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 Pin size info.
- Alternate Pin sizes to the classic 2:3 – do they work?
- NEW! 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: January 2021.
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.
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. source
All these image dimensions represent a 2:3 aspect ratio, and appear to be Pinterest-approved.
Which Pinterest Pin size should I use now?
Any 2:3 size is recommended by Pinterest (see other options below).
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:
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.
Website concerns with large Pin images
I caution you against placing images wider than your blog’s content area on your website, as large files will slow down your site – unless you use WebP technology.
Google hates slow sites and is developing this format to make your larger images load faster.
In 2021, 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:
- Determine your blog’s content width.
- Create a high resolution image (at least 1000 pixels wide).
- Save your layered file and a hi-rez PNG file.
- Then save a nicely-compressed JPG file that’s your blog’s content width, or smaller like 600 pixels wide for even tighter file sizes.
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 for for Impressions, Engagements, Closeups, and Link Clicks was square!
833,929 impressions in the last 90 days. For a square Pin in 2020-21, that’s darn good.
The image below shows stats for the last 30 days (mid-December 2020 thru mid-January 2021).
What size is a Pinterest long Pin?
In prior years, I said I never found 2:3 Pins to be my best performers, and that my top blog posts for Pinterest traffic have tall infographics. This “infographics rule” stat extended to my top 12 of 18 posts for Pinterest traffic.
I had even started making my “regular” Pins taller than 2:3, because others have raved about how well tall 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.
I think Pinterest is out to quash those space-hogging Pins.
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.
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. Longer Pins will still be seen in full when tapped.
For 2021, 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 bloggers are still saying long Pin sizes work best for them!
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 that looks good on your blog.
Easiest: Best Pin sizes are one and one-half to two times as tall as wide.
More about infographics in the next section, so keep reading.
| Pin Sizes | Pixel Dimensions | (choose any) | |
| 1:1 Square pins | 564 x 564 px | 600 x 600 px | 1000 x 1000 px |
| 2:3 Optimal pins | 564 x 846 px | 600 x 900 px | 1000 x 1500 px |
| 1:2.1 Long pins | 564 x 1184 px | 600 x 1260 px | 1000 x 2100 px |
What about collage Pins and infographics?
I’m sticking with infographics, where appropriate to my blog post. I do not expect their popularity to die down! Everyone loves a useful infographic – and when clicked, Pinners can still see the whole thing.
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 recommend approximately a 1:3 ratio for infographics. Avoid 8, 10, or more times tall than wide. Pinterest is definitely suppressing these space-hoggers.
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.
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
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.
Optimize your Pinterest account for success!
In my free e-course, you’ll learn how to:
- Help your target audience discover your account
- Connect with influencers
- Get repins and followers
- Make eye-catching images
Easily, and for free!
Get ONE simple action step each day. Join now!
• • • CLICK to get your FREE Pinterest Basics e-course! • • •
Conclusion: Pinterest Pin size 2021
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!
Cori Ramos says
Hi Louise,
Thanks for the heads up about this! I’ve been using the 735×1104 size and they seem to perform well.
So, I guess I’ll be sticking with a 600×900 size going forward. Now I need to think about resizing my images – especially the ones that didn’t perfom well and see what magic happens. 🙂
Sharing this one for sure! Have a great week. 🙂
Cori
Louise Myers says
Hi Cori!
If the 735 x 1104 works for your blog layout, keep it. It will be sized down on Pinterest, but it’s the correct proportion of 2:3. It looks exactly the same to and on Pinterest as 600 x 900.
Shafi Khan says
Hey Louise,
Thanks for the information. Pinterest is one of my biggest traffic source and not knowing about this update would have been a serious issue.
I was creating long images earlier but now they get hidden so I started experimenting with shorter 600 x 900 pins.
I’ll try 600 x 600 image sizes and will let you know the results.
Thanks again!
Louise Myers says
That would be great to hear! Best of luck with it.
Nancy says
Uh oh, I’ve been creating giraffe-sized portions. So far, the pins are doing well (I think) but I’ll keep an eye on it.
Sooooooo, I also happened to be reading blog posts from Tailwind (this one: blog.tailwindapp.com/traffic-from-pinterest/), and I noticed that the person they are referencing in their blog post is you! Talk about coincidence!
