When you’re creating content on Intagram, knowing the right post sizes is so essential. Nobody likes out-of-margins content, and even if it is filled with value, it si going to mess up the entire presentation.
So, the question is, what are all of the Instagram post sizes that you should use? That’s exactly what I’m going to talk about in today’s blog post. So, are you ready to begin? If so, let’s dive in…
Instagram Post Sizes Cheat Sheet
First, I’m going to share with you the cheat sheet, and then we are going to dive a bit more in-depth about why is it actually important and into the ‘presentation’ part of content creation.
So, here we go:
- Reels: 1080x1980px
- Image Posts And Carousels (Square): 1080x1080px
- Image Posts And Carousels (Portrait): 1080x1350px
- Video (Squere): 1080x1080px
- Video (Portrait): 1080x1350px
- Instagram Stories: 1080x1980px
- Lives: 1080x1980px
- Reel Cover Photo: 1080x1980px
And that’s it.
Now, if you want to create content within those Instagram post sizes, then I highly recommend using Canva for that as it is one of the best free content creation tools and it even has these sizes like templates for you…so that when you forget something, you will still know it.
Alright, but now when you know what all of the post sizes and you know which Instagram post size to pick for your piece of content…
…you must also understand that the biggest problem is not with picking the right size, but with creating the content itself.
And the reason why you need to pick the right Instagram post size is that it would mess up the presentation part of your content if you wouldn’t.
And straight away, if you are not going to get the presentation of the content right, then your content is going to fail…
Instagram Content Presentation
It is one thing to create a valuable piece of content. Anybody can do that. You just educate, entertain, inspire, make ’em relate, etc. and you have it.
But the challenge is when it comes to presenting the value. In the end, the best posts always have the best presentation.
Here is a list of some of the stuff that a great presentation includes:
- Design
- Message Clarity
- The Environment Of The Video (If You Share A Video)
- The Fluency Of The Message (If You Talk To Camera)
- Supportive Elements Like Text And Points/Lists (If You Share A Video)
- Supportive Design Elements (If You Share A Carousel…e.g. visual demonstrations, examples, etc.)
- And Many More…
There are so many things that the list is virtually endless. It always depends on the content that you share. Instagram post sizes belong there as well.
In other words, you won’t be able to keep track of it all. The only way you can create the best presentation is to actually keep in mind that the post or video has to be easy to consume, look well, hook their attention, and cause them to take action.
Also, try to avoid stuff like jargon and other things.
But the practical advice is not to make it a science. Again, just keep in mind that the value has to be easy to consume and that they have to understand everything you say.
When that happens, then the presentation is good.
However, if you’re going to play with all of the other stuff and make it GREAT, that’s when you’ll get real results.
But to create the right presentation you also need the right tool for content creation. And there are a lot of them, but only one is the BEST…
It is Canva.
It’s easy to use, anybody can design content with it, you can create posts using the right Instagram post sizes, and more.
Alright, but there are also other elements of great content that you need to be aware of, and without them, your content is just not going to perform and reach any of your dream customers…
Value
We’ve already talked about this one during the presentation part. Every Instagram post that you’re going to create needs to be valuable.
Otherwise, why would anybody even waste their time on it? Content that is not valuable doesn’t perform, and I will guarantee you that without it, you won’t grow, reach anybody, or get any customers.
There are 5 main value pillars on Instagram that you can use for your content:
- Education
- Entertainment
- Inspiration
- Aesthetics
- Relatability/Emotions
The first thing is education. These are all of the “How-To” posts and “7 tips to_____” posts that you see every single day.
They are valuable because they provide the dream customer with valuable advice that is going to move them closer to their goal.
And it is just incredible. However, make sure that when you are going to share this kind of value, you are going to be original and unique in some way so that people have a reason to come to YOU instead of others for their advice.
Second, there is entertainment. And I think the reason why this one is valuable is actually pretty obvious.
Who doesn’t like to be entertained?
PEOPLE DEMAND ENTERTAINMENT.
And if it is the right value pillar for the industry that you are in, then I would definitely tap into it. However, you can be entertaining regardless of the industry that you are in.
If you are for example an accountant and you create a meme about new tax laws, then you can be entertaining regardless of your industry not being entertaining at all.
You just need to get creative. However, for most, this is going to be a secondary value pillar. Mainly you’re likely going to create something else…(most likely.)
And now let’s move on to the third thing which is inspiration.
Whenever you read a quote that fires you up, or you are in a bad situation and you just read a quote that cheers you up and shows you a way…
Who wouldn’t find that valuable right? Everybody does.
And that is why it is such a big content pillar on Instagram. All of the motivational pages that you see are based entirely upon it, and it’s normal that some of them grow by millions of followers.
People just want to be inspired.
The fourth value pillar on Instagram that you should use when creating new Instagram posts is aesthetics.
This is more unique on Instagram as it is mainly an app that is based on image content. Have your ver followed a photographer and just loved the images of, for example, nature that they share?
Or have you ever followed a designer who was sharing some unique designs that you just loved?
That is EXACTLY what aesthetics value is about. For some reason, when something looks great and it draws our attention, we find it valuable.
But this is working mainly just on Instagram. On YouTube you won’t find it, on TikTok, you won’t find it, on LinkedIn you’re not likely to find it.
But it is on Instagram, and you want to use it for your Instagram posts.
And the last value pillar is reliability and emotions.
I always said that the last value pillar is news, and they are really valuable. But in the end, they belong to the education value pillar as you educate people about the stuff that is currently happening…you give them new information.
Now, I realized that the truly last value pillar is emotion and reliability.
If you ever read an emotional story about how somebody went through some horrible situation and you felt an emotion and then just engaged with the post, then you know what I’m talking about.
You probably didn’t discover a tactic that will change your life, you probably weren’t entertained, you probably weren’t inspired when you heard that somebody’s house was crushed by a tornado…
But you still found it valuable. And that is because of emotions. And if the story is relatable to you and the thing they talk about happened to you as well, it will feel even more valuable to you.
I don’t have a better way to explain this but for some reason emotions usually equal to value to people. And that is why this is such a big value pillar that you want to use for your Instagram posts.
All of your Instagram posts need to be created based on this. However, you also need to follow this last thing or your Instagram posts will suck so bad that nothing will help you…
Relevancy
I have a saying, ” You can’t sell a steak to a vegan.” No matter how hard you try, no matter what you do, you won’t be able to do it.
Even if you hire the best chef in Arizona and also call Gordon Ramsey and record the best guide for cooking steaks on planet Earth…
When you try to promote it to vegans, then they are likely going to send you, you know where.
Now, this is not anything about vegans, this is just how marketing works. If you want your content to perform, it has to be relevant to your dream customers.
Using the right Instagram post sizes is just the beginning.
There is way more behind content creation and if you want to reach people, then this is absolutely necessary.
However, if you want to grow a massive following, there are more things that you have to do…
Filip Konecny 