How to preview social media posts before publishing
Catch cropping, caption and carousel problems before a post goes live.
A post that looked fine in your design tool can go live with the product cropped off, the caption cut at the worst word, or the carousel's second slide making no sense on its own. Previewing the post as it will actually appear catches these before your audience does, and gives clients something real to approve.
What to check before publishing
- Cropping. Instagram's feed shows portrait images at 4:5, and taller images are cropped. Facebook and LinkedIn crop differently again.
- Caption truncation. Feeds show only the first line or two before "more". The hook needs to be there.
- Text on images. Small text that is readable on a monitor is often unreadable on a phone.
- Carousel flow. Each slide has to make sense in order, and the first slide must earn the swipe.
- Brand details. The right page name, profile picture and, for ads, the sponsored label and button text.
Making a preview
- Open the social media post mockup tool.
- Choose Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, light or dark mode, and a card or phone frame.
- Drop one image for a single post, or several for a carousel.
- Type the caption exactly as it will be published, and set the page name and profile picture.
- Download the PNG. For carousels you get two: one showing the feed view and one with every slide side by side.
Getting client approval
Clients approve faster when they see a post in context rather than a flat image in a folder. Send the mockup with a short note of what you want confirmed: image, caption, timing. For carousels, the all-slides view shows the whole story in one image, which is easier to review than a set of files. Keep the approved mockup with the campaign files as a record of what was signed off.
Image sizes that avoid surprises
| Post type | Shape that works |
|---|---|
| Instagram feed | Portrait 4:5 (1080 by 1350) or square 1:1 |
| Facebook feed | Square 1:1 or portrait 4:5 |
| LinkedIn feed | Square 1:1 or landscape |
| Carousel cards | Square 1:1, the same for every slide |
Crop to the right shape first with the crop tool, and see the image sizes guide for more formats.
Unreleased campaigns stay private
The mockup is drawn in your browser. Launch images, captions and ad creative for campaigns that are not public yet never leave your computer.