A Comprehensive Guide to Social Media Video Specs: 2023 Edition 

In today’s digital landscape, video has emerged as the go-to tool for brands looking to boost engagement and drive conversions. The numbers don’t lie – video content is delivering impressive results across major social platforms. For instance, on Facebook, videos garner up to 135% more organic reach than images, Twitter sees six times more retweets for videos, and a whopping 75% of executives tune into world-related videos weekly on LinkedIn. However, as is the nature of the social media realm, video specifications are constantly evolving. These changes primarily aim to enhance the viewing experience for users. Keeping up with these alterations can be a challenge. That’s why we’ve put together this comprehensive guide to social media video specifications, ensuring your content shines in 2023. In this article, we will cover video specs for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, YouTube, and Pinterest. We’ll also delve into specifics for various video formats offered by each platform, such as Facebook’s carousel video ads, Instagram in-feed video, and YouTube’s skippable and unskippable video ads. Let’s dive into the ever-evolving world of social media video specs for 2023!

Facebook Video Specs

Instagram Video Specs

X (formerly Twitter) Video Specs

Snapchat Video Specs

YouTube Video Specs

LinkedIn Video Specs

Pinterest Video Specs

Facebook Video Specs:

Facebook Feed Video:

 
Recommended size: 1280 by 720 pixels for both Landscape and Portrait.
Minimum width: 1200 pixels.
Supported aspect ratios: 16:9 (horizontal) and 9:16 (full portrait).
Recommended specs: Videos should use H.264 compression, square pixels, fixed frame rate, progressive scan, and stereo AAC audio compression at 128kbps+. Videos can be as long as 240 minutes, as large as 4GB, and have a maximum frame rate of 30fps.
 

Facebook 360 Video:

 
Resolution and Aspect Ratio (Monoscopic): 5120 x 2560 maximum, aspect ratio 2:1.
Resolution and Aspect Ratio (Stereoscopic): 5120 x 5120 maximum, aspect ratio 1:1.
Recommended specs: .MP4 format, maximum file size 10GB, maximum length 30 min, maximum frame rate 30fps.
 

Facebook Stories:

 
Recommended size: 1080 by 1080 pixels.
Aspect Ratio: 1.91 to 9:16, with colored gradient bars above and below videos under 9:16.
Minimum size for square video: 600 by 600 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio).
Recommended specs: .MP4 or .MOV format.
 
Tip: Use the highest resolution source video when using Stories. Stories can be 5-20 seconds long, so create engaging content to capture your audience’s attention.
 

Facebook Reels:

 
Resolution: 540 x 960 (540p) minimum (1080×1920 or greater recommended).
Supported aspect ratio: 9:16.
Recommended video formats: MP4 and MOV.
 
Tip: For quality video ads, upload your highest resolution video available (meeting file size and ratio limits), with a duration of 4 – 60 seconds.
And this is just a glimpse of Facebook’s video specs. Make sure to optimize your content accordingly to make the most of this platform’s diverse video formats.

Instagram Video Specs:

Instagram in-feed video:

Landscape video: 1920 by 1080 pixels (16:9 aspect ratio).Square video: 1080 by 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio).Vertical video: 1080 by 1350 pixels (4:5 aspect ratio).Recommended specs: .MP4 or .MOV format. Maximum file size is 4GB, and videos can be up to 60 seconds long. Maintain H.264 compression, square pixels, fixed frame rate, progressive scan, and stereo AAC audio compression at 128kbps+. Instagram Carousel Video Ads: Recommended size: 1080 by 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio).

Recommended specs: .MP4 or .MOV formats. Maximum length of 60 seconds.

Tip: Carousel ads are perfect for episodic content, allowing you to include up to 10 images or videos in a single ad.

Instagram Stories Video Ads:

Recommended size: 1080 by 1080 pixels.Supported aspect ratios: 9:16.Recommended specs: .MP4 or .MOV format. Stories can be 15 seconds for organic posts and 2 minutes for IG Story Ads, with a maximum file size of 4GB. Tip: Use the highest resolution video available for Stories to capture viewers’ attention.

Instagram Reels:

Allowed duration: 3 seconds – 15 minutes.Supported aspect ratios: 9:16.Recommended specs: .MP4 or .MOV format, maximum file size 4GB, allowed frame rate 23-60fps, allowed maximum bitrate 5Mbps. Tip: Make your Reels engaging with catchy music and concise call-to-action text. And these are just a few highlights from Instagram’s video specifications. Ensure your content aligns with the platform’s various video formats for optimal engagement.

X (formerly Twitter) Video Specs:

X (formerly Twitter) Landscape Videos:

Recommended size: 1280 by 720 pixels (16:9 aspect ratio).Supported aspect ratio: 16:9.Recommended specs: Use .MP4 for web, .MOV format for mobile, and videos cannot exceed 140 seconds in length. Maximum file size is 512MB with a maximum frame rate of 40fps.

