4 Tips to Create the Perfect Cover Photo on Any Social NetworkBy Kelsey Jones

Published August 20, 2014 

Are you proud of your social media cover photos?

Do you want to find out how to improve them?

Your cover photo is the first thing anyone sees when they visit your social media profiles.

Make that first impression a positive one.

In this article I’ll share tips to improve the quality and impact of your cover images today.

Find tips for creating the perfect social media cover photo.

#1: Pay Attention to DimensionsWhen Facebook introduced the cover photo, Twitter and Google+ followed suit. The large, banner-

sized cover photos allow companies to express their online persona or reflect their established

branding.

When it comes to cover photo perfection for brands and organizations, there’s more to good design

and layout than just finding a beautiful image and saving it.

Repurposing art without customizing it may work in some rare cases, but you run the risk of ending

up with cover photo elements that stretch beyond the image boundaries.

Always take the time to resize your art.

Notice how the Facebook buttons hide the “R” in “Ride” and the top of the train is cut off. It’s possible

the company reused an image from another medium without resizing it to fit the cover photo space.

Using the recommended image size for your cover photo, no matter which platform you’re on, is key.

Proper sizing ensures the image works best within the space—and with an overlapping profile photo.

You want to be sure your image doesn’t look distorted or cut off.

When Google+ changed the header dimensions, the tagline in this Mercedes-Benz header was cut

off the by the blurred feature bio area.

Even an otherwise stunning image can be poorly affected by a platform’s image constraints.

In response, Mercedes-Benz loaded a new cover image designed specifically for the newer

dimensions.

Mercedes-Benz stays on top of changes to social platform cover image dimensions.

If you’re designing a Facebook cover photo, the recommended size is 851 x 315 pixels. The

minimum dimensions you can use are 339 x 150 pixels.

Ideally, a Google+ cover photo should be 1080 x 608 pixels, but it can be up to 2120 x 1192 pixels.

The smallest image you can use is 480 x 270 pixels.

As for Twitter, they have a single recommended size: 1500 x 500 pixels.

LinkedIn’s hero image has a recommended size of 1400 x 425 pixels.

#2: Use Consistent Brand ColorsYour cover photo takes up a lot of real estate on your profile. Because of that, it needs to work

seamlessly with the rest of your branding.

If the colors in your cover photo don’t match your website logo colors, your page can look

disjointed. Visitors may think you don’t care about your social media presence.

When images and colors match, your profile looks professional.

Cheezburger is a great example of a cover photo done right. They did a great job of creating a fun,

cohesive image that matches both their modern, comedic style and plays on the name of their

website.

The blue background of the cover photo matches the blue in their logo and the background of their

profile photo. This page looks like the company put thought into the design and takes their profile

seriously.

Your cover photo and profile picture certainly don’t need to match, but the images should use a

complementary color palette.

Your company’s branding should be consistent across all media.

Even though the blue spiral logo in the example above is cut off and the dark background doesn’t

match either the orange of the ClickHole logo or website, this cover image works because of careful

color choice.

#3: Change Images OftenChanging your cover photo takes very little effort—usually just a few clicks. Because it’s that easy, it

makes sense to change your photo to complement or highlight current promotions, the

season or an upcoming local event.

Update your space often to let your audience know about upcoming events or promotions.

Local animal shelter Great Plains SPCA made great use of space in the cover photo above. While

highlighting a current fundraising campaign with a local collar company, they made sure the

paragraph text wasn’t covered by the profile photo and showcased the collars by making them the

border of the photo.

When the seasons change, change your cover image.

The City of Olathe, KS, changes their cover photo to reflect the seasons and related community

locations. This Facebook cover photo shows off their largest community pool, which has waterfalls

and a lazy river: a perfect representation of how to enjoy summer. Additionally, the blue of the water

flows with the blue sky in their profile photo.

#4: Focus on FansWhen it comes to social media, it’s all about your community. Therefore, having fan-sourced images

in your cover photos can be the perfect way to connect.

Show off the fans who show you off.

Taco Bell made a fan wall of their fans’ Instagrams of their latest Taco Bell trips, then used the wall

in their cover photo. If you have a fanatical user base, like Taco Bell does, fans will love seeing their

photos on your social media pages.

Promote your product by promoting people who use it.

Gossip magazine Us Weekly‘s cover photo is a collage of celebrities (the fodder for their stories)

reading and holding issues of their magazines. It’s a fun way to promote different issues of their

weekly magazine.

Conclusion

Cover photos are some of the most underutilized aspects of a social media profile, yet they take up

the majority of what a user sees first above the fold when they first go to a business page.

It’s important to budget for the time and cost of a unique cover photo. While sites

like QuotesCover and Canva make it easier to create a great cover photo on your own, the

services of a graphic artist can ensure your photo has the perfect dimensions, sizing and

format.

Above all, remember your cover photo needs to fit your brand and company perfectly.

What do you think? Will these tips affect your cover photos? What changes will you make?

What tips can you share? Leave your comments below.