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Experiment: Do Traditional SEO Tactics Work on Social Media?
Social SEO is like the new kid that just transferred to your high school. Who are they? What can they do to make me more popular? What can I say to get them to pay attention to me? Do they have a crush on me?
Luckily, our latest experiment can answer most of these questions. (Except whether or not social SEO has a crush on you. That’s between you and the internet.)
In all seriousness, social SEO is newer than traditional search engine optimization, so there are still a lot of unknowns. In this experiment, we tested some popular social SEO tips to see if they worked on TikTok and Instagram.
What tips? Well, like the ones we talk about in this Instagram SEO video:
This post will answer whether or not targeting content to specific high-volume keywords can help boost your video’s performance on TikTok or Instagram.
Bonus: Download a free social SEO checklist and follow pro tips for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn to get your posts seen by more people.
Social SEO, or optimizing your social posts to appear higher in platform search results, is a brand-new game.
For this experiment, we’re starting with the assumption that the search optimization strategies that work for one type of platform might apply to another.
In traditional SEO, marketers optimize their web content to improve its ranking on Google. You target specific keywords and create content that matches the search intent (aka what someone’s actually looking for). It’s all about giving the algorithms that control search results as much context as possible so the robots know your content is valuable and put it closer to the top of the list.
In social SEO, you’re trying to do the same thing. Instagram and TikTok may not be Google, but they also use algorithms to determine which content is served to your audience.
We’ve done experiments on how social media impacts traditional SEO, but this is the first to look at social media SEO specifically.
Methodology
Here’s a breakdown of the steps we took for this experiment:
Step 1: Keyword research on TikTok
We took our own advice and followed the keyword research process outlined in step 2 of this TikTok SEO blog post.
We conducted keyword research by typing our main keyword into TikTok’s search bar and letting autocomplete fill in the rest.
We used those suggested search terms to create a pool of potential keywords that made sense for Hootsuite and our audience.
Step 2: Review the SERP
Once we had a keyword list, we looked at TikTok’s SERP (search engine results page) for each term. If the results for a particular search felt like they matched our target audience and content expertise, we added it to our shortlist.
For example, a term like “social media AI” sounded like a strong contender at first. But with the SERP showing videos like “how to deep fake yourself using AI,” we figured our content probably wouldn’t satisfy that audience.
Because social SEO is new, there’s not a lot of information on search volume (aka how many people are typing “social media AI” into TikTok or Instagram every month). So instead, we used video views to gauge interest.
When choosing keywords, we prioritized terms that returned videos with a minimum of 5K views. It’s not an exact science, but we figured higher average view counts might roughly correspond to more interest in the topic.
Step 3: Video creation
Once our research was done, we settled on five target keywords and created videos for Instagram and TikTok.
For each video, we focused on creating content that the audience wanted — not necessarily what they asked for. That is to say, we made content that matched the searcher’s intent for their term, not the search term itself.
For example, the top videos for a search term like “Instagram caption ideas” may have influencers offering sample captions like “might delete later” or “thought I looked cute.”
If that’s what the audience is looking for, we wouldn’t waste time creating a video on “5 tips on how to write a compelling CTA.” It wouldn’t be technically wrong, but it doesn’t match what the algorithm thinks people want. (And let’s be honest with ourselves: the algorithm is designed to give the people exactly what they want.)
Now comes another popular SEO tip: sprinkling the target keyword throughout the video. We included the target keyword in 3 places:
- In the script at least once,
- In the caption, and
- As on-screen text.
@hootsuite Ranking the captions our new AI instagram caption generator wrote to announce its own launch #copywriting #aiwritingassistant #instagramcaption #aiinstagramcaption
This TikTok targeted the keyword “AI Instagram captions,” so the phrase pops up in the caption and the script.
Step 4: Video publication and control groups
Once we had our videos, we posted them on both TikTok and Instagram, using Hootsuite’s Best Time to Post feature to make sure they went out at the right time. Then, we leaned back and watched the results roll in.
As social media scientists, we knew we needed a control group to compare our results to. But posting the same video without SEO optimization would be repetitive for our audience. This would, obviously, skew the results and negatively affect our social KPIs. No, thank you!
To avoid duplicate content, we decided to pull a random selection of standard content from each channel to use as a control group.
Step 5: Key metrics
So, how would we know if our experiment was successful? We used TikTok and Instagram’s native analytics to review performance and measure success.
First, we gave each video 4 weeks to collect views. Yes, that’s a very long time for a trending TikTok video, but SEO is an evergreen game, so we wanted to give enough time for our videos to gather views from searchers.
For TikTok, we decided that the key metric would be views from the For You page, as opposed to views coming from followers or our profile. We figured that a successfully optimized video would be more likely to appeal to a wider audience and appear on the FYP.
For Instagram, we looked at views from non-followers for the same reason. After all, the goal of SEO is to get our content served to people who don’t already know us but are interested in our niche.
We also looked at total engagements, unique views, and engagement rate (and for TikTok, we were also able to view “watched full video”).
We also spot-checked the search results manually to see if our videos popped up into the top spots.
Results
The TL;DR of the results is that social SEO can improve both reach and engagement rates. Let’s get into it.
TikTok results
On TikTok, our five optimized videos earned 33% more views from people new to our account (aka the FYP). They also had a slightly higher average engagement rate: up from 4.59% to 4.75%.
Our SEO-optimized videos also earned 39% more unique views when compared to our control videos.
