Social Media Ad Sizes and Specs Guide: Image, Video, and Text Requirements by Platform

Overview

The most reliable approach to ad production is to plan for placement families rather than search for one universal “best” size. A feed image, vertical story, short-form video, display banner, and professional-network document placement each have different viewing contexts. Even when a platform accepts an asset, an acceptable upload is not necessarily a strong creative result.

Use these core formats as a starting production set:

• Square, 1:1: useful for feed placements and flexible previews.
• Portrait, 4:5: gives feed creative more vertical presence on mobile screens.
• Vertical, 9:16: designed for stories, short-form video, and full-screen placements.
• Landscape, 16:9: useful for video environments, previews, and wider display contexts.
• Standard display banners: prepare several common landscape, square, and mobile-oriented variations rather than one resized image.

For most image work, use a high-quality JPG or PNG when the platform supports it. For video, use a platform-accepted MP4 or MOV export, confirm the frame rate and audio behavior, and keep a clean master file separate from compressed uploads. Requirements for maximum file size, duration, captions, text fields, and available placements can change, so treat the advertising interface and current platform documentation as the final approval point.

Creative planning should also connect to measurement. Give each asset a clear name, preserve the campaign and placement information in your workflow, and use consistent UTM rules when traffic leaves the platform. The UTM Campaign Tracking Guide and UTM Builder and Campaign Tracking Guide can help standardize that handoff.

Checklist by scenario

Meta: Facebook and Instagram ads

• Prepare at least one square or portrait feed version and one 9:16 version for stories or full-screen placements.
• Keep logos, product labels, prices, and essential claims away from edges and likely interface overlays.
• Export image and video variations separately rather than stretching a landscape asset into a vertical frame.
• Check how the creative appears in both Facebook and Instagram previews; the same file can feel balanced in one environment and crowded in another.
• For video, include captions or burned-in text only when they remain readable on a small screen, and retain a version with clean audio and a clear opening frame.

LinkedIn ads

• Plan a square or landscape feed asset, then confirm the selected objective and placement support the intended format.
• Use a restrained visual hierarchy: one subject, one business problem, and one next step are easier to understand than a dense slide.
• Check the supplied headline, introductory text, image, and destination URL as one message rather than approving the asset in isolation.
• For document or carousel-style executions, verify that every page works at preview size and that the first page communicates the value clearly.

TikTok ads

• Start with a 9:16 vertical canvas and design for sound-on and sound-off viewing.
• Place important text and branding in a central safe area, leaving room for interface controls, captions, and the call to action.
• Make the opening moment understandable without requiring viewers to wait for a logo or long setup.
• Use captions, contrast, and motion carefully; rapid edits should support the message rather than hide it.
• Review the final upload in the platform preview, not only in a desktop video player.

Pinterest ads

• Use a vertical-first composition that remains legible as users scroll through a visual feed.
• Keep the product, destination, or idea immediately identifiable and avoid placing key details at the extreme top or bottom.
• Prepare a clean image, a short text overlay, and a destination page that delivers the same promise.
• Check whether the creative is being used as a standard image, video, carousel, or another format, since each may have different fields and previews.

Google Display ads

• Build a family of landscape, square, and mobile-friendly assets where the campaign setup supports responsive or multi-placement delivery.
• Supply a clear logo, readable image, concise headline, and description that can work in different combinations.
• Design for cropping and variable display space; do not make a border or small disclaimer the only visual cue.
• Review every available preview and confirm that the landing page matches the ad’s promise.

For copy-heavy campaigns, compare variants systematically with the Ad Copy Testing Framework. For search campaigns that accompany these visual ads, the Responsive Search Ad Asset Management guide provides a separate way to organize headlines and descriptions.

What to double-check before launch

1. Placement: Identify the exact placement, not just the platform. A feed, story, search partner, in-stream, and display placement may render the same idea differently.
2. Aspect ratio: Confirm that the delivered file matches the intended ratio. Avoid relying on automatic cropping for important subjects or text.
3. Safe zones: Keep essential information away from edges, corners, and areas commonly used by platform controls.
4. Legibility: View the asset at approximate mobile size. If the headline cannot be understood quickly, simplify it.
5. Text and metadata: Check primary text, headline, description, alt text where available, button label, destination URL, and tracking parameters.
6. Message match: The ad’s visual, copy, offer, and landing page should describe the same next step. Use the Landing Page Conversion Audit Template for the post-click review.
7. File hygiene: Use descriptive filenames, retain editable source files, remove accidental guides, and record the export date and approved version.
8. Preview behavior: Inspect platform previews for cropping, compression, muted video, missing thumbnails, and truncated copy.

Creative handoff template

Include the following information with every delivery: campaign name; platform and placement; objective; audience; asset name; aspect ratio; pixel dimensions; file type; duration; copy fields; destination URL; UTM values; safe-zone notes; accessibility notes; approval owner; and version number. This prevents a designer, media buyer, and analyst from working from different assumptions.

Common mistakes

• One file for every placement: Resizing may preserve dimensions but damage hierarchy, cropping, and readability.
• Designing around the logo: A logo is useful, but it should not replace a clear benefit or recognizable subject.
• Ignoring the first frame: Video previews and autoplay behavior vary. Make the opening frame useful on its own.
• Putting text at the edges: Interface overlays and responsive crops can cover the most important words.
• Approving from a desktop monitor: Small-screen review exposes weak contrast, tiny type, and confusing visual order.
• Changing several variables at once: If every test changes the image, offer, headline, and audience, the result is difficult to interpret. Follow a structured ad copy testing process.
• Forgetting the landing page: A polished ad cannot compensate for a slow, mismatched, or unclear post-click experience.

When to revisit this guide

Review your specification sheet before each campaign launch, seasonal planning cycle, major creative resize request, and quarterly asset-library review. Recheck it whenever a platform adds a placement, changes an upload workflow, introduces a new ad format, or your campaign objective changes.

At the start of each production cycle, assign one person to verify the live platform requirements and record the check date. Then run this short sequence:

1. List the platforms, objectives, and placements being used.
2. Confirm current ratios, file types, dimensions, duration limits, and copy fields in the relevant ad interfaces.
3. Request or export the required creative variants.
4. Review safe zones, previews, links, tracking parameters, and landing-page message match.
5. Archive approved files with version numbers and note any exceptions.

Keep the checklist as a living production document rather than a one-time reference. Pair it with the PPC Campaign Optimization Checklist after launch so creative quality, delivery, and performance are reviewed together.