How it works#
Every post, and each network's tab, has an upload area called Upload Media. Drop files on it, browse your computer, or reuse files from your Media Library. Heropost checks each file against the rules of every network it's going to, and tells you right away if one doesn't fit.
Everything you upload is also kept in the workspace's Media Library, so you can reuse it in later posts.
Add photos and videos#
- Open the post, then the All tab, or the tab of the network you're adding media for.
- Drag your files onto Upload Media, or click it to choose files from your computer. You can choose several at once.
- To reuse a file, click the library icon at the bottom of the upload area (Access Media Library), tick the files and press Add Media.
- Wait for the spinner to finish. The first file fills the upload area; with two files or more, a list appears under it.
- Order. Files from your computer are added in the order you choose them, after any files already there. Check the list, and drag to change the order.
- One-file networks. On YouTube, TikTok, Google Business Profile and Stories, a new file replaces the current one.
- (Required) under Upload Media means that network needs media: Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, Stories, and Reddit's Media posts.
- Cancel an upload with the ✕ on the spinner. There's no percentage, so a large video can spin for a while.
- Grayed out? Link posts don't take media: on a Link post (Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, Telegram) and on Reddit's Link and Post types, the upload area is off. Change the Post Type to add media. A scheduled post is locked too: press Edit first.
- On a phone, tapping the upload area opens your phone's own file picker.
Which files you can use#
- Photos: JPG and PNG everywhere photos are allowed. WEBP and GIF only on some networks.
- Videos: MP4 and MOV.
- Not accepted: HEIC photos straight from an iPhone, other video types such as AVI or WEBM, PDFs and audio. Export photos as JPG and videos as MP4 (H.264) first.
- On the All tab a file can be up to 30 MB for a photo and 5 GB for a video, with up to 100 files. Each network then checks its own limits, and its tab shows a red dot if a file doesn't fit.
How many files each network takes in one post:
| Network | Files per post |
|---|---|
| Several photos, or 1 video. Stories: 1 file. | |
| Up to 10 files in a carousel. Stories: 1 file. | |
| X | Up to 4 photos, or 1 GIF, or 1 video |
| Up to 9 photos, or 1 video | |
| Up to 5 photos of the same shape, or 1 video | |
| Up to 20 photos, or 1 video | |
| Telegram | Up to 10 photos and videos (a GIF goes on its own) |
| Threads | Up to 20 photos and videos |
| Bluesky | Up to 4 photos, or 1 video |
| Google Business Profile | 1 photo, no video |
| YouTube, TikTok | 1 video |
Sizes and video lengths for every network: Character limits and media specs. In the editor, hover over the info icon in the corner of the upload area for the network's rules. On a network's tab, the Media Requirements link there opens the full list, including the network's own recommendations for shapes and video formats.
Put files in order, edit or remove them#
With two files or more, each one has a row with a handle, its name and its size in pixels.
- Reorder: drag a row up or down by its handle. On a touch screen, press and hold for a moment, then drag. The order you set is the order on the network, and the first file is the one shown in the upload area.
- The ⋮ menu on a row: Edit (photos), Add Thumbnail, Change Thumbnail or Delete Thumbnail (videos, on networks with covers) and Delete.
- With one file, use the icons on the upload area instead: the bin (Delete) and, for a photo, the pencil (Edit Image).
- Delete asks Delete Media? "This media will be deleted from the post." It removes the file from this post only. It stays in your Media Library.
- Same media on every network? Use Update media to all social networks? → Update. See Write once, then adjust it for each network.
Set a video cover#
Heropost takes the video's first frame as its cover. On Facebook, Instagram and YouTube posts (not Stories), you can upload your own cover instead:
- With one video, press Add Thumbnail under the upload area. With several files, open the video's ⋮ menu and choose Add Thumbnail.
- Choose a JPG or PNG image: up to 10 MB for Facebook, 8 MB for Instagram, 2 MB for YouTube. On the All tab, the smallest limit of the post's networks applies.
- To swap or remove it, use Change Thumbnail or Delete Thumbnail.
- Make the cover the same shape as the video.
- YouTube only accepts custom thumbnails from verified channels. If Facebook or YouTube refuses the cover, the video still goes out with its own.
- There's no frame picker. To use a frame from the video, save it as an image first, then add it as the thumbnail.
Edit a photo#
- Click the pencil (Edit Image) on the upload area, or ⋮ → Edit on the photo's row.
- Use the tools: Crop (Custom, Square, 3:2, 4:3, 5:4, 7:5, 16:9), Resize, Rotate, Flip, Filter, Draw, Shape, Icon, Text and Mask. In Crop, Resize and Mask, press Apply to keep the change.