Louise Myers says
Yep, that’s me! 😀
Virginia says
Hi Louse,
Thanks for the heads up! I rolled out lots of giraffe-like pins in the past couple of months and they’ve been doing really well. Knowing that I have to create new ones with shorter margins feels like taking one step backward. I guess I have to cross my fingers and pray that they will perform just as the initial batch did. Thanks again.
Louise Myers says
Hi Virginia,
You know, if they’re working, keep doing it! I’d keep an eye on them though. I’ve heard a number of people who have moved to shorter pins say they’re doing better.
Blogger says
This is great, I have been looking for way to drive traffic from pinterest
Louise Myers says
It’s a great source of traffic.
Be sure to use your name if you comment again. We don’t allow keywords, so now you’re anonymous.
Freddy G. Cabrera says
Hey Louise!
I recently started learning more about Pinterest for blog traffic. I keep reading about bloggers benefiting from this social network. So, I gotta give it a try.
I was looking on Google on the best Pinterest Image Size for blogging and there I stumbled upon your super helpful blog post here. You know your stuff, I must admit. 😉
I’m going to follow your Pinterest tips. I’m going to be using a 600×800 image size to promote my new blog posts on Pinterest.
Thank you so much for this information! Super helpful!
Best regards! 😀
Anwer Ashif says
Louise,
I am a freelance web developer. And it’s been a year I have started blogging. I search for traffic resource and got Pinterest one of them. I didn’t know the proportion of most pinnable image for Pinterest. I really appreciate your article. I am going to create 600×900 image size. Will let you know the update.
Thanks
Louise Myers says
Sounds good Anwer!
Stacy Russell says
I found you because I was researching how to make those longer pins and what people use to make them. HA. Well, maybe I will just go back to my template and change up the font.
Thanks for the tip.
Louise Myers says
Perfect 🙂 Best of luck!
Kit says
Hi Louise,
Do you design your pins at 2x for retina displays?
Louise Myers says
I do not. I believe those file sizes would be too large. Google loves a fast loading site! And Pinterest doesn’t recommend large pins either.
Maria says
Hi Louise,
Thanks for the information, for now my best Pins is 735×1102, and sometimes I see that users like Pins 800×2000. I will try to post the Pins 600×900 and 600×1260, maybe it should be better.
Now Pinterest is the best source of traffic (excluding advertising in Google). It’s a great pity, that I can not use advertising in Pinterest.
Thank you for your tip 🙂
Louise Myers says
Hi Maria, the width doesn’t really matter, 735 x 1102 is the same proportion as 600 x 900.
800 × 2000 will be cut off in the feed though.
Why can’t you run ads?
Maria says
Hi Louise,
Yes, now I see how does it work.
Well, we are not based in one of the 6 countries where you can pay for this advertisement. So while we do not have the opportunity to connect paid promotion, unfortunately.
Thanks
Louise Myers says
Ah. Maybe some day they’ll offer it there.
Erika says
Hi Louise,
Thank you for this useful article!
So far I’ve been mainly focusing on Instagram, but I have been wanting to do more with Pinterest for a while.
I wonder if as a graphic designer you have any tips about the following: my illustrations and infographics become so pixelated when I upload them on Pinterest, they really don’t look good. Even when I pin them directly from my website where they look crisp.
Any thoughts about this? Thank you in advance!
Erika
Louise Myers says
Pinterest will compress images to low quality JPG no matter what you do. Crisp edges and red-magenta tones will show the most artifacts.
Erika says
Oh that’s a shame! Especially for a platform that’s all about visuals.
Thanks for your quick reply Louise!
Codrut Turcanu says
I use a service called Snappa and they help turn your blog or any type of image into a Pin ready image.
Its size is: 735px x 1102px.
Louise Myers says
Most of the services are using this previously-recommended size. The proportion is fine, however if you don’t need an image that wide I suggest you use Pinterest’s current recommendation.
Mridula says
Came off from Google as I was searching for the optimal pin size! Thank you for the information!
Louise Myers says
You’re welcome, Mridula! Nice to meet you 🙂
Linda says
Hi Louise,
Thanks for this info.
Most of my pins are based on the previous Pinterest recommendation 735×1104. