How to Choose a Cover Photo for Facebook

Your Facebook cover photo is the first thing people see when they land on your page, making it one of the most valuable pieces of digital real estate you own. It’s part welcome mat, part billboard, and part brand statement all rolled into one. This guide will walk you through exactly how to choose a cover photo that looks great, communicates your message, and helps grow your brand.

First Things First: Nail the Facebook Cover Photo Size

Before you get into creative ideas, you have to get the technical details right. An incorrectly sized cover photo will get stretched, pixelated, or awkwardly cropped, which immediately looks unprofessional. Facebook displays your cover photo differently on desktop and mobile devices, so understanding the dimensions is essential for getting it right on every screen.

Here are the numbers you need to know:

• Displays on Desktop at: 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels tall.
• Displays on Mobile at: 640 pixels wide by 360 pixels tall.

Notice the problem? The desktop version is wide and short, while the mobile version is narrower and taller. Facebook essentially takes your one uploaded image and crops it to fit both formats. This means the top, bottom, and side edges of your image can get cut off depending on the device.

The Mobile-First "Safe Zone" Solution

Since the majority of Facebook users access the platform via their phones, you should always design your cover photo with mobile in mind. The simplest fix is to create your image at the desktop size (820 x 312 px), but keep all of your critical visual elements - like text, logos, or faces - within a central "safe zone." This is the area that will be visible on both desktop and mobile.

Think of it as an invisible box in the middle of your image, roughly 640 pixels wide by 312 pixels tall. As long as your must-have content lives inside that box, you can be confident it won’t get awkwardly cropped when viewed on a phone. The remaining space on the left and right sides can be filled with background imagery or color that looks nice on desktop but isn't critical to your message.

A Few More Technical Tips:

• File Type: For photos, use a JPG. For graphics that contain text or a logo, an sRGB PNG file will give you a crisper, cleaner result.
• File Size: To help your page load quickly, aim to keep your file size under 100KB.

Beyond Dimensions: The 4 Rules of a Winning Cover Photo

Once you’ve got your template ready, it's time to focus on the content. A great cover photo isn’t just about having the right pixels, it’s about conveying the right message. Follow these four simple principles to make sure yours hits the mark.

1. It Aligns With Your Brand Identity

Your cover photo should instantly tell visitors who you are and what you're about. It needs to feel consistent with the rest of your brand's visual identity, including your website, packaging, and other social media profiles. This means using your established brand colors, fonts, and an overall aesthetic that feels familiar to your audience.

For example: A children’s toy brand would likely use bright, playful colors and fun graphics, while a luxury watch company would opt for a sleek, sophisticated photo with a minimalist color palette. The goal is to make someone feel like they've arrived in the right place the second your page loads.

2. It's High-Quality and Visually Appealing

Nothing says "we don't pay attention to detail" faster than a blurry, low-resolution photo. Your cover photo represents your brand, so the image must be sharp, clear, and professional. Pay attention to basic photographic principles like good lighting, strong composition, and a clear subject. Crisp visuals are more engaging and build trust with your audience from the very beginning.

If you don't have professional photography of your own, there are plenty of amazing resources for high-quality stock images. Sites like Unsplash, Pexels, or Canva offer massive libraries of free and paid photos that will look far better than a poorly lit photo taken on your phone.

3. It Has a Clear Focal Point

A cover photo that's too busy or cluttered can be visually overwhelming, causing visitors to lose interest. A strong design guides the viewer's eye to a single, obvious focal point. This could be a person's face, a specific product, a headline of text, or a striking landscape. Before you upload, ask yourself, "What is the one thing I want people to see here?" If the answer isn't immediately clear, simplify your design until it is.

4. It's Optimized for Mobile Viewing

This is so important it’s worth repeating. After you've designed and uploaded your cover photo, grab your phone and check how it looks. You might discover that your perfectly placed tagline is now covered by your profile picture, or that the edges of your image are cropped more than you expected. It only takes a second to check, and this final step can save you from making a poor first impression on the majority of your visitors.

