Everything you were too polite to ask.
40 plain-English guides: sizes, platform tools, #ad rules by market, rates and rights. Every one has a last-checked date and its sources.
40 articles
[ Formats and sizes ]
- Formats and sizes
Instagram sizes cheat sheet 2026
Here's every Instagram size you'll actually use, in one place.
- Formats and sizes
Instagram Reels: length, captions, hashtags and covers
The quick rules for posting a Reel without surprises:
- Formats and sizes
Instagram carousels: slides, mixing media and aspect rules
Carousels are the best format on Instagram for saves and swipe-throughs. Here's how they work.
- Formats and sizes
Instagram Stories: sizes, safe zones, links and length
Stories disappear after 24 hours unless you save them to Highlights. They're where your existing followers hear from you most.
- Formats and sizes
TikTok video specs: sizes, lengths, captions and safe zones
TikTok's in-app help pages didn't load for us, so these figures come from TikTok's developer and ads docs, plus reputable guides where noted.
- Formats and sizes
TikTok Photo Mode and TikTok Stories
Photo Mode (TikTok's carousels) is a swipeable set of images with music. It's great for recipes, outfit breakdowns, lists and travel dumps.
- Formats and sizes
YouTube Shorts specs
YouTube's own definition of a Short is simple: up to 3 minutes, with a square or vertical aspect ratio.
- Formats and sizes
Pinterest Pin specs
Idea Pins no longer exist as a separate format. Pinterest merged them into standard Pins in 2023, so every Pin can now be an image, a video or several pages.
- Formats and sizes
LinkedIn image and video specs for B2B creators
LinkedIn's help pages blocked our checker, so the organic specs below come from recent guides that cite LinkedIn. The video ad specs are from LinkedIn's official ads page.
- Formats and sizes
Every size on one page
Bookmark this one. The details and caveats are in the platform articles above.
[ Platform tools ]
- Platform tools
Exporting video for the best quality
Blurry uploads usually come from the export settings, the upload connection or a hidden app setting. Fix all three.
- Platform tools
Safe zones explained
A safe zone is the part of a vertical video that the app's buttons and text won't cover. If your caption or product sits outside it, viewers won't see it.
- Platform tools
Paid partnership labels and branded content tools (Instagram and TikTok)
If a brand paid you, gave you free product or you're promoting your own business, you need to disclose it. Advertising rules in the US (FTC), UK (ASA/CMA), EU and Australia (ACCC)
- Platform tools
Collab posts on Instagram
A Collab post is one post that lives on more than one profile. It has shared likes, comments and views, and every name appears in the header.
- Platform tools
Trial Reels on Instagram (and what TikTok and YouTube offer)
Trial Reels let you test a Reel on people who don't follow you before your followers ever see it. It's a low-pressure way to try a new idea.
- Platform tools
Alt text and captions for accessibility
Captions help Deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, and the many people who scroll on mute. Alt text lets screen-reader users "see" your images. Both take seconds.
- Platform tools
Music licensing basics for branded content
The trending song in your personal Reel is licensed for personal, non-commercial use. Once a post is sponsored, run as an ad, or published by a business, that licence usually doesn
[ Growth and insights ]
- Growth and insights
What each algorithm says it rewards
No platform shares its full formula, but each has said what it looks for. Here's what they say, in their own words where we have them.
- Growth and insights
Originality rules: reposting and aggregator penalties
Every major platform has tightened up on reposted content since 2024. The message is the same everywhere: make it yours, or don't expect reach.
- Growth and insights
Insights glossary: what every metric means
Here's what your numbers mean, in plain English. Instagram definitions come from Meta's developer docs.
[ Ad rules ]
- Ad rulesNot legal advice
Ad disclosure basics: what counts as an ad
Every country words it differently, but regulators everywhere work from the same idea: your audience should know when you're getting something in return for talking about a brand.
- Ad rulesUSNot legal advice
US: FTC Endorsement Guides and the fake reviews rule
The FTC updated its Endorsement Guides in 2023, the first big refresh since 2009. In 2024 it added a binding Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465),
- Ad rulesUKNot legal advice
UK: ASA/CAP rules, #ad, and the CMA's new powers
The UK has two enforcers. The ASA applies the advertising code (CAP Code). The CMA enforces consumer law, and since 6 April 2025 it has used the Digital Markets, Competition and Co
- Ad rulesEUNot legal advice
EU: the rules that apply across Europe
National laws differ (see articles 5 and 6), but four EU-wide layers sit underneath them.
- Ad rulesFRNot legal advice
France: the 2023 influencer law
France has one of the strictest regimes in the world: Loi n° 2023-451 of 9 June 2023 on commercial influence. It was amended by Ordonnance n° 2024-978 of 6 November 2024 to bring i
- Ad rulesDEESITPTNot legal advice
Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal: key points
Germany - Label with the German words "Werbung" or "Anzeige", at the start of the post or video. For videos where the product plays a minor role, "Produktplatzierung" works. - Germ
- Ad rulesAUNot legal advice
Australia: AANA Code, Ad Standards, ACCC and TGA
The industry code: AANA Code of Ethics, section 2.7. Advertising must be "clearly distinguishable as such." Ad Standards (the complaints body) accepts labels like #ad, Advert, Adve
- Ad rulesCANot legal advice
Canada: Ad Standards guidelines and the Competition Act
Ad Standards' Influencer Marketing Disclosure Guidelines were updated in Fall 2025.
- Ad rulesEUFRITCANot legal advice
Labelling AI-generated content
EU AI Act, Article 50: applies from 2 August 2026. - AI tool providers must machine-mark synthetic images, audio, video and text. According to secondary sources, generative tools a
- Ad rulesUSUKEUFRITAUCANot legal advice
Restricted categories cheat sheet
Some products carry extra rules on top of normal disclosure. Check your audience data before saying yes: UK regulators look at whether more than 25% of your audience is under 18 (o
- Ad rulesNot legal advice
Gifted products and affiliate links: how to disclose (and a tax note)
Gifts count. Almost every regulator treats free products, trips and event invites as payment in kind. That includes the FTC, ASA/CMA, ACCC, Ad Standards Canada, the German media au
- Ad rulesFRUSESITCANot legal advice
Working with kids in your content
Family content can be lovely. It's also where the law is moving fastest.
[ Money and contracts ]
- Money and contractsNot legal advice
How to set your rates
There's no official rate card, and anyone quoting a universal "$X per 1,000 followers" is guessing. Build your price from your own numbers instead.
- Money and contractsNot legal advice
Usage rights, whitelisting and exclusivity explained
Your fee usually covers making and posting content. Everything after that is extra value to the brand and should be priced as such.
- Money and contractsNot legal advice
Reading a brand contract: 12 clauses to check
Read the whole thing before you sign, and ask about anything vague. These 12 clauses are where problems usually hide.
- Money and contractsEUUKNot legal advice
Invoicing and getting paid on time
What to put on every invoice - your legal name or business name, address, and tax or VAT number (if registered) - the client's legal name and address (the entity in the contract, n
- Money and contractsUSUKFRDEESITPTAUCANot legal advice
Taxes and registering as self-employed: where to start
Creator income is usually business income, including gifted products in many countries. These are very general starting points. Rules depend on your residency and situation, so spe
[ Pitching ]
[ Safety ]
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