Visual content is the ultimate engagement driver on social media. Facebook posts that include images receive 2.3 times more engagement than posts without them; and images lead to 150 percent more retweets on Twitter, according to HubSpot.
Photos are important parts of your social media presence, so make sure that the ones you feature look great. Every platform has different size specifications for photos. To help you meet those specifications, this article provides a primer on the latest best practices for social media image sizes.
It’s important to note that all of these sizes are recommended. You could go bigger or smaller, as long as you keep the same ratio intact. All image sizes are given in pixels, a measurement that designates a unit of color on a computer display.
Use .png files for the best image quality on Facebook, especially when those images include text. The following are the best photo dimensions to use on Facebook:
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Cover photo: 820 pixels wide x 312 pixels tall.
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Profile photo: No less than 180 x 180 pixels.
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Business profile photo: No less than 180 x 180 pixels (While the recommended size is the same as a personal profile picture, it will display more prominently on a business page).
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Shared photo: 1,200 x 900 pixels (If you plan to promote an image, it must be less than 20 percent text).
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Shared link preview photo: 1,200 x 628 pixels.
Creating the perfect profile photo is important on Twitter, as this image is visible on your Twitter page, within your followers’ Twitter feeds, and in the “Who to follow” box. Twitter supports .jpg, .gif, and .png file formats.
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Header photo: 1,500 x 500 pixels.
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Profile photo: 400 x 400 pixels.
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Timeline photo preview: Previews in a user’s feed are 506 x 253 pixels, but you can use any image between 440 x 220 pixels and 1,024 x 512 pixels within a Twitter post. The aspect ratio of the preview is 2:1, so aim for that ratio if you want the entire image to be visible in the preview post.
- Animated .gifs: 3 MB max for a promoted post, 5 MB max on mobile, and 15 MB max for the web.
Instagram is designed to show off beautiful images. If posts on your company’s Instagram page aren’t formatted properly, you’ll be defeating the point of having an Instagram account at all. Here are the best image sizes to use for Instagram posts:
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Profile photo: 110 x 110 pixels, with a 1:1 aspect ratio.
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Shared photos: 1,080 x 1,080 pixels, if square. Vertical images (portrait) should be 1,080 by 1,350 pixels, while horizontal images (landscape) should be 1,080 by 566 pixels, according to Buffer.
- Thumbnails: 161 x 161 pixels, with a 1:1 aspect ratio (These are automatically resized, but you should check that your images look good at this ratio).
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Instagram stories: 1,080 by 1,920 pixels.
LinkedIn allows you to create both personal and company pages. For personal LinkedIn profiles, Sprout Social defines the recommended image sizes as:
- Personal profile photo: 400 x 400 pixels.
- Personal background photo: 1584 x 396 pixels.
For your business’s LinkedIn page, the best image sizes to use are:
- Company cover photo: 1,536 x 768 pixels.
- Company banner photo: 646 x 220 pixels.
- Company logo: 300 x 300 pixels.
When promoting content on LinkedIn, use these sizes in your posts:
- Shared photo: 350 pixels wide (the height is automatically scaled).
- Shared link preview photo: 180 x 110 pixels.
- Blog post or article preview photo: 698 x 400 pixels.
Since most Pinterest posts link to other web pages, it’s a great social media tool for driving new supporters to your business. The recommended sizes for Pinterest images are:
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Profile photo: 165 x 165 pixels.
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Pinned photos: 236 pixels wide (scaled height).
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Board photo: 222 x 150 pixels for the large thumbnail and 55 x 55 pixels for the smaller thumbnail.
Whether you’re sharing a promoted post or interesting content with friends and family, keep this cheat sheet handy. Mastering social media image sizes will help you put your best foot forward online and fine-tune your social media presence.
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