Aspect ratios are the unglamorous part of creative production that quietly decides whether your ad looks good or gets cropped into nonsense. Here's the current reference for what to build for each platform, in order of what to prioritize.
Build Vertical First
If you only have time to build one ratio, build 9:16. It runs in Reels, Stories, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Snap. It's where the engagement is, especially for younger voters. Square (1:1) is the second priority because it works in feed across most platforms. Build horizontal (16:9) only when you specifically need it for YouTube in-stream or CTV.
Meta (Facebook & Instagram)
- Feed (Facebook and Instagram): 1:1 square or 4:5 portrait. 4:5 takes up more real estate in mobile feed and consistently outperforms square.
- Stories and Reels: 9:16 vertical, full bleed. Keep text and logos out of the top 250px and bottom 250px so the UI doesn't cover them.
- Right column (desktop only): 1.91:1. Low priority. Most spend goes to mobile.
- In-stream video: 16:9 or 1:1.
- Marketplace: 1:1.
Meta's Advantage+ placements will auto-crop a single asset across all of these, but auto-crop almost always butchers the framing. Upload the right ratio per placement.
Instagram Specifics
- Feed: 4:5 portrait (1080×1350) is the sweet spot
- Stories & Reels: 9:16 (1080×1920)
- Explore: 1:1 or 4:5
X (Twitter)
- Single image: 16:9 or 1:1
- Video: 16:9 horizontal or 1:1 square. Keep video under 2:20.
X is rarely a primary buy for political anymore, but it's still useful for rapid-response and earned-media amplification.
- Single image: 1.91:1 (1200×627) or 1:1
- Video: 16:9, 1:1, or 9:16
LinkedIn matters for advocacy work, donor outreach, and statewide candidates with professional audiences. Skip it for most local races.
YouTube
- In-stream & bumper: 16:9 (1920×1080)
- Shorts: 9:16 (1080×1920)
- Discovery: 16:9 thumbnail
If you're running CTV through YouTube, the 16:9 cut is the one that matters. For Shorts, you need a separate vertical edit, don't try to letterbox a horizontal video.
Programmatic Display
Programmatic display through StackAdapt or any DSP wants the IAB standard sizes, which are pixel dimensions, not aspect ratios. The ones to build:
- 300×250 (medium rectangle)
- 728×90 (leaderboard)
- 320×50 (mobile leaderboard)
- 160×600 (wide skyscraper)
- 300×600 (half page)
- 970×250 (billboard)
The first three cover most of the inventory.
What to Cut First
If your designer's time is limited, cut in this order:
- 9:16 vertical: Reels, Stories, TikTok, Shorts
- 1:1 square: universal feed coverage
- 4:5 portrait: better Meta feed performance
- 16:9 horizontal: YouTube and CTV
- IAB display set: programmatic
Practical Notes
- Safe zones matter on vertical. Keep critical content (faces, names, CTAs) inside the middle 60% so platform UI doesn't cover it.
- Burn captions into video. 85%+ of social video is watched with sound off. Open captions, not closed.
- Disclaimer placement. "Paid for by" needs to be readable. On vertical, that means inside the safe zone, not at the bottom edge.
- Don't reuse a single asset across all placements. The auto-crop tools are bad. Build the right ratio for the placement you care about most.
Bottom Line
Pick the placements that actually matter for your race, then build the ratios those placements want. Vertical first, square second, horizontal only when you need it. A campaign that ships three correctly-sized cuts will outperform one that ships ten lazy auto-crops.