Guide

Ad Creative Requirements: What to Request From Advertisers

Do not ask an advertiser only to send the creative. The request should say what the booked placement actually needs, before anyone makes or sends the file.

A useful request can name the asset, the dimensions or aspect ratio, the accepted formats, the maximum file size, whether a landing URL is required, how many files to send, any placement-specific instructions, and a deadline. Exact advertising requirements vary by publisher, platform, placement, campaign, and creative type.

What are ad creative requirements?

Ad creative requirements are the instructions an advertiser needs in order to submit campaign material that matches a booked placement. They are the contents of the request: what to send, for which placement, and by when.

Creative specifications are the technical constraints behind that request, such as pixel size, proportion, format, and file weight. Ad creative specifications explains those constraints. This guide is about what to ask for.

What to request from an advertiser

Include only the items this placement needs. A newsletter asset and a homepage banner will not always need the same list.

1. The asset or placement

Say which file you want and where it will run. Examples include a homepage banner, a newsletter placement, a display placement, or a sponsored campaign asset. Those are examples, not a required set of categories. If the advertiser cannot tell one placement from another, they may send the wrong version.

2. Dimensions or aspect ratio

State the exact pixel size or the proportion the placement will accept. Without that, the advertiser has to guess, and a file that looks right can still be the wrong size. Banner ad sizes lists common display dimensions as reference points. Ad creative specifications explains how exact dimensions differ from an aspect ratio. Use the size this placement books, not a generic list.

3. Accepted file formats

Name the formats this asset will accept. JPG, PNG, and WebP are common examples for still images. They are not a universal set. One placement may accept PNG and reject PDF. Another may need a document rather than a banner. If the request does not say, the advertiser may send a file you cannot use.

4. Maximum file size

When the placement has a weight limit, write it in KB or MB. Pixel dimensions are not the same thing: a 300 × 250 banner can still be too heavy for the page or the newsletter. There is no single maximum that fits every publisher. If you have a limit, put that limit in the request.

5. Landing URL

If the placement is meant to be clicked, ask for the destination URL with the matching creative. A file without its click destination is not ready to traffic. Collecting the landing URL in the same request keeps it attached to the right asset.

6. Number of files required

Say whether you expect one file or several. A campaign can need one banner, or a banner plus a logo, or a separate file for each placement. If the number is missing, an advertiser may send one image for a campaign that needed three.

7. Placement-specific instructions

Some placements add rules that are not a size or a format. Examples include animation rules, a backup image, HTML5 instructions, click-tag requirements, a file naming convention, or another publisher-specific note. These are examples. They are not required for every placement, and they are not things every intake tool checks automatically. If they matter for this booking, write them in the request so the advertiser can see them.

8. Submission deadline

A deadline is operational, not a property of the file. You still need it. The team has to receive the asset in time to review it, ask for a correction, and traffic it before launch. State the date this campaign needs. Do not assume a standard number of days.

Ad creative requirements checklist

Before sending the request, confirm:

• What asset is required?
• Which placement is it for?
• What dimensions or aspect ratio are accepted?
• Which file formats are accepted?
• What is the maximum file size?
• Is a landing URL required?
• How many files are expected?
• Are there placement-specific instructions?
• When does the advertiser need to submit?

Example ad creative request

This is an illustrative example, not an industry standard. The file-size line and the deadline are placeholders on purpose.

Placement

Homepage rectangle

Creative

Display banner

Dimensions

300 × 250 px

Format

JPG or PNG

Maximum file size

Publisher-defined limit

Landing URL

Required

Files required

1

Deadline

Campaign-specific date

Additional instructions

Placement-specific instructions, if any

A real request should use the requirements for the actual publisher and the booked placement.

Why generic "send us the creative" requests cause problems

A vague ask leaves the advertiser to choose a version. The dimensions may be wrong. The file may be heavier than the placement allows. The destination URL may be missing. Several placements may be mixed into one email. The publisher then has to follow up, and trafficking waits while the missing details are corrected.

One campaign can have multiple creative requirements

One campaign can include a homepage banner, a newsletter creative, and a mobile placement. Each can need its own dimensions, formats, or other requirements. Sending one vague specification for all of them hides those differences.

Ask for each distinct asset on its own. The advertiser should be able to see which file belongs to which placement. The ad creative submission workflow is the order of work after that request exists: receive the files, check them, and hand them to trafficking.

Creative requirements vs creative specifications

Creative requirements are what the advertiser needs to provide for the placement. Creative specifications are the technical constraints that define whether the submitted asset fits. The two overlap. Teams across the industry do not always use the words the same way, so this is a working distinction for the request, not a formal definition.

If you need the technical side of size, ratio, format, and file weight, use ad creative specifications. This page stays with the request itself.

How DropAsset structures advertiser requirements

The publisher creates a request and adds an asset slot for each file the campaign needs. Each slot can carry its own requirements: exact dimensions, an aspect ratio, or no pixel size, plus accepted formats, a maximum file size, and instructions the advertiser can read. A slot can also require a landing URL. The publisher shares one link. The advertiser uploads without an account and can replace or remove a file on that request.

Once the requirements are defined, you can collect campaign materials from advertisers through one shared upload link.

DropAsset checks the submission against the supported file requirements on the slot and shows whether the asset is Ready or Needs attention. It does not check a deadline, an HTML5 click tag, or animation behavior. When a supported still image can be downscaled, compressed, or converted without cropping, stretching, or upscaling, Safe AutoFix can prepare that file. The original stays, and a Ready-to-Use file is added only when that preparation applies. Originals and Ready-to-Use files stay separate.

Publishers and ad operations teams can put the placement requirements on the request before the file arrives. Media sales teams and regional media teams can do the same when they collect campaign files from advertisers.

Questions about ad creative requirements