Whether you’re managing campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok, each platform offers unique opportunities and specific requirements to optimize your content . This guide walks you through the key requirements for placements on each platform for both organic and paid content .

Facebook: Versatility and Reach

Facebook remains one of the most versatile platforms for advertisers, offering various formats and targeting options. With its extensive user base, businesses can reach diverse demographics and create personalized ad experiences.

Image and Video Dimensions:

• Stories & Reels: 1080 x 1920 px (9:16 aspect ratio)
• Square in-feed: 1080×1080 px (1:1)
• Vertical in-feed: 1080×1350 px (4:5)
• Landscape in-feed: 1080×566 px (1.91:1)

Call-to-Action (CTA) Options: For paid ads, Facebook supports Carousel and Link Post CTAs. However, note that lead generation ads cannot use the “Shop Now” CTA.

Alt Text: Alt text for images can be added in Meta Business Suite but not in Ads Manager. Facebook’s Automatic Alt Text will generate descriptions if none are provided, which can be edited.

Best Practices:

• Utilize engaging visuals that align with Facebook’s varied formats.
• Optimize for lead generation by selecting the most suitable CTAs.
• For cover photos, adhere to the 820 x 312 px default size.
• For Link Posts, you’ll need Copy (125 character limit), Headline (27 character limit), Description (27 character limit), CTA and the link.
• For Carousel posts, you’ll need a Headline (32 character limit) for each image and Descriptions (18 character limit).

Instagram: Creative Storytelling

Instagram’s visually driven platform thrives on creativity. It’s ideal for brands that want to showcase products, tell stories, and connect with audiences on a personal level. With a focus on aesthetics, Instagram offers several formats to captivate users.

Image and Video Dimensions:

• Square in-feed: 1080 x 1080 px (1:1)
• Vertical in-feed: 1080 x 1350 px (4:5)
• Stories & Reels: 1080 x 1920 px (9:16)

Character Count Recommendations:

• Copy: 125 Characters
• Headline (needed for dual placement): 27 character limit
• Description (needed if dual placements): 27 character limit

Carousel Tips: Carousels can have up to 20 cards that can be images or videos.

CTA Options (for Paid Only):

Reels-Specific Tips: All videos are now categorized as Reels, requiring a 9:16 aspect ratio. And a max length of 90 seconds. Ensure your content remains within the “safe zone” to avoid cropping important elements.

Alt Text: You can add alt text during the publishing process or edit it later in Meta Business Suite. This ensures accessibility while improving content discoverability.

Paid Considerations:

• Stories cannot be boosted if they include multiple frames.
• Emojis and stickers are not supported for boosted Stories.
• Poll is the only Sticker usable in an Instagram Story Ad.

X (formerly Twitter): Quick Engagement

X, previously known as Twitter, is a platform designed for real-time engagement and concise messaging. With its fast-paced environment, ads must be impactful and to the point. This is especially true for video and carousel formats, which require thoughtful planning to grab attention.

Image and Video Dimensions:

• Images: Ratios include 1:1, 2:1, 3:4 or 16:9, with resolutions such as 1600 x 900 px, although Image Ads with website button must be either 1.91:1 or 1:1. For 1.91:1, use an 800 x 418 px resolution. For 1:1, use 800 x 800.
• Videos: Ratios include 1:1 and 16:9, with resolutions of 1200×1200 px (for 1:1) or 1920×1080 px (for 16:9) for optimal clarity.

Alt Text: Image descriptions can be added via mobile or desktop. However, video descriptions are not supported.

Character Count Recommendation: Copy can be up to 280 characters with a headline of up to 23 characters.

Key Changes: Headlines are back as of November 2023, allowing marketers to include catchy titles in their ads.

Best Practices:

• Keep videos under 15 seconds for better engagement.
• Ensure aspect ratios are consistent across carousel ads.

LinkedIn: Professional Appeal

As the premier platform for professionals, LinkedIn offers unique opportunities to connect with a business-oriented audience. Ads on LinkedIn should align with the platform’s professional tone, emphasizing thought leadership, expertise, and value.

Image and Video Dimensions:

• Image posts: 1080×1080 px (1:1) or 1200×628 px (1.91:1)
• Video ads: Supports ratios of 4:5, 9:16, 16:9, and 1:1.
• Carousel ads: Up to 10 cards, each at 1080×1080 px (1:1).

Alt Text: LinkedIn allows alt text up to 120 characters. This is vital for ensuring accessibility in professional settings and can be added to image posts by selection “Add alt text.”

Character Count Recommendations: For paid, we recommend the following character counts:

• Copy: 150 characters
• Headline: 70 characters
• Carousel Headline: 45 characters
• Carousel Character Limit: 255 characters

CTA Options (for Paid Only): LinkedIn currently offers 10 different call to action choices for paid placements, including:

Paid Considerations:

• Multi-image organic posts cannot be boosted.
• Carousels need headlines for each frame.

