Creating the Perfect Pinterest Images to Get Your Brand Noticed
Ever since Pinterest boarded the social media bandwagon, website owners and bloggers have been startled by its unparalleled power to generate traffic for a particular post or site. However, the aforementioned ‘power of Pinterest’ comes into action only when the pinned image is able to grab attention, or in Pinterest’s words, ‘pinnable’.
As a pinner, getting your pins noticed, liked and re-pinned on Pinterest becomes more of a hard-to-find Holy Grail. You have to continuously ignite your creative flair and create images that stand out from the massive pile of other pins. So, what do you think really makes an image intrigue the viewer and captivate your target audience with brand’s story at a single glance?
Read on to find out a few useful tips on creating and pinning the perfect Pinterest images.
Choose an appropriate image size
Image size can really make or break the popularity of your pin. obviously, the “right” size for any individual pin really depends on what it constitutes and what it is aimed for, however, in order to develop a ‘Perfect Pinterest Pin’, aim to make the most out of the given image space which can be clicked through to have a maximized view of the image. The ideal pin size, as suggested by Pinterest Influencers, is 600 pixels in width by 1200 pixels in height, but the most recent Pinterest layout also works well with larger images. Pinterest itself has been pinning images as wide as 736 pixels with various heights.
Make your image relevant to your business idea
The best way to do this would be to make your pins product-centric. For example, if you aim to grab some attention to your newest home furniture range, an ideal pin would contain an image of your best piece. An even better way would be to have an image of your furniture items, show them in different settings and convey to your target audience how your product can add a wow factor to their homes. Use your image to tell your brand story, and most importantly, convert re-pinners into customers.
Make use of branding elements in the image design
From an attractive font choice, to an appealing bright border, creativity and vividness can be the most effective branding elements in the image design. Choose elements in sync with your website design, brand logos or blog styles for brand recognition and consistency. Take inspiration from the ‘Keep Calm’ sensation that uses a crown in all of their posts, and BuzzFeed’s kinked arrow depicting BuzzFeed trends.
Think Outside the Box
If you are still mulling over how to market your business using graphics, or think that your brand is not image-centric, well, think again. A successful social media campaign is all about thinking outside the box and sharing interesting stuff that resonates with your audience.
Think about your target audience, their age structure, popular hobbies, and their shared interests. Hover over some of your regular pinners’ (read potential customers’) pin boards and research what resonates with them. This will give you an idea of what appeals to your market and therefore create image boards accordingly. Your pictures will be speaking a thousand words about your brand, so better make them speak your target market’s favorite words!
Just because you only deal in sweet baked treats does not mean you can’t feature savory recipes on your brand page; make your board appeal to a wider audience by expanding your pinning horizons!
Promote contests and giveaway entries through your images
Contests and giveaways can be phenomenal in increasing targeted traffic to your business website, and Pinterest is a lucrative platform to promote them! Let serious content entrants know about your giveaway extravaganza by creating a vivid image of the event and what’s up for grabs! Using bold images to promote your campaign will surely increase traffic to your brand page. Here are a few tips on getting your images noticed through contest announcements:
- Make use of keywords like ‘contest’, ‘enter to win’, ‘up for grabs’ and ‘giveaway’ in the description field.
- If you are offering a certain amount in prize, add an announcement banner with the amount on the upper left-hand corner of your graphic to attract attention.
- Have your entrants use Pinterest by asking them to create boards, and repin your images to these boards with your keywords and hashtags in the description field.
Add descriptive text to the image to communicate with your audience
Even if you have found the perfect picture to convey your message with a particular pin, adding text to the graphics will only make it better. For example, if you plan to create an image that links your viewers back to your hairstyling blog, then include the article heading in the image, such as ‘Top 7 hairstyling hacks every girl should know’. While using Photoshop is the easiest way out, you can find easier and more affordable software like Microsoft PowerPoint to add descriptive text to your images.
Simply place your graphic, position the text over it, and export the file in a JPG format. This will give other pinners the opportunity to make changes to your original pin description when they decide to re-pin it. However, if the pinned image was originally generated with the desired text, re-pinners won’t have a option to edit or delete it.
Use your website’s link instead of signatures and watermarks
Before you decide to mar your new product’s image with an underlying watermark, it is important that you get acquainted with the fact that a ruling majority of Pinterest users disapprove of watermarked pictures and avoid repinning them. For the same reason, it would be worthwhile to hyperlink your images to your website’s address, as well as add a backlink in the description box. Make use of hashtags and optimized keywords for effective search and enhanced visibility of your pin. Also, after you post a pin and link it back to your full website, click on it to double check if it leads to the appropriate webpage/blog that you want it to go.
Don’t forget to Pin and Share Me!