Still, when we spot-checked the TikTok SERPs for our keywords, we didn’t see our videos surfacing in TikTok’s search results.
| Average Video Views by Section | Average Total Engagements | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok | SEO Content | Control | SEO Content | Control |
| 22% FYP, 11.4% following, 8.6% personal profile | 16.6% FYP, 15.4% following, 15.2% personal profile | 475 | 208 | |
Here’s an example showing TikTok’s native analytics for a video from our control group. For this non-optimized video, most of the views came from people who came straight to our profile or were already following us. Only 2% of views came from the FYP.
And here’s what the analytics looked like for one of our SEO-optimized TikToks. Check out those video views by section — 31% of our views came from the FYP!
Instagram results
Due to a tragic error, our experiment’s best-performing Instagram videos were accidentally boosted.* Alas, we can no longer access the organic results. However, is it a brag if we acknowledge that these posts were boosted because of how well they were doing??
*Pro tip: Hootsuite will boost your top posts automatically too; just let it know what the trigger should be. 500 likes? 10,000 views? Grab your free trial and try it out!
But, the experiment wasn’t a failure. Strangely enough, our SEO-optimized videos still saw higher total and average engagements.
| Average Views by Source | Average Total Engagements | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram* | SEO Content | Control | SEO Content | Control |
| 5288 from followers vs. 909 from non-followers* | 5300 from followers vs. 1126 from non-followers | Skewed: 578.8
Non-skewed: 250.7 |
200 | |
(*Data with the accidentally boosted posts is labeled as skewed for transparency)
Once we removed the paid views from the calculated averages, we noticed fewer non-followers than the control saw our SEO-optimized content.
But we saw 25% more total engagements and a higher average engagement rate (4.0%, up from 3.1%).
So, go figure. The SEO optimization worked, just not in the way we predicted.
Like TikTok, we didn’t see our videos in the search results here, either.
Here’s how one of non-optimized Reels performed, according to Instagram’s native analytics. Here, 22% of views came from non-followers.
And here’s how one of our SEO-optimized Reels performed. For this one, only about 17% of the views came from non-followers.
Bonus: Google results
Guess what? Google includes TikToks in its search results, so if you’re looking to rank on this all-knowing monolith’s SERPs, then get your TikTok strategy on point.
Knowing this, we took a look at Google’s SERP for our target keywords to see if any of our SEO-optimized TikTok videos would rank.
While none of them made it to the first spot (or Page 1), we did have this video come in at the 12th position for the term “steal our post Instagram.” Funnily enough, this showed us that the order of words in our captions matter.
@hootsuite Steal these Instagram post ideas but only if you wanna double your followers 😏 #igtips #instagraminspo #instagrampostideas
We meant to target the keyword “Instagram post ideas,” but the caption started with “Steal these Instagram post ideas,” which must have confused the poor Google robots.
These results weren’t exactly what we expected, but hey, we did learn something — start with the important info!
Next time, we’d say something more like, “Instagram post ideas you should steal if you wanna double your followers.” Or perhaps you’ll steal this caption idea.
What do the results mean?
So, what do these results mean for you and your social strategy?
The biggest TikTok takeaway is: Optimizing for keywords can get you ~40% more views, including 33% more views coming from the FYP.
While it may not help your video rank on Google or TikTok’s SERP, that doesn’t mean it’s not helping. You don’t have to see it to believe it, folks.
The biggest Instagram takeaway is: By optimizing for keywords, you may find yourself with a ~33% bump in engagement rates.
Due to our boosted post mishap, we can’t say with 100% certainty that Instagram reacts as positively as TikTok. But, in our heart of hearts, we know it’s (probably) true. We’ll definitely rerun this experiment in the future to continue to validate results.
Find out more on Instagram SEO.
The way you can sell this to your boss (or yourself) is this: Optimizing for keywords is easier than creating a viral hit. Integrating social SEO into your content strategy could pay dividends over the long run.
Now that you know how effective SEO can be for TikTok and Instagram, here are nine tips to get you started:
Do your keyword research
Add keyword research to your routine. SEO pros will often perform traditional keyword research once every quarter, but social moves fast. There’s no firm rule as to how often you should be doing social keyword research, but we would recommend pairing it with your content planning.
Keyword research can actually act as a source of inspiration for your content strategy. You’ll discover the terms people are searching for, which indicates a trend or subject your audience is interested in. Then, you can create content that speaks to that interest and hits those keywords.
Supplement, don’t replace
SEO is a methodical approach to getting your content seen, while trends and viral content capitalize on a brief, intense interest from your target audience.
SEO shouldn’t replace your trends and viral content strategy. It should supplement it.
Optimize your educational content, especially
If you’re only going to optimize one piece of content, make it your educational content. On YouTube, the world’s second-largest search engine, educational how-to videos get most of their views from search.
While other types of videos get most of their clicks by using exciting thumbnails and being “up next”, educational content is something people actively search for using … yes, keywords.
It makes sense to optimize educational content for search because people are already searching for it.
We’re big on YouTube SEO, too.
Embed your content on your blog or website
If you’ve got a blog, website, or somewhere to house media, you need to embed your SEO content in relevant articles.
Embedding your keyword-optimized content in another piece of optimized content sends an even stronger relevance signal to Google and makes your video much more likely to rank.
Plus, if your blog or website ranks well and pulls in decent traffic, your embedded videos have a longer half-life and can keep getting views in the long-term.
Pay attention to your script
YouTube, TikTok, and (we suspect) most social platforms that host videos can process the “text of words spoken.” They crawl your transcript, looking for keywords.
So, be sure to pepper your keywords and variations throughout your script. And try to hit your target keyword in the first few seconds.
Put your keywords first
Keyword order seems to matter for some search engines. Be sure to organize your captions intentionally, with the target keyword first.
