Skip to content

How to Create Beautiful Pins on Pinterest in 6 Steps

How to create pin on pinterest on blue background

If you’ve spent any time on Pinterest, you know that it’s all about beautiful Pinterest Pins. And if you’re like many Pinners, you’ve spent more time looking at all those Pins than you have adding your own Pins!

Pinterest favors new, exciting, fresh content in the algorithm. Why is that? Because users love it! A good experience on Pinterest is good for everyone. And because sharing content that’s already been on Pinterest is easier than creating new content, you’ll be at an advantage if you can give Pinterest that new, inspiring content on a regular basis!

So, keep reading to learn how to make a Pin on Pinterest that will wow Pinners.


Wish everything you need to know about Pinterest was in one spot? It is – in our latest FREE webinar! From tools, traffic-driving tips, and the secret to creating irresistible Pins – you’ll find it all inside. 👇


Why You Should Make Pinterest Pins

  • Pinterest favors fresh content – just make sure each one is unique and additive, showcasing your product, service, or information in a new way and for a different audience and search – focus on quality over quantity.
  • Build your brand and set your Pinterest account apart from your competitors and communicate who you are – but don’t be afraid to experiment with different styles.
  • Create resources for your community – You can create a bulletin board of useful information – all with your Pinterest profile!
  • Gain search traction on one of the biggest search engines on the planet – At last count Pinterest had 416 million users per month.
  • Grow traffic to your website or blog – Use compelling Pins to advertise your core site or product to your target audience
  • Sell your products or services – People are on Pinterest to be inspired and to find what they need to create a life they love!

How to Create Beautiful Pinterest Pins

Want to skyrocket your website traffic? This simple guide is your passport to free traffic growth from Pinterest (even if you've never Pinned in your life.) Grab it now!

Two-thirds of all Pinned content is from a business website, so make sure that you’re adding Pins to your website or blog to make your content shareable.

Now that you’ve seen the value of original and carefully curated Pins, here are six steps on how to create a Pin on Pinterest that will earn shares and win over followers!

Step 1. Consult Our Pinterest Pin Size Guide

Let’s start with the basic size dimensions for creating a Pin.

Pinterest’s preferred image aspect ratio is 2:3 or 1:2.1. The minimum width of a pin is 600 pixels although the ideal is 1000 x 1500 for high- quality, unblurred Pinterest Pins.

Curious why that is? Here’s what Pinterest has to say on the topic:

“Pins are organized into columns, so vertical Pins take up more space and tend to stand out more.

Don’t make Pins too long or they will get cut off. The ideal aspect ratio for a Pin is 2:3.”

Pinterest

Although 2:3 is the ideal, you can still experiment with Long Pins at 1:2.1.

This is an approved size from Pinterest, while many infographic Pin sizes are not! Anything above 1:2.1 risks getting cut off in the feed (like the example below!)This Pin looks fantastic on desktop but the bottom of the image gets cut off on mobile.

Romantic Vacation pin examples

Image cropped on mobile

Above is the Pinterest app view on mobile with the bottom cut off. While it isn’t essential for this particular Pinterest Pin, cropping could hide valuable branded information.

If you put your watermark or logo in the bottom corner, for example, that would only be revealed when a user clicks on the Pin.

That’s why it’s so important to make informed decisions when you create your Pinterest images.

Need more guidance? Skim our Pinterest Pin Size Guide!

Pins on Pinterest

Tall, vertical images look great on Pinterest so if you do choose one of those long Pin sizes, feel free to experiment.

For example, you could collage images with multiple photos showing steps for a DIY how-to project or a recipe! People love to share these helpful Pins to their Pinterest Boards.

Step 2: Source Pin Images That Inspire…

Pinterest is the ultimate wish list. People Pin and repin things they like and want.

So think of your Pinterest Pins as your visual portfolio, and make your images as appealing as possible.

Remember that your goal is for your content to be saved alongside someone’s hopes and dreams on their treasured Pinterest Boards. It might seem like a tall order, but with a few skills, you can create a Pinterest post that’s highly shareable.