X (formerly Twitter) Portrait and Square Videos:

Recommended size for portrait: 720×1280 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio).Recommended size for square: 720 by 720 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio).Minimum size: 32 by 32 pixels.Recommended specs: Use .MP4 for web, .MOV format for mobile, and videos cannot exceed 140 seconds in length. Maximum file size is 512MB with a maximum frame rate of 40fps.These specs are tailored for mobile-captured videos on Twitter. Make sure your videos are optimized for this platform’s unique format.

Snapchat Video Specs:

Snapchat Single Video Ads:

Recommended size: 1080 by 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio).Recommended specs: .MP4 or MOV, H.264 encoded, between 3 and 10 seconds long, maximum file size 32MB.Audio specs: 2 channels, PCM or AAC codec, 192 minimum kbps, 16 or 24 bit only, 48 KHz sample rate.

Snapchat Long-Form Video Ads:

Recommended size: 1080 by 1920 pixels.Supported aspect ratios: 9:16 or 16:9.Recommended specs: .MP4 or MOV, video length is 3 to 180 seconds, maximum file size 1GB.Audio specs: 2 channels, PCM or AAC codec, 192 minimum kbps, 16 or 24 bit only, 48 KHz sample rate.

Snapchat Sponsored Geofilter:

Recommended size: 1080 by 1920 pixels.Overlay format: .PNG with transparent background, maximum 250kb. These specs are vital for creating effective video content on Snapchat. Keep in mind the restrictions and recommendations to maximize your Snapchat video ads.

YouTube Video Specs:

YouTube Video Player Specs:

Recommended sizes: Various resolutions, from 426 by 240 pixels (240p) to 3840 by 2160 pixels (2160p).Supported aspect ratios: 16:9 and 4:3.Recommended specs: Multiple formats accepted, including .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, or WebM. Maximum file size is 128GB, and videos can be up to 12 hours long. YouTube reaches a diverse audience, so ensure your videos cater to varying internet connectivity speeds and devices.

YouTube Video Ads:

Skippable video ads: Maximum length of 6 minutes (skippable after 5 seconds).Unskippable video ads: Maximum length of 15, 20, or 30 seconds.Mid-roll video ads: Minimum length of 30 seconds.Bumper video ads: Maximum length of 6 seconds. YouTube offers different ad formats to engage your audience effectively. Make your ads compelling with clear calls to action.

YouTube Shorts:

Recommended sizes: Various resolutions, from 240 by 426 pixels (240p) to 3840 by 2160 pixels (2160p).Aspect ratio: 9:16.Video length: 60 seconds. YouTube Shorts is the platform’s short-form video format. Create captivating Shorts with catchy music and concise text.

LinkedIn Video Specs:

LinkedIn Shared Videos:

Maximum size: 4,096 by 2,304 pixels.Minimum size: 256 by 144 pixels.Supported aspect ratios: 1:2.4 to 2.4:1.Recommended specs: .ASF, .AVI, .FLV, .MOV, .MPEG-1, .MPEG-4, .MKV, and .WebM. Maximum file size 5GB, maximum length 10 minutes, maximum frame rate 60fps.

LinkedIn Video Ads:

Maximum size: 1080p (1440 x 1080; wide 1920 x 1080).Minimum size: 360p (480 x 360; wide 640 x 360).Audio format: AAC or MPEG4.Audio size: Less than 64KHz.Aspect ratios: Video ads with a 1:1 aspect ratio should have a minimum resolution of 600 x 600px and a maximum resolution of 1080 x 1080px.Recommended specs: .MP4, file size between 75 KB and 200 MB, maximum 30 minutes long, maximum frame rate 30fps. LinkedIn recommends keeping video ads to 15 seconds or less in length, although longer ads are possible for specific marketing strategies.

Pinterest Video Specs:

 
Pinterest Video Ads:
 
Minimum size: 240p.
Recommended sizes: Square videos – 600 by 600 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio), Vertical videos – 600 by 900 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio).
Recommended specs: .MP4 or .MOV, maximum file size 2GB, maximum length 30 minutes, maximum frame rate 25fps.
 
Pinterest is all about pins and boards. Create boards to showcase your ads effectively, particularly for long-running promotions or how-to videos.
  

Conclusion:

As you dive into the world of social media video content in 2023, remember that staying up-to-date with platform-specific video specs is crucial. By optimizing your videos for each platform’s unique format, you can engage your audience more effectively and make a lasting impact. Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, LinkedIn, or Pinterest, this comprehensive guide ensures your video content shines brightly in the digital realm.
 
Stay tuned for future updates, as the world of social media and video content is always evolving!