A Pinterest account’s potential lives and dies on its pin design, but watching a clean canvas or the wall of lovely pins already on the platform could make you’re feeling like a deer within the headlights. Maintain onto your laptop computer, as a result of we’re going to blast via that feeling with Pinterest design suggestions and greatest practices that may put together you to dazzle the followers awaiting you on the platform.
Information to Pinterest design suggestions and greatest practices
Associated: The entrepreneur’s information to Pinterest advertising and marketing
Why does pin design matter?
When somebody hires me to assist them enhance their Pinterest account, the primary three issues that I have a look at are (on this order):
- Account set-up
- Pin optimization
- Pin design
Optimization and account set-up decide how many individuals see a pin, and pin design determines if the consumer saves, clicks or (the horror) retains scrolling.
As for superb Pinterest pin design? You’ve discovered your roadmap. And it’s factor you’re right here.
Everybody likes to blame the algorithm when their content material isn’t performing properly. Typically the algorithm does trigger mysterious dips and shifts, however when your content material doesn’t look the half, it’s essential be on the lookout for options and alternatives to enhance.
Pinterest is a visible platform. A Pinterest consumer decides whether or not or to not have interaction based mostly solely on how a pin seems.
Sure, pins have titles and descriptions. However are you able to bear in mind the final time you learn one? Customers don’t learn the main points of pins. They scroll, so your entire alternative to seize consideration boils right down to how your graphics look.
There are big alternatives at stake right here.
Most customers mistake Pinterest for a social media platform, nevertheless it’s really a search engine. Consider it as Google’s cool cousin, with some fairly distinctive benefits and alternatives for manufacturers.
On Google, you battle for a web page in your web site to indicate up within the No. 1 spot for a search. However are you able to think about in case your web site occupied all three of the highest spots? Or all 5?
That is the chance that manufacturers have on Pinterest.
Pinterest’s search algorithm doesn’t restrict what number of occasions a single model can present up in a single search. The key to dominating search outcomes is to make distinctive pins that may entice completely different viewers to click on.
Optimize your pins accurately, and you’ll take dwelling an infinite slice of the pie:
The magnitude of your success on the platform rests in your Pinterest pin design, so let’s talk about fundamentals.
Pinterest design 101
Good Pinterest pin design is all about getting the viewer to click on or save your picture. However don’t dive straight into designing the snappiest graphics on the net with out nailing down the nitty-gritty.
Earlier than entering into some particular do’s and don’ts of Pinterest pin design, let’s discuss in regards to the rules of efficient design on Pinterest.
Pin format
The advisable Pinterest pin measurement is 1000 × 1500 pixels. Alternatively, you can even make lengthy pins which can be 1000 x 2000 pixels.
Sq. graphics can generally be efficient (for instance, many quotes and product photographs are sq.), however use them sparingly. By no means use horizontal photographs on Pinterest.
Instance of a protracted pin on Pinterest from Loveleigh Loops:
Save your photographs as PNGs and shrink them utilizing TinyPNG or one other lossless picture compressor to make your photographs extra environment friendly.
Give photographs file names that match their content material. For instance, “Pinterest advertising and marketing pin.png” as an alternative of “my pin.png.”
Originality
By no means obtain photographs from Pinterest and re-upload them as your personal pins. This infringes on different creators’ work and can get your account flagged as spam or suspended.
Stolen or misused content material runs rampant on Pinterest, and encompasses:
- Downloading a pin from another person and importing it your self
- Doing this even whereas crediting the unique supply
- Creating pins that ship Pinterest customers to a web site that you simply don’t personal (for instance: creating pins for an article that you simply revealed on Medium)
On prime of breaking Pinterest’s Neighborhood Pointers, it undermines your account’s credibility. Solely use authentic photographs or inventory images that you’ve got the rights to (an necessary be aware on utilizing inventory images arising in a minute).
Readability
When a Pinterest consumer sees your pin, they’ll spend milliseconds deciding in case your pin will help them or not.
It’s essential make it abundantly clear what this piece of content material presents pinners otherwise you’ll immediately lose them.
