative is one of the three usual causes, next to the goal and the feed.

AppLovin’s launch guide also mentions an AI creative generation tool (launch guide). AppLovin doesn’t name it on that page. It can help with volume. It doesn’t replace a concept that gives the viewer a reason to tap.

Is there an AppLovin ad library?

It depends on what you mean.

• AppLovin’s own libraries. Google’s results for applovin ad library on September 27, 2026 showed AppLovin support pages for an Interactive pages library and a Top creative library (the latter labeled for apps). Both live in AppLovin’s Support Center, not in Ads Manager. The Interactive pages library sits under website advertising and is organized by category (fashion and beauty, home and living, food and more). The Top creative library sits under app advertising and is organized by game genre, so it’s app ads, not web.
• Your own Media Library. Inside Ads Manager, the Media Library holds your uploaded assets and their asset-level metrics.
• Third-party “spy” tools. Sites such as sprites.ai and admapix appeared in the same results, offering libraries of AppLovin ads. We haven’t evaluated them. Treat anything they show as examples of what ran, not proof of what worked: you can’t see the advertiser’s spend, margin or incrementality.

There isn’t a public, Meta-style ad library for AppLovin in the evidence we reviewed. The better reference is your own account data, read at the Creative Set level.

AppLovin creative brief template

Copy this for each new concept. It keeps video, end card and landing page on the same promise.

“` CONCEPT NAME: PRODUCT / OFFER (one only): AUDIENCE ASSUMPTION (who is watching, in a game break): SINGLE PROMISE (one sentence):

VIDEO (9:16, MP4/MOV/M4V, captions on) Cut lengths to deliver: short ___ s / long ___ s (max 60 s) Opening seconds: what the viewer sees and reads Demonstration: how the product proves the promise Proof beat: review, rating, guarantee (only if true) Closing seconds: offer restated + the one action + hand-off to the end card Style: UGC / studio / animation / mixed

INTERACTIVE PAGE (end card) Type: image (GIF/JPEG/PNG, max 10 MB) or HTML (Creative Studio) Headline (same words as the closing seconds): Product shot: Proof element: CTA (one): Variant B (what changes):

CATALOG / LANDING Catalog products this should surface: Landing page URL: Does the landing page repeat the same offer and product? Y / N

TEST QUESTION What this Creative Set is meant to answer: Which existing set it is compared against:

PRE-UPLOAD CHECKS [ ] 9:16, within size and length limits [ ] Captions legible on a phone [ ] Previewed on device (Preview app) [ ] Offer matches across video, end card and landing page [ ] Claims in the ad are true and approved “`

How WKND handles this

Creative for app inventory is one of the services WKND lists for AppLovin Axon ads management. What that looks like in practice:

• We check the end card first. When a brand tells us Meta creative is underperforming on Axon, we treat it as a format problem before a messaging problem. The hook, pacing and end card get rebuilt, starting with the close.
• Complete Creative Sets. Each Creative Set needs at least one 9:16 video and one Interactive Page. Both halves get built for the placement.
• Volume is part of the plan. WKND has deployed 5,000+ Creative Sets, and has managed $5M+ in Axon ad spend across 50+ Axon accounts.
• Creative is read against the business, not just the dashboard. Platform ROAS is AppLovin’s number. We compare it to blended MER and, where the spend supports it, an incrementality read. Platform attribution can differ from blended or incrementality measurement, and results vary by account.

The client voice on this is the Daniel Patrick quote above: “Those new end cards are sick!! CTR literally doubled.” — Jenny Trinh, Daniel Patrick.

A note on fit: WKND is built for ecommerce brands prepared to invest at least $500 per day. That figure is WKND’s qualification threshold, not an AppLovin platform minimum or a performance guarantee. AppLovin itself allows advertisers to start with as little as $10 per day.

For creative sets built and tested for you, see our AppLovin creative agency for ecommerce brands.

FAQ

What are AppLovin creative best practices?

Build for a full-screen, vertical environment: a 9:16 video with captions, a range of lengths including videos of 30 seconds or more, and an Interactive Page that repeats the video’s offer with one CTA. Add new creative regularly, don’t pause assets too early, and judge results at the Creative Set level.

What are the AppLovin ad specs?

For web campaigns, AppLovin’s support page lists video at 9:16, MP4/MOV/M4V, max 1 GB, min 270×480 and max 60 s. The Interactive Page uses a portrait image (GIF/JPEG/PNG, max 10 MB, GIF up to 60 s, min 270×480) or an HTML file built in Creative Studio.

What ad formats are allowed on AppLovin?

For web advertisers, the experience runs from a portrait video to an Interactive Page to, where applicable, a Dynamic Catalog. AppLovin’s consumer-brands page also says you can upload statics and playables. Check current requirements in AppLovin support before producing a new format.

What is an AppLovin end card?

It is the closing screen of the ad. On AppLovin web campaigns, that role is played by the last seconds of the video and the Interactive Page that follows it. It is the step where a watched ad becomes a tap, so it deserves as much testing as the hook.

What is the AppLovin Interactive Page?

The Interactive Page (AIP) is the interactive screen shown after the video. You build it from a portrait image or an HTML file made in AppLovin’s Creative Studio. Every Creative Set needs one alongside at least one 9:16 video.

What are the requirements for AppLovin playable ads?

AppLovin’s consumer-brands page confirms playables can be uploaded, but the web-advertiser technical requirements weren’t in the documentation we reviewed. Check AppLovin support or your Ads Manager account for the current format, size and upload rules before commissioning a playable.

Can I reuse my Meta ads on AppLovin?

Yes, as a starting test. Expect to rebuild them. The hook needs to orient rather than interrupt, the pacing can slow down to use the longer window, and the ending needs to hand off to the Interactive Page.

Does AppLovin have an ad library?

AppLovin support has an Interactive pages library and a Top creative library (labeled for apps), and your Ads Manager has a Media Library for your own assets. Third-party tools also collect AppLovin ads. None of them show another advertiser’s economics, so use them for ideas, not proof.

Get your creative reviewed

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