Add text natively within the platform
In addition to the spoken audio, social platforms will crawl the text on your videos. If you want to make it easier for the platform’s robots to “read” your content, adding your text natively within the platform may have better results.
It’s tough to make blanket statements about all social platforms as we simply don’t have that kind of insight. But, this theory would be a good one to A/B test with your content.
Include alt text
Not only does alt text help visually impaired folks enjoy your content, but it also can help your publishing platform recognize what your content’s about.
The jury’s still out on whether or not alt text has significant benefits for SEO; we did an Instagram alt text experiment with inconclusive results. However, that experiment did not contain keyword research or a significant focus on keywords.
Don’t sleep on your title and hashtags
Title and hashtags are the most obvious tip on this list, but we couldn’t live with ourselves if we didn’t add them here.
Put your keywords in your title and hashtags to help inform the social platform’s algorithm and your audience on what your video is all about.
Save time managing your social media and get your content seen using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard, you can schedule and publish content, engage your audience, and measure the performance of all your accounts, across networks. Try it free today.
Do it better with Hootsuite, the all-in-one social media tool. Stay on top of things, grow, and beat the competition.
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Scheduling Tweets (Xeets?) can be a game-changer for your brand.
It’s hard enough coming up with witty one-liners, hot takes on current events, or smart replies on a regular basis–but actually having to log in and post them at the right intervals? Talk about a headache.
By auto-scheduling your content in advance, you can send out viral Tweets for days (or weeks) without lifting a finger.
Here’s how to do it, and why you should.
Bonus: Download the free 30-day plan to grow your Twitter following fast, a daily workbook that will help you establish a Twitter marketing routine and track your growth, so you can show your boss real results after one month.
How to schedule Tweets: 3 methods
There’s more than one way to bake a cake, and the same is true for scheduling Tweets.
Here are some of the best methods for scheduling your Tweets using Hootsuite and Twitter.
1. On X (formerly Twitter)
The native Twitter scheduler lets you quickly and easily schedule Tweets from the platform itself. You can schedule both organic and promoted Tweets up to a year in advance.
The network’s native scheduler is a little basic, and you’ll be limited to scheduling only on Twitter. But, if that’s right for your business, here’s how to get it done.
Step 1. Log into Twitter Ads
To schedule a Tweet using the Twitter platform, start by logging in to ads.twitter.com.
If you don’t already have a Twitter Ads account set up, you’ll need to add a credit card and billing address to get started.
Step 2. Go to Creatives and then Tweets
Next, choose the Creatives from the drop-down menu at the top of the page, and then choose the Tweets tab.
Here, you can see scheduled Tweets and past Tweets.
Step 3. Schedule a new Tweet
Now, click on New Tweet in the top right corner. You’ll be redirected to the Tweet Composer, where you can create your Tweet. Add your copy, photos, and videos here.
Step 4. Choose promoted or organic
At the bottom of the Tweet Composer, you’ll see a box for Promoted only. If you want your Tweet to be seen only by users targeted in a Promoted Ads campaign, select this box. If you want your Tweet to be seen organically, make sure it’s unchecked.
Step 5. Schedule your Tweet
Once your settings are all set up, click the drop-down next to the Tweet button at the top right of your screen. Choose Schedule, then select the date and time you’d like your Tweet to go live.
From here, you can either schedule this single Tweet, or click the Create another box to the left of the Schedule button to keep drafting more Tweets.
2. With Hootsuite
For brands looking for a more comprehensive Tweet scheduler, a social media management tool like Hootsuite offers bulk scheduling, best time to post features, plus the ability to post to multiple social media accounts at once. (With Hootsuite, you can also schedule posts to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest.)
Here’s how to schedule Tweets with Hootsuite.
Step 1: Click on the Composer icon
When you’ve logged into your Hootsuite account, click the pen icon in the left-hand menu. Then, click Post.
Step 2: Choose your account
You might have multiple Twitter accounts connected to Hootsuite. So, select the one you want to publish to before drafting your post.
Step 3: Draft your post
Start drafting your post in the composer window.
Here, you can add photos, videos, captivating copy, mentions, hashtags, location data, emojis, and more. You can also shorten links and add UTM parameters to help track the performance of your posts.
Plus, use Hootsuite’s new OwlyWriter AI feature to create AI-assisted Tweets directly in your Hootsuite Composer.
Step 4: Schedule your Tweet
Once your Tweet is drafted and ready to schedule, choose the Schedule for later option in the bottom left corner.
Here, you can manually set a date and time for the post to go live. Or, choose from Hootsuite’s best time to post recommendations.
Then, click Schedule, and you’re done!
3. With Hootsuite Mobile
Wondering how to schedule tweets on mobile? Here’s how to do it with Hootsuite.
Step 1. Log into the Hootsuite App
Download and launch Hootsuite’s mobile app on your iOS or Android device. Then, log in using your existing credentials.
Step 2: Click Compose
Once you’re in, click the Compose icon. This is where you’ll draft your post.
Step 3: Choose account and content
Select the Twitter account you’d like to post to, then start drafting your post. Add copy, links, photos, videos, and more.
Step 4: Schedule your Tweet
When you’re done composing the Tweet, tap on Next in the top right of your screen.
A pop-up will appear. Here, you can either Auto schedule Tweets (meaning Hootsuite will choose the best date and time for your post to go live). Or, you can Custom schedule (meaning you the set date and time manually).
Once you’ve made your selection, click Ok, and that’s it! Your Tweet is now scheduled to go live at the specified time.
Benefits of scheduling Tweets
Scheduling Tweets saves you time so you can focus on creating content and engaging with your followers.
Here are a few more reasons you should be scheduling your Tweets.
