Pinterest is an excellent tool for brands and marketers that want to get their visual content and products seen by a wide audience. Searches on Pinterest are largely visual–in fact, users save more than 1.5 billion Pins per week! If you want to get your products and content in front of users–and even sell directly from the platform–Pinterest is an effective way to do so.
People use Pinterest to help them discover new products, ideas, and visual content. It’s a popular hub for ecommerce, with over 498 million monthly active users. Many brands and businesses utilize Pinterest to boost sales and grow their online presence.
In order to maximize success on Pinterest, you need to follow the Pinterest best practices, which includes using the best Pinterest image sizes. On Pinterest, images are the most important piece of the puzzle, which is why your Pins need to be brand-centric, high-quality, and attention-grabbing. By taking the time to optimize your Pinterest Pins, you can gain followers, encourage engagement, and ultimately increase your sales.
In this post, we’ll cover the best Pinterest image sizes along with the main guidelines and practices you need to follow.
Why Pinterest Image Size Matters
Your Pinterest image sizes affect how your Pins show up on your boards and in user feeds. To create aesthetic Pinterest Pins, you need to pay special attention to the dimensions of your images. Your Pins should be eye-catching and well-placed when users come across them.
In addition to looking attractive, you want to avoid having your Pins awkwardly cropped. When images don’t display properly in user feeds, you risk losing engagement and having users scroll away. Even worse, you could lose valuable ad spend if you’ve paid to sponsor a Pinterest post that is not correctly optimized for the platform.
Luckily, these issues are easy to avoid–it just takes a bit of careful planning. One of the most important things you need to know is the ideal Pinterest Pin sizes.
The Ideal Pinterest Image Sizes
The best Pinterest image size depends on the purpose of the Pin you’re sharing. Depending on the type of image or video you’re going to be pinning, you’ll want to consider the information you’re trying to convey and the purpose of the content itself.
General Pinterest Pin Guidelines
If you’ve used Pinterest, then you’re likely familiar with the way different Pins are formatted on the platform. From standard Pins to videos and Story Pins, each type of post on Pinterest has its own unique look and feel.
In general, the following recommendations apply to all image and video posts on Pinterest:
- All images and videos should be optimized in vertical format. Landscape images and videos will be cropped
- Recommended file types for image Pins are PNG or JPEG
- Maximum image file size is 20MB for web, and 1GB for Android/iOS
- Recommended file types for video Pins are MP4, MOV, or M4V
- Minimum video length is 4 seconds, maximum video length is 5 minutes
- Story Pins can be image or video posts.
Pinterest Profile Picture
Your Pinterest profile picture is one of the first things users will see when they visit your profile. Keep in mind that profile pictures on Pinterest are circular, so it’s important that the image is optimized for the platform.
Image Size Guidelines
- Recommended dimensions of 165 x 165 pixels
- The recommended aspect ratio is 1:1
Pinterest Cover Photo
For your cover photo, consider using a landscape image that’s on-brand and fits well with the aesthetic you’re going for. Pinterest cover photos should be clean and uncluttered so that they compliment your profile without overwhelming visitors.
Image Size Guidelines
- Recommended minimum dimensions of 800 x 450 pixels
- The recommended aspect ratio is 16:9
Pinterest Pins & Ads
These are your everyday Pinterest posts–the vertical Pin format you’ve likely seen most often. Make them pop with a little color contrast or some well-placed text that communicates your message to the viewer.
Image Size Guidelines
- Recommended dimensions of 1000 x 1500 pixels
- No smaller than 600 x 900 pixels
- The recommended aspect ratio is 2:3 for standard Pins, shopping ads, and app install ads
- Max image file size of 20MB
Keep the recommended aspect ratio in mind when you’re creating your Pins, as incorrectly sized images will be cropped in Pinterest feeds. To make things easy, check out our free Pinterest Pin templates that are pre-sized and fully customizable.
Pinterest Square Pins
Square Pins are great for compact, shareable images that fit well with your brand aesthetic. You can even repurpose Instagram posts to use on Pinterest.
Image Size Guidelines
- Recommended dimensions of 1000 x 1000 pixels
- The recommended aspect ratio for square Pins is 1:1
- Max image file size of 20MB
Pinterest Carousel Pins & Ads
Pinterest carousel Pins are posts that you can share as a standard Pin or a Pinterest ad. These Pins hold up to five images that users can scroll through.
