Nothing looks more amateur than placing your headline or price tag directly behind Instagram's caption overlay or TikTok's like button.
When text is covered by native UI, viewers can't read your hook and swipe away. Here are the exact safe-zone dimensions for 9:16 vertical video across Meta, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts:
Top Buffer: 180px
Keep the top 180px clear of critical text. Instagram renders camera/search icons, and TikTok places top sponsored tags here.
Bottom Buffer: 340px
Keep the bottom 340px free from CTAs or discount codes. This area is heavily covered by account usernames, multi-line captions, and sound metadata tracks.
Right Sidebar Buffer: 120px
Avoid placing text on the far right 120px where like, comment, share, and bookmark buttons reside.



