Quick Tips for Great Social Media Graphics
Social media graphics are crucial these days for getting your message across. For me, the perfect social media post always includes a graphic. From Pinterest to sharing on Instagram to tweeting an image, the message is the same: visuals are the key! If you write great content, you should share it with an image. You can't be guaranteed a share if an image doesn't pull through on the Pin it button or onto Facebook or Pinterest. Help people help you by providing an image that they can share. If people can look like a rockstar sharing your content, it's a win!
The secret to my awesome graphics is using Canva. I've tried Photoshop and other online graphic websites, but people loved my graphics when I started using Canva. My social media posts got more interaction, and my Pinterest page exploded. I typically create Pinterest-sized images so that I can pin everything that I create. You can make something great in under ten minutes.
Here are a few smart reasons why you should use graphics:
1. Build your brand
Use consistent fonts and colors to match your brand or blog. Use two or three colors at the most with two fonts. Less is more with your overall design. This Instagram post is for a blog post, I created it using my consistent brand color and style. It was very well received on Facebook and other social networks.
2. Include a shareable image with each blog post
From my article on Hubspot, Images are the new call to action (CTA). If people come to your blog and can’t easily share it, they won’t.
The blog image can often be the social media image that gets shared keep this in mind and add your branding to each image.
One tool that I use to help ensure that when my blog posts are shared that the right image is going with them is the Tasty Pins Plug-In. This is set up so I load the images with the blog post so when people share it on Pinterest or Facebook, the right size image is posted.
Click on the Pinterest social sharing button at the top or bottom of this post to see how the Pinterest image populates in the tall, vertical image size of 1,000 x 1500 pixels and populates my pre-composed description into the Pinterest description, making it easy for people to share a great pin from each blog post.
3. Batch your images
Create a little template for your images and then build a huge batch simultaneously. For instance, use the same template in Canva for all your posts, maintaining a consistent style with text and size. Update the text with the title, add an interesting, colorful photo, and choose colors in the photo that complement your brand. These well-branded images are popular and visually appealing. It’s like creating a beautiful Pinterest board of related yet distinct images.
4. Be creative
There are all different types of graphics that you can share on social media. Here are a few ideas:
- Lists
- Quotes
- Infographics
- Charts
- Screenshots with arrows to illustrate a point
5. Choose the right size
Using the proper size ensures that people see what you want them to see on desktop and mobile. I'm including the sizes by social media platform as text since the information changes too frequently.
- Cover photo 851 x 315 pixels
- Facebook post 1200 x 628 pixels
- Facebook ad for a Page 1,200 x 444 pixels
- Avatar size upload 180 x 180 pixels, preview 160 x 160 pixels
- Image 1080 x 1080 pixels – 1:1 aspect ratio
- Profile photo 180 x 180 pixels
- Header image 1,500 x 500 pixels
- Background 1280 x 1024 pixels
- Tweet image 1,000 x 500 – 2:1 aspect ratio
- Profile photo 400 x 400 pixels
YouTube
- Channel art 2,560 x 1,440 pixels
- Video thumbnail 1280 x 720 (with the minimum width of 640 pixels)
- Channel icon 800 x 800 pixels
- Pin 1,000 x 1,500 pixels – ideal size for a long, vertical image
- 735 x 735 pixels
- Profile image 165 x 165 pixels
- Board cover image 22 x 150 pixels
Open Graph Image for Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
You can add one image in this size to your blog and have Open Graph set up to share the image. WordPress SEO by Yoast can help with this setup.
- 560 x 292 or try to keep your images as close to 1.91:1 aspect ratio as possible to display the full image in Facebook News Feed without any cropping.
LinkedIn Company Page
- Posts shared on LinkedIn from personal profile 1200 x 628 pixels
- LinkedIn cover photo 974 x 300 pixels
- LinkedIn logo 100 x 60 pixels
- LinkedIn personal profile avatar 500 x 500 pixels
- Background photo for premium users between 1,000 x 425 and 4,000 x 4,000 pixels
- LinkedIn Newsfeed status updates and the blog post images 3:2 ratio or at least 552 pixels x 4368 pixels
- Article cover images should be 744 x 400 pixels. Additional information here.
I hope this gives you a few ideas for creating graphics for your social media posts. I can't wait to see them!
This is great info for a newbie like me! Thanks for sharing I will check out Canvas for sure. Millerpropertymanagement.net
This is great information. Thanks Peg!
I’m always searching for this information, I’ll bookmark it this time. I really love your idea of batching images — I often create ‘like’ images for cohesiveness but your example, well, they line up like soldiers. Thanks for the tip!
Quick Tips for a great social media graphics, Wow! Pretty good idea again for my photography, a easy way to follow this kind of tips. Thank you. I really like it!
marygravitt Thanks for reading and commenting!
KeenerMarcom In retrospect, it was a great idea I wish I had started sooner. I should go back and create some from the most popular posts so they have good images for Pinterest.
Thanks for reading!
Peg, these are great. I love the Pinterest tip but can you explain how you do this?
Hey Peg, nice information. Especially the image sizes, it’s always great to have them on your fingertips or at close range, very important for blog images. Also, pictures create more interaction i have come to notice. You may also want to check out an infographic i shared on my blog showing what people are currently sharing on social networks. Hope it helps http://www.techpurge.com/pictures-opinions-top-people-share-social-networks-infographic/
GREAT post Peg! Lots of stuff out there, you added points I haven’t seen before; batching images very cool; making images sharable fab. Always learning from you. e.
sheconsulting Thank you so much, Esta! I hope you’re doing well.
JoanStewart Hi Joan! Are you asking how to embed the pin on your blog? If so, you go to this page: http://business.pinterest.com/en/widget-builder#do_pin_it_button and you choose if you want a board widget or a pin widget, you enter the pins URL, and it generates a code that you put on your blog.
Let me know if you need more help!
I use to
post whatever I like to share without concerning my self to check if I’m
doing it correctly. I just click the post or share button but reading your
tips makes sense to me why I don’t get many views or comments on my post.
Thanks for this helpful tips Peg! It’s good to know something new to improve
my work and do something about it.
Another thing is, people like to see pictures and illustrations. Most people are visuals and they tend to stay on your page longer than those without visual aids.
Great post — I just wish all these social outlets used the same size of images. There is really too much work to get it perfect for every social network out there.
Quick question, Peg – when you share posts on G+, it looks like in order to get a tall image in, you have to share the post ‘by hand’; meaning you add the tall image and include the link in the post.
Otherwise, when you share a post on G+ from the post page, the image is basically FB dimensions and no plugin can help that, right?
Great post! One image size that I find extremely important and too often missed is the Facebook Link Preview image.
If your photo isn’t optimized for this, especially if it has words on it, you’re really missing the mark. This is the MOST IMPORTANT image size as its the MOST COMMON form of link sharing on Facebook. Since Facebook automatically pulls the image for the image preview, you have to make sure it’s the right size. People aren’t going to take the time to optimize the post for you every time it’s shared – you had to do the work and make it easy for them. In turn, this will only help you and make you look GREAT!
In case you’re wondering, the size is 484 x 252 pixels.
Great post and so informative, Peg!
Quick question – what size does the blog post image have to be to start with before you use social warfare?
Thanks!
Sue
Peg, absolutely love your blog and all the information you provide- it comes very handy! I highly recommend The Art of Social media to all – marketers, small business owners, online marketers….et all.