Step 1: Pick an Image

When creating a pin, you first need it to be in the right dimensions. Pinterest recommends a 2:3 ratio, so 1000×1500 pixels is your best option. If you’re thinking of creating a longer pin (which is practical for food bloggers), keep it modified. I suggest like 1000×2000 or even less 1000×1800 so you can still see the full pin design on display. Note that long pins are not part of Pinterest’s best practices, however I have personally noticed they can perform very well. 

When picking an image, find something that is clean, bright and on-topic.

 Let’s start with something clean. Consider an image that is not too busy and has a clear focal point so your audience understand and knows what they’re looking at. Try and find images that have a faint background so you can easily adapt it to your design. Choose images that often have a white or solid colored background and a good amount of negative space. This allows for an easy place to  put your text that can capture your audience’s attention. 

Image Techniques in Canva

Avoid using images that are too dark and hard to navigate around in your design. When you use bright, clear photos it captures the audience’s attention right away. Users look at the image before they read the text, so it’s important to make a good first impression. If you find a photo you like but it doesn’t match your style, Canva has a special feature where you can just use the outline of your subject by removing the background with their built-in tool “background remover” under Effects. This gives you the capacity to use your desired image and place wherever on your pin graphic. You can also easily adjust the brightness of a photo in Canva under “adjust”.

You can also have fun with spinning the image slightly, expanding it, cutting off part of it to fit your needs and branding style. There are lot’s of ways to make a pin unique and often it’s just a matter of playing around with the image until it fits just right.

Lastly, keep your image related to the content your providing so it give an indication to your audience what you’re addressing. If your image is off topic it misleads users to pass over you your content, missing an opportunity. Choose something that’s modern, simple and relevant to ensure a solid foundation for a successful pin.

Step 2: Make Your Brand Known

Branding is an important factor when designing your pin graphics. You can do this a few different ways to develop your branding style and create your brand identity without it being too obnoxious. 

If you have a brand logo that’s simple and clean, you can place it somewhere on the design that allows it to be visible and legible. Don’t make it the focal point, but use it nice and subtle. Hint, don’t place is on the bottom left corner because that gets covered by Pinterest icons. You can place background shapes behind it too, if you need the wording to pop.

If you have brand colors then incorporate them in your pin graphic, whether it’s with the background, font colors and any lines or shapes incorporated. Keep these consistent in future pins designed and develop your branding style so your pins look cohesive, yet still fresh.

Another simple way to make sure your brand is known if you don’t have a special logo, include your business name or web address somewhere on the graphic. I often put it on the top, under title text, or on the bottom of the pin so that viewers can easily read and recognize the brand for quality content.

If you are featuring a product whether physical or digital, showcasing that in the graphic is a smart way to advertise what your selling front and center. Keep your brand the focal point by using your own photos or products and avoid using lifestyle imagery that doesn’t fit. You can always crop the product and place it in front of your background to make it stand out. 

Keep your branding style authentic, simple and consistent to ensure a user-friendly experience on the Pinterest platform.

Step 3: Add Your Text Overlay

Adding text to your pin graphics majority of the time will give you better traction and engagement on your pin for a couple reasons. First, when people are scrolling through their Pinterest feed, they are searching for something that catches their attention and what it offers in a quick glance. Most likely they won’t read the description unless you get them this far in the conversion. You only have your audience for a few seconds, so your title must be concise, legible, and actionable.  Secondly, it acts as another opportunity for you to include SEO and classify your pin to pop up in search. Which we will discuss more about at the end. 

Let’s talk about your pin copy. Creating the write title for your pin graphic is crucial. If it’s too wordy and long, you lose your audience. If it’s too unspecific, users don’t know they need it. This is a chance to create a catchy, simple phrase, question, or statement that addresses their problem and provides a solution. Ideas that work well on the platform are including a number, like 5 Ways to Fix Your Finances. Remember to just keep it under 10, sometimes more is not better and overwhelms your audience. Think of words to entice, be clear, and solve your viewer’s problem. For example, Get Ahead of the Clutter with This Simple Trick. A sample of a question might be something like this, “Not losing weight? Try this Secret Hack that Works Every Time. Remember you are looking to clearly state your agenda while making it interesting and appealing to their needs. Also, another important best practice is to keep your message positive. 

You want to choose a solid, bold font that is clean and easy to read.

When using font on your graphics, be sure the font choice is readable especially on mobile as majority of users are on their phones using the app.  You can always incorporate a secondary font that’s more fun to keep your pin design interesting and appealing. If you’re wanting to use a script font, make sure it’s still legible and not too small and never make it the primary one. Finally, consider your text overlay to encourage your audience to take action. Instruct them what they need to do next, sometimes that with an arrow or a “button” that inspires them to take the next step. Some terms or phrases might sound like, “sign-up now”, “download now”, “grab your copy”, “get started”, “try now”, “shop now”‘ “find out more”, or even “earn ______”. Note, that not all graphics need to include this as you can certainly add this in the pin description instead but it can be a great tactic when selling products or services. Pinterest does however frown upon using the word “click” in your copy, so try to avoid and get creative with other wording.

Pin Descriptions

Let’s end with a bonus and discuss pin descriptions. You have up to 500 characters to tell your audience what your pin is about, how it can help them and why they need it. This is not a part you want to skimp out on or do half-hearted. This is your chance to include keywords and SEO to make sure your pin is found in search. You want to include at least 5 key words in a sentence format that clearly identifies your pin. Pinterest highly dislikes keyword stuffing and so does your audience, don’t do it! Take a few minutes to write out a precise description and include your brand name. You can use this same description for other pins created for the same post.

Now that you have these tips and best practices for creating a pin graphic that gets click-throughs, you can make alterations and create several templates to have a variety of fresh pins to repurpose (switching out titles & images). If you still need some inspiration, check out some of my templates here. 

Good luck, you got this and I would love it if you shared some of your design wins with me in the comments! 

Happy Pinning,

Suzie