- Time-saving: Social media managers know just how much time it can take to post on Twitter day in and day out. Scheduling Twitter posts helps you avoid those long hours spent manually posting so you can focus on more interesting or creative tasks.
- Engagement: Ensure your content reaches the largest audience possible by setting it to post during peak engagement times.
- Consistency: Scheduling Tweets is a great way to establish trust with followers and maintain consistency in your brand.
- Targeting: Got a large, global audience? Tweet scheduling is key for targeting customers in different time zones and countries.
- Productivity: It’s easier to stay inspired, organized, and productive with a batch-scheduling system that lets you work on Tweets in advance and let them post at the optimal times.
6 tips for scheduling Tweets
Now that you know the ins and outs of scheduling Tweets, here are some bonus tips to make sure you get the most out of your Twitter presence.
1. Post at the best time
Different brands have different audiences who are active at different times. Using a Twitter scheduling tool to line up your Tweets in advance lets you test the waters and find out what times of day bring you the most engagement.
Then, you can use those insights to optimize your posting schedule and get the most out of every Tweet.
2. Give yourself time to edit
Social media moves fast, and sometimes, the Tweets you scheduled days ago can be out of touch by the time they go live.
That’s why giving yourself some leeway is important when scheduling Tweets. With Hootsuite, you can edit Tweets even after they’ve been scheduled, so you can keep your content up-to-date even when it’s on autopilot.
Set aside time each week to review any scheduled Tweets and make any necessary edits—this way, you can be sure that your content is always as accurate and fresh as possible.
3. Send to your team for approval
Collaboration is a cornerstone of effective social media management. This is especially true for large teams, or those working in highly regulated industries.
Tweet schedulers like Hootsuite let you easily send Tweets to teammates, stakeholders or other decision-makers for approval before they go live.
You can even set up custom user roles for different permissions based on your team structure.
Learn more about social media for healthcare, legal, education, and banking teams here.
Social media managers hyping each other up >>> pic.twitter.com/tRZoDoS4QZ
— Hootsuite 🦉 (@hootsuite) July 11, 2023
4. Link it up
Want to drive even more traffic back to your website? Or see how popular your latest influencer-driven Twitter campaign is with new fans?
Use trackable URL shorteners like Hootsuite’s Ow.ly link shortener in your Tweets so you can see how many people are clicking through.
Plus, with clean, shortened links, you’ll have more character count to work with when crafting your Tweet copy.
These prompts = High-quality AI art 😎 https://t.co/G7dQPZONXt
— Hootsuite 🦉 (@hootsuite) July 12, 2023
5. Turn off scheduled posts during emergencies
Social media crises happen, even to the best-intentioned brands. Thankfully, Hootsuite’s Pause Scheduling button lets you pause all scheduled Tweets with one click so you can manage your social media crisis effectively.
This way, you won’t have to worry about outdated or irrelevant content going out during a difficult time—giving you one less thing to worry about in an emergency.
6. Track, analyze, and optimize
Tweet scheduling platforms like Hootsuite also offer integrated analytics tools so you can track the performance of your Tweets, monitor what’s trending in your industry, and gain insights for future campaigns.
Social listening tools like Hootsuite Insights also let you track mentions of keywords, brands, and hashtags over time, giving you an even deeper look into what’s working and what isn’t.
Use these insights to optimize your future Tweets and stay on top of industry trends.
FAQs about scheduling Tweets
Does Twitter allow you to schedule tweets?
Yes, you can schedule Tweets directly in Twitter (now X) using the Twitter Ads Manager. Keep in mind, you won’t be able to post to multiple accounts from one place.
What is the best app to schedule tweets?
Hootsuite is the best app to schedule Tweets, with its industry-leading bulk uploads, the best time to post feature, and the ability to post to multiple social media accounts at once. Not to mention, AI Tweet-writing features, advanced analytics and reporting, and the one-click Pause Scheduling button for emergencies.
Use Hootsuite to execute your Twitter marketing plan alongside all your other social media activity. From a single dashboard you can monitor your competitors, grow your followers, schedule Tweets, and analyze your performance.
Do it better with Hootsuite, the all-in-one social media tool. Stay on top of things, grow, and beat the competition.
Struggling to keep on top of all the different social media video specs? We were, too.
Social platforms change like the tides, with algorithms and best practices updating constantly. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to be the go-to resource for all things social media, including up-to-date social media video specs.
Read on to find the most recent video specifications for each of the most popular social platforms.
Bonus: Want to know how a viral social video creator makes millions of dollars in sales? Download the free guide now.
Facebook video specs
Optimizing video content for Facebook is tricky, mainly because of the many different ways it delivers video to its users.
When you buy a video ad on Facebook today, it could appear in dozens of different formats (in someone’s mobile news feed, in the sidebar on the desktop version of Facebook, or even in someone’s inbox on Facebook Messenger). And you also have to know what Facebook’s upload limit is for videos, among other things.
It pays to become familiar with the varieties of Facebook videos and to find a delivery format that matches your campaign goals. Find the Facebook video resolution and specs you need below, or check out the help page.
Regular Facebook feed video
Recommended resolution: 1080p or less. Upload the highest-resolution video available that meets file size and ratio limits.
Landscape and Portrait dimensions: 1280 x 720
Minimum width: 1200 pixels
Supported aspect ratios: 16:9 (Landscape) to 9:16 (Portrait), and 16:9 (Portrait video with a link)
Mobile aspect ratio: Renders all video to 2:3
Recommended characters: 90, with link
Headline max: 25, with link
Link description: 30, with link
Length: Videos can be up to 240 minutes long
Size: Up to 10 GB large
Frame rate: Maximum frame rate of 30fps.
