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YouTube Bumper vs Meta Stories — Six-Second Ad Math
Bumper ads run 6 seconds. Stories slots run 6 seconds typical. Both reward visual brevity. Comparison + 30-char rule of thumb.
YouTube Bumper and Meta Stories represent two different approaches to the 6-second ad slot. Bumper is non-skippable in-stream pre-roll on YouTube; Stories is in-line full-screen interruption on Instagram and Facebook. Both are 6 seconds typical. Both reward visual brevity. The text economics, however, are wildly different.
Bumper exposes a single headline (90 chars max, ~30 visible on the bottom-overlay strip). No description. No body. The 30-character window functions as a tagline.
Meta Stories exposes 90-char primary text (visible) + 30-char headline. That's effectively 4x the text budget of Bumper, plus a Stories-native sticker CTA. Stories rewards in-creative composed text overlays; Bumper rewards no-text-needed visuals.
Six seconds, 30 visible chars
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Side-by-side specs
| Field | Hard max | Visible before truncate | Warn at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headline | 90 | 30 | 25 |
Source: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6233188 · Last verified 2026-04-15.
| Field | Hard max | Visible before truncate | Warn at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary text | 125 | 90 | 80 |
| Headline | 40 | 40 | 30 |
Source: https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide/instagram-stories · Last verified 2026-04-15.
FAQ
- Which is better for brand recall?
- Both are recall-optimized formats. YouTube Bumper has higher per-impression frequency (Reach Planner shows ~3-5x daily frequency vs Stories' 1-2x).
- Can I run identical 6-second creative?
- Yes, but Meta Stories rewards composed-into-creative text where Bumper rewards no-text visuals. Plan separate text-overlay strategies.
- Are CPMs comparable?
- YouTube Bumper CPMs typically run $4-8. Meta Stories CPMs run $5-12. Bumper is usually cheaper per impression, Stories more efficient per click.