Safe zone: the number, and what it hides
The part of a vertical video the platform's own interface will not cover.
Why safe zone matters
Captions, prices and logos placed outside it get hidden behind the username, the caption tray and the buttons. The ad looks fine in your editor and broken in the feed.
What this looks like with real numbers
A price burned into the bottom fifth of a 9:16 frame sits underneath the caption tray and the CTA button on a phone. It is perfectly legible in your editor and invisible in the feed, which is the most expensive kind of mistake because nothing looks broken.
What it does not tell you
The boundaries change with interface updates, and differ between Reels, Stories and TikTok. Check them against the current spec rather than a screenshot from last year.
The mistake people actually make
Checking safe zones against a screenshot from last year. The interface moves and the boundaries move with it.
Questions, answered.
How do you calculate safe zone?
Roughly the middle band of a 9:16 frame — check current platform specs. The part of a vertical video the platform's own interface will not cover.
What goes wrong with safe zone?
Checking safe zones against a screenshot from last year. The interface moves and the boundaries move with it.
What does safe zone not tell me?
The boundaries change with interface updates, and differ between Reels, Stories and TikTok. Check them against the current spec rather than a screenshot from last year.
Change the creative, not the dashboard
The part of a vertical video the platform's own interface will not cover.