a woman holds a phone looking at social media

What you need to know about Social Media Image Sizes

ByLindsay deLaneuville
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
0 Shares

Visual content reigns supreme in 2021. Social media images are an integral part of your content marketing strategy today. The images you share tell your company’s story and allow your audience insight into who you are as a business. Knowing the right sizes of each platform on social media is important.

With the quick-scroll standard of today, your images need to stand out to be remembered. With that comes the responsibility of making sure that your pictures are impressive, appealing, and, most of all, noteworthy. While posting a photo or setting up a cover image may seem like an easy task, professionally, there’s more to it than that. 

Social media image sizes are specific for every social media platform.  Getting it right means preventing the mishaps that make your marketing appear unprofessional. Sizing matters, and at Content Journey, we can help you elevate your social media game. 

Pixelation and other Disasters

We have all seen it. The picture should have been great. Instead, it was pixelated, choppy, and the worst offense of all stretched. Knowing the correct social media image size can eliminate disaster and ensure attractive visuals for engagement. 

The face of your Visual Brand

Today, social media dictates your branding in more ways than one. It’s the face of your brand, and most often, the first interaction your clients will encounter. It gives your potential clients their first impression of your brand. With that, you want to make sure that your images are not only beautiful but also precise. 

Image Optimization

We know that social media has grown to become a leading PR machine for businesses. But to achieve top-tier social media status, your images have to be strategic. This is where image optimization comes into play. Image size requirements are crucial to the look and feel of what you are selling. If an image is too small, it will appear pixelated, stretched, and unprofessional. Too large, and sections of the image will be cut off. Every platform has its requirements, and they are forever changing, so staying on top of the social media image size is key to imagery success. 

It’s no secret that your audience will spend more time on images that are high quality than those that aren’t. Telling your company’s story through high-quality pictures is the best PR that you can ask for. 

Future-Proofing 

Social media platforms like to shake things up frequently, and their image dimension requirements almost always get tweaked. While we cannot see into the future, we can stay on top of the latest image requirements for every platform. Sites such as Canva let you create beautiful social media images at the size required for each platform. It’s fast, simple, and includes templates that anyone can use. Technical knowledge is not required. 

Getting Acquainted with Social Media Image Sizes

Ok, so we now know that image sizing matters. For every social media platform comes the imagery differentiation. For example, almost every platform has multiple image sections. Facebook has a cover that sits right behind the profile picture. The dimensions are different for both. Let’s take a look at the most used social media platforms of 2021. 

Get the bonus content: Social Media Sizes Cheatsheet
Download Now

Facebook Sizing Requirements

  • Profile: 170 x 170
  • Landscape: 1200 x 630
  • Portrait: 630 x 1200
  • Square: 1200 x 1200
  • Stories: 1080 x 1920
  • Cover Photo: 851 x 351

Instagram Sizes Requirements

  • Profile: 320 x 320
  • Landscape: 1080 x 566
  • Portrait: 1080 x 1350
  • Square: 1080 x 1080
  • Stories: 1080 x 1920

Twitter Sizing Requirements

  • Profile: 400 x 400
  • Landscape: 1024 x 512
  • Fleets: 1080 x 1920
  • Cover Photo: 1500 x 1500

Linkedin Sizing Requirements

  • Profile: 400 x 400
  • Landscape: 1200 x 627
  • Portrait: 627 x 1200
  • Stories: 1080 x 1920
  • Cover Photo: 1128 x 191
looking at analytics of a marketing plan

Solid Imagery Magic

Now that we have a better understanding of social media image sizes, you can now focus on the messaging. Here are a few tips on how you can elevate your social media presence. 

  • Your images tell the story. Make sure that they are relevant and that it reinforces your brand. Always choose imagery that represents your business.
  • Embrace social media: Don’t shy away from the best PR of today. It’s how most consumers will discover your business. 
  • Use the best imagery you got. With an understanding of dimensions, you can produce high-quality pictures that provide that “Wow” Factor that quick-scrollers can’t help but stop and take notice of.
  • Leave ambiguity at the wayside. Share pictures that make sense. If your company is a pizza shop, share a gorgeous photo of a slice of pizza. Make them hungry! 
  • Post everywhere! Use your high-quality images on every platform. This will increase your shares and increase traffic. 

At Content Journey, we can help you up your social media game. We provide a  plan for consistent and strategic content.  We put hours into researching your business and learning your voice. Contact us today to learn more about what we can do for you.

Similar Posts