How to Use a Twitter Header Maker to Create a Cover Image

Your Twitter header image plays a major role in how users view your brand and choose whether to follow you on the platform, which–as of October 2018–has 326 million active users worldwide. Whether you’re running a business or a personal brand on Twitter, you’re fighting fierce competition. Your Twitter images should leave a strong first impression and, hopefully, increase your followers. In this article, we’ll explain why Twitter cover images matter and how you can create an effective image using a Twitter header maker.

Twitter header images are often overlooked, but while they aren’t clickable and can only be seen when users visit your profile, they can still tell a powerful story about your brand. The Twitter profile banner is a valuable marketing real estate with which to visually represent what you do. Use graphics and text to convince users to follow you.

(Updated in March 2019)

The recommended dimensions for Twitter header templates are 1500 x 500 pixels and the file you upload should be either a JPG, GIF, or PNG (animated GIFs are not supported).

Twitter is mobile optimized, so your Twitter header image will respond to the device that is being used to view your Twitter profile, and scale accordingly. However, depending on the user’s screen resolution, your profile picture will change position in relation to your header image. It moves towards the center of the banner when the screen resolution is at full width and moves outwards on smaller screens. Therefore, you should leave adequate space in the left-hand corner so that the profile picture doesn’t cover key elements within the banner design (e.g. text).

In this example from Neil Patel the Twitter banner text is blocked by the profile picture.

If you run marketing campaigns or events, leverage your Twitter header image to promote your latest initiatives to your profile visitors. Update the asset as frequently as you have something to say, just like you would with any other digital real estate, from your homepage to your email banners. Remember, there’s not much space–or time–to grab your users’ attention, so keep it short and concise. Include only key details, such as the event hashtag, dates, and website URL:

As your header image is probably the first thing that new visitors will see when they land on your Twitter profile, and they may be discovering your brand for the first time, it should represent your company’s values. For example, Yotpo is a user-generated content platform that aims to help online businesses to retain happy and loyal customers through genuine and useful content. @Yotpo delivers this message through its header image tagline, “Happy customers are your best marketers”. This message is given the space to shine thanks to Yotpo’s minimal header design.

Twitter is a social platform, where you engage and communicate with your current and potential customers. Therefore the images you publish on Twitter should present the value of your brand, beyond products or services. @Gymshark nails it by introducing the faces of the real team behind the Gymshark community on its Twitter header image. This kind of approach demonstrates a level of authenticity and can help to enhance a customer’s trust in your brand.

While there are lots of things to consider when designing a Twitter header image, you don’t have to create Twitter images from scratch–why not use a header image maker to speed up the process.

Placeit’s smart templates enable you to create header images in your browser, without having to install software. Simply browse Placeit’s library of Twitter header templates, select one that you think suits your brand and objectives, and personalize the template with a background image (choose from those available or upload your own), as well as fonts and colors.

Once you’ve finished editing the banner to your liking, hit the ‘Download’ button and you have a Twitter cover image ready to post to your profile. Either purchase individually or subscribe to Placeit for unlimited downloads and you can update your Twitter header as often as you need.

Alternatively, if you’d like more control over your design, you can purchase Photoshop templates on Envato Market (prices range from $2 to $6 per template) or subscribe to Envato Elements (from $16.50 per month) for unlimited downloads of graphic templates, video templates and more.