Are You Using the Best Pinterest Pin Size for 2022?

Wondering what’s the best Pinterest Pin size?

You’re in good company. Pinterest is changing things up, and Pinners are confused.

What’s a Pinner to do? Well, let’s see what Pinterest says.

We will cover:

• Latest Pinterest standard Pin size info.
• Alternate Pin sizes to the classic 2:3 – do they work?
• NEW! Idea Pin size and Video Pin sizes.
• How to Pin a large image while keeping your site load times FAST.
• And more!

UPDATED often with info from Pinterest. Most recent: February 2022.

I keep my “finger on the pulse” of this important visual marketing concern, and promise that I have the latest info for you.

What does Pinterest say about Pin sizes?

Pinterest has been saying for years that the optimal Pin size is a 2:3 proportion.

For quite some time, that topped out at 736 x 1104 pixels, but they’ve scaled down the size of the Pin when clicked. Now a 2:3 Pin will never appear larger than 564 x 846 on desktop.

In 2018, Pinterest recommended you create Pins at 600 x 900 pixel size.

Now Pinterest says 1000 x 1500 pixels is optimal – or any 2:3 aspect ratio.

When you pick images for Pinterest, think vertical. Most of our formats are vertical, and taller than they are wide. We recommend that you use a 2:3 aspect ratio for all of your Pins.

“Aspect ratio” may sound complicated, but it’s just a way to talk about an image’s width, compared to its height. A 2:3 aspect ratio means that your image’s width is ⅔ its height.

For example, your Pin could be 1,000 pixels wide, by 1,500 pixels tall. If your image falls outside this ratio, it could get truncated in people’s feeds and they won’t get to see your full Pin.

All these image dimensions represent a 2:3 aspect ratio, and appear to be Pinterest-approved.

Which Pinterest Pin size should I use in 2022?

Any 2:3 size is strongly recommended by Pinterest (see other options below). Although I haven’t found this to be true, they now insist:

Other ratios … may negatively impact performance. source

Some of my readers have suggested that the 564 width x 846 height actually looks best after uploading to the Pinterest platform.

I found that the 2:3 final size of 564 x 846 works best. The idea is to provide Pinterest with an image size they won’t need to “resize”. Because when they do, the blurring is so bad that the text on the cards aren’t readable.

Pinterest has never recommended smaller than 600 x 900 though. In fact, in a conference they said they prefer larger, higher resolution images, and specified 1000 x 1500.

And early in 2021, some Pinners started getting “warnings” that their Pin size wasn’t optimal. And now in 2022, this happens every time I upload a smaller image:

When we asked about it in the Pinterest community forum, the moderator said:

2×3 aspect ratio is best practice, however, the bigger the better to avoid pixelation on mobile and high resolution screens. Technically speaking 600px x 900px is correct BUT 1000px x 1500px tends to be a bit better quality. They’re both the same aspect ratio, it’s just a larger version of the image.

I haven’t seen any evidence that the platform actually favors 1000 pixel width images over 600, though some Pinners assert that it does. Pinterest is really pushing for larger images, so you may want to test it for your own account!

Website concerns with large Pin images

I caution you against placing high resolution images on your website, as large files will slow down your page speed – unless you use WebP technology.

Google hates slow sites and is developing this format to make your larger images load faster.

In 2022, I do recommend creating Pins at the larger image size to future-proof your Pins, since mobile and desktop screen resolution keeps getting better and better.

If you haven’t adopted WebP yet (I have not), you should save this large version of your image for when you do adopt WebP.

In the meantime, you can place a small image on your site but post a large one on Pinterest. I’ll discuss a couple options to implement this further down in this article.

A fast-loading website is critical to get traffic from Pinterest and Google.

So:

1. Create a high resolution image (at least 1000 pixels wide).
2. Save your layered file and a hi-rez PNG file.
3. Then save a nicely-compressed JPG file that’s got a small file size, to include on your web page.

What about other shapes? Read on…

Can I Pin square images to Pinterest?

In the same August 2017 webinar where they dropped a bomb about Pinterest hashtags, they also mentioned square images! For years they’d been saying 2:3 or taller, and now they were saying square up to 2:3 (1 1/2 times as tall as wide). This was new!

Square images aren’t always the best performers, but they can work.

I wouldn’t create square images for Pinterest specifically, but if you already have them, give them a go. Follow up with the stats to see if they’re working.

Surprisingly, my top Pin this year so far (2022) for Impressions is square: 60,000 in the last 30 days.

This same Pin did perform way better in 2021 though. It was tops not only for Impressions, but also Engagements, Closeups, and Link Clicks.

The image below shows stats for the 30 days from mid-December 2020 thru mid-January 2021.

What size is a Pinterest long Pin?

A Pinterest long Pin is 1:2.1 aspect ratio. For example, 1000 x 2100 pixels. In 2022, these still don’t get truncated in the Pin feed.

