Should I Use Branded Pinterest Pins?
If you’re a blogger who is active on Pinterest (and if you’re not, what the heck are you waiting for?!?!), then you absolutely need to focus on your branding! Without clear branding, you’re just leaving money on the table.
Pinterest 101: Why Pinterest is Every Blogger’s Best Friend
Let’s backtrack for a minute and talk about the basics of WHY you need to be on Pinterest. If you’re already a true believer, feel free to skip ahead to the branding stuff. 😉
Pinterest is the 4th largest social media platform*, behind Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. I’d argue that it’s less social media and more a search engine, but we’ll save that for another post…
With over 322 million active monthly users, most of whom are ready to buy (over 84% of users say they use Pinterest to decide what to buy!!), it’s by far the best place to get your product and brand seen.
*Stats from Hootsuite and Pew Research.
Pro tip: One of the best and fastest ways to get established on Pinterest is by using Tailwind, a super robust scheduling tool that works with Pinterest to make pinning easy and profitable. Sign up here for a free trial: Tailwind: Grow Smarter on Pinterest & Instagram. (affiliate link)
Why Pinterest Branding is Important for Bloggers
As mentioned above, Pinterest is wildly popular, with over 300 million active users. For pinners, this is both a blessing and a curse.
Blessing: there are LOTS of people actively searching for products, advice, and inspirations.
Curse: there are LOTS of pins to compete with. Over 175 billion, to be exact.
Clear, consistent branding is one decisive way to stand out in a very large crowd.
What is Pinterest Branding, Anyway?
Quite simply, branding on Pinterest means all your pins have a uniform “look” to them, so they are easily recognizable.
Brand elements can include:
Because Pinterest is a visual search engine, the quality, design, and overall look of your pins are essential. Pinners with a cohesive brand are far more likely to attract more attention and more loyal followers.
Why It’s Important to Brand Your Pins from the Beginning
Unlike other social media platforms like Instagram, pins have a very long lifespan on Pinterest. A pin has the potential to go viral months or years after you first add it to the platform.
In fact, most pins take time to get noticed, because Pinterest, like Google, needs time to get to know what your brand is all about. As you add more content, engage with others on the platform, and share more pins, the algorithm begins to learn when to push your pins to the right audience.
Pinterest is definitely more of a long game than other platforms, but its potential to pay off is far greater.
When you have clear and consistent branding from the start, you’ll be well on your way to building a recognizable presence on Pinterest. 
How to Create Branded Pins for Pinterest
Most bloggers use Canva to get started with their Pinterest image. The free online graphic design website is user-friendly and great for beginners.
You can search Canva’s preset image sizes for Pinterest and then drag-and-drop different elements, fonts, and photos to create your pins.
So what elements should you include?
Do you have a brand board, sometimes called a mood board? If not, Canva has templates for that too. Brand boards are kind of like collages, where you add all the elements that come together to make your brand: fonts, color palettes, images, photos, patterns, etc. Your brand board should convey the type of feeling you want people to have when they find you: whimsical, sleek, professional, playful, exotic, vibrant, etc…
As you create your branded pins, take elements from your brand board, and play with the layout. Be sure to leave room for your logo, URL, a pin title, and perhaps a tagline.
It’s a good idea to have your logo or URL in the same spot each time, so people get used to looking in the same place.
A final branding tip
Look at your branded pins from a distance, perhaps in the middle of other generic pins. Do they stand out? Can you glance at them and tell that they’re all related?
If you’re not sure, get a friend’s opinion!
Pinterest even has Creative Best Practices published to help you as you design pins. Be sure to check their tips for the latest!
Not Ready to DIY Your Pinterest Branding?
I got you! 😉
I created some ready-made Pinterest templates just for YOU!
If you don’t want to spend time playing around in Canva (it can be frustrating at times, I know!), then these done-for-you templates could be just the ticket. You can still customize with your logo, fonts, or colors, but the general layout is ready to go.
Choose from the following, each with 30 designs:
Branded Pinterest Templates, Blush Canva Design
Branded Pinterest Templates, Blue Canva Design
Tell me, are you already using Pinterest? Is it working well for you? I love to hear from other bloggers, so please share in the comments below!
