Facebook’s influence on a consumer’s purchase decision soared according to reports that showed 52% of consumers made online and offline purchases because of the social media giant. This data was released in 2015, but Facebook shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to marketing influence. Other social networks have taken a leaf from their book and upped their game in bringing businesses and consumers together.
On Twitter, 78% of consumers who Tweeted their concerns expected action within an hour. Businesses that have expanded their turf to Instagram enjoy a 4.21% followers’ engagement rating, surpassing Twitter 120 times and Facebook by 58 times.
People have turned to social media to shop, research about a product, and complain or inquire, further blurring the lines between social networking and marketing.
The question is, how do you make yourself seen and heard in a sea of 1.65 billion active social media users, with a million more added every day?
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Simple: Floor them with engaging visual content
The right pictures placed at the right time will stop users from scrolling past you and have them click on your post and read your content instead.
You must take advantage of the brief moment you cross people’s newsfeeds. One wrongly positioned image or cropped photo and you lose your chance in an instant.
Luckily, you can make sure you always know how to produce the right images. Here is your social media image size cheat sheet for 2018:
Profile Photo – This is the main photo that will represent your company. This square image will appear next to your account name when you post on your wall and others when you’re searched and when you comment.
Guidelines:
1. 180 x 180 pixels at minimum
2. Photo thumbnail will be exposed throughout the network at 32 x 32 pixels
3. The photo on a page will be displayed at 160 x 160 pixels
Cover Photo – This photo appears on top of your timeline and is layered with the profile photo. Your cover photo will be the widest photo on your profile.
Guidelines:
1. Displayed at 828 x 315 pixels
2. Images with lower than 828 x 315 pixels will be stretched
3. 399 x 150 pixels is the minimum size
4. It’s best to upload photos with text or logo in a PNG format
5. Without text or logo, images are best displayed in the RGB JPG file and less than 100KB size
Shared Image
Guidelines:
1. Upload size should be 1,200 x 630 pixels
Profile Photo
Guidelines:
1. 400 x 400 pixels but displayed at 200 x 200 pixels
2. Must be in JPG, PNG, or GIF format
3. 100KB Maximum size
Header Photo
Guidelines:
1. 1,500 x 500 pixels
2. Must be in JPG, GIF, or PNG format
3. 10MB Maximum size
In-stream Image
Guidelines:
1. 440 x 220 pixels
2. Collapsed at 506 x 253 when appearing in the feed
3. 5MB Maximum size for photos and 3MB Maximum size for GIFs
Profile Photo
Guidelines:
1. 110 x 110 pixels
2. Photo is square. It’s best to maintain a 1:1 ratio
Photo Thumbnails
Guidelines:
1. Appearing on the page at 161 x 161 pixels
2. Thumbnails are also square photos so maintaining a 1:1 ratio is recommended
Images Posted on Feed
Guidelines:
1. 1080 x 1080 pixels
2. Scaled to 612 x 612 pixels by Instagram
3. 510 x 510 pixels when appearing in the feed
Profile Photo
Guidelines:
1. Recommended: 400 x 400 pixels
2. Maximum size is 10MB in JPG, PNG, or GIF format
Company Logo
100 x 60 pixels
Company Banner Photo
1,536 x 768 pixels
Shared Photo
550 x 375 pixels
Link Photo
150 x 80 pixels
Google+
Profile Photo – Although images are uploaded as a square, Google formats it into a circle. It is best to take this as a factor when choosing a profile image so you don’t crop out the best features of your picture.
Guidelines:
1. 250 x 250 pixels
2. 120 x 120 pixels minimum
3. JPG, PNG, or GIF format only
Cover Photo
Guidelines:
1. 1080 x 608 pixels
2. Minimum: 480 x 270 pixels
3. Maximum: 2,120 x 1,192 pixels
Shared Photo
Guidelines:
497 x 373 pixels
Profile Photo
Guidelines:
1. 150 x 150 pixels
2. Maximum: 10MB
Board Images
Guidelines:
1. Large Thumbnails: 222 x 150 pixels
2. Small Thumbnails: 55 x 55 pixels
Pins in Feed
Guidelines:
238 pixels for main page and board
YouTube
Profile Photo
Guidelines:
800 x 800 pixels
Channel Cover Photo
Guidelines:
1. 2,560 x 1,440 pixels for TV display
2. 2,560 x 423 pixel for Desktop display
3. 1,855 x 423 for Tablet display
4. 1,546 x 423 pixels for Mobile display
Videos
Guidelines:
1. Dimensions must have a minimum of 1,280 x 720 pixels to be qualified as HD
2. Must maintain an aspect ratio of 16:9
Posts accompanied with images are shared 40 times more than the ones without. Remember, you only get a split-second exposure before people scroll past your post. While hiring a virtual assistant who can write smart, creative posts is imperative, your visual content grabs attention first. Whether you are hiring a graphic designer, VA or working independently, these social media image sizes cheat sheet for 2017 tips the scales greatly to your favor.
