Social media has made it easier for businesses to connect with their audience. It provides a place where they can interact with existing customers, attract new consumers, and share engaging content regarding their brands. With over 3 billion active users, it’s crucial to build a strong social media presence in 2021.
Whether it’s a product or service promotion, news update, behind-the-scenes glimpse, or video, visual content rules the social media world. Over the years, it has become important to present your brand on social media through images and videos. Of course, the content you post on the internet needs to be engaging and relevant to users. This kind of content can increase your follower base and set you apart from your competition.
What we can see is that brands have realized that social media platforms are the backbone of marketing. In fact, the latest research shows that 92% of U.S. marketers are expected to use social media for marketing purposes in 2021. But to be as effective as possible on these networks, you need to know social media image sizes.
As an expert, you probably know that social media platforms are constantly changing image sizes and formats. So you always need to be on the lookout! That’s why we’ve decided to create this guide to social media image sizes that will be useful and handy!
Let’s go over every major network!
Facebook Image Sizes
It’s safe to say that Facebook is the world’s largest social network. Indeed, there are over 2.7 billion users who visit the platform to post or engage with different content. That’s why Facebook is important for social media marketers looking to gain traction and introduce new customers to their brands. One eye-catching image could help them engage with this huge user base. On the other hand, one bad image choice could ensure they’re completely ignored by these customers.
So, don’t just post anything on Facebook — develop your content with care. While you’re going over your ideas about the next post, it’s important to remember that there’s a difference between how content displays on your timeline and in a user’s newsfeed. That’s why you need the below social media image sizes for Facebook.
We’ll go over the formats for profile photo, cover image, and more!
Profile Picture Size: 170 x 170 px
Facebook profile picture is the most viewed visual on this network. It serves as an avatar for users. Whenever you post, comment, or like something, the image will appear alongside your name.
Business Profile Picture Size: 170 x 170 px
As you probably know, your image appears at the center of your profile. However, this is different for company pages. Namely, the profile image for Business Pages is located on the left side of the screen. With this revamped look, Business Pages stand out and differ from personal accounts. Nevertheless, the dimensions remain the same.
Cover Photo Size: 820 x 312 px
Both personal profiles and Business Pages can add cover photos on Facebook. This image is bigger than the profile picture for which users are thankful. They can be a lot more creative when it comes to their Facebook cover photo. Use this to your advantage as well! Don’t only post a brand logo — go with something that shows your brand in a specific (fun) light.
Post and Timeline Photo Size: 1200 x 630 px
While we’re discussing social media image sizes, we should also mention posts and timeline photos. Your brand is probably already sharing content on its profile, which then ends up on users’ feeds. The more customers engage with your post, the more likely it is that other users will see the activity and come across your brand.
Let’s now move to Instagram in our guide to social media image sizes!
Instagram Image Sizes
Over the years, Instagram has become one of the most popular photo- and video-sharing social platforms. It now has one billion users and over 500 million of them access the app every day. With this in mind, you should maintain an active presence on Instagram if you want to showcase the creative side of your business.
As the app is based on visuals, you shouldn’t post images without knowing which dimensions are the best for Instagram. That’s why we’ve compiled the sizes for you below!
Profile Picture Size: 110 x 110 px
Don’t forget to add a profile picture to your Instagram Business account to be as recognizable as possible for your customers! This could be a logo of the brand or some other visual that consumers can easily connect with your company.
Photo Thumbnail Size: 161 x 161 px
It’s important to also mention the dimension for photo thumbnails in this article on the perfect image size for social media. Thumbnails are important for Instagram as they’re the first thing customers see when they visit your profile. Every visual you post on the app will be arranged in rows of thumbnails. Once followers click on them, your images or videos will expand, revealing the content in full size.
Photo Size: 1080 x 1080 px
As we previously said, Instagram is the top app for publishing images and videos. Aside from your profile, this visual content also appears in your followers’ feed. It goes without saying that you should develop engaging content that will make customers stop scrolling down their feeds. Of course, the more likes, shares, and comments your content gets, the higher its reach will be.
Before we move onto other platforms and social media image sizes, take a look at the dimensions for the content you’ll post on one of the most popular Instagram features!
Instagram Stories Size: 1080 x 1920 px
According to Oberlo, 500 million accounts use Instagram Stories every day! Also, 1/3 of the most viewed IG Stories are from businesses. This just goes to show that ephemeral content has taken the internet by storm. Although you should focus on increasing the number of posts on your Instagram profile, you shouldn’t neglect Stories — especially as they’re so popular!
But our guide doesn’t end here! It’s time to check out more social media image sizes!