Take this instance from Sarah Design of a drinkware mockup tutorial:
Even at a fast look, you instantly perceive what this pin is about and might self-select whether or not or not it might assist you to. This must be the aim of each pin that you simply design.
Present tendencies
On Pinterest, trending matters will come up (who WASN’T making sourdough bread in 2020) however design tendencies for creators are a lot much less necessary.
Pins that you simply make this yr will nonetheless be circulating in 2025, so don’t marry your Pinterest pin design to tendencies.
As a substitute, let’s have a look at the tendencies which can be particular to Pinterest customers.
Seasonal content material
Pinners flip to Pinterest for his or her planning moments, they usually flip early. Would it not shock you to be taught that Christmas searches begin as early as July?
It is best to produce your seasonal content material the quarter earlier than the season itself. Pinners aren’t off-put to see Thanksgiving concepts whereas they’re nonetheless in shorts — they respect it.
Huge textual content
The large textual content development is a response to pinners’ brief consideration spans. Huge textual content not solely jumps out of the feed, nevertheless it additionally forces creators to boil their content material down to some phrases.
Take this instance from The Conscious Mocktail. As a substitute of claiming “the simplest wholesome different to ingesting a raspberry alcoholic margarita,” we’ve got “simple raspberry margarita mocktail.” Increase.
Inspiring photographs
Pinners open the Pinterest app to plan, be taught and be impressed. Faucet into this want along with your picture choice.
Take this instance from Grateful Gypsies. All of us learn the textual content however really feel the imagery.
Think about these very same phrases written on a white web page. The impact wouldn’t even be shut.
Pinterest design suggestions for non-designers
Are you pondering, “this all sounds good, BUT…”
Let me guarantee you: you don’t want to be a graphic designer to make Pinterest pin designs that talk to your readers and drive site visitors to your web site. You simply must create a pin design course of that works for you.
Make a temper board
Browse the platform for Pinterest pin designs that you simply assume look good. Then, save all of them to a secret board.
Use this secret board as a temper board to search out templates that you simply like, or to ship to a graphic designer in the event you select to outsource.
Use pin templates
Along with your temper board in hand, browse Pinterest templates and search for designs that match your branding and communicate to your readers.
When enhancing Pinterest templates, at a minimal, customise:
- Colours
- Fonts
- Pictures or video
- Plus, add your model title
These ought to all match your branding and make your pin look completely different from the others on-line created utilizing the identical template.
You’ll accumulate extra saves, clicks and Pinterest followers in case your pins are distinctive and never a knock-off of what customers have already seen.
With these fundamentals in thoughts, listed here are a number of the prime Pinterest pin design secrets and techniques that may assist you to maximize your potential on the platform.
Observe: With 1000’s of customizable templates, GoDaddy Studio is designed particularly that will help you simply create attractive content material in minutes.
Pinterest design suggestions: Do’s and don’ts
Feeling energized to create pins in your model? Don’t get misplaced down the design concepts rabbit gap with out sticking to those fundamental greatest practices.
Do: Use photographs that match content material
Keep away from the urge to make use of generic enticing photographs in your pin designs. Picture selection performs a big half on Pinterest, each to the consumer and the algorithm.
The front-end of the Pinterest search engine optimisation course of is just like different search engines like google and yahoo: you do key phrase analysis, then embrace these key phrases within the pin title, description and file title.
However Pinterest veers away from different platforms with its superior visible search capabilities.
The Pinterest algorithm can be studying the textual content on the picture, and scanning the picture’s contents.
Be particular whenever you might be. Take this instance from Ms Journey Solo. She might’ve shared a generic journey image for this weblog put up on journey gear, however as an alternative, she confirmed pinners the gear itself:
Don’t: Use templates or photographs that match everybody else
Whereas it’s good to take a look at what’s already performing properly whereas designing your pins, don’t marry your design course of to what you already see otherwise you threat being redundant.
Exhibit A: this widespread free inventory picture. A fast visible search on Pinterest reveals that dozens of accounts have used this actual inventory picture repeatedly, unedited and with no added branding.