Just make sure that you have permission to use any images that you find for your blog or your social media posts. If you can’t afford images, you can’t afford the fines that you could incur for using photos illegally! 

So much handy information! You should Pin this article for later. 😉

Don’t believe us? Our Director of Marketing once got hit with a $500 bill from Getty Images for inadvertently using one of their images in a blog at a former job!

Luckily, there are many sites that you can find free images to use. Two of my favorite sites to use when creating a pin are Librestock and Unsplash!

Step 3: Or Take Your Own Beautiful Pinterest Images!

The professional quality images we find on stock photography sites like Unsplash can be a very handy resource for Pinners (especially for those jaw-dropping inspirational Pins.)

But Pinterest’s algorithm favors new content and fresh images, and frequently used Stock images aren’t very original.

If you want to create images for Pinterest but you’re not a professional photographer and you don’t have a fancy camera, don’t worry. 

Smartphones have come a long way and are one of the most easily available and powerful tools at your disposal to create beautiful Pins.

Here are a few ideas that are easy to use when taking Pinterest images on your smartphone:

  1. Pay close attention to the light – diffused light (think: overcast day) will minimize shadows.
  2. Try a black and white edit of your photo. These can really stand out against color-saturated Pins.
  3. Play around with cropping to highlight a part of your image or to create more white space. 

Need more ideas? Check out our FREE webinar all about smartphone photography!

Step 4: Experiment with Your Pin Visual Style

Part of your master plan for creating beautiful pins is designing a brand that people love and gravitate towards.

Keep in mind that branding on Pinterest is a little different than branding on Instagram.

The reason being, most people won’t see all your Pins side by side constantly. So, you can feel free to experiment with color palettes and font styles to find out what Pinterest users in your niche like to see!

One thing you should always do, however, is add your logo and branding to your Pinterest image so people can recognize your Pins in their feed.

And don’t forget to design your Pins to be mobile-friendly!

How to Make Your Pinterest Pins Mobile Friendly

Here’s what Pinterest has said about creating a Pin that’s mobile-friendly:

“People are spending more time on their mobile phones than ever before, and we’ve seen this shift at Pinterest, too. That’s why we think Pinterest is a great place to reach, inspire, and convert people on mobile.”

In fact, 75% of Pinterest usage is happening on mobile devices!

So it makes sense that your images are mobile-friendly.

What exactly does this mean?  

Your image should be clear and your text easy to read on a mobile device. Make sure you add text on high-contrast backgrounds, so people can understand what your Pin is about from any size screen!

Try Pinning your image and then checking it on multiple devices to see if it’s looking good.

Step 5: Create Images for Pinterest Search

Don’t forget that Pinterest has its own search algorithm! That means understanding the basics of Pinterest SEO is a must, so you can learn how to create images for Pinterest search result success.

When you create Pinterest images, optimize your Pin descriptions with relevant keywords and phrases. Pinterest search covers your title, description, image, and even the text on your Pin!

Add ALT text to each image on your blog for search

Pinterest’s visual search scans the image and groups it with related images.

Here’s how to make the most of your Pinterest images:

  • Name each image using keywords for your article
  • Choose relevant images that easily relate to the topic of your Pin
  • Keep the text on your Pin closely related to the topic, incorporating 1-2 main keywords

Step 6: Highlight Your Offerings in Your Pin

Pins stand out when they’re inspirational and “on brand”. Here are a few more ideas about how to create content for Pinterest that makes the most of your brand and showcases your products and services in the best light!

Put your product or service front and center in the image. Don’t make Pinners guess what a Pin is about. Depending on your aesthetic, include your logo as a prominent feature, or use subtle branding, to build awareness and trust.

The goal of optimizing your Pins is to help people discover what you offer so don’t be afraid to highlight the benefits of your brand or product.

Words like “homemade,” “easy,” and “sustainable” make it clear what you are offering.

If possible, show your product or idea in action. And don’t hesitate to include a call to action on the Pin (“shop now,” “discover your look,” etc.) where appropriate.

Want some help bringing this all together? We have a Pinterest Templates Toolkit to help you create the perfect Pin for your brand!

