Social Media Image Size Blueprint: Pinterest, Instagram & YouTube


July 30, 2014

social media image size

With images becoming more and more central on social networks, it’s hard for brands to ignore this visual shift online. Cover photos, header images, timeline previews, and more on almost every social platform offer tremendous opportunities for marketers. To take advantage of this visual revolution we need to understand social media image size, specs, and purpose. Recently we looked at Facebook and Twitter image size. Now let’s take a look at Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube. 

We’ve put together the infographic below as a quick reference to help you and your team make the most of all available areas of social real estate on these three visual social networks. If used well, images can draw the eyes of your users and reinforce or supplement your message.

Download this Social Media Image Size Blueprint Now (JPG)

Pinterest Instagram YouTube Social Image Size

What You Should Know: Pinterest

Pinterest is truly a platform with images that are front and center. Users will interact and engage with photos and videos that capture their attention, so emphasis on images is key to getting engagement on the social network and to your website. Here are some tips for success:

  • Make sure all pages of your website have images that would be Pinterest worthy, especially blog posts and product pages. Consider pinning your website urls to see how links would appear if a user wanted to share.
  • While pins can be as long as you’d like (with option to expand), according to new data from Curalate, vertical images with an aspect ratio between 2:3 and 4:5 get 60% more repins than very tall images.

What You Should Know: Instagram

The platform that Forbes described as “the worlds most powerful selling tool” cannot be ignored. This image-focused platform is continuing to grow in terms of users and brands, and may be just what your organization needs to help showcase your products, services, or employees. Here are some tips for success:

  • The platform currently doesn’t provide active hyperlinks in the descriptions of individual photos. Use one main link on your bio, and then consider using short urls that followers can remember to type or search for in their browsers.
  • The platform is mobile-only for photo uploads, but photos can be viewed on desktop browsers. Keep this in mind when deciding to join the platform.

What You Should Know: YouTube

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world after their parent company Google. The power this platform has for brands is huge and waiting to be tapped. While visual strategy for YouTube often focuses on videos, images can play an important role as well. Here are some tips for success:

  • YouTube videos are shared and embedded all over the internet. When choosing thumbnails, it’s important to capture what the video entails and maybe even text to reinforce the topic. If you can’t find a thumbnail you like, remember that you can upload your own custom image as well.
  • Once a user is on your channel, it’s important to intrigue them to stay and watch more. Consider using your channel art to draw their attention to important videos or actions they can take, such as subscribing to the channel.

Ready to get visual? Don’t forget the most important tip: make sure all images and videos represent your brand and work together in concert.

Coming soon! Social image blueprints for: LinkedIn and Google+


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is a strategist, speaker, educator, and author of Brand Now: How to Stand Out in a Crowded, Distracted World and Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small. He is the Chief Brand Strategist at Brand Driven Digital, an educator at the University of Iowa, and host of the On Brand podcast. More about Nick.