Template Aspect Ratios
Every image template has an aspect ratio, which is the shape of the image it produces. The ratio you pick affects how much room the design has for a headline, and how the post appears in a feed.
The available ratios
- Vertical (4:5) is the tallest shape a feed post can take on most networks, and the one that occupies the most screen. It is the usual choice for feed posts.
- Square (1:1) is a good general-purpose shape, and a common choice on Instagram.
- Tall (9:16) fills a phone screen. Stories and reels always use this ratio.
- Horizontal (1:1.91) is the widescreen shape used for link previews.
- Original keeps the article image exactly as it is, at whatever shape it came in, with no design applied over it.
Which should I use?
For most feed posts, Vertical (4:5) gives you the most space and the largest presence in a feed.
For stories, the choice is made for you. A story is always Tall (9:16), so a story template uses that ratio.
Original publishes the article's own image untouched, with no headline, logo or branding on it. Use it when you want the photograph to speak for itself, or when the source images are already designed. Because nothing is drawn onto the image, the branding and element controls do not apply to a template set to Original.
Choosing a ratio
The ratio is set when you duplicate an Echobox style, on the General tab of the editor.
Pick it at the point you create the template. Each Echobox style is designed separately for each ratio, with the headline, logo and image placed to suit that shape, so duplicating at the ratio you want gives you a layout that is already right.
Can I change the ratio later?
You can, on the General tab, but treat it as a bigger change than it looks. A layout tuned for one shape rarely sits correctly in another, so check the preview carefully afterwards and expect to adjust the design.
If you need the same design in two ratios, duplicate the Echobox style twice, once at each ratio, rather than switching one template back and forth. You will get a better result and can use both at the same time on different Pages.
Does every network use the same ratio?
No, and this is a common reason to run more than one template. Networks display feed posts differently, and a shape that works well on one can be cropped on another. Where that matters, set a different template for each Page rather than compromising on one shape.