Video Views Campaigns: Complete Facebook Ads Guide 2026

Quick Answer

Video Views campaigns optimise for the cheapest possible video plays, either 2-second continuous views or ThruPlays (a view of the full video up to 15 seconds). They are the most efficient way to build a warm video-engaged audience on Meta and feed retargeting campaigns further down the funnel.

What it is

A Video Views campaign sits under the Engagement objective with Video Views as the optimisation event. You choose between ThruPlay (completed views) and 2-second continuous views. Meta bids toward users most likely to take that action at the lowest cost. Typical cost per ThruPlay ranges from 0.01 to 0.05 USD depending on audience and creative.

The resulting video-viewed audiences (People Who Watched 25 per cent, 50 per cent, 75 per cent, 95 per cent of a video) become powerful custom audiences for retargeting.

When to use it

Video Views campaigns work as a top-of-funnel warm-up before a conversion campaign. Use them for new brand introductions, product demos, explainer videos, testimonials, brand stories and case studies. They are especially powerful for services with longer consideration cycles (finance, insurance, SaaS, education, healthcare) where one ad is not enough.

Avoid Video Views if you have no retargeting plan, if your video is under 10 seconds and ThruPlay becomes meaningless, or if your campaign is direct-response only and you need conversions now.

Step-by-step setup

1. Open Ads Manager and create a campaign with the Engagement objective.
2. Choose Video Views as the performance goal.
3. Select 2-second view or ThruPlay as the optimisation event (ThruPlay for most use cases).
4. Set audience: broad interests or lookalikes work well.
5. Set budget and placements.
6. At the ad level, upload your video (15 seconds to 60 seconds for ThruPlay works best).
7. Add captions; 85 per cent of Facebook video is watched with sound off.
8. Front-load the hook in the first 2 seconds.
9. Set primary text, headline and CTA.
10. Publish.
11. After 7 days, build custom audiences from 50 per cent and 75 per cent viewers.
12. Feed those audiences into a Conversions or Sales retargeting campaign.

5 FAQs

1. What counts as a ThruPlay? A full video play up to 15 seconds. Videos under 15 seconds must be watched 100 per cent.

2. Are 2-second views worth paying for? They are cheap but low-signal. ThruPlay is generally better quality.

3. Do Video Views lead to sales? Not directly, but they build warm retargeting pools that convert at far higher rates.

4. Should I use Reels or Feed for Video Views? Both. Reels has lower CPMs; Feed delivers higher quality views.

5. Can I run Video Views on Stories? Yes, 9:16 is supported.

Common mistakes

• Running Video Views with no follow-up retargeting plan.
• Using videos that are 30 seconds long with no hook in the first 2 seconds.
• Optimising for 2-second views when ThruPlay would give better signal.
• Forgetting captions, destroying completion rates in sound-off environments.
• Running Video Views on audiences already deep in the funnel, where conversions make more sense.

Video Views vs alternatives

Versus Reach, Video Views filters for people who actually engage. Versus Brand Awareness, Video Views is more measurable per view. Versus Engagement Post campaigns, Video Views specifically rewards watching rather than liking or commenting.

How Pix-Vu helps

Video Views campaigns demand videos that stop the scroll. Pix-Vu helps you build the hero frames and thumbnails that pull viewers into a watch, so your ThruPlay rate stays above 15 per cent and your retargeting pool grows fast.