A great way to both generate and nurture leads, Instagram has an array of ad formats to choose from for all kinds of content.
However, with every new update or feature release, image sizes can change almost overnight. As technology improves with bigger screens and new phone sizes, so do the specs that are involved with images shown on them.
When images are not the right size, you can miss out on opportunities from awkward cropping, or not registering well on the screen. Wrong ad specs can make your brand look unprofessional, decrease engagement, or even make you lose sales.
But don’t worry, we’ve got you.
We’ve compiled all the correct image sizes for all the different formats of Instagram ads, just for you.
Instagram Image Ads
Instagram Newsfeed Image Ads
Since its conception, the newsfeed has been the heart of Instagram. From its origins as a photo-sharing platform, it’s still widely used by people who expect less text and more images.
Newsfeed image ads have three main components: image, copy, and call-to-action button. From these three components, you can make an infinite type of ad combinations for every segment of your sales funnel.
Square Newsfeed Image Ad Specs
Before the portrait, landscape, and video formats, the original image format on Instagram was Square. Square Ad formats remain a great way to blend in with existing Instagram posts and seamlessly integrate with user-generated lifestyle content.
Square Ads are a great way to keep the look consistent between the profile view and the feed, without risking awkward cropping. If you’re looking to create a square format, here are the dimensions you should be looking at:
- Recommended resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Aspect Ratio: 1:1
- File Formats: JPG or PNG.
- All image files are 30MB max.
- Caption length: 0 to 125 characters
Portrait Newsfeed Image Ad Specs
In 2017, Instagram released an update that allowed both Portrait and Landscape Ads on their feeds that opens up a lot of opportunities for advertisers to get more creative with their content.
Portraits Ads maximize the feed view by utilizing the most amount of screen real estate compared to the other static ad formats. Here are the specs that you need to know to maximize them:
- Recommended image ad size: 1080 x 1350 pixels.
- Recommended aspect ratio: 1.9:1.
- File Formats: JPG or PNG.
- All image files are 30MB max.
- Caption length: 0 to 125 characters
It is best for lifestyle content such as fashion that usually needs a full-frame to showcase the key elements to the brand.
Landscape Newsfeed Image Ads
Landscape Ad images take up a lot less space on the customer feed view than Square Ad formats, but they can still be a unique way to showcase a brand’s content.
- Recommended image ad size: 1200 x 628 pixels.
- Recommended aspect ratio: 1.9:1.
- File Formats: JPG or PNG.
- All image files are 30MB max.
- Caption length: 0 to 125 characters
Perfect for lifestyle content such as panoramic shots of events places, travel inspirations, or even wide product shots, Landscape Ads can make a huge difference.
However, there are some drawbacks to using Portrait and Landscape ads, most notably the tendency for the awkward cropping. Many brands use their visuals for actual posts instead of just ads. Instagram profiles still showcase images in the Square format. Graphic designers and marketers should be vigilant on how their content will register on both accounts.
Instagram Feed Video Ads
They say pictures are worth a thousand words, but sometimes you need a novel to get your brand story out. Here’s where the video ads come in.
As attention spans shorten, Video marketing has been booming. Video ads are ideal ways to bring brand awareness with their dynamic format. Customers are more likely to retain messages on video and compared to just text or static posts.
Instagram Feed Video Ad Specs
With moving images, you can grab the user’s attention. All great Instagram feed videos start with one particular thing, the right specs:
- Length: 3 seconds to 60 seconds
- Maximum size: 4GB
- Video frame rate: 30fps max
- File type: .mp4 container
- Audio: Stereo AAC audio compression, 128kbps + preferred
Square Feed Video Ad Specs
- Recommended video resolution: 600 x 600 pixels
- Aspect Ratio: 1:1
- Caption length: 0 to 125 characters
Landscape Feed Video Ad Specs
- Recommended video resolution: 600 x 315 pixels
- Aspect Ratio: 1.9:1
- Caption length: 0 to 125 characters
Vertical Feed Video Ad Specs
- Recommended video resolution: 315 x 600 pixels
- Aspect Ratio: 1.9:1
- Caption length: 0 to 125 characters
While Instagram Feed videos automatically play, the user default on audio is mute. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t add audio; it just means you should put it secondary to the visuals.
You can also utilize the use of text, but not too much that the user would swipe right then read. For video ad success, it’s best to create video content that grabs people’s attention in as quick as 3-5 seconds.
Instagram Story Video Ad Specs
With the rise of other bite-sized video sharing platforms, Instagram has been trying to get a piece of the vertical video pie. A format pioneered with Snapchat in 2013 and pushed further by upcoming apps like TikTok, Instagram Story Ads have been a go-to format for online campaigns since.
With most of the world interacting with smartphones with a portrait screen format, we’re expecting that this isn’t just a passing trend. Vertical videos such as Instagram Stories are more engaging because they take up the most realty space than any other format.
If you want to learn how to keep more eyes and longer views, here are the specs for Instagram Stories:
- Recommended resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels
- Length: 1 to 15 seconds per story
- Maximum size: 4GB
- Video frame rate: 30fps max
- Video: Must have a resolution minimum of 720p.
- File type: .mp4 or MOV
- Aspect ratio: 9:16
Instagram Stories are often more personal than the curated content on feeds. The more organic your branded videos look in between user-generated content will increase the appeal towards prospective customers.
Popularized by brands such as Spotify, Netflix, and National Geographic, it’s a rising format that opens a whole new world of possibility for ad campaigns everywhere.
However, sometimes a photo or a video won’t do. Instagram has found a way to get the best of both worlds through their Carousel Ads.
Instagram Carousel Ads
Taken from the arsenal of its social media sibling, Facebook, Instagram Ad Carousel is a great value ad format that reaches prospective customers in a completely different way. Instagram Carousel Ads allow up to 10 images or videos within a single ad. You can easily spot a carousel through the dots that show up on the bottom of the image.
Instagram Carousel Ads are the best format to show step-by-step guidelines or instructions. Using Carousel Ads, you can show your customers exactly how to avail of your service or how to use your product effectively.
Often used for campaigns with objectives designed to convert customers, Carousel Ads can tell a chronological story or showcase several variants of a product that is part of a catalog.
If you want more traffic or store visits, here are the specs for your Carousel Ad Campaign:
- 2-10 images or videos
- Recommended resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Aspect Ratio: 1:1 (square), 1.9:1 (landscape)
- File Formats: JPG, PNG, mp4 or MOV
- All image files are 30MB max.
- Caption length: 0 to 90 characters
Carousel Ads also require thumbnail images. Unlike the Facebook Carousel Ads, Instagram doesn’t mandate Carousel Ads to have a description. With up to ten photos, you can likely make a point without long winding text.
Closing Thoughts
Despite being around for ten years, Instagram hasn’t stopped innovating their user experience for both customers and advertisers. From the early days as a photo-sharing platform to the billion-dollar behemoth that it is today, there’s no stopping Instagram from taking over our screens.
Every great Instagram campaign takes several moving parts to be successful – choosing the right graphics, setting the right time to display to targeting the right people. All great ads start with the right canvas, and we hope this list of Instagram ad specs saves you the time to paint on it.
