Pinterest is a search engine, social media platform, and aspirational vision board all in one—and standing out in such a crowded, multipurpose marketplace isn’t easy. Up your Pinterest content strategy and engagement with this quick guide to Pinterest Pin design.
We’re covering:
- 11 creative and inspiring Pinterest ideas
- 6 must-haves to an effective and oh-so-clickable Pin
- Quick instructions on how to create a Pin design and upload it to Pinterest
11 Creative Pinterest Design Ideas to Emulate
The following Pinterest ideas are split into some of the most common types of Pins: original content, product Pins, GIF Pins, and text overlay Pins.
Time to get inspired!
Original Content Ideas & Examples
Original content refers to Pins that you create and that have, therefore, never been pinned before. The Pinterest algorithm loves original Pins, and many successful Pinners recommend creating at least three new original Pins every day. (Yep. Every. Single. Day.)
Here are some Pinterest Pin templates to help.
1. Tutorials
Tutorials are some of the most-searched original content on Pinterest, and this rainbow garland Pin has all the must-haves covered—a great title, a compelling description, search-friendly hashtags, an awesome photo, and even their small business logo.
2. Recipes
A descriptive title, a mouth-watering food video, and an abridged recipe right in the description make this a terrific example of an original content Pin.
3. Infographics
Infographics are another fantastic way to Pin original content. This infographic drives Pinners to the designer’s blog through an eye-catching visual and a well-written description.
Product Pin Ideas & Examples
Product Pins are a type of “rich Pin,” which is basically a Pin supplemented with additional data pulled from a third-party source.
Product Pins require a bit of code to work, but once they’re set up, they will display up-to-date product info directly within Pinterest.
4. Apparel
Because these boots are captured as a rich Pin, you can see the pricing, inventory, and reviews—all on the Pinterest card. And fewer barriers means more purchases.
5. Hobby Kits
This product Pin uses a well-staged photo and easy-to-read text overlay to clearly convey what you’re buying. (The title is a little keyword-stuffed—but hey, it must be working.)
6. Home Furnishings
If you have multiple product Pins on offer, Pinterest will suggest other products from your shop, too, like this example from furniture maker West Elm below.
GIF Pin Ideas & Examples
Whether you’re team “gif” or team “jif,” animations are great for Pinterest. Just keep in mind that GIFs don’t autoplay from a Pinterest board or the Pinterest feed—they only start playing when the Pin is expanded. (For multiple GIFs or even video, try Idea Pins instead.)
7. Illustrations
GIFs are a good Pin for illustrators and artists to share their animated work and link back to their hire-ready portfolio.
8. Workouts
Another awesome way to use GIFs on Pinterest is to show active and energetic movement, like this quick workout guide.
Text Overlay Ideas & Examples
Text overlay images are some of the most tried-and-true Pin designs out there. By combining beautiful imagery with curiosity-inspiring text, they offer the best of both worlds.
9. Inspirational Quotes
Some of the best original content on Pinterest isn’t completely “original”—instead, it’s an aesthetically pleasing take on someone else’s words.
Quotes are easy to create and can be laid over a simple background.
10. Craft Tutorials
Have you ever thought, “Wow, I wish I knew how to make koala pom poms”? Well, Pinterest answers the call.
In this Pin, text is laid over a high-quality photo that clearly shows the materials required and the adorable end result.
11. Fashion Inspo
Pinterest abounds with fashion tips and style inspo. This Pin links to the company’s blog, which further speaks to the user’s want for quick fashion tips. (If you love the look of this pin, you can use text layering to recreate it in Create!)
The 6 Most Important Pinterest Design Elements
After seeing the examples above, you probably have a pretty good feel for what Pinterest Pin design is all about. But, let’s get more specific.
Remember: The goal of Pinterest isn’t just to heart pretty pictures (that’s Instagram). Instead, Pinterest is all about helping people find what they want and then save it for later.
To do that, simply follow the Pinterest best practices below.
1. Vertical Format
Pinterest’s own creative best practices recommend a vertical image, as this is what the Pinterest feed is optimized for. Specifically, it’s best to use a 2:3 image aspect ratio to avoid the potential for awkwardly cropped Pins.
Any 2:3 ratio should work, but 1000px x 1500px is the most recommended size.
2. Beautiful Imagery
As a visual search platform, Pinterest is sort of like Google image search on steroids. Everything is visually oriented, and the best-performing Pins have powerful photos, videos, or illustrations that speak to their target audience.
Maybe it’s a trendy ingredient flat lay for a food blogger’s latest recipe. Or, a dramatic road trip photo for a wanderlust-embracing travel influencer.
Whatever the case, just make sure it grabs attention!
3. Text Overlay
Pinterest users are often looking for creative inspiration, information, or tips. So, while imagery can do a good job of grabbing their initial attention, it’s usually not enough to sustain their interest (and actually earn that click). That’s why many of the most engaging Pins also have text overlay.
The best text overlay will:
- Clearly describe what your Pin links to.
- Use an easy-to-read font with high contrast.
- Be as short as possible.
- Spark curiosity.
4. Well-Chosen Colors
We all know that color matters in design. And, interestingly enough, multiple studies—including one peer-reviewed academic study—have found red, purple, and pink to be the most-shared colors on Pinterest.
Of course, your brand palette and the general rules of color psychology should form the final say in your Pin design.
No matter how on-trend, don’t use that Pacific pink if it doesn’t truly suit what you’re sharing! The best rule of thumb for color is to be intentional.
5. Branding
If you’re sharing your content as a business, influencer, or solopreneur, it’s important to mark your Pins accordingly!
Adding a small logo in the corner (or even as a subtle watermark) can reinforce your brand and help people identify the content as yours.
6. Other Text
We’re calling this “other text” because it’s not strictly about the words on your Pin design itself—but it’s so important that it’s still worth calling out.
Since Pinterest is all about search and discoverability, you should definitely include the Pinterest SEO must-haves:
- A clear and compelling title of up to 100 characters.
- A descriptive, keyword-optimized caption of up to 500 characters.
- Relevant hashtags for search.
- If possible, rich Pin configuration (available for products, recipes, and articles).
How to Make Pins in Pinterest
Now, you’ve got tons of creative Pinterest ideas and you know exactly what needs to be included in the text and the design. You’re ready to create a Pin!
Design Your Pin in Create
- To start with the ideal Pin dimensions (plus some easily customizable placeholders for text and imagery), choose a Pinterest template in Create.
- If you prefer to start from scratch, that works, too. From the Create home page, choose Pinterest Pin under the heading Start with a blank canvas.
- Whichever way you started, you can now use the hassle-free tools to build your perfect Pin! Upload your logo, insert a gorgeous stock image for the background, and type your own text.
- Click Download from the top toolbar and instantly get your PNG or JPG ready for Pinterest upload.
Upload It to Pinterest
- Open Pinterest and click the plus (+) button to create a Pin or an Idea Pin.
- Upload that incredible Pin you just designed.
- Fill out the text fields—keeping in mind both readability and Pinterest search optimization.
- Save your Pin to any Pinterest board.
That’s it! More than 430 million active Pinners are waiting for your fresh content, so go make some amazing Pins.
Keep your Pinterest content flowing with insight from these articles:
- The Anatomy of Pinterest Board Design
- Tips for Optimizing Your Pinterest Ads with A/B Testing
- Pinterest Idea Pins: A Beginner’s Guide
Cover image via GoodStudio, GoodStudio, and Resi Anggraeni.
