Visual content is becoming increasingly important in social media. Images and videos are easy to consume, and the brain processes them better than text. Posts with visual content stay with users longer and are easier to understand. This leads to higher engagement and conversion rates, which will positively impact the performance of your social media account.
To deliver good visual content, it is essential to adhere to the image dimensions specified by each social media platform. Cropped, pixelated, or distorted images do not necessarily invite the viewer to spend more time with the idea and quickly look unprofessional.
We took a closer look at the image sizes of the most popular social networks: Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google, and WhatsApp. Which are of particular interest to you?
Using different formats on different social media platforms can be challenging, as each network has its requirements and size differences for images and videos. Here are some of the issues that can arise when adapting to different formats:
If you rely heavily on short-form video formats on social media, you can check out our infographic, which shows a beneficial overview.
Facebook is the largest social network in the world, with approximately 2 billion daily users. Around 4.75 billion pieces of content are shared every day. In addition to the Facebook image sizes mentioned above, images must be uploaded in PNG format to avoid unreadable font shrinkage in JPEG format. Maintaining the image-to-text ratio is essential so that Facebook displays the image correctly. Facebook provides a versatile platform for sharing posts, from text to images, videos, and links. Choosing the correct post type and presenting the content can increase user visibility and engagement. Here's an overview of the different image sizes on Facebook.
Instagram supports various formats that allow users to share diverse and creative content. The platform offers options for square and vertical images and videos for feeds, stories, and reels. This variety of formats allows users to customize their content to suit their specific needs and audience best and shape the visual presentation of their profile on Instagram. Choosing the proper Instagram format is critical to capturing users' attention and encouraging interaction. Here is an overview of the most essential Instagram format specifications:
Fast content, hashtags, and short messages characterize the micro-blogging platform Twitter. Pictures, videos, and GIFs are popular on Twitter, but you should pay attention to the 280-character messages that draw attention to your account daily with short tweets. Here is an overview of Twitter's image formats:
TikTok is a popular platform for sharing short videos and requires specific image sizes to ensure your content is displayed optimally.
The online pinboard Pinterest is mainly used to find inspiration for future purchases, craft instructions, new products, and recipes. The focus is on content, with images and videos playing a vital role. A unique feature of Pinterest is the longevity of pins. The half-life of a pin is about 3.5 months, while the half-life of an Instagram post is only 1 hour.
The video platform YouTube has become the largest search engine after Google. Videos are becoming increasingly popular as social media content because they are easy to consume and do not require full attention. Content that serves as entertainment or provides help on a specific topic is especially in demand.
LinkedIn is primarily a platform for networking with colleagues and business contacts. However, it is also possible to share posts with videos, images, and links, recommend them to your network, create events, and recruit participants inside for them.
XING is a professional social network recommending specific image sizes for various platform elements. Here are the recommended image sizes for XING:
WhatsApp for Business allows businesses to communicate directly with their customers, and the correct image sizes play an essential role in creating an engaging and effective business presence on the platform.
Google Business profile image sizes play a crucial role in making a solid first impression on potential customers.
Want to become a master of Stories? We have the perfect guide for you: In our Social Media Story and Vertical Video Guide, you'll find even more tips for story success, as well as insights into the latest numbers, data, and new features of Social Media Stories.