This is the third post in our 10-part series about Pinterest Marketing, and today we’re looking at how to create the perfect Pin, even if you don’t know much about the platform, and you’re really not a designer. With so many images jostling for attention on Pinterest, it’s important that you stand out, and get things like your branding, keywords, and description right.

Your goal is to create Pins that are simple but effective. You want your content to reach the most people and have the highest chances of being clicked. There are a few easy steps you can take to make sure your Pins stand out from the crowd and attract traffic.

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Use Big, Bold, Quality Images

Beautiful, inspirational and useful content is what Pinterest users thrive on. You don’t need to be a graphic designer to create Pin-worthy images. But you do need to use quality images that are crisp, clear and relevant.

Even if you’re not particularly design-savvy, you can use online software like Canva and PicMonkey to make simple but striking graphics, and incorporate your branding into every Pin you create.

Experiment with bold colors and eye-catching graphics, and always take the time to make a ‘Pinnable” (portrait) image for every blog post. Pin images should be large (at least 900 x 600 pixels). Many bloggers like to make them even bigger, and significantly longer. Extra long Pins tend to stand out in the Pinterest feed.

If you really don’t like creating graphics, you can outsource Pin creation, or hire a VA with basic design skills. Can’t afford that? You can actually buy in customizable Pin templates. Just be careful to check what format they are. If they’re PSD files, you’ll need PhotoShop to edit them. I love these easy-to-edit templates, and they’re less than $10. You can edit them in the free version of Canva.

Find Relevant Images

Be sure to use images that are relevant to your subject matter. Doing so creates a cohesive story between the title of your graphic. Using photos that don’t correlate to your message is counterintuitive and will confuse your audience.

There are plenty of great sites with professional looking free stock photos, many of which allow modification. So you should be able to obtain good, quality images to suit nearly any topic. I get mine from Ivory Mix, She Bold, PixiStock and Creative Market).

Give Proper Attribution

Attribution refers to giving credit to the original source of content. In this case, the content is a Pin. You can create built-in attribution when developing your own Pin images by including your logo or website url somewhere in your image.

When pinning from others, click on the image so you can check out the original source. Try not to Pin anything that is ‘stolen’ or wrongly attributed. It’s not always possible to tell, but it’s worth checking to see there are no obvious red flags.

Use a Straightforward Description

Your Pin’s description offers you an opportunity to attract some search traffic, so don’t neglect this space. Targeted keywords and phrases can be used to help rank your Pin in both Pinterest searches and with external search engines. Just be sure your description reads naturally and tells users precisely what they’ll find when they click through to your content.

A well-written description can convert well, inspire trust, and increase views. Don’t forget you can add a few hashtags here as well, but it’s best to keep your description to around 200 characters, so it’s important to be concise and straightforward.

Add a Call to Action

A strong call to action is important. Providing a nudge through a short and instructive phrase is an easy way to get more potential buyers to click on through to your content. Depending on what your Pin leads to, these phrases can work well:

• Give it a try.
• Take a peek.
• Find out more.
• Get the details.

These components of a perfect Pin will help you improve the effectiveness of your Pinterest content and drive more traffic to your site, store or offers. Quality Pins offer many benefits, from increased brand recognition, to higher levels of engagement and of course, increased sales.

Want to learn more about using Pinterest to promote your online business? I absolutely love this self-paced online course, Pindepth Advanced. It includes four hours of video training, actionable workbooks, a private Facebook group, and a ton of bonuses (including two bonus courses, Content That Converts and The Subscriber Rush). Plus, you get lifetime access. Every time Pinterest rolls out new stuff, more information is added to the course, so you’re constantly updated. Check out the details here.

I’ve love for you to connect with me on Pinterest. And just click here if you’d like to get a free printable workbook and other goodies to help you run your online biz, along with updates on the other posts in the series.