Guide 2024: sizes and formats of images on social networks
Social media is an essential tool for any brand or business that wants to have an online presence and connect with its target audience .
It's not enough to just publish any content , but you have to take care of the quality and design of the images and videos that are shared on each platform. Do you know what sizes and formats of images on social networks you should use in 2024 to optimize your digital marketing strategy? In this article we'll tell you all about it.
Why is the size and format of images on social media important?
Images are one of the most important elements of any social media post, as they capture users' attention, convey the brand's message and generate engagement.
Not all social networks have the same requirements or the same characteristics when it comes to displaying images. Therefore, it is essential to adapt the size and format of the images to each social network, to avoid them looking pixelated, cut off or distorted.
The size and format of images on social media also influence the SEO positioning of your website, as they affect loading speed, organic traffic and user experience.
Therefore, choosing the right size and format for each social network can help you improve your online visibility and attract more visitors to your website.
What social media image sizes and formats should you use in 2024?
Each social network has its own specifications and recommendations regarding the size and format of images that can be posted on it. These specifications can change over time, so it is advisable to stay up to date with the latest updates and trends.
Below, we show you the social media image sizes and formats you should use in 2024:
Facebook is the most popular social network in the world, with nearly 3 billion monthly active users by 2024. To make the most of the potential of this platform, you should consider the following image sizes and formats:
Profile photo : 170 x 170 pixels, in JPG or PNG format.
Cover photo : 820 x 312 pixels, in JPG or PNG format. If you use a video, it must have a resolution of 1250 x 312 pixels and a duration of between 20 and 90 seconds.
Photo posts : 1200 x 630 pixels, in JPG or PNG format. If you use a video, it must have a resolution of 1080 x 1080 pixels and an MP4 or MOV format.
Linked posts : 1200 x 630 pixels, in JPG or PNG format. The link title must be a maximum of 25 characters and the description a maximum of 30.
Ads : 1600 x 628 pixels, in JPG or PNG format. If you use a video, it must be 600 x 315 pixels (landscape) or 600 x 600 pixels (square) and in MP4 or MOV format.
Carousel : 1080 x 1080 pixels, in JPG or PNG format. You can use up to 10 images or videos, with text of up to 125 characters each.
Stories : 1080 x 1920 pixels, in JPG or PNG format. If you use a video, it must have a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and a duration of up to 15 seconds.
Reels : 1080 x 1920 pixels, in MP4 format. Reels are short videos of up to 30 seconds, with effects and music, that can be shared on the feed or in stories.
Instagram is the most visual and creative social network, with over 1.5 billion monthly active users by 2024. To stand out on this platform, you should follow these image sizes and formats:
Profile photo : 180 x 180 pixels, in JPG or PNG format.
Photo posts : 1080 x 1080 pixels (square), 1080 x 566 pixels (landscape), or 1080 x 1350 pixels (portrait), in JPG or PNG format. If you use a video, it must be 1080 x 1080 pixels in resolution and in MP4 or MOV format.
Stories : 1080 x 1920 pixels, in JPG or PNG format. If you use a video, it must have a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and a duration of up to 15 seconds.
IGTV : 1080 x 1920 pixels (portrait) or 1920 x 1080 pixels (landscape), in MP4 format. IGTV videos are long videos up to 60 minutes long, with an aspect ratio of 9:16 (portrait) or 16:9 (landscape). The cover image must be 420 x 654 pixels in resolution and in JPG or PNG format.
Reels : 1080 x 1920 pixels, in MP4 format. Reels are short videos of up to 30 seconds, with effects and music, that can be shared on the feed or in stories.
Twitter is the social network for news and current events, with more than 400 million monthly active users in 2024. To communicate effectively on this platform, you should use these image sizes and formats:
Profile photo : 400 x 400 pixels, in JPG or PNG format.
Cover photo : 1500 x 500 pixels, in JPG or PNG format.
Tweet with photo : 1600 x 900 pixels, in JPG or PNG format. If you use a video, it must have a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels (vertical) or 1920 x 1080 pixels (horizontal) and an MP4 or MOV format.
Tweet with link : 600 x 335 pixels, in JPG or PNG format. The link title must be a maximum of 70 characters and the description a maximum of 200.
Multi-image ad : 1200 x 670 pixels, in JPG or PNG format. You can use up to 4 images, with text of up to 280 characters.