Tips: For best results, Facebook recommends uploading videos in .MP4 and .MOV format (see a full list of supported file formats here).
Resource: How to Use Facebook Live Video: A Guide for Marketers
Facebook Reels
Recommended resolution: At least 500 x 888 pixels
Recommended aspect ratio: 9:16
Recommended video format: .MP4, .MOV
Video captions are recommended for those who watch with the sound off
Image via this Facebook Reel
Facebook 360 video
Maximum Facebook video dimension: 5120 by 2560 pixels (monoscopic) or 5120 by 5120 pixels (stereoscopic)
Supported aspect ratios: 1:1 (stereoscopic) or 2:1 (monoscopic)
Recommended format: .MP4 or .MOV format
Size: up to 10GB
Length: up to 30 min
Recommended frame rate: 30fps
Tips: If the camera you recorded your video on automatically includes 360 video metadata with the video file, you can upload the video like you would any other video. If it doesn’t, click on the ‘Advanced’ tab when uploading to bring up Facebook’s ‘360 controls’ tab, which will let you convert unformatted footage into a 360 video.
With many social media video sizes and longer durations (Facebook included), you may experience longer processing times.
Image via Facebook — click through to check out the 360 video!
Facebook in-stream video ads
Recommended resolution: 1080 x 1080
Recommended size: 16:9 ratio recommended (landscape) or 1:1 (square). Upload the highest-resolution video that meets file size and ratio limits.
Video format: Recommended .MP4 or .MOV format
Maximum file size: 4GB
Maximum length: 240 minutes
Maximum frame rate: 30fps
Recommended characters: 125
Recommended headline: 27
Link description: 27
Tips: For in-stream ads, Facebook recommends uploading the “highest resolution source video available without letter or pillar boxing.” Facebook provides an exhaustive list of aspect ratios and features available for each ad type.
Facebook Messenger video ads
Recommended resolution: 1280 by 628 pixels
Supported aspect ratios: 9:16 to 16:9
Recommended time length: 15 seconds
Resource: Facebook Messenger Ads: How the Pros Get Results
Facebook carousel video ads
Recommended size: 1080 by 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Maximum length: 240 minutes
Maximum frame rate: 30fps
Maximum file size: 4GB
Recommended characters: 125
Recommended headline: 27
Resource: Carousel Ads: How and Why They Work (+ Examples)
Tips: Carousels let you showcase up to 10 images or videos in one ad without having the user navigate to a new page. For best results, use a pixel square (1:1) video.
Facebook Collection cover video
Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1080 pixels
Supported aspect ratios: 1:1
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Maximum file size: 4GB
Maximum frame rate: 30fps
Maximum length: 240 minutes
Recommended characters: 90
Headline max: 25
Link description: 30
Tips: Collections make it easier for users to browse and purchase products directly in the Facebook feed. Instant Experience is required to execute Collection ads, which provide a “full-screen landing page that drives engagement and nurtures interest and intent.”
Facebook Instant Experience (IX) video
Recommended resolution: 720p
Aspect ratio: 9:16 Portrait or Pillarboxed
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Maximum file size: 4GB
Maximum length: 120 seconds (all videos combined)
Maximum frame rate: 30fps
Tips: Clicking on an IX ad immediately triggers a full-screen experience for your audience. You can use IX ads to create an instant online storefront, ads for customer acquisition, brand storytelling, or an instant lookbook, or you can build one from scratch, optimized to your goals.
Source: Facebook
Facebook slideshow ads
Aspect ratio: 16:9 (landscape) , 4:5 (vertical), 1:1 (square)
Maximum size: 4 GB
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Maximum length: 15 seconds for the entire slideshow
Tips: Slideshow ads, designed for audiences with slower internet access, let you transform a series of 3-10 images and a sound file (supported formats: WAV, MP3, M4A, FLAC, and OGG) into a video ad.
For best results, Facebook suggests using the highest quality images possible, all the same resolution (ideally an image ratio of 16:9, 1:1, or 2:3). If you use different sizes, the slideshow will be cropped to be square.
Source: Facebook
Facebook Story ads
Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1080
Aspect ratio: 1.91 to 9:16
Recommended characters: 125
Maximum file size: 4 GB
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Recommended length: 15 seconds, but you can split a longer video into 2 or 3 separate Stories cards so your audience can get the full story
Resources: How to Use Facebook Stories for Business: The Complete Guide
Tips: Since Stories only last for a couple of seconds, spend time developing the first few seconds of your ad to really grab your audience’s attention.
Source: @lamoda on Instagram
Instagram video specs
Instagram supports three kinds of video: square (1:1), vertical (9:16 or 4:5) and landscape (16:9).
Pro tip: Square videos are best for both desktop and mobile users. They take up more room in user’s feeds than horizontal videos, but don’t crowd the entire screen like vertical videos do.
Instagram has 1.4 billion daily active users, so let’s get your video uploading on point! Oh, and get your Instagram video creation on point, too.
Instagram in-feed video and ads
In-feed landscape video:
- Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1080
- Aspect ratio: 16:9
- Maximum file size: 4GB
- Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
- Maximum video length: 120 seconds
- Frame rate: 23-60 fps
In-feed square video:
- Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1080
- Aspect ratio: 1:1
- Maximum file size: 4GB
- Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
- Maximum video length: 120 seconds
- Frame rate: 23-60 fps
In-feed vertical video:
- Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1080
- Aspect ratio: 4:5
- Maximum file size: 4GB
- Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
- Maximum video length: 120 seconds
- Frame rate: 23-60 fps
Recommended characters: 125
Source: Instagram @Halara_official
Instagram Stories
Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1920
Aspect ratio: 9:16
Maximum file size: 4GB
Recommended video format: MP4 or .MOV
Maximum video length: 15 seconds
Frame rate: 23-60 fps.
