When it comes to posting on social media, size matters! Here’s how to optimize all your posts for maximum impact.
Location and Size: The Winning Combo for Your Social Media Real Estate
Your Social media real estate is your digital space on the social media platform that occupies your content.
Just like in the physical world, property in a prime location increases visibility and attracts more attention. So maximizing your social media virtual space means more engagement, followers, and ultimately, success on the platform.
Your winning combo is formatting your post so it’s right-sized for its position.
When you get this right and you’ll stand out and make a greater impact in the crowded digital space of social media.
Here’s how…
Going Vertical: Take Your Visuals to New Heights
Whether it’s video, photo, or digital designs, all your visuals must be vertical. This goes for
- TikTok
- Youtube Shorts
You’re given free space to post content so don’t waste it by only using some of it.
Bigger is better when it comes to stopping someone’s scroll. You want to fill the whole page so that all someone sees is your post. If you post a small horizontal post, you don’t even claim the feed you’ve been given and you’ll see someone else’s post encroaching.
Horizontal small videos may look great on other platforms, but on social media, vertical videos are the way to go. This is because most users hold their phones vertically when scrolling through their feeds, and vertical videos take up more space on their screens, providing a better viewing experience.
Fill the space!
Optimal Post Sizes for Instagram
1080 px – 1350 px – 1920 px
Instagram, for example, used to have a standard size of 1080 by 1080 pixels for square posts, but now individual and carousel posts are 1080 x 1350 pixels.
However, the real trick is to use the Instagram story or reel size, which is 1080 by 1920 pixels.
Using this size allows you to take up more vertical space on the user’s screen, which can be more eye-catching and engaging.
It’s also important to note that different social media platforms have different size requirements, so make sure you check the guidelines for each platform before creating your post. Canva gives you the sizes automatically so you don’t need to remember them.
Instagram’s grid view is still 1080 x 1080 pixels, so make sure to center the most important visual elements and text in your post so that it still looks good on your grid.
Steal this simple grid trick
If you use a cover image on your Reels, you don’t have to worry about centering important information and visuals. You can create a Reel for the full 1920-pixel size and just customize your cover.
This is also great if you have a set aesthetic for your grid page that isn’t the same as your Reels. For example, you’re reusing a TikTok as an Instagram Reel that is in color but your Instagram aesthetic is black and white, just stick a cover on it and you’re good to post!
Go with the Flow: How to Design a Social Media Page for Maximum Aesthetic Impact
On Instagram and Tiktok, your posts are laid out in three columns which creates a grid page layout.
I call this your Row Flow.
If you’re into creating a page aesthetic, how you flow your row matters.
Think of it as creative puzzle play.
I have an entire guidebook about this and it’s available in the Audience Growth course. For now, consider the basics:
You only see 1080 px by 1080 px on your page grid
You see 1080 px by 1350 px on carousel posts
You see 1080 px by 1920 px on Reels
So plan accordingly!
Happy Posting!
Love, Lauren
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