Imagine you put in so much work into your Instagram content, keeping your fingers crossed and getting it uploaded. But when you go back to see it on your feed, you are in for a shock. The most vital part of your content – the coupon code, central messaging- might have been cut off. And now the whole content has to be edited or worse, scrapped! The horror! This is where the Instagram Reel safe zone comes up.
If you had known the safe zone concept before, you could have prevented this mishap. But worry not, because at the end of this blog, you will never face this issue again.
What are safe zones, and why are they important?
Social media users use their accounts from a myriad of devices, including tablets, laptops, and smartphones. And the view depends on this device. This might sometimes lead to Instagram cropping a portion of the border to make the content effective for viewing.
When you place important content on the edges, it will get lost in the process. Which is why there are safe zones.
Safe zones are where you load up on all the important details of your post to avoid it getting lost. These safe zones are primarily present at the centre.
But where exactly are these safe zones? That is what we will delve into in this article.
General Dimensions and Safe Zone for Instagram Reels and Stories
Instagram stories and reels sizes share the same dimensions of 1080 x 1920 pixels and an aspect ratio of 9:16. This dimension provides a cinematic experience for the viewer, but it does not come without obstructions.
There are engagement buttons on the side and the profile name below in a reel. Similarly, stories have their own set of engagement buttons, like the comment bar below. While there are no rules that you cannot add text here, it is recommended that you do not.
Why? Because it is hard to read and sometimes gets lost in perusal. So let us find out where you can place the text and get away with it.
1. Instagram Story safe zone
So the areas that need to be avoided are:
- 250px from the top and the bottom to avoid profile usernames and interaction buttons.
- 65px from the margins to avoid getting cut off by Meta, when it decides to cut off your story to accommodate some smaller screens.
2. Instagram Reel safe zone
In case of Instagram reels, these are the portions that you need to avoid placing important content:
- 108 pixels from the top
- 320 pixels from the bottom
- 60 pixels from the left
- 120 pixels from the left
Instagram Reels – Feed View
When thinking about the Instagram reel safe zone, we also have to consider the possibility of people watching your reels on your feed. And unlike IGTV, where you have to click and go to the viewer to see the rest of the video, most reels can be watched on the feed.
In such cases, we want the reels to convey the message even in the feed view. So, what dimensions do you have to keep in mind in such cases? Let us check it out:
- The dimension of an in-feed reel is 1080 x 1350 px. And the 1350 px that is displayed is in the middle of the reel. The aspect ratio is 4:5.
5 Best Practices to keep in mind regarding Safe Zone
1. Test with Multiple devices
Now, this feels like a hassle, doesn’t it? But yeah, it is worth it.
Once you publish your story or reel, check it out on devices of different sizes. This way, you will be able to find out if your text and important elements are placed outside the safe zones.
2. Use safe zone templates
There are many transparent safe zone templates out there that you can lay on top of your reel in the editor. This allows you to find out if your content is placed well within the safe zone.
3. Keep yourself updated
Social media platforms are notorious for changing their interface and altering their guidelines. Keep yourself updated on these algorithm changes so you can make the most of safe zones.
4. Keep it simple
Although the safe zones provide ample amount of space for you to accommodate a lot of information. But just because there is space, it does not mean you have to overload it.
Keep the content minimum. Focus on one little snippet of information per reel so that you can get the details across effectively.
5. Use clear fonts
When choosing fonts, select high-contrast ones that pop from the background and make it hard to miss. Work on improving the readability of your text.
The Final Take
Safe zones are not hard to navigate and easy to understand once you have implemented them a couple of times.
But having your content creation process planned down to the tee? Now that is what we call a real hassle! But with Predis AI, even this crisis could be averted.
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FAQ:
The safe zone on Instagram Reels and stories is where important content, such as text, logo, and important visuals, should be placed. This way, important portions are not cropped or hidden by interaction buttons.
Instagram does not have a safe zone indicator, but you can prevent placing elements outside the safe zone by using the following tactics:
1. You can place a safe zone template on top of your content when editing to check.
2. Avoid placing elements at the very top or bottom and the edges.
3. Create content in the proper dimensions.
Both Instagram stories and reels have a dimension of 1080 x 1920 pixels in the 9:16 aspect ratio.
