Updated January 20, 2022

Why Inspirational Images and Videos are Critical to Your Success in 2022

You’ve all heard that saying “a picture is worth a 1,000 words” right? 

Pinterest images are so important because nothing communicates as effectively as a picture…after all a picture is worth a thousand words. In fact the most active online shoppers today crave visual search technology because it makes it easier to find the things they want to buy online – if you can’t describe the thing you’re looking visual search technology solves the problem. People on Pinterest are looking for inspirational ideas to take their life to the next level. Look at your images. Does it inspire your audience? Is it actionable? 

Humans Are Visual Learners

Study shows that 65% to 85% of people describe themselves as visual learners.

Pinterest images are also vital because if you’re not including images in your articles readers will most likely leave your site and you can expect your bounce rates to go higher. Why do you think my online courses include several images? That’s because I want to make easy for you to absorb what I am teaching you. The fact is our brains love visuals and we can process images 60,000 times faster than text. 

Good Pinterest Images Helps You Connect with Pinterest Users

The starting point of connecting with Pinterest users are your Pinterest images. If you want more eyeballs on your images, if you want to hook people in and get them to engage with your content you’d better have images that speaks to your target audience. As I have said for years your Pinterest images are the cornerstone of your success on Pinterest.

Here are eight compelling facts about the power of Pinterest images and videos:

1. 40% of people respond more to visual information than plain text.
2. 90% of online shoppers said they find videos helpful when making purchasing decisions.
3. Infographics can improve website traffic by 12%.
4. 90% of the information your brain receives is visual.
5. Visual content receives 94% more views than written content.
6. People remember 80% of what they see or do, versus 20% of what they read. 
7. Pinterest users will tell you that this discovery tool can be addicting because of the visuals. Did you know that the average Pinterest user logs an average of 1 hour and 17 mins per month on the site compared to 36 mins on Twitter & 12.1 mins on Facebook?
8. 46.1% of people say a website’s design is the number one criterion for discerning the credibility of the company.

 

 

Why Pinterest Images Matter to Your Business

Visuals makes it easy to tell your story as a brand or business. Visual content marketing has become the most powerful form of storytelling that a business can offer their target audience. If you can’t say it in words show an image. But what that also means is that on Pinterest having the right Pinterest images means the difference between success or constant struggle for ecommerce businesses and publishers. So you want to make sure you know ahead of time what types of images you need to create and curate for your type of business. Let me repeat, there are certain types of images that works better than others based on the type of business you have.  Mastering Pinterest images is part art and part science.

Many Businesses Struggle with Pinterest Images

As a Pinterest Manager one of the biggest challenges I find businesses have is deciphering what images work on Pinterest. Many struggle with where to even begin. Some skip Pinterest all together because they have no visuals or at least that is what they think. 

What businesses fail to realize is that they have valuable resources that they can turn into visuals. This is what I help businesses figure out. 

This is the key lesson to keep in mind: be mindful about your target audience’s needs, problems, topics that interests them. Think about what kind of information your audience would find valuable and make some pins directed at those interests. 

2 quick examples:

Weight loss services: if I sold a weight loss program I would create an infographic on the benefits of taking tumeric, or create a blog post around pre and post workout food and create a Pinterest image that included text overlay and additional informational that will make them want to learn more. Infographics take longer to create than say a regular Pinterest image with an text overlay but the return on your investment is higher because people love infographics on Pinterest. They are quick to consume instead of reading an entire article. You can quickly glance at it and decide if the information is worth saving. 

 

Source: Dr. Axe

Skin care products: I would create a step by step checklist on how to properly wash your face, or create a multi-product shots of my collection with text-overlay that shows the proper sequence to use products in. The visuals make it easy to consume the information without having to read a blog post. 

 

Source: The Well Dressed Life

One of the biggest mistake I see many businesses make is they spend several hundreds if not thousand of dollars on their Pinterest images without having a strategy on the type of images they should be creating for Pinterest. They figure let’s just a slap an image on there and voila it will go viral! 

If you want to supercharge your results on Pinterest use this starter guide when creating your Pinterest images.

Let’s begin! 

Pinterest Best Practices

The highest performing pins are visually compelling, tell a good story that inspires people and make people want to learn more or take action.

