Whether you're a marketer looking to maximize visibility, a content creator aiming for engagement, or a brand striving for consistency, knowing exactly what specifications your social media images and video should have will ensure your content stands out in the crowded digital space.
Getting right things like resolution, sizing, and more can have a remarkably big impact on your content’s reach. When you want it to stand out and optimize it for each social media platform, specifications are essential.
52% of respondents say that social media has become more important for their organization due to economic uncertainties (Source: Meltwater).
What makes the Ambassify guide stand out from the rest is that this is the most inclusive one you’ll find out there: all the need-to-know dimensions are here; we’re not going to overcomplicate things, but tell you concisely and directly what the main social media platforms are recommending.
Without further ado, let’s dive into it!
Instagram
- Profile photo
- Recommended 320 x 320 pixels (it will be cropped into a circle)
- Regular image post:
- Ratio between 1.91:1 (landscape) and 4:5 (portrait)
- Resolution between 320 and 1080 pixels (if resolution is higher, it will be sized down to 1080 pixels; if lower, it will be sized up to 320 pixels)
- Reel:
- 9:16 ratio
- Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels
- Instagram story
- 9:16 ratio
- Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels
- Feed Ads
- 1:1 ratio
- Resolution 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Story ads
- 9:16 ratio
- Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels
Instagram feed ads see CTRs between 0.22% and 0.88%, whereas Stories ads experience a narrower CTR range of 0.33% to 0.54% (Source: Brafton).
LinkedIn
- Profile photo
- Recommended resolution 400x400pixels
- Header
- Recommended resolution 1128x191 pixels
- Image post:
- 1.91:1 ratio
- Resolution 1200 x 627 pixels (must be more than 200 pixels wide)
- Life tab, main image
- Resolution 1128x376 pixels
- Life tab, custom modules
- Resolution 502x282 pixels
- Life tab, company photos
- Resolution 900x600 pixels
- Carousel ads:
- 1:1 ratio
- Resolution at least 1080x1080
- Video ads
- File: MP4
- Audio: AAC or MPEG4
- Custom thumb: 4:5 (vertical, 0.8)
- 9:16 ratio (portrait), 16:9 (landscape), 1:1 (square)
- Standard image ad:
- File size: 5 MB
- Ratios 1.91:1 (horizontal, desktop, and mobile), 1:1 (square, desktop, and mobile), 1:1.91 (vertical, mobile only)
Video is 5x more likely to spark a conversation than any other type of content shared on LinkedIn (Source: LinkedIn Ads Blog).
Facebook
- Profile photo
- Displays at 176x176 pixels (on computers) and 196x196 pixels (on smartphones)
- Cover photos:
- 16:9 ratio
- Resolution of at least 400x150 pixels
- Loads fastest as a JPG file that's 851x315 pixels and less than 100KB.
- Image
- Recommend resolution 1,080x1,350 pixels.
- Facebook feed ads:
- File type: JPG or PNG
- 1.91:1 to 1:1 ratio
- Resolution at least 1080x1080 pixels
- Facebook Stories ads:
- File Type: JPG or PNG
- 9:16 ratio
- Resolution at least 1080x1080 pixels
- Consider leaving roughly 14% (250 pixels) of the top and 20% (340 pixels) of the bottom of the image free from text, logos, or other creative elements to avoid covering these elements with UI elements.
Facebook photo posts have the highest engagement of all media formats at 0.12% (Source: Social Pilot).
X (formerly Twitter)
- Profile photo:
- Recommended resolution of 400x400 pixels
- File type: JPG, GIF, or PNG (X does not support animated GIFs for profile or header/banner images.)
- Header photo: recommended resolution 1500x500 pixels
- Image:
- File size: up to 5MB (animated GIFs can be up to 5MB on mobile and up to 15MB on web)
- File type: GIF, JPEG, and PNG files.
- Your photo will be automatically scaled for display in your expanded X and in your gallery.
- Standalone Image ads:
- File type: PNG and JPEG are recommended
- File size: up to 5MB
- Recommended resolution is 1200x1200 pixels for a 1:1 ratio; 1200x628 pixels is recommended for a 1.91:1 ratio.
- Standalone Video ads:
- Recommended resolution is 1200x1200 pixels for a 1:1 ratio. 1920x1080 pixels for a 16:9 ratio.
82% of B2B companies are using Twitter to share their latest content, promote offerings, and connect with their target audience (Source: Content Marketing Institute).
Pinterest
- Ads:
- 2:3 ratio (Pins with an aspect ratio greater than 2:3 might get cut off in people's feeds)
- Recommend resolution 1000 x 1500 pixels.
- Carousel ads:
- File type: PNG or JPEG
- Max file size: 20 MB
- Creative quantity: 2 to 5 images per carousel
- 1:1 or 2:3 ratio
- Video pins:
- 9:16 ratio or resolution 1080x1920 pixels (for full-bleed videos)
- Other options: 1:2, 2:3, 3:4, 4:5, or 1:1 ratios
- Image pin: put text and other elements within the dimensions below so users can easily see them on any device when viewing.
- Top: 270 px
- Left: 65 px
- Right: 195 px
- Bottom: 790 px
Running Pinterest Ads is More Cost-Effective Per Conversion: in fact, they are 2.3x cheaper per conversion (Source: The Social Shepard).
TikTok
- Profile pic: resolution at least 20x20 pixels.
- Video:
- Resolution 1080×1920 pixels
- 9:16 ratio
- Max file size: 72MB (Android users) and 278.6MB (iOS users)
- File type: MP4 or MOV
Consumer spending on TikTok crossed over $1 billion globally in 2023, and the average engagement rate on TikTok is 5.95% (Sources: Social Pilot and House of Marketers).