6 Creative Cover Photo Ideas You Can Use Today

Feeling stuck? Here are six tried-and-true approaches you can adapt for your own Facebook Page, with examples to get your ideas flowing.

1. Showcase Your Product or Service

This is the most straightforward and often most effective strategy. Just show people what you do or what you sell. If you have a beautiful product, put it front and center in a high-quality shot.

• A restaurant could show a mouth-watering shot of its most popular dish.
• A clothing brand might feature a lifestyle photo of someone wearing its latest collection.
• A software company can use a clean, stylized graphic of its app's user interface.

2. Feature Your Team or Customers

Putting a human face on your brand is a powerful way to build connection and trust. A photo of your smiling team behind the scenes can make your business feel more approachable and personal. Alternatively, you can celebrate your community by creating a collage of user-generated content (just make sure you get permission first!). This shows you value your customers and makes your brand feel authentic.

3. Announce a Promotion, Event, or Launch

Think of your cover photo as a free billboard. Use this space to announce your latest sale, promote an upcoming webinar, or build excitement for a new product launch. Add text overlays directly onto your image with clear, concise information about the announcement. Since this type of cover photo is time-sensitive, just remember to change it back once the promotion or event is over.

4. Tell a Story with a Video Cover

For an even more dynamic and engaging first impression, consider using a cover video instead of a static photo. Facebook allows Pages to upload a short, looping video (between 20-90 seconds) in this space. This is a fantastic opportunity to convey more information and emotion.

• A fitness studio could show a high-energy montage of members in a class.
• A travel agency can use beautiful drone footage of a travel destination.
• A non-profit can share a short, impactful clip of its work in action.

Keep it simple, visually driven, and make sure it works well without sound, as many videos on Facebook autoplay on mute.

5. Reinforce Your Value Proposition

Why should people care about your brand? Your cover photo can answer that question. Use a strong background image paired with a short, punchy tagline or value proposition. This is your chance to communicate your brand's "why" in a single glance. For example, a productivity app might use a serene background with the text, "Your Shortcut to a More Organized Day."

6. Drive Action with a 'Call to Action' (CTA)

Subtly guide your visitors toward the primary action you want them to take. Since your cover photo sits directly above your Page's main CTA button (like "Shop Now," "Sign Up," or "Contact Us"), you can use visual cues in your design to draw attention to it. This could be as simple as a person in your photo looking toward the button or a graphical element like an arrow pointing down to it. It’s a classic marketing trick that helps get more clicks.

Common Mistakes to Avoid With Your Cover Photo

As you're finalizing your design, a few common mistakes can weaken your cover photo's impact. Here’s what to look out for:

• Too Much Text: Your cover photo should be a visual experience, not an essay. Keep any text brief, easy to read, and to the point. Let the image do most of the talking.
• Mismatched Vibe: Make sure the photo matches your brand’s personality. A corporate law firm using a playful, cartoon-style graphic will feel confusing and out of place. Stay consistent.
• Forgetting About Obstructions: Remember that on desktop and mobile, your profile picture covers the bottom-left corner. On mobile, various buttons and search bars can also overlap the top and bottom. Double-check that no important details are hidden.
• Setting It and Forgetting It: Your business changes, and your cover photo should, too. An outdated photo announcing a holiday sale from six months ago makes your page look neglected. Refresh it every few months or whenever you have a new campaign to promote.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right Facebook cover photo is one of the easiest ways to elevate your brand’s social media presence. By getting the dimensions right, aligning the visuals with your brand identity, and focusing on a clear message, you can turn that static banner into a powerful tool for connection and growth.

Keeping all your visual assets and content organized is a huge part of running a successful social media strategy. At Postbase, we built our visual calendar to give you a clear view of your entire content plan, making it simple to see where a promotional cover photo update fits in with your upcoming Reels, Stories, and posts. Staying on top of your content strategy feels a lot easier when you can see it all in one place.