Social Media Post Sizes and Specs for Kenyan Brands in 2026

Kenyan brands waste thousands of shillings every month uploading poorly formatted content to Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. A blurry image stretched across a feed, text that gets cut off, or a video that plays at the wrong aspect ratio—these aren't small mistakes. They cost you engagement and make your brand look unprofessional.

The specifications for social media post sizes and formats haven't fundamentally changed since 2025, but platforms keep making small adjustments. What matters now is knowing exactly what to prepare before your content goes live. Whether you're managing your own accounts or working with social media experts on Kaziiko, these specs are non-negotiable.

Facebook and Instagram Feed Posts

Instagram and Facebook use the same feed layout across most devices. Your image should be 1080 pixels wide by 1350 pixels tall for a vertical post (a 4:5 aspect ratio). This is the sweet spot. Anything smaller gets stretched or pixelated. Anything larger wastes file size without improving quality.

For square content—still popular for carousel posts and reels—use 1080 x 1080 pixels. When you upload an image smaller than 1080 pixels wide, Instagram and Facebook will upscale it, which degrades the image quality noticeably. You'll see fuzziness, especially in text and logos.

Text overlay on images should be large and dark enough to read on small phone screens. A 12-point font won't work. Aim for 24-points minimum if you're adding copy directly to the image itself.

Stories and Vertical Video

Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, and TikTok content all want vertical video. The standard is 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio). If you're exporting from your phone or editing software, select "vertical" or "portrait" mode explicitly.

File size matters here. TikTok will accept videos up to 287.6 MB, but anything over 100 MB uploads slowly on Kenya's mobile networks. Compress your video before uploading. Most editing apps have a "compress for social" option.

Stories disappear after 24 hours, so the production quality doesn't need to be magazine-level, but the technical spec still does. A 720 x 1280 pixel story will look grainy next to a 1080 x 1920 one on someone's phone.

LinkedIn and Twitter/X

LinkedIn favors landscape content. Use 1200 x 627 pixels for image posts. This is wider than Instagram because LinkedIn's feed is designed for desktop viewing as well as mobile.

Twitter/X images should be 1024 x 512 pixels for landscape or 512 x 680 pixels for portrait. Keep file sizes under 5 MB. Text in X posts often gets cropped on mobile, so avoid placing critical information at the edges of your image.

TikTok and YouTube Shorts

Both platforms want short, vertical video. TikTok and Shorts use 1080 x 1920 pixels. The minimum video length is 3 seconds for TikTok, but most successful Kenyan brands post 15-60 second videos.

Frame rate should be 24fps or 30fps. If you go higher (60fps), you'll need more processing power, but the platform doesn't reward it.

When working with graphic designers on Kaziiko or video editors, give them these specs upfront. It saves revision rounds and ensures your final asset is ready to post without resizing.

General Best Practices

Save images as JPG for photographs and PNG for graphics with transparent backgrounds. Always export at 72 DPI for web (not 300 DPI, which is for print and wastes file size). Compress before uploading using free tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh.

Test your post on your own phone before going live. What looks good on your desktop monitor may look stretched or cut off on a smaller screen. A 10-second preview on your actual device catches most problems.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I upload an image smaller than the recommended size?

Social platforms will upscale the image to fit, which makes it look pixelated and blurry. Your brand looks cheap. Always meet the minimum 1080 pixel width for feed posts.

Can I use the same image on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn?

Not ideally. Each platform crops differently. A 1080 x 1350 image looks good on Instagram but wastes space on LinkedIn. If budget is tight, use landscape (1200 x 627) as a compromise, but vertical content always performs better on Instagram and TikTok.

How do I know if my video will upload properly to TikTok?

Export at 1080 x 1920 pixels, 30fps, under 100 MB. Upload to a test account first if it's your first time. TikTok will tell you immediately if the format isn't supported.

Should I add watermarks or logos to every image?

Yes, if someone screenshots or shares your post without crediting you. A small, subtle logo in the corner is standard. Make it large enough to see at phone size (minimum 20 pixels) but small enough not to dominate the image.