Psst, it’s time for a shameless plug: Did you know you can schedule your Instagram Stories directly from the Hootsuite platform?
Instagram Story ads
Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1920
Aspect ratio: 9:16
Maximum file size: 4GB
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Maximum video length: 120 seconds
Resource: How to use Instagram Stories like a Pro
Tips: These videos appear between Instagram user Stories for up to two minutes (or until dismissed) and take up the whole screen.
Source: Instagram @thedoersway
Instagram Reels
Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1920
Aspect ratio: 9:16
Maximum file size: 4GB
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Video length: from 3 seconds and up to 15 minutes
Resource: Instagram Reels in 2023: A Simple Guide for Businesses
Instagram carousel video ads
Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1080
Aspect ratio: 1:1
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Maximum length: 120 seconds
Maximum size: 4GB
Maximum frame rate: 23-60fps
Tips: Like Facebook carousels, Instagram carousels let you showcase between two and ten images or videos in one side-scrolling ad.
X (formerly Twitter) video specs
X, formerly known as Twitter, is known for its real-time updates on all things interesting.
Whatever industry you’re marketing for, you can be sure to find an audience on Twitter. You can also be sure that your audience wants to see video content, which is why, of course, your Twitter video dimensions need to be accurate.
Since it’s a mobile-first app, videos you shoot on your phone will upload with proper Twitter video resolution. But, if you’re sending out content from your desktop, be sure to double-check the bitrate against Twitter’s detailed guidelines.
X (aka Twitter) videos
Recommended resolution: 1280 by 720 (landscape), 720 by 1280 (portrait), 720 by 720 (square)
Twitter aspect ratio for video: 16:9 (landscape and portrait), 1:1 (square)
Maximum file size: 512 MB
Recommended video format: .Mp4 or .MOV
Maximum video length: 140 seconds
Maximum frames: 30 or 60 fps.
Character max: 280
Resource: Twitter Ads for Beginners: The 2023 Guide
It will take all of us coming together and doing what we can to help those in need in Maui and Lāhainā right now. I hope you’ll join me in donating to the Hawai’i Red Cross today: https://t.co/CPtVJ8fGSq pic.twitter.com/yvIDCG15MP
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 15, 2023
TikTok video specs
TikTok, the short-form video platform that took the world by storm, generated nearly 500 million USD in revenue in the first quarter of 2023. Marketers who know how to work the app can skyrocket their brand popularity and sell more products or services.
TikTok makes it incredibly easy (and kind of addictive) to create and publish video content. You can check out the specs you need to know below and find more on TikTok for business.
TikTok in-feed content (organic)
Dimensions: 1080 by 1920
Recommended aspect ratio: 9:16
Maximum video size: 287 MB
Recommended video formats: .MP4 or .MOV
Maximum length: 10 minutes
Character max: 2,200
Resource: How to Make a TikTok Video: Everything You Need to Know
Tips: Organic content ranks on the For You Page due to its popularity with viewers. Try to increase your likelihood of ranking by performing TikTok SEO (don’t worry, it’s only five easy steps).
@hootsuite talk about a mood kill 😑 #socialmediamanager #sociaediamarketing
TikTok in-feed content (ads)
Dimensions: 540 by 960, 640 by 640 or 960 by 540
Aspect ratio: 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9
Maximum video size: 500 MB
Accepted video formats: .MP4, .MOV, .MPEG, .3GP, .and AVI
Accepted length: 5 – 60 seconds
Character limit for ad description: 12-100
Resource: How to Make Great TikTok Ads: The Complete 2023 Guide
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Snapchat video specs
If you’re trying to reach a younger crowd, try Snapchat. The disappearing-video app is still active with certain generations, and it’s well-optimized for video sharing.
Discover more on video ads from Snapchat’s Business Center.
Snapchat single video
Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1920
Aspect ratio: 9:16
Maximum file size: 32MB
Accepted video formats: .MP4 and .MOV.
Video length: between 3 and 10 seconds
Resource: Snapchat for Business: The Ultimate Marketing Guide
Tips: Snapchat is about sharing moments among friends and having fun. Don’t treat your organic Snapchat strategy too seriously; give your viewers a look at what goes on behind the scenes with your brand.
Snapchat long-form video ad
Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1920
Aspect ratio: 9:16 or 16:9
Maximum file size: 1GB
Accepted video formats: .MP4 and .MOV.
Video length: 3 to 180 seconds
Tips: The Snapchat long-form video ad is what users see between Snap stories.
YouTube video specs
YouTube has long been the video juggernaut of the internet. And that’s exactly why you need to have your YouTube video resolution and YouTube video sizes on point.
See more of the ins and outs of YouTube video specs on the help page, or grab your must-know specs below.
YouTube video player
Recommended resolutions: 426 by 240 (240p), 640 by 360 (360p), 854 by 480 (480p), 1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p), 2560 by 1440 (1440p), and 3840 by 2160 (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 16:9 and 4:3 (YouTube adds pillarboxing if 4:3)
Maximum file size: 128GB (unless it’s more than 12 hours)
Maximum video length: 12 hours
Accepted video formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM
Tips: YouTube encourages its users to upload videos that are “as close to the original, high-quality source format as possible.” Videos should be uploaded in their native aspect ratios and should never include letterboxing or pillarboxing bars since YouTube “automatically frames videos to ensure that they are displayed correctly, without cropping or stretching, regardless of the size of the video or player.”
