The ultimate guide to social media image sizes

It’s no secret that an online presence is a “must-have” for ventures of all sizes. One of the best ways to improve your positioning across all social networks is through consistency of voice and branding — this includes finding the right social media image sizes for your social media marketing campaign.

Your top priority should be making sure your voice matches the target audience for each social channel. However, providing a consistent appearance for your brand is vital, which makes determining the right size graphics necessary at the start of your project.

Top Tip: Make sure your JPG, GIF, JPEGs and PNG files or BMP are of high-quality.

One of the best ways to accomplish both of these branding goals is through visual design.

As you visit the major social media platforms, you might initially see little consistency in social media image sizes. However, as these websites evolve and update their offerings, it becomes easier and easier to use your design skills to create a recognizable brand across the spectrum of sites.

Knowing the right image size can go a long way in saving you time.

Learning the best image sizes will take you far.

This “cheat sheet” offers you a brief guide to the best image sizes for multiple sites (including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok), sorted by social site. This will help you develop the best strategy for each of your campaigns.

We also provide you with basic demographic information for each social platform so you can be best informed when selecting where to post your ads and reach your ultimate goal of greater sales. You might even find some hidden gems.

With this information at your fingertips, you can develop a consistent branding presence while meeting the required dimensions of the website.

We recommend you create a template for each platform with the right sizes so you don’t spend much time working on every post for every platform

Social media image sizes and requirements

The requirements for brand social media images change regularly. Our cheat sheet assures that you are prepared to stay ahead of the learning curve in 2022.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Medium
• Pinterest
• TikTok
• Tumblr
• Twitter
• YouTube

If you design websites using GoDaddy’s Website builder tool, integration on social media is baked in. You can resize the same image for each platform without any hassle.

Finally, if you need help creating a logo, consider using GoDaddy Studio free logo maker for inspiration.

Facebook image sizes

Facebook offers a wide variety of opportunities for sharing images. Although personal accounts are generally limited to profile photos, cover photos, and regular Facebook posts. Running advertisements and using business page/ Facebook pages creates even more opportunities and more ad sizes for sharing visual content.

Facebook is the most popular of all social media platforms, according to a study from Statista.com (which will be referenced throughout the remainder of this cheat sheet). Facebook is primarily used by people ages 25 to 50, making it the perfect platform for advertising to a wider audience. Since the site is used rather casually (unlike workplace-centered social media platforms like LinkedIn), Facebook ads in the news feed are ideal for selling home goods, clothing and gift items.

Editor’s note: Interested in creating a unique logo for your profile image? Try GoDaddy Studio’s free logo maker.

Note: the maximum file size is 10GB

Pro Tip: Carousel ad recommended image size and guidelines

Minimum width and height of 600 pixels (minimum size 254 x 133 pixels for Messenger Home Carousel Ads). Minimum 2 cards and max of 10 cards per Carousel Ad. Recommended ratio for high resolution is 1:1

Instagram image sizes

Instagram is famous for its visuals, so the platform has very specific guidelines for what works and what doesn’t in terms of social media image sizes. While it’s easy to edit your photos directly on the app, if you’re running sponsored posts or advertisements for Instagram’s global audience, it’s smart to have them already scaled and planned before posting.

Instagram is the fourth most popular platform, making it another great contender for advertising.

Since its inception, Instagram ads and sponsored partners have become a massive for the platform. Instagram is mainly used by people ages 26 to 35, making it ideal for sellers marketing to millennials.

Note: the maximum file size for videos under 10 minutes is is 650MB

Pro Tip: always use your logo as your Instagram profile picture.

LinkedIn image sizes

Having a distinct image on LinkedIn gives the impression of a cohesive brand, even if you’re a new small business. The platform has very specific guidelines for what works and what doesn’t in terms of social media image sizes. Ensure that you have all your bases covered on LinkedIn, including a profile photo, cover image and shareable assets for your business LinkedIn page.