Twitter Image Sizes
Twitter is a social media network and microblogging service which is perfect for all brands that want to interact with their audience. More than 300 million users visit the app every month, making Twitter one of the leading platforms around the world. Although written content is mostly popular on Twitter, you can still post engaging visuals to spark conversations between your brand and customers.
Just remember to follow these guidelines for social media image sizes!
Profile Photo Size: 400 x 400 px
Like on other social media platforms, your Twitter profile photo is the main image that makes it easier for customers to find your brand on the app. This visual is going to be seen by a large number of users, so you should ensure it’s of the highest quality. No one wants to see a low resolution image!
Header Photo Size: 1500 x 500 px
Your Twitter header image is just like your cover photo on Facebook. Compared to the profile photo, it’s quite larger and you need to ensure that it’s of the highest resolution possible. You have more room to be creative with this image, so post something captivating!
Image Size: 1024 x 512 px
Twitter allows you to attach photos to your tweets which can boost engagement and get more people to see your content. Of course, if you want to maximize results, you should attach the right dimensions which you can find in our social media image size guide. This is especially true for Twitter because the platform is known for cropping and resizing photos based on the size you post. If you want your image to look great in the stream, 1024 x 512 px is the minimum size.
If you’re active on more networks, here are additional social media image sizes!
LinkedIn Image Sizes
LinkedIn describes itself as “the world’s largest professional network.” And it got that part right! According to LinkedIn, the platform has almost 740 million members in more than 200 countries. They all share their professional experiences and expertise with each other, and give comments regarding a specific topic. Given the network’s more formal vibe, your LinkedIn content marketing strategy should differ from that of other social media platforms.
If you plan to post visuals on the network, here are the dimensions to keep in mind!
Personal Profile Image Size: 400 x 400 px
Naturally, your personal account should feature your photo. It’s what people see in search results or when you post something on LinkedIn. So, if you want to stand out, make sure to include it on your profile!
Personal Background Image Size: 1584 x 396 px
Another thing you can include is a background image, which is a newer feature on the platform for personal profiles. Admittedly, it’s a bit tricker to find a photo that would go well on your LinkedIn profile. But what we’ve seen is that users usually post the logo of the company they’re working for.
Company Logo Image Size: 300 x 300 px
Most brands decide to keep an active presence on LinkedIn. This isn’t surprising at all given that we’re talking about a professional network. You can use this platform to showcase your company value, post behind-the-scenes content, and share compelling stories.
To make your company profile stand out, add an image to the profile. We suggest that you post your brand’s logo — one that people connect with your company.
Company Background Image Size: 1128 x 191 px
The company background image appears much larger than the personal one. This means you have more space to post something creative that aligns with your brand.
Shared Image or Link Size: 1200 x 627 px
You can also attach a photo to your LinkedIn posts to make them as engaging as possible. The above size also works with links with a photo (e.g. from a blog post or article).
Pinterest Image Sizes
Another social media image sizes you should know are those for Pinterest. This app is a hugely visual platform and, in that sense, it is similar to Instagram. Due to its helpful content that teaches people about beauty, cooking, and other things, it’s quite popular on the internet. In fact, Pinterest has over 400 million monthly active users!
Given that this is a visual platform, it’s crucial that you get the images right! And you can do that by knowing the social media image sizes.
Profile Picture Size: 165 x 165 px
Your Pinterest profile picture doesn’t take up too much space, but it’s better to add one so that your boards are more recognizable to people. Like other social media profile images, this one should be closely tied to your brand as well.
Cover Image Size: 800 x 450 px (at least)
Spice things up by adding a cover image to your Pinterest account! Again, this should be something eye-catching to ensure people remember your profile and boards after leaving Pinterest!
Pin Size: 1000 x 1500 px
Pins are an integral part of Pinterest. They are all that content you see people submit on the platform. You should endeavor to post pins of higher resolution if you want to encourage followers to save your pins or share them with their friends and family.
Now, we’re approaching the end of our guide to the best size for social media images. Let’s check out our last platform on the list!
YouTube Image Sizes
YouTube needs no introduction. This video-sharing platform has over 2 billion users who either post their own content or watch someone else’s. YouTube has made it easier for publishers and content creators to reach their audience and share their videos with the world. While videos take first place here, it’s also important to post photos with the right dimensions.
Channel Profile Image Size: 800 x 800 px
Compared to other platforms, it’s safe to say that the profile picture on YouTube isn’t as prominent, but it’s still paramount to post one. Which one you’ll publish depends on you. If you run a YouTube account of your business, then it would be best to use the main company logo.
Channel Banner Image Size: 2048 x 1152 px
Give some upgrade to your YouTube channel by adding a banner. Your banner image shows as a background at the top of your official page. Go with something appealing because this might entice viewers to stay on your page a bit longer.
