The secret to Pinterest marketing success? Gorgeous, click-worthy Pinterest Pin designs!

We’ve talked a lot about Pinterest keywords on the blog, but Pinterest SEO is only one (albeit very important) factor in a successful Pinterest strategy.

Arguably just as important? Good Pin design, and in this post, I’m sharing everything you need to know to create your own optimized Pinterest Pins that convert views into website clicks.

If you’ve been here awhile, you’re probably sick of hearing me say this, but Pinterest is a visual search engine.

We need keywords and SEO for the search engine portion of this, but we need really strong, eye-catching visuals for the visual part of the equation.

Basically, good Pinterest SEO ensure that your Pins show up in search results, and strong visuals (ie. Pinterest graphics) ensure that your content stands out in the search results and that people want to click your Pin to learn more.

1. Create your Pinterest Pins in Canva

Hands down the best platform for creating Pin designs (imo)? Canva! Canva is an ah-mazing platform that makes graphic design soo easy, whether you’re a newbie or pro.

I have a Canva Pro account because the additional features are key for my Pinterest Marketing business, BUT if you’re only creating Pins for your own business, the free account is likely all you need.

2. Do market research

We never want to copy another creator’s Pin designs, but doing market research is SO helpful in determining what type of Pins work well for your niche. Every niche on Pinterest is so different, so checking out the competition is a great way to see what resonates with your audience on the platform.

Write out the main topics that you cover (ex. a travel blogger may have “budget travel tips, Hawaii travel, travel itineraries, etc.), and do a quick search on Pinterest.

Scroll through the Pin results for each topic and see what stands out to you (ignore the ads and just focus on the organic content).

Are there certain colors that appear a lot?
Are the Pins text heavy or image heavy?
Are there lots of Video Pins or more Static Pins?
What other trends/similarities of you notice?

For example, take a look at the top ranking Pins for “Italy travel” vs. “Instagram marketing”

Italy travel: lots of beautiful photos, collages, simple headlines, color

Instagram marketing: pastel/light color pallet, emphasis on text over photos, infographics.

You can see that the styles between the two are very different and that there are a lot of similarities in Pin design amongst the top results for each category.

Knowing what performs well in your niche is a very helpful starting point.

Want more Pinterest tips? Grab our FREE Beginner’s Guide to Pinterest Marketing

3. Design for your ideal audience

Visuals speak volumes, and to ensure you attract your ideal audience on Pinterest, you want to create Pin designs that will resonate with them. We want to start with what trends overall in your niche, but then get more specific with your own unique designs to attract your ideal people.

Say you’re a web designer, for example, and you work with wedding brands or more feminine brands. You wouldn’t want to create Pins that are overly harsh or even colourful because that isn’t likely to catch the eye of your ideal customer.

Instead, you’ll create Pins with pastels, beautiful imagery, and soft feminine fonts, design, and copy.

Your Pin design is an opportunity to say to your audience, “I see you, I get you, and I’m your people.”

4. Write attention grabbing headlines

Just like on any marketing platform, catchy attention grabbing headlines are a key way to grab users’ interest and having them click through.

For example, which post are you more likely to click on?

Budget Italy Travel Guide
The Ultimate Guide to Planning Your DREAM Trip to Italy (for Under $2000!)

When you’re writing your headlines, make sure they’re clear and concise, but also add a little flair and pep to grab your audience’s attention and stand out from the crowd. A good headline should be irresistible and make it a no-brainer for people to click on.

5. Use on-brand visuals (font, colors, tone, and images)

Your Pin designs aren’t just an opportunity to encourage website clicks- they’re also an amazing way to build brand awareness. By using your brand’s colors, font, tone, and visuals, you’re branding your Pins so they a) attract your ideal audience, and b) become recognizable in the feed.

Make your Pin design a breeze with our customizable modern Pinterest Templates!

6. Include your logo or website

Make sure you include either your logo or website on your Pins as well. This also helps to build brand awareness and gets your business name in front of users, and it prevents people from stealing your content and using it as their own.

7. Inspire clicks with a call-to-action

A strong call-to-action on your Pins is a great way to give users that little extra push and take action by clicking through to your site.

Your CTA will depend on the content you’re promoting but can include things like

• Learn More
• Read More
• Download Now
• Get the Guide
• Listen Now
• Watch Now

8. Be clear on what your Pin will lead to

No one likes to be duped, so make sure it’s super clear to what your Pin is leading to. Any time I click through to a Pin and it’s not what I expected to land on, I instantly click out. Being clear on what your users will get when they click is key to user retention and happy website visitors!

For example, if it’s a lead magnet that requires an email sign-up, don’t pretend like it’s a blog post. Instead, use a CTA like “download now!” to let people know it’s something they need to download.

BONUS: Use Pinterest templates to design your Pins

Overwhelmed with Pin design? There’s a template for that! Pinterest Pin templates make it super easy to design and customize your Pins without requiring any design on your part.

Templates provide with you a base-line design, which you can then customize with your colors, font, text, and photos. They provide a plug-and-play framework for you to create your Pins with in minutes!

Check out The Template Shop to shop our optimized, modern Pinterest templates that make Pin creation a breeze.

Shop our Modern Pinterest Templates here.

PIN IT FOR LATER