Take the time to customise inventory imagery and free Pinterest pin templates:
- Add your model colours or filters on inventory images
- Change the font to match your branding
- Complement inventory images with authentic images
I do know I’m repeating myself, however skipping this step actually units your designs again. And it’s simple to amend.
Take this instance from Courtney Kelly, who made her pin stand out by making use of a pink filter to this inventory picture and supplementing together with her personal images:
There’s nothing improper with utilizing free inventory images in your Pinterest pin design course of, however don’t reduce corners when customizing them.
Associated: The best way to use a inventory picture 8 alternative ways
Do: Embody your branding
This level is so necessary that we have to zoom in. Together with your branding in your Pinterest pin design is a matter of:
- Readers remembering and revisiting your content material
- Constructing a singular visible identification
- Being acknowledged by the algorithm
Take this instance from Inspirational Tea Co. — the branding oozes out of each design ingredient on this pin.
It checks each field whereas nonetheless remaining true to the fashion of the model:
- The content material is evident
- The pinner instantly understands the call-to-action (store now)
- The product photographs shine alongside textual content
The cherry on prime: beneath of this pin, in the event you scroll right down to the “Extra Like This” part, the algorithm is displaying extra content material from this model:
Good Pinterest pin design extends a hand to the viewer with out making all of it about them, which is a typical newbie fumble.
Don’t: Make all of it about you
Everybody who consumes content material on-line is subconsciously screening for a solution to the query “how can this assist me.”
The quickest solution to have interaction with viewers is to soak up the accountability of speaking that message into your Pinterest pin design. Don’t make them marvel, guess or attempt to clear up the riddle themselves.
Educate from the “you” perspective, not “I.” For instance:
- “How I make $100 a day on-line” is about you.
- “How one can make $100 a day on-line” is in regards to the pinner, and goes to inherently decide up extra traction.
Right here’s one other instance:
- “How I wrote a whole e-book in 1 month” is about you.
- “Secrets and techniques behind writing a whole e-book in 1 month” is about what the reader can be taught.
Take this pin instance from Sojournies. This textual content might’ve learn “what I like and dislike about residing in Europe” however is in regards to the viewer as an alternative:
In case you wrestle with this in your Pinterest pin design, ask a good friend for a second opinion earlier than you publish your pins.
Do: Add textual content
This is likely one of the most neglected Pinterest design suggestions. It is best to add textual content, even whenever you’re simply utilizing images.
Textual content on pins orients pinners and improves click-through fee and pin saves.
Ask your self which of those pins you’d be most probably to have interaction with:
Even in the event you’re creating pins that completely showcase images, take the time to edit the design utilizing an answer like GoDaddy Studio so as to add just a few phrases that may orient the pinner.
Take this instance from Sisters’ Sunflowers. As a substitute of merely displaying off a standalone sticker picture, minimalist textual content aids viewers in understanding this content material.
Textual content ought to all the time be direct and support in understanding. Whilst you may be tempted to make use of playful copywriting like “you already know you need me,” direct language goes to assist customers self-select extra rapidly. Simply don’t design pins with textual content that finally ends up working towards you …
Don’t: Make it laborious to learn
Textual content that’s unclear, complicated or tough to learn will trigger viewers to maintain scrolling. A couple of guidelines of thumb:
- Use script fonts very sparingly
- Change font sizes to create a visible hierarchy
- Readability trumps every little thing else
Take this instance from my model, Writing From Nowhere. Various textual content sizes and fonts create distinction and hierarchy:
The font measurement varies from 45 factors (backside row of textual content) to 275 factors (the phrase “profitable”). Had all the textual content been the identical measurement or all been written within the script font, the lead would’ve been misplaced.
Closing ideas
Do your pins go the take a look at? Earlier than importing to Pinterest, ask your self:
- Is it immediately obvious what this pin is about?
- Is it simple to learn, even on cellular?
- Would I cease my scroll to take a look at this?
In case your pin design is an afterthought, your content material will observe go well with within the eyes of the pinner. Apply these Pinterest pin design fundamentals to your static pins, thought pins and product pins to see huge enhancements to your engagement fee.
I hope that these Pinterest design suggestions and greatest practices have left your fingers itching to start out designing! Get began proper now with GoDaddy Studio.