 

Learn How To Market Your Gorgeous Pins

Creating gorgeous Pins has never been easier! So many resources, tools, and strategies are available to help you create content for Pinterest.

Pinterest Marketing should be an important part of your overall strategy.

If you are a business owner looking to gain more visibility for your Pins, check out our Pinterest for Business webinar!

And for a simple guide to substantial sales growth from Pinterest see Grow Your Online Sales with Pinterest.

infographic- how to create pinterest pins

Create. Schedule. Publish. All in One Place.
Start a Free Trial of Tailwind for Pinterest!

  • Make beautiful Pins faster than ever before with Tailwind Create
  • Get more engagement with SmartSchedule.
  • Collaborate, share and grow with Tailwind Communities
  • Automatically reshare your best Pins at safe intervals with SmartLoop.

86 Comments

  1. Avatar
    Jon

    ben’s last name is misspelled- it’s Uyeda not Eyeda

  2. Avatar

    Thank you, this is very helpful!

  3. Avatar

    I often post original images with a helpful message related to healthy aging but have not written anything on our website that includes the image. How can we get the maximum benefit including driving traffic to our site?

  4. Avatar
    Ann

    I’ve been trying to get Pinterest to remove a Getty attrition from one of my pins for close to a month. The photo is mine, I took it (my kitchen island is there for anyone to identify), and I never assigned the rights to anyone. I can’t find my image on Getty, reverse search image did not find it, and Pixsy could not find it either.

    Any ideas on how to get Pinterest to respond to the incorrect attrition (they were obtuse to begin with, then went silent)? Should I just DMCA it and resign myself to that blog post (which drives considerable traffic to my blog) being removed from Pinterest?

    • Avatar

      Hi Ann, I’ve recently done a series of DMCAs with Pinterest! What do you mean, “remove a Getty attrition”?I would be glad to look at the pin in question.

      • Avatar

        Thanks for commenting and offering help, Louise!

        Did you ever get things straightened out with those stfe.re pins in question? I’ve been seeing a lot of them now and it looks like we’ll have to get an iframe blocker or something.

  5. Avatar

    “so people will be able to read the test on their phones”
    A small typo here.

  6. Avatar
    Ann

    Attribution (not attrition… darned autocorrect)

    It is from Pinterest, Peg. A weird Getty attribution suddenly appeared on my pin about 5-6 weeks ago. I cannot find the image on Getty, neither can Pixsy, and a reverse image look-up also yields no results. Nothing from Getty (at least then I could solve it as I have the original).

    This was part of the last response to me from Pinterest (from the help desk):

    “This is happening because Getty Images is one of our attribution partners. This means that whenever Pinterest detects an image that’s also found on Getty Images, Pinterest automatically attributes this image to its source on Getty Images. In this case, we’re automatically attributing your image to its Getty image source because someone else has uploaded your image to their Getty page.”

    Looks like a DMCA it is. Thank you for your input. I appreciate it.

    • Avatar

      So sorry that’s happened to you. DCMA is the way to go then. I’ve had great luck with Googe DCMA and also with Pinterest filing a claim for an image. When you fill out the form, you can share the image from your website and maybe with fresh eyes on the problem it will get resolved for you.

  7. Avatar

    peg that unsplash is the awsome one to download the stock images. I was searching a website like this for a long day. Now only by your blog i found that.

    Thanks,
    Arun

  8. Avatar

    I love the unicorn pin. I just want to pin it on all my boards because it is beautiful. Nicely done.

    Just a heads up though, last summer when Pinterest changed the visual look of pins they also adjusted the maximum recommended height ratio. The cut off is happening a lot shorter now, the ratio is now 1:2.8 and not 1:3.5.

    Thanks for the great tips. I always need help improving my visuals (so not my strength).

    • Avatar

      Hey Kristie!

      Where did you see the ratio change? I got my information from Pinterest’s website. Do you have a link to the updated info? Thanks for the heads up!

      Also thanks for reading and commenting and liking our unicorn pin.