- Press Close. Your changes are saved as a new copy, which replaces the photo in this post.
- The original stays in your Media Library; the edited copy is added next to it. The copy is a JPG, so a transparent PNG background isn't kept.
- Closing with a change you didn't apply asks Discard changes? "Looks like you have a couple of unsaved updates here. You can discard all the progress or return to continue work." Press Cancel to go back and apply it, or Discard.
- On the Instagram, Pinterest and Google Business Profile tabs, the editor checks the photo's shape or size and shows red messages until it fits. Closing then asks: "The image doesn't meet the requirements. You can discard all the progress or return to continue work."
- Videos can't be edited in Heropost.
When a photo doesn't fit: Incorrect Image#
On the Instagram, Pinterest and Google Business Profile tabs, a photo with the wrong shape or size isn't added. Instead, Incorrect Image opens: "Oops, your image does not correspond to {Network} requirements:" and the reason.
| Network | What it checks |
|---|---|
| Instagram (feed) | Shape: between 4:5 (portrait) and 1.91:1 (landscape). Much taller or wider photos get "Aspect ratio must be within a 9:16.15 to 1.91:1 range." |
| At least 200 × 300 pixels | |
| Google Business Profile | Between 400 × 300 and 10,000 × 10,000 pixels |
Press Go to Editor to crop or resize the photo; when you close the editor, the fixed copy is added. Cancel leaves it out.
Watermarks#
If your workspace or the account has a watermark, Heropost adds it to photos when the post is published, on every network except YouTube and TikTok. GIFs and videos don't get one. The preview doesn't show it, and your original file isn't changed. See Add a watermark to your images.
If it doesn't work#
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Invalid file type", or "Wrong file format." | This tab doesn't accept that type of file. | Convert it: JPG or PNG for photos, MP4 for videos. |
| "Wrong file format. Please upload {types}" under the upload area | The network doesn't take that file type. The message lists what it takes. | Convert the file to one of those types. |
| "Too many files", "Too many files. Max: {n}", "You can upload up to {n} files" or "You can upload only 1 file" | More files than this post or network can take. | Remove some. Stories, YouTube, TikTok and Google Business Profile take one file. |
| "Image size limit: {N}MB maximum" or "Video size limit: {N}MB maximum" | The file is bigger than the network allows. | Compress or resize it. |
| "Duration of the video must be between…", or "…up to 15 minutes" | The video is too short or too long for that network. | Trim it. Lengths per network: specs. |
| "Sorry, you can't add both photos and a video at the same time" or "Please select only one video file at a time" | That network takes photos or one video, not both. | Keep the photos, or one video. |
| "Codec is not supported. For more information please check requirements" | Your browser can't read the video. | Export it again as an MP4 (H.264 video, AAC audio) and upload that. |
| "Media is required" | The network needs a photo or video. | Add one, or switch that network off. |
| Incorrect Image | The photo's shape or size doesn't fit Instagram, Pinterest or Google Business Profile. | Press Go to Editor and crop or resize it. |
| "Wrong file format. Please upload PNG or JPG", or "Size limit: {N}MB maximum" when adding a cover | The cover must be a JPG or PNG within the size. | Use a JPG or PNG: 10 MB (Facebook), 8 MB (Instagram), 2 MB (YouTube). |
| A red message with a green Accept button | A warning about the file for this network. | Fix the file, or press Accept to keep it as it is. The network may still refuse it when the post goes out. |
| Gray static where the picture should be | That file is no longer available. | Delete it from the post and add the file again. |
| The upload area is grayed out | It's a link post, a Reddit text post, or the post is scheduled or published. | Change the Post Type, or press Edit on a scheduled post. |
Questions#
Can I use different photos for different networks?
Yes. On that network's tab, switch off Take media … from the All tab, then add its own media. See Write once, then adjust it for each network.
Can I add alt text to images?
No. Heropost doesn't send image descriptions (alt text) to networks. Add them in the network's own app after posting if you need them.
Why can't I upload a photo from my iPhone?
iPhones often save photos as HEIC, which Heropost doesn't accept. Export or share the photo as a JPG first, then upload that.
Can I add music to a video?
No. Heropost publishes the video as it is. Add music before you upload, or in the network's app.
Can I post a PDF?
No. To share a document, post a link to it, or save its pages as images and post them together.
Does deleting a file from a post delete it everywhere?
No. It's only removed from that post. It stays in your Media Library and in any other post that uses it.