LinkedIn is unique because of its angle. Where social media platforms like Facebook and Pinterest are generally geared toward casual posts, LinkedIn is all business, all the time, making it perfect for small shops looking to sell business-related supplies and/or services. Note that LinkedIn users are primarily in the 36 to 50-plus crowd.

Medium image sizes

Those of us who run articles on Medium should understand the basics of image sizing on the platform. Have your profile picture, background image, content visuals and shared link graphics all set up before posting to give your pieces a cohesive and professional look.

Medium allows its users to post long-form articles on the subject matter of their choice, providing a unique alternative to traditional blogging. Medium primarily hosts an audience of men ages 26 to 50, making it the ideal platform for marketing to guys who enjoy opinion articles.

Pinterest image sizes

Pinterest is a visual-centered platform that emphasizes photos and shareability.

If you plan on using Pinterest as a platform for sharing your work, focus on getting the board cover photos and expanded pins right.

These are the visuals that draw the eye most effectively on this platform.

Pinterest is a unique site when compared to Facebook and Twitter because it relies less on individual posting and more on sharing pins and adding them to boards. This platform is also unique in its audience, which consists mostly of women over the age of 35.

Here are Pinterest pins as they appear on a Pinterest board.

TikTok image sizes

TikTok is an excellent platform for displaying products briefly to a younger audience. Seemingly random products like lash lift kits and reversible octopus plushies have seen astronomical growth due to virality on TikTok. Make sure your shared images and videos on TikTok are spot-on, smartphones friendly, and study the algorithm, and you’ll be set up for viral success.

Coming in as the seventh most popular social media network, TikTok is a HUGE platform for people in their teens and early 20s. Advertisers often sponsor posts on TikTok from famous influencers, but it’s also possible to create a business account to feature your own products.

Tumblr

Tumblr can be likened to a blend of Twitter, Pinterest and Medium. Users can share their thoughts in short micro-blogs file types, curate pages with aesthetically pleasing visuals or even craft long-form posts for their audience.

Tumblr hosts a range of ages across its user base, from 18 to 50 years old. This is likely because the site caters to a wide array of interests and fanbases. Keep this in mind when researching your promotion options.

Twitter image sizes

Twitter is a majorly text-based platform, but post images often help seal the deal for likes, comments and retweets on the platform. Profile pictures and headers should especially be spot-on: Make sure everything in your twitter card lines up the way you want before racking up the followers.

Twitter, which once hosted a very young age group, is now mostly used by men ages 26 to 50, with a not-insignificant portion of men over the age of 50. Twitter would be an effective platform for small businesses looking to amplify their products/services to this audience.

Twitter images sizes for in-stream photos: 1600 x 900 pixels

YouTube image sizes

YouTube is all about visuals, and designing your thumbnail images is especially essential for a successful video.

Show off your brand’s tone and angle with bright colors and simple, eye-catching text.

YouTube caters to a younger audience, with a large portion of their viewership (17%) under age 25, and 41% between the ages of 26 and 35. YouTube runs a massive advertising operation, with businesses either purchasing ads to be played before or during videos, or directly sponsoring influencers. Much like TikTok, consider the potential virality of videos and products when planning to advertise on YouTube.

But wait — there’s more to this social media image sizes guide!

The visual side of social media is always evolving. Here are some additional resources that dig deeper into all of these areas:

Facebook help center

Instagram images

LinkedIn profile picture dimensions

LinkedIn Company Page image dimensions

Medium picture sizes

Medium Publication Images

Customizing Your Twitter Profile

Creating Channel Art for YouTube

YouTube Video Resolution

YouTube Channel Icon Image

TikTok Support

This article includes content originally published on the GoDaddy blog by Chris Carfi and Brenna Lilly

Products Used

Sep 24, 2019 · 1 min read

Website BuilderLearn more

Aug 4, 2020 · 1 min read

GoDaddy StudioLearn more