Image Size Guidelines
- Recommended dimensions of 1000 x 1000 pixels or 1000 x 1500 pixels
- The recommended aspect ratios are 1:1 or 2:3, depending on the size of your image
- Max image file size of 20MB
Pinterest Collections Pins
Pinterest Collections Pins are a mini collection of related images within one Pin. They’re perfect for grouping similar products, ideas, or visual styles in one place. You can even tag products to make it easier for users to browse and shop related items.
Image Size Guidelines
- Recommended dimensions of 1000 x 1000 pixels for smaller images, and 1000 x 1500 pixels for the featured image
- The recommended aspect ratios are 1:1 and 1:3
- Max image file size of 10MB
Pinterest Story Pins
Story Pins allow users to keep up with Pinterest creators in real-time, similar to Instagram Stories. They are interactive Pins that users can tap through, letting you share ideas and products with images, text, and videos.
Image Size Guidelines
- Recommended dimensions of 1080 x 1920 pixels.
- The recommended aspect ratio is 9:16.
- Max image file size of 20MB.
- Max video file size of 100MB.
Pinterest Video Pins
Just like on most social media platforms, video content performs well on Pinterest. Vertical video works best, so users can view the content in full on their feeds.
Video Size Guidelines
- Recommended dimensions of 1080 x 1920 pixels
- The recommended aspect ratio is 9:16, but other options include: 1:2, 2:3, 3:4, 4:5, or 1:1
- Max video file size of 2GB
- Video lengths can be 4 seconds to 5 minutes
How to Size Pinterest Pins Correctly
Although planning is necessary, there are tools to help you get the best Pinterest image sizes so that your Pins look perfect. Easy graphic design tools like Snappa can help you create sharp, professional images with the right sizes for Pinterest and other social media platforms.
In Snappa, we have the correct Pinterest Pin size pre-set, along with hundreds of customizable design templates.
If you want to test out different image sizes for your Pins, you can also use our free image resizer.
How to Increase Clicks with Pinterest Pins
Wondering how to get more clicks on Pinterest? Here are some best practices to follow to get users clicking, saving, and shopping from your Pins.
1. Choose Pins with two or three dominant colors
Clean images that pop perform well on Pinterest. Solid colors work really well, or images that feature a few bright, dominant colors in their composition. These bright, eye-catching images help set your visual tone and brand aesthetic.
2. Use contrasting colors
To make your Pins pop even more, leverage the power of color. Well-designed images can use a variety of color combinations to draw users’ attention and evoke specific emotions. Use color palette inspiration tools to create and download color collections for your design projects.
3. Add text overlays to establish context and create depth
Adding text to your image and video Pins helps users learn more about the content or products you’re sharing. Many users don’t read captions when they’re scrolling quickly, so they’re more likely to see and read a text overlay on an image or video.
Snappa can help you add text overlays to your Pins with just a few clicks.
4. Split test different image sizes to see what works best
Testing different image sizes on Pinterest will give you a good idea of what works best for your brand and social media success. This way, you can scrap what doesn’t work and duplicate what does.
5. Optimize your Pins with keywords
Include keywords in your Pinterest Pin captions and descriptions for maximum reach. By using relevant keywords, you can get your Pins in front of your target audience.
6. Choose eye-catching cover photos for your video Pins
Creating strong cover images for your video Pins is just as important as sizing them properly. Picking out the right cover image will grab users’ attention and boost engagement.
7. Avoid using faces in your Pin images
When you create Pinterest Pins, keep faces out of the image, unless it is relevant to the purpose of your post. Objects and product images tend to perform better (potentially up to 51% better).
8. Create actionable content
Create and share actionable content your followers can act on right now–whether that means they find something they can use, link to your website, or purchase a product right on Pinterest.
Final Thoughts
You put a great deal of time and effort into your Pinterest images. Using the best Pinterest image size is just one more step in your content creation process that could make a huge difference.
Your Pinterest boards should be a strong representation of your brand and what it stands for. Your Pins should also grab attention and be aesthetically pleasing to look at. A standout Pinterest profile can attract users with the right combination of sharp visuals and correctly sized images.
Ready to create stunning Pinterest Pins with the right size? Click here to get started with Snappa for free!