Use this six-step checklist to help you increase traffic and boost the performance of your images:

1. Pick an eye-popping image

Only use high-quality, that’s obvious because quality says a lot about your business. First impressions are everything folks and remember that your Pinterest images are competing with everyone else on Pinterest for eyeballs so your images better stand out if you want people to save or click through your content.

Avoid using stock photos and shoot your own images instead so that you elevate your brand on Pinterest.

2. Use the right size

All regular images must be sized vertically because of the way the Pinterest app is designed. Use a minimum size of 1000 wide x 1500 long pixels or a 2:3 aspect ratio (ex: 1000 x 1500 pixels). Be careful not to make Pinterest images too long because they will get cut off which could result in no engagement.

STANDARD PINS

• File type: PNG or JPEG.
• Max file size: 20 MB.
• Aspect ratio: 2:3 aspect ratio, or 1000 x 1500 pixels. Pins with an aspect ratio greater than 2:3 might get cut off in people’s feeds

Tip: I typically use the same size as the Idea Pins for my Standard Pins.

 

VIDEO PINS

• File type: .mp4, .mov or .m4v.
• Encoding: H.264 or H.265.
• Max file size: Up to 2GB.
• Video length: Minimum 4 seconds, maximum 15 minutes.
• Aspect ratio: Square (1:1) or widescreen (16:9). Note that max. width videos can’t exceed the height of a 1:1 aspect ratio

 

CAROUSEL PINS

• File type: PNG or JPEG.
• Max file size: 32 MB per image.
• Creative quantity: 2-5 images per carousel.
• Aspect ratio 1:1 or 2:3.

Tip: Carousel Pins are great to use for Pinterest ads.

 

IDEA PINS

• File type Image: .BMP, .JPEG, .PNG, .TIFF, .WEBP.
• Video: .MP4, .M4V. .MOV files are available on iOS and Android only.
• File size: 1 GB recommended
• Video encoding: H.264 or H.265.
• Max file size Android and iOS: 16mb recommended. Web: 20mb maximum for images and 100mb for videos.
• Creative quantity: 2-20 images per carousel.
• Video length :Videos should be between 3-60 seconds.
• Resolution: For full-bleed images and videos, or images and videos that extend to take up the entire screen, we recommend using 1080×1920 pixel size (9:16 ratio).
• Aspect ratio: Idea Pins’ aspect ratio is 9:16, but there are no restrictions for image or video.

 

Source: Pinterest

3. Make what you’re selling the focal point

Your product or service must front and center. Avoid using abstract images or lifestyle imagery that doesn’t showcase what your business is about. If you want to make more money on Pinterest make sure you tag your products to make it easy for people to buy.

4. The best Pinterest images show how your product can be used

Products on a white background don’t get as much engagement. For example, If you want to sell wallpaper don’t just show them an image of your wallpaper. Show how your wallpaper can be used in variety of rooms so they have a sense of the different ways they can decorate a room. Inspire people. Pinterest users are always looking for new ideas, they’re looking for help on how to make things look more beautiful, how to make things easier, faster, cheaper.

Show how your products fit into their everyday life.

5. Always include your logo or add your website URL to your Pinterest images

Brand all your Pinterest images but keep it subtle. Avoid the lower right corner, since that area gets hidden with Pinterest’s product icons. Instead place it on the bottom or top center. If you’re a big brand use your logo but if your a solopreneur or a small business owner I recommend that you use your website URL. Pinterest places so many icons and other features when you’re looking at the Pins and videos so make sure you check via mobile that your most important details are being covered.

6. Add a text overlay

Text overlay is the copy that goes on your image. It’s a must for Pinterest SEO. Sometimes what an image is may not be obvious which is why you need to add the text on the image. Since over 80-85% of Pinterest users use their mobile device make sure your fonts are big enough. If they are too small you won’t stand out.

 

Pinterest Images Summary

Pinterest images can make or break your success on Pinterest. You can have the greatest content but if the visuals doesn’t cater to what your target audience wants, if they can’t relate to them, if  they don’t find them compelling enough, if they suck in anyway you will struggle. Now that you know some of the basic criteria of what your Pinterest images should include the next step is to figure out what type of image design works best for your type of business.

If you think you absolutely suck at creating images reach out to us. We’re not as expensive as you think we are. Contact me for a free 20 minute eye-opening discovery call.