Although dimensions don’t vary or change as much as they used to (we recommend Hootsuite and Sprout to keep up to date with the latest specs), there’s still differences between platforms and placements, and keeping this in mind at the creative stage will save a lot of time (and money!) when it comes to building your campaigns or scheduling content for multiple platforms.

Here’s the main things we consider when it comes to social creative:

Mind the overlap

Placements like Instagram Stories or videos on TikTok have ‘safe zones’ where the on-screen elements won’t interfere with the creative. So although you may think these placements are full screen, you still have to consider how it will look with these elements.

Making video? Design for sound on and off

Any video content that has someone speaking in it will need subtitles, even if people watch with sound on, and the placement of those subtitles might change depending on those safe zones. The percentage of users who scroll with sound on or off can change depending on the platform, so consider how your content can work in both scenarios.

Split the image and tell the story to get the most out of carousels

Breaking an image or infographic across a carousel is a great way to encourage engagement - build on the element of curiosity so users want to see what comes next. You can also think about how you can maximise the placement to tell your story through a mix of images and video rather than a single image or video.

Use different placements to build a bigger picture

If you have a big story to tell, you can use different placements across different platforms for a more expansive storytelling experience. Great for brand launches or new product offerings, when you’re at the planning stage, think about how you can create added value content out of one photoshoot or filming session. Behind the scenes sneak peeks, outtakes and bloopers, or creating different elements to suit different audiences across the platforms are all worth considering.

Burberry have been doing this to great effect with their latest campaigns; their ‘It’s Always Burberry Weather’ campaign mixed long-form content with irreverent behind the scenes content such as stars of the campaign making their perfect cup of tea with the content distributed to suit each platform’s strengths.

Conclusion

As we’ve said, stopping the scroll is crucial for any advert, and in order to do that, your campaign needs to be a perfect fit. Don’t undermine all that time and effort spent on strategising and creating a brilliant campaign by slacking on the format; make sure to stay up-to-date with resources like Hootsuite and Sprout to keep your ads looking the part on every platform.