Hermoso Research publishes original data about advertising: what is actually running, for how long, and what that says about what works. Every study states how the data was collected and what it cannot tell you, and the data is free to download and cite.
Studies
| Study | Headline finding |
|---|---|
| Which ad formats run the longest on Meta? | Single images are 26% of ads live 180+ days, against 10% of new ads. |
| What the copy of long-running ads looks like | Long runners carry a median of 31 words of copy against 19 for new ads, in 10 of 10 categories. |
| How long should a video ad be? | The median live video ad is 46 seconds; long runners lean shorter (39 s). |
The dataset
All three studies use one sample: 2,073 active US ads from 1,179 advertisers in Meta’s public Ad Library, found through 80 keyword searches across ten categories on 2026-10-26. Download it as CSV. It contains no advertiser names and no ad copy. Please cite “Hermoso Research, October 26, 2026” with a link to the study you use.
Why we publish this
Hermoso is an AI marketing agent: it researches the ads already working in a market before it makes new ones. That research runs on the same public ad libraries anyone can read, and these studies are what we see when we step back and count. If you want the same view for your own competitors, Ad Spy and the free Meta Ad Library search sort any brand’s ads by how long they have run.
Related reading
Why run length is the signal · How to use the Meta Ad Library · How to clone a competitor’s ad · Glossary
Frequently asked questions
What is Hermoso Research?
Original studies from Hermoso on what advertisers actually run, counted from public ad libraries, with the method and the data published alongside.
Can I use the data?
Yes. The CSV is free to download and use with credit to Hermoso Research, 2026-10-26, and a link to the study.
How often is it updated?
Each study is dated. We will publish new pulls as separate, dated studies rather than quietly changing old numbers.
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