Discover the Best Video Formats for Social Media

Social media platforms are becoming more refined which  means each platform now has their own recommended formatting options when it comes to video posts. To make it easier for our audience, we compiled all of the need-to-know information from Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok in this blog so you don’t have to spend time searching for it. 

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Facebook

Facebook is constantly updating its design and algorithm, so here is the latest for this platform. 

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General Facebook Videos

• Shared posts (portrait and landscape) can be up to 4GB in size, 240 minutes max, 30 fps, and must be uploaded in .MP4 or .MOV formats.
• Landscape shared posts should have dimensions of 1280 x 720 and an aspect ratio of 16:9.
• Portrait shared posts should have dimensions of 720 x 1280 with an aspect ratio of 9:16.
• 360 Videos (monoscopic) should at most be 5120 x 2560 with an aspect ratio of 2:1.
• The maximum file size is 10GB and at most 30 minutes long. The file should be uploaded as an .MP4 or .MOV.
• 360 Videos (stereoscopic) should have maximum dimensions of 5120 x 5120 and an aspect ratio of 1:1 The maximum file size is 10GB and at most 30 minutes long. The file should be uploaded as an .MP4 or .MOV.
• Stories can be up to 15 seconds in length and are best viewed in an aspect ratio range from 1.91 to 9:16. These files can be up to 4GB and must be uploaded in either .MP4 or .MOV format. 

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Facebook Ads

• In-feed ads require 1080 x 1080 dimensions and 16:9 (landscape) or 1:1 (square) aspect ratio. The maximum size is 4GB, 240 minutes is the longest these ads can be and the max number of frames are 30 fps. 
• Carousel video ads are best with dimensions of 1080 x 1080 and 1:1 (square) aspect ratio. Similar to In-feed ads, the maximum size is 4GB, 240 minutes is the longest these ads can be and the max number of frames are 30 fps. 
• Story ads also require dimensions of 1080 x 1080 with an aspect ratio from 1.91:1 to 9:16. The longest these ads can be are 2 minutes long.

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‍Instagram

Instagram video content is continually increasing, so check out our recommended formats to make sure your videos fit the guidelines. All Instagram videos have a recommended resolution of 1080 x 1080 and a maximum file size of 4GB. These videos should be uploaded as an .MP4 or .MOV with a frame rate of 23–60 fps. Instagram in-feed videos can have up to 125 primary text characters and up to 30 hashtags. 

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‍General Instagram Videos

• In-feed landscape videos are best with an aspect ratio of 16:9.
• In-feed square videos should have a 1:1 aspect ratio.
• In-feed vertical videos need an aspect ratio of 4:5.
• Organic Instagram stories need an aspect ratio of 9:16 and can be up to 15 seconds long.
• Reels also have an aspect ratio of 9:16 and can range in time from 3 seconds to 15 minutes long. 
• The aspect ratio for IGTV is 9:16 or 16:9 and the largest the file size can be is 650 MB (under 10 minutes) or 3.6 GB (up to 60 minutes). IGTV max video length is 15 minutes when it is uploaded from a mobile device or 1 hour long if it is uploaded from a desktop computer. 

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Instagram Ads

• In-feed landscape ads should have an aspect ratio of 16:9. 
• In-feed square ads need a 1:1 aspect ratio. 
• In-feed vertical ads are best with a 4:5 aspect ratio.
• Carousel video ads also have an aspect ratio of 1:1.
• Story ads should have an aspect ratio of 9:16.

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LinkedIn

While videos on LinkedIn are a newer concept, they are becoming more popular among business executives. Due to the recent addition of videos on LinkedIn, the only format you can upload is a shared video. Shared videos should be in the aspect ratio range of 1:2.4 to 2.4:1 and can have a maximum file size of 5GB. Video formats to upload are .ASF, .AVI, .FLV, .MOV, .MPEG-1, .MPEG-4, .MKV, .WebM, or .MP4 and can be up to 10 minutes long. 

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LinkedIn Ads

All ads have a maximum file size of 200 MB, must be uploaded in .MP4 format, can be 3 seconds to 30 minutes long and must have fewer than 30 fps.

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Landscape Ads

• Minimum dimensions 640 x 360
• Maximum dimensions 1920 x 1080 
• Aspect ratio of 16:9

Square Ads

• Minimum dimensions 360 x 360 
• Maximum dimensions 1920 x 1920 
• Aspect ratio of 1:1

Vertical Ads

• Minimum dimensions 360 x 640 
• Maximum dimensions 1080 x 1920 
• Aspect ratio of 9:16

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TikTok

This video only platform allows for organic in-feed content and in-feed ads. Each has their own unique formatting recommendations. 

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TikTok In-feed videos

• Minimum resolution of 1080 x 1920 
• Aspect ratio of 9:16 
• Maximum file size of 287.6 MB
• Video formats can be .MP4 or .MOV
• Videos can be 15 seconds long if recorded in the app or 60 seconds long (either uploaded from another source or split into four parts in-app) 

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TikTok In-feed Ads 

• Minimum resolution of 540 x 960, 640 x 64, or 960 x 540
• Aspect ratio of 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9
• The maximum file size is 500 MB
• Video formats can be .MP4, .MOV, .MPEG, .3GP, or .AVI
• Videos can be 5–60 seconds long, but 9–15 seconds is recommended
• The bitrate minimum is 516 kbps

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Use our social media video guide to help you navigate the top four social media platforms so your content can stand out amongst the competition. Remember to check the aspect ratio for each platform and video type as well as the recommended dimensions, to better optimize your videos. 

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