We get asked all the time “what should my Facebook cover photo look like?” That’s not an easy question.
I could just leave it all the usuals:
- reflect your personality
- be unique
- be original
- leave an impression on your visitors
But you already know all that, so let’s try to be a bit more helpful.
What exactly is a cover photo? Simply, it’s the top banner portion of your Facebook page. Since it’s not the usual proportions of a photograph, you’ll need to design you cover photo to Facebook’s specifications.
Facebook’s page guidelines (https://www.facebook.com/page_guidelines.php) have changed (yet again), and cover photos “can’t be deceptive, misleading, or infringe on anyone else’s copyright. You may not encourage people to upload your cover to their personal timelines.” That’s it; no more prohibitions about how much text or advertising or calls to action. Yay! But remember that too much text on a cover photo can look spammy, messy and unprofessional. A picture is worth a 1,000 words, so let the picture do the hard work for you.
As you can from the above, the cover photo should be 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall. You’ll also have to make allowances for the profile picture in the lower left corner. Also, remember that Facebook adds a 1 pixel gray border to your photo – while small, you want to make sure that 1px doesn’t cut off something important.
Decide what text you want on your cover – but keep it short. A tagline, an inspiration quote, a name, a short marketing slogan. I’ll reiterate what I said above – don’t cover your cover with text! Let the picture do the talking.
Which, of course, means you’ll need a high-quality photograph. You can use a just a single photograph, or combine photos into a collage. If you plan to include text, consider carefully where to place it on your cover.
Some ideas for your cover – photos of your products, customers or employees in action; icons of awards won; use a picture that embodies what you are all about; that shows what makes your business unique, something that shows off your skills; use an action shot, or just be creative. Some of my favorite FB covers:
Love this one – one look and you know what this is. Colorful, striking photo and a clever profile pic.
Great pic showing off her photography skills – and who can resist kittens anyway?
Another great example of color and showing what your company offers. Note also the clever way the profile picture feeds into the cover photo. That takes some careful placement!
and this one just makes me smile.
Keep your cover photo fresh and update it every so often. Whether it’s a change in seasons, a holiday, a special offer, customize your cover photo!