Best Practices:

• Use high-quality, professional visuals.
• Keep text concise and compelling to match LinkedIn’s professional tone.

Pinterest: Visual Inspiration

Pinterest excels at inspiring users through visually driven content. It’s an excellent platform for brands focused on lifestyle, DIY projects, and e-commerce. Marketers can create highly effective campaigns by aligning with Pinterest’s emphasis on discovery.

Image and Video Dimensions:

• Image Pins:
  • Standard Pins: 1000×1500 px (2:3)
  • Square Pins: 1000×1000 px (1:1)
  • Tall Pins: 1000×1200 px (1:2.6)
  • Story Pins: 1080×1920 px (9:16)
• Video Pins: Ratios of 1:1 (1000×1000 px), 2:3 (1000×1500), or 9:16 (1080×1920) with a minimum of 4 seconds length.
• Idea Pins: Ration of 9:16 (1080×1920) with a video length of 3-60 seconds.
• Carousel Pins: Can be up to 5 cards with ratios of 1:1 or 2:3. These need to be images only, no video assets are permitted.

Alt Text: Alt text can be added to standard or video pins via business accounts.

Paid Considerations: Brand awareness campaigns can include URLs but lack direct CTA buttons. For posts with CTA options, Pinterest offers the following choices:

Best Practices:

• Design visually captivating content to inspire action.
• Ensure text overlays are readable across different devices.

TikTok: Short-Form Dominance

TikTok’s meteoric rise has redefined content creation with its focus on short, engaging videos. It’s a platform where creativity knows no bounds, and marketers must embrace humor, trends, and authenticity to thrive.

Dimensions:

• In-feed videos, Stories and Photo Carousels: All use the same aspect ratio of 1080×1920 px (9:16)
• Length: 3-60 seconds maximum when boosted (9-15 seconds recommended).

Safe Zones: Be sure to design your content to fit within TikTok Safe Zones:

Alt Text: Auto captions and text-to-speech options are available, enhancing content accessibility.

Paid Considerations: Avoid using emojis in copy and keep text under 100 characters for dark ads including punctuation. No headlines or descriptions are needed.

Best Practices:

• Focus on engaging, quick-hitting content.
• Use hashtags to improve visibility.
• While organic copy can go up to 2,200 characters, paid copy is limited to 100 characters.

Snapchat: Engaging the Next Generation

Snapchat remains a go-to platform for reaching younger audiences through ephemeral, interactive content. Ads on Snapchat should be fun, engaging, and formatted for vertical viewing.

Image and Video Dimensions:

• Resolution: 1080×1920 px (9:16 aspect ratio).
• Video length: 3-180 seconds (30 seconds recommended).

Alt Text: Snapchat does not support traditional alt text but offers captions for video Snaps.

Character Count Recommendations: For Snap, we recommend the following character counts:

• Image/Video Ad Brand Name: 32 characters
• Image/Video Ad Headline: 34 characters
• Story Ad Brand Name: 25 characters
• Story Ad Headline: 34 characters

Paid Considerations: Story ads require specific assets, including a logo, headline, and tile image.

Best Practices:

• Keep key elements within the “safe area” to prevent cropping.
• Ensure logos are .png files with transparent backgrounds.
• Safe Zones are very similar to those of Reels, and you should avoid covering the lower space.

YouTube: Long-Form and Shorts

YouTube continues to dominate long-form video content while carving out a niche with YouTube Shorts. Both formats cater to different audience needs, offering marketers flexibility and reach.

Video Dimensions:

• Standard videos: YouTube will accept multiple resolutions, including 1920×1080 px (1080p), but displays at a 16:9 ratio. Videos that are 4:3 will be pillarboxed to fit.
• Shorts: 1080×1920 px (9:16 ratio is required), max length of 60 second and a maximum file size of 4MB.

Character Count Recommendations:

• Copy can be up to 100 characters, but only 40 are visible.
• Headline (if an ad) 40 characters.
• Description (if an ad) 35 characters.

Alt Text: Subtitles and captions can be added to all videos, improving accessibility and SEO.

Paid Considerations:

• For Shorts, you must provide at least two headlines. Aim for brevity to capture attention quickly.
• All ads need an organic video URL, a link, a headline and a call to action.
• Skippable ads have a maximum length of 6 minutes (and can be skipped after 5 seconds)
• Non-Skippable ads should be 15-20 seconds
• Bumper ads can be up to 6 seconds.

Best Practices:

• Develop engaging thumbnail teasers.
• Optimize videos for mobile viewing.
• Respect Safe Zones

Conclusion

Understanding the intricacies of placements on different social platforms is essential for any social media marketer. By adhering to the specifications and best practices outlined in this guide, you can maximize your content’s visibility, engagement, and overall performance.

Whether you’re crafting quick TikTok videos, professional LinkedIn posts, or captivating Pinterest Pins, precision and creativity are your keys to success.