LinkedIn is the professional social network par excellence, with more than 800 million monthly active users in 2024. To enhance your personal or business brand on this platform, you should use these image sizes and formats:
Profile photo : 400 x 400 pixels, in JPG or PNG format.
Cover photo : 1584 x 396 pixels, in JPG or PNG format.
Photo posts : 1200 x 627 pixels, in JPG or PNG format. If you use a video, it must have a resolution of 1080 x 1080 pixels and an MP4 or MOV format.
Linked posts : 1200 x 627 pixels, in JPG or PNG format. The link title must be a maximum of 70 characters and the description a maximum of 256.
Ads : 1200 x 627 pixels, in JPG or PNG format. If you use a video, it must be 1080 x 1080 pixels in resolution and in MP4 or MOV format.
Carousel : 1080 x 1080 pixels, in JPG or PNG format. You can use up to 10 images, with text of up to 150 characters each.
Pinterest is the social network for inspiration and discovery, with over 600 million monthly active users by 2024. To capture your audience's attention on this platform, you should use these image sizes and formats:
Profile photo : 165 x 165 pixels, in JPG or PNG format.
Pin : 1000 x 1500 pixels (vertical), 1000 x 1000 pixels (square), or 1000 x 667 pixels (horizontal), in JPG or PNG format. If you use a video, it must be 1080 x 1920 pixels (vertical) or 1920 x 1080 pixels (horizontal) and in MP4, MOV, or M4V format.
Dashboard : 222 x 150 pixels (large) or 55 x 55 pixels (small), in JPG or PNG format.
YouTube
YouTube is the video social network par excellence, with more than 2.5 billion monthly active users in 2024. To create and share quality videos on this platform, you must respect these image sizes and formats:
Profile photo : 800 x 800 pixels, in JPG, PNG, BMP or GIF format.
Cover photo : 2560 x 1440 pixels, in JPG, PNG, BMP or GIF format.
Video : 1920 x 1080 pixels (HD), 3840 x 2160 pixels (4K) or 7680 x 4320 pixels (8K), in MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, FLV, 3GP or WebM format.
Video cover image : 1280 x 720 pixels, in JPG, PNG, BMP or GIF format.
Advertisement : 300 x 250 pixels (medium rectangle), 300 x 60 pixels (mobile banner) or 300 x 600 pixels (half page), in JPG, PNG, BMP or GIF format.
How to optimize social media images for SEO
Now that you know what social media image sizes and formats you should use in 2024, we're going to give you some tips to optimize social media images for SEO . This way, you'll be able to improve the performance of your posts and increase traffic to your website.
- Use quality, original images that are relevant to your content and audience. Avoid blurry, pixelated or generic images.
- Adjust the size and format of the images to each social network, following the specifications we have indicated. This way, you will avoid them being cropped, distorted or losing details.
- Compress images to reduce their size and improve loading speed. You can use online tools like [TinyPNG] or [Compressor.io] to compress images without losing quality.
- Use keywords in your image file name, title, description, and alt text to make your images easier for search engines and users to index and understand.
- Include links to your website or other relevant pages in your image descriptions or text to generate more clicks and visits to your website.
- Take advantage of tags, hashtags, mentions and locations to increase the reach and visibility of your images on social media. This way, you can reach more users interested in your topic and generate more interactions.
The benefits of using images on social media for your brand
Finally, we want to highlight the benefits of using images on social media for your brand, both at the marketing and SEO levels.
These are some of the benefits you can get if you use images on social media appropriately:
- Increase your brand recognition and reputation by showcasing your visual identity, personality and values.
- Improve your audience's engagement and loyalty by generating emotions, opinions and reactions in users.
- Differentiate yourself from the competition by offering unique, creative and valuable content for your audience.
- Increase traffic to your website by attracting the attention of users and directing them to your website through links.
- Improve your website's SEO ranking by optimizing images for search engines and social media.
We hope this guide has been helpful in understanding the social media image sizes and formats you should use in 2024, as well as optimizing social media images for SEO.
Remember that images are a key element for your digital marketing strategy, so you must take care of their quality and design on each platform.
Written by Moises Hamui Abadi : I am an entrepreneur, founding partner of Viceversa and SoyMacho. After leading several digital businesses and advising several other businesses, I decided to form MHA Consulting, a digital marketing consultancy dedicated to growing and empowering digital businesses in more than 7 countries and generating more than 1,500 million pesos.