How to Make Pinnable Image Templates in Canva

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Stop wasting time designing the “perfect pin” for every blog post. Using Pinnable Image Templates will help you create viral pins for every blog post – quickly! Come learn how I use a FREE photo editing program to create social media images and save time in the process.

Today I want to talk to you about something that was a total time suck for me as a newbie blogger: creating pinnable images and graphics.  I wasted hours tinkering and playing around with collages, overlays, and new fonts, trying to make the perfect pin.

You guys know that I’m all about being an Efficient Blogger.  Blog smarter, not harder.  Right?  Templates are a fantastic way to save yourself from having to reinvent the wheel with blog graphics in new posts.

Here’s how I use a FREE tool to save me serious time!  Meet: Canva.

Step 1- Define Your Brand

OK, I know this is a bigger topic for another post.  Heck, there are entire books on the topic… and college degrees.  What I’m talking about here is very specific.  What does your brand look like… for Pinterest?  What fonts, colors, and overlays will you use in your pinnable graphics?

For me, my “Pinterest brand” is a bit different than my “Blog brand”.  For example: I am willing to use brighter colors on Pinterest graphics, because I know they will perform well.

Here’s how I keep track of my colors and fonts in Canva:

Step 2 – Pick Your Pinnable Image Sizes and “Standards”

This is my Canva dashboard.  On the left side, I have folders to help me organize all of my designs.  Here are some of my social media designs:

Those top two images are my Pinterest templates.  Yes, I have two.  Keep reading to find out why.  The “Short Pins” template is 735 x 1102 – the recommended size from Canva.  The “Tall Pins” template is 735 x 1332 – which is a bit longer.  I also have a super long template, but I don’t use that as often.

Let’s look at my Short Pins template as an example.

These are the basic designs that I stick to when creating a short pin for a DIY/Craft/roundup post.

I also use a taller vertical design for before-and-after posts as well as larger collages:

These templates are a work-in-progress, and have evolved over the past 6 months or so.  BUT – they cover every type of blog post I make on The Crazy Craft Lady.  No more reinventing the wheel.

Take some time to sit down and think about what you want your pinnable images to convey, and how you want them to feel.  Do you need before and after collage images?  Or do you only want to feature one image? How to do you want to share round up posts?

Then create a Canva design.  Design a handful of images for several different blog posts. Over time, it will be clear how many templates you need.  At this  point, I know what style of pinnable image I plan to use for a project even before I begin a craft or DIY!

Step 3 – Fill in Your Pinnable Image Templates, and Make New Graphics with Ease!

This is the easiest part. After some practice, you won’t believe how quickly you can create pinnable images!

I will just upload the collage or single image into Canva (drag & drop, people!!!).  Since I have this design created and saved, it is easy to just swap out the image, change a bit of text, move an overlay, and be on my way.  Take a peek at some of the pins that all came from the same template:

Bonus Step – Make more than one Pinnable graphic for each new blog post

Yes, I know I told you that we were going to save time here.  And, yes, making extra pinnable images does take more time.  But we want to blog smarter, so hear me out.

An image on Pinterest that attracts my attention may not speak to you.

By creating only one pinnable image for each blog post, you are losing out on potential repins (and potential traffic). This is especially true if you are a DIY/craft/food blogger where the potential for serious Pinterest traffic is HUGE!

By default, I create two pinnable images per blog post.  I place one at the beginning, right after the introduction.  I place the other at the very end.  This gives my readers two opportunities to pin my blog post, without having to scroll up and down.

Side note: readers (myself included when I read other blogs) can be lazy.  It is your job as a blogger to make it easier for your reader to save and share your content.

But, wait.  There’s more.  I also pin BOTH images – to relevant groups of my own as well as group boards.  If you want to get really involved, you can A/B test pins and experiment to see what works best for you.  It can be really fun!

But for now, consider making multiple pinnable graphics for each post, and see what happens!