YouTube provides a full list of recommended bitrates for YouTube uploads here, and a full list of supported file formats here.
YouTube video ads
There are four main types of YouTube video ads, and besides the length of the video, they all share the same specs as the YouTube video player above.
Skippable video ads: Maximum length of 12 hours, skippable after 5 seconds
Unskippable video ads: Maximum length of 15 or 20 seconds (depending on region)
Bumper video ads: Maximum length of 6 seconds
Mid-roll Video Ad: Played mid-view, this ad only appears in content that is longer than 8 minutes. Mid-rolls can be skipped after 30 seconds.
Resource: The Complete Guide to YouTube Ads for Marketers
YouTube Shorts specs
Recommended resolutions: 240 by 426, 360 by 640, 480 by 854, 720 by 1280, 1080 by 1920, 1440 by 2560, and 2160 by 384
Aspect ratio: 9:16
Maximum video length: 60 seconds
Accepted video formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM
YouTube music length: If you pull music from the YouTube library, it’s limited to 15 seconds.
Title character limit: 100 characters
Resource: How to Make YouTube Shorts: Everything You Need to Know and How to Make Short-Form Videos that Stand Out
LinkedIn video specs
LinkedIn videos gain an average of three times the engagement of text-based posts. When video content is that effective at engaging an audience, you can be sure the algorithm will reward it.
See LinkedIn’s official video specs here.
Aspect ratio: 1:2.4 to 2.4:1
Maximum file size: 5GB
Video length: between 3 seconds and 10 minutes
Accepted video formats: .ASF, .AVI, .FLV, .MOV, .MPEG-1, .MPEG-4, .MP4, .MKV, and .WebM
Maximum frames: 10-60fps.
LinkedIn video ads
Landscape video resolution: 640 by 360 or 1920 by 1080
Landscape aspect ratio: 16:9
Square video resolution: 360 by 360 or 1920 by 1920
Square aspect ratio: 1:1
Vertical video resolution: 360 by 640 or 1080 by 1920
Vertical aspect ratio: 9:16
Maximum file size for all resolutions is 200 MB
Recommended video format: .MP4
Video length: 3 seconds to 30 minutes
Maximum frames: less than 30fps
Pinterest video specs
If you have a business account on Pinterest, you can upload advertising videos. Since your pinning audience is largely heading to the platform to discover new products, they’re receptive to advertisements. And product-related videos are proving to be popular with at least a quarter of all internet users.
By the way, if you want to create videos without having a business account, you can create Idea Pins, which feature video clips.
See Pinterest’s full spec sheets here.
Aspect ratio: 1:1 (square) or 2:3, 4:5 or 9:16 (vertical)
Maximum width video required aspect ratio: 1:1 (square) or 16.9 (widescreen)
Maximum file size: 2 GB
Video length: from 4 seconds to 15 minutes
Accepted video formats: .MP4 and .MOV.
Character title max: 100
Character description max: 500
Resource: Pinterest Ads: A Simple Guide for 2023
Source: Pinterest
Video sizes vary depending on the social media platform in question. Be sure to look up the recommended size and resolution of your platform before uploading your video.
The most commonly recommended minimum video bitrate is 5,000 kbps, but you should look up your platform-specific recommended bitrate.
The best aspect ratio for social media video varies based on the platform’s requirements, but they are often 16:9, 4:3, and 1:1.
Should I use 4:5 or 9:16 for Instagram video?
Landscape aspect ratio is 16:9, and vertical aspect ratio is 4:5 for Instagram. Instagram also has a square aspect ratio of 1:1. Which one you use may depend on your content, but many marketers have found success with the square aspect ratio.
A 9:16 social media video size is typically 1080 by 1920 pixels in resolution.
The most popular video format for social media is either .MOV or .MP4.
The ideal length depends on the platform and your audience’s attention span, but we dive into the details in the blog How Long Should a Social Media Video Be? Tips for Every Network.
Save time managing your social media presence with Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can publish and schedule posts, find relevant conversions, engage the audience, measure results, and more. Try it free today.
With files from Nick Zarzycki and Michelle Cyca.
Do it better with Hootsuite, the all-in-one social media tool. Stay on top of things, grow, and beat the competition.
We get it: no one likes to put labels on things. (Though… that is your girlfriend, right?) But it’s pretty important to define the important role of community manager on your marketing team.
Community managers are the all-stars responsible for fostering engagement, building relationships, and maintaining the integrity of online communities.
In the mile-a-minute world of social media, they are the crucial bridge between brands and audiences.
And while community management may not always be the easiest task, it’s an impactful one that brings value both to brands and the people who love ‘em.
So it’s time to clearly define, explore, and, yeah, celebrate the humble community manager label. Today, we’re breaking down exactly what a community manager does (and how they differ from social media managers), and what the future holds for this thrill-a-minute position.
Are you paid enough?
Download our Social Media Career Report for stats on social media manager salaries, benefits, job satisfaction, mental health, and more.
A community manager is the caretaker of a brand’s online presence, the “digital custodian,” if you will.
Community managers are responsible for curating and nurturing communities around a brand, product, or cause. They’re the party hosts with the most, there to strategically make sure everyone’s having a good time.
If you’re here on this social media strategy blog, you’re probably most interested in community management for platforms (like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter/X), but online communities can also live on forums or blogs.
Wherever your fan community hangs online, a skilled community manager understands the interests and needs of that community, engages with members, and ensures that it remains a positive and productive space. In other words, community managers are guardians of the vibe.
A community manager is in charge of responding to comments and DMs on social media. They’ll provide answers to questions and offer customer support.
They may also be proactive about fostering a sense of community on a social media platform: crafting content that prompts responses or conversations, coordinating contests, or producing other interactive content.