Because my top blog posts for Pinterest traffic have all had tall infographics, I even started making my “regular” Pins taller than 2:3. Others have raved about how well long Pins perform.

But now? Maybe not. Know what Pinterest called those feed-hogging, extra-tall Pins during that August 2018 webinar?

Giraffe Pins. And I don’t think they meant it in a cute way.

Pinterest says they’re out to quash those long, space-hogging Pins – but I haven’t found it to be true.

As always, check your stats to see which Pins are working best for you.

Download your FREE Image Guide from Simple Pin Media for more tips.

Grab yours now! I’m an affiliate and may earn a referral fee if you later choose to make a purchase.

What about collage Pins and infographics?

I recommend approximately a 1:3 ratio for infographics. Avoid 8, 10, or more times tall than wide. Pinterest is definitely suppressing these space-hoggers.

Even though long ones can be seen in their entirety once clicked, people get tired of scrolling. So, don’t make them too tall.

I’ve had great success with splitting a tall infographic into several shorter ones. This gives you lots more Pins to share, multiplying your virality!

Multi-infographics examples:

Facebook Insights infographics

How to Design with the Force infographics

Best Times to Post on Social Media infographics

If you make collage Pins with several products, or the steps to create a project, I suggest you test 2:3 Pins as well. See which Pins get more Saves and drive more traffic.

I would not continue making needlessly tall “Giraffe Pins.” If you’re really tied to them, again I suggest you split test.

Some Pinners are reporting that Giraffe Pins are no longer performing as well as 2:3 shape. Plus, space-hogging Pins are just obnoxious and many people won’t share them.

Valuable, info-packed graphics are still saved and repinned widely.

I’m sticking with them. I do not expect their popularity to die down! Everyone loves a useful infographic – and when clicked, Pinners can still see the whole thing.

Previous Pin size updates

In March 2018, Pinterest confirmed that Pins longer than a 1:2.1 proportion will be cropped. You should take this into consideration for your designs going forward.

In June 2018, Pinterest said their algorithm will favor Pins that are approximately 2:3 proportion. Deviate much from that “golden ratio,” and you may struggle to get traction.

Pins longer than 2:3 will have to earn their right to be seen. If you take twice up as much height as a 2:3 Pin, you’ll need twice as much engagement to get into the Smart Feed as often.

As an example of the tall proportion that avoids being cropped in the feed, Pinterest had said 600 x 1260 pixels (this is 1:21 aspect ratio). Longer Pins will still be seen in full when tapped.

For 2022, Pinterest ONLY recommends 2:3 ratio:

Use high-quality, vertical images that will stand out in people’s feeds. We recommend a 2:3 aspect ratio (ex: 1000 x 1500 pixels). Other ratios may cause your Pin to truncate, or may negatively impact performance. source

Yet some bloggers say long Pin sizes still work best for them! And I find they’re still not cropped in the feed.

OK, so what size should I make my Pins already?

There’s not ONE specific size you must follow.

I still have infographics in my top 10 Pins for Impressions, Clicks, and Saves.

BUT I can no longer say that they outperform all others for me.

In 2019, 8 of my top 14 Pinterest-traffic images were TALL infographics.

But in 2020, almost all of the infographics driving traffic are 2:3 proportion, or close to it.

So yes, I do believe Pinterest IS now strongly favoring the 2:3 shape. I’ve seen it evolve over the years.

Pins taller than 2:3 proportion must provide additional value. DO NOT stretch out a boring, text-based Pin to make a space-hogging “Giraffe Pin.”

Infographics and helpful multi-photo Pins (especially step-by-step “instructographics”) should continue to perform, but I recommend split testing against shorter versions.

Determine your best Pin size

I recommend making Pins no smaller than 564 x 846 (2:3 ratio) up to 564 x 1,184 (to not get cropped).

To make it simple, you can go with Pinterest’s 1000 x 1500 (2:3 ratio) and 1000 x 2100 (to not get cropped).

Or go with your blog width and do some simple math: 1.5 x blog width.

Anything larger than 564 will be scaled down proportionally, so use the width and compression that doesn’t slow down your blog.

Easiest: Best Pin sizes are one and one-half to two times as tall as wide.

What size are Idea Pins?

Idea Pins’ aspect ratio is 9:16. If you create graphics first in another design tool, Pinterest recommends you use 1080 x 1920, the same as Instagram Stories.

To learn more: All About Pinterest Idea Pins

Pinterest Video Pin size

In 2019, Pinterest rolled out organic (unpaid) video Pins to all business accounts.

Pinterest seems to be giving them a lot of exposure, though many marketers are saying it doesn’t translate into clicks to their website.

I do recommend you give them a try. Keep the videos short and don’t give everything away so Pinners need to click to your site for details.

I tested one video Pin and it went nowhere. But my only goal is clicks to site. Know your goals and keep an eye on your stats.