      • Avatar

        Hi Peg, 2.8 is correct for mobile, though I don’t have a link. It’s been so long… unless they changed it back!

      • Avatar

        Hi! Their curent Pinterest best practice guides,

        “Vertically-oriented Pins look better on mobile screens. (The maximum aspect ratio is 1:2.8)”

        “Before they get clicked, Pins need to get noticed and taller Pins take up more space in feeds. Design Pins with a vertical image aspect ratio of 2:3 to 1:2.8 and a minimum width of 600px.”

        https://business.pinterest.com/en/pinterest-guides

        And
        “Vertically-oriented Pins look best on mobile screens, so make yours stand up nice and tall, with a maximum vertical aspect ratio of 1:2.8.” https://business.pinterest.com/en/blog/3-ways-create-better-pins

        Hope that helps! I know a lot of food bloggers were making theirs the 1: 3.5 ratio and they were bummed when they gor cut off this past summer when Pinterest made the switch. I’d hate for people to be designing pins thinking they’d show the whole thing.

  9. Avatar

    Fantastic article!
    I personally think that more people should join Pinterest because it got so much to give. Especially if you are able to create some amazing conent on there. I will definitely try and make use of some of the tips in this article.
    Cheers
    Jaylene

  10. […] Go big with your seaside lifestyle shoots, destination canvases, and warm sunset-themed décor. Pinners are looking for Pinterest seasonal content to help them make the most of their time outside the house. Help them create their backyard (or studio patio) stargazing sanctuary or save money while gas prices peak. […]

  11. […] With the Pinterest Smart Feed in play, only great content will cut it. While you might have been able to skirt through with a few subpar Pins in the old system or get traffic by brute force and volume of Pinning, those days are over. You are now an advanced Pinner. You make beautiful, relevant, and useful Pins. […]

  12. […] There are many great options to create free graphics to use as Pins. Many photographers use Photoshop to create templates, but Tailwind Create allows you to create hundreds of Pins personalized to your brand and industry with just one click. You’ll save a ton of time while creating beautiful Pins for Pinterest! […]

  13. […] Büyük oyna deniz kıyısındaki yaşam tarzı çekimleriniz, hedef tuvalleriniz ve sıcak gün batımı temalı dekorunuzla. Pinner’lar, ev dışında geçirdikleri zamanı en iyi şekilde geçirmelerine yardımcı olacak mevsimsel Pinterest içeriği arıyor. Arka bahçelerini (veya stüdyo verandalarını) oluşturmalarına yardımcı olun yıldızlara bakan sığınak ya da gaz fiyatları zirvedeyken paradan tasarruf edin. […]

  14. […] başarılı bağlı kuruluş pazarlamasının anahtarı, güzel Pinler ve ilham verici açıklamalar. Bunları ilgi çekici blog gönderilerine bağlayın. Çoğu. Hakkında daha fazla öğren […]

  15. […] There are a lot of fantastic solutions to produce complimentary graphics to incorporate as Pins. Lots of professional photographers incorporate Photoshop to produce layouts, yet Tailwind Produce permits you to produce lots of of Pins customized your brand name and business via only 1 click on. That you’ll save your self a load of times whereas creating beautiful Pins for Pinterest! […]

  16. […] Go big along with your seaside way of life fires, location canvases, as well as cozy sunset-themed décor. Pinners tend to be shopping for Pinterest periodic material to greatly help all of them give by far the most of their particular times outdoors the home. Support all of them generate their particular yard (otherwise workshop outdoor patio) stargazing sanctuary otherwise lower your expenses whereas fuel rates height. […]

  17. […] essential to profitable online marketing in Pinterest is actually beautiful Pins and inspiring descriptions. Hyperlink these to partaking blog site messages. Plenty of all of them. Find out more pertaining to […]

  18. […] Making use of Pinterest Good Feed in play, just terrific material will certainly lower it. Whereas you may have actually already been capable of dress via via a number of subpar Pins in previous system otherwise receive web traffic by means of brute power and also quantity of Pinning, these days tend to be over. You will be today a complicated Pinner. That you make beautiful, relevant, and useful Pins. […]


Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

shares