The goal, overall, is to build both the engagement rate and your customer loyalty. (No pressure.)
The less fun aspect of the job is moderating and dealing with any issues or troublemaking trolls — in a polite and professional way that upholds your brand’s values, of course.
Community manager vs. social media manager
Community managers and social media managers work side by side to make a brand’s social media presence the best it can be. But their focus is pretty different.
A community manager’s focus is to build relationships within online communities. They create, curate, and moderate content specifically designed to engage followers.
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Community managers answer questions, review comments and DMs, and resolve issues to keep the community vibrant (and ideally harmonious).
On the other hand, a social media manager will concentrate on executing the overall content plan. That means crafting and scheduling posts, advertising, and analyzing metrics to enhance brand awareness on social platforms.
A successful community manager will possess a variety of skill sets, such as…
Excellent communication
Are you responsive and talented at expressing the right tone? Are you known for your top-notch communication skills? This might just be the job for you.
You’re gonna be typing up a storm in this role, so the ability to clearly express yourself (and the voice and values of the brand) is absolutely essential.
But communication isn’t just an important skill to have to connect with the community. You should also be able to clearly communicate with the internal team about what exactly is happening online at any given moment.
Problem-solving
A community manager doesn’t just spend all day swappin’ memes and running contests. Sometimes, they have to deal with issues and conflicts (uggggh).
Having the ability to problem-solve effectively and efficiently is super important. You’ll have to navigate all sorts of surprising situations with grace and professionalism and be adept at finding solutions that satisfy community members and align with the brand’s values.
Bonus: Save time and download 20 free, customizable Instagram DM templates for your brand, including greetings, partnership requests, FAQ responses, replies to complaints, and more.
Empathy
A good community manager is patient and kind. After all, the job really is about being a good pal and making your followers feel both welcome and heard. Understanding the needs, concerns, and emotions of community members is crucial for building trust and rapport.
Moderation
As important as it is to be a shoulder to cry on, sometimes, a community manager needs to lay down the law.
Without moderation, a comments section can quickly turn into a toxic free-for-all. Strong community management requires a little bit of enforcement — managers need to follow through on any community guidelines and policies to help ensure these online spaces feel welcoming and safe for all their fans.
Analysis
Some of these “skills” are definitely on the softer side, but having an analytic brain is important for successful community management, too. What’s working? What’s not? How can success be quantified? Community managers should be able to thoughtfully analyze engagement metrics via tools like Hootsuite Analytics in order to refine their strategies and measure their impact.
Obviously, a community manager’s job description can vary wildly, depending on the industry and company size. That being said, a community manager’s role typically includes responsibilities like:
- Developing and implementing community engagement strategies
- Moderating discussions and content
- Responding to community inquiries and feedback
- Collaborating with marketing and support teams
- Analyzing data to assess community engagement
If you’re creating a community manager job description for a job posting, you might want to seek out a candidate with an education in online marketing or marketing communications, but a degree certainly isn’t necessary for success in this role. It’s more important to find someone who can demonstrate skills like communication, problem-solving, and analytical thinking.
Like any position, the salary for a community manager varies by location, work experience, and industry. According to Glassdoor, in the United States, entry-level community managers can earn anywhere from $41,000 to $65,000 per year.
Of course, professionals with more experience or those working for large companies could earn even more, with some online community managers on Glassdoor reporting annual salaries of $115,000.
For more details on salaries in the social media marketing industry, including salaries for community management roles, download our Social Media Career Report for 2023.
Are you paid enough?
Download our Social Media Career Report for stats on social media manager salaries, benefits, job satisfaction, mental health, and more.
To evaluate a community manager’s performance, consider the following metrics:
- Engagement rate (likes, comments, shares)
- Growth in community size
- Response time to community inquiries
- Net promoter score (NPS) from community members
- Sales conventions
Ultimately, a community manager should be evaluated on metrics that align with your brand’s overall social media goals. If growing your community size isn’t important to your business objectives, it doesn’t really make sense to focus your time and attention on racking up the follows, right?
Like everything else in the social media landscape (RIP, Nexopia), the role of a community manager has evolved significantly over the past decades.
Initially, the role of a digital community manager was to respond to comments, monitor social channels for negative sentiment, and moderate content. Today, a community manager is expected to practice strategic planning, customer service, and data analysis, too. It’s about going beyond being reactive and being proactive, intentionally encouraging engagement and building loyalty along the way.
We’re at an interesting time in Internet History, with this new influx of accessible AI technology. The future of community management will likely be shaped by this sort of automation. It’s possible chatbot technology will take a big leap forward in the next few years to provide even richer, multi-platform customer support that goes beyond answering FAQs.
But while AI can absolutely assist in data analysis, common questions, and routine tasks, we’re confident that a human touch will remain essential to quality community management. No matter how convincing AI may get, it’ll always take a real person to foster genuine connections and resolve complex issues for your (human!) community.
In the future, it’s likely the role will evolve, and we’ll see community managers handling the bigger-picture ideas. They might use AI to help with more mundane or repetitive community management tasks and spend their time practicing more strategic decision-making and deeper integration with overall business objectives.
But whether they’re working in the trenches or dreaming big, as technology advances, community managers will always continue to find new ways to connect, engage, and create meaningful experiences for their communities. Um, excuse me, are community managers both party hosts and heroes? The facts don’t lie.
Save time managing your social media presence with Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can publish and schedule posts, find relevant conversions, engage the audience, measure results, and more. Try it free today.
Do it better with Hootsuite, the all-in-one social media tool. Stay on top of things, grow, and beat the competition.
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