How short should your video be? Pinterest keeps stats on promoted videos, where they say 6–15 seconds works best. Now that’s short!

Also be sure to specify a strong cover image. Your cover image shows up in people’s feeds and should provide a good sense of what they’re about to watch.

Pinterest accepts a variety of shapes for videos.

Aspect ratio: Shorter than 1:2 (width:height), taller than 1.91:1.

There is a clear winner here, though.

The optimal video Pin size is 2:3 aspect ratio.

If you have a horizontal or square video, you can still make a tall Pin. Add a still photo and a title block using a tool like Keynote.

NOTE: Even though Pinterest recommends 9:16 format and accepts up to 1:2, these tall videos will be seen cropped at the top and/or bottom. Stick with 2:3 for best results.

How to Pin a LARGE Pin without slowing your website

Savvy bloggers are aware that a fast-loading website is essential.

Google knows that most web browsing now is done on mobile phones – many with slow internet connections.

To avoid a bad user experience, they are down-ranking slow websites.

In addition, people are impatient. They’ll leave your site if it doesn’t load quickly.

Google’s research says:

The average time it takes to fully load the average mobile landing page is 22 seconds. However, research also indicates 53% of people will leave a mobile page if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load.

Large, high-resolution images can wreak havoc on your page speed scores. But some of my readers want those big images on Pinterest.

Yes, you can have it both ways!

Option 1: Enable WebP technology. You’ll have to do some research on this one, or ask your web designer / techie friend.

Option 2: Show a small image on your web page, and upload a high resolution version to Pinterest and/or Tailwind.

This is adequate if you don’t get a lot of site visitors pinning your images, or only care about your own Pin saves.

Option 3: Show a small image on your web page, and link it to a larger image that will be saved to Pinterest, by you or any visitor to the page.

This is a tad trickier as it involves some (very basic) coding. You do need to be able to access the “text” or HTML of your web page.

NOTE: You don’t want to resize a large image to look smaller on the page. This means the image still has to be loaded at full size, and then be resized. This isn’t helping your load time at all.

What you want to do is create a large, high resolution PNG24 file for Pinterest use only. 1000×1500 pixels is said to be optimal.

Then re-save it at the size you wish to display on your site as a JPG, compressed as much as you find acceptable in appearance.

How to link a small image to a large pinnable image

Add the small image you want to show on the website.

Go to the “text” side of your WP editor.

Find the code for that image <img src=”small-image.jpg”>

Before the closing bracket, link to the image you want pinned using data-pin-media as so <img src=”small-image.jpg” data-pin-media=”large-image.jpg”>

Of course your file names will be whatever you named them, and there’s other code WP puts in in there, but that’s the simple version to explain it.

Which file types does Pinterest accept?

Save Pins to Pinterest from your website, or upload directly to Pinterest.

To upload an image or video, just click the red plus sign on desktop. Be sure to fill out all the fields. More about that after the image specs.

File types for static images are PNG or JPG. The image specs below apply to both standard organic Pins and standard Promoted Pins.

Pin Image specs

• File type: PNG or JPEG
• Max file size: 32 MB (previously only 10MB!)
• Aspect ratio: We recommend using a 2:3 aspect ratio, or 1000 x 1500 pixels. Pins with an aspect ratio that’s greater than 2:3 might get cut off in people’s feeds.

Video at standard width (organic or promoted)

• 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: Shorter than 1:2 (width:height), taller than 1.91:1. We recommend making your videos square (1:1) or vertical (2:3, 9:16).

Promoted Video at max width

• File type: .mp4, .mov or .m4v
• Encoding: H.264 or H.265
• Max file size: 2GB or less
• 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.

Promoted Carousel Image specs

• Image count: 2-5 images per Carousel
• File type: PNG or JPEG
• Max file size: 32 MB per image
• Aspect ratio: 1:1 or 2:3

Source for specs.

Make sure to use images that are visually compelling and will stand out in people’s feeds. Your Pin images should clearly highlight your brand or service, and give people context about what it is you offer.

Stay away from abstract imagery or stock photography that doesn’t help tell a story about your specific brand.

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Conclusion: Pinterest Pin size 2022

If you make squares or portrait shape image on Instagram, these can be cross-posted on Pinterest.

Note that the type of content that resonates with IGers isn’t always the same stuff that Pinners like! Quotes work well on both. But selfies are for Instagram and not Pinterest.

My top recommendation: 2:3 for static Pins and video Pins. You can test up to 1:2.1 for static Pins and squares for video Pins.

2:3 and up to 1:4 max for infographics. Make them simple, valuable, and enticing. Use tall ones sparingly until you find how these resonate with your audience.

I recommend against posting anything shorter than a square or taller than 4 times its width, unless it’s already proven content.

And don’t forget, once you’ve created great Pins, you also need to write great Pinterest descriptions!

What Pin sizes perform for you?

I’ll keep testing and reporting back. In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you’re finding to be the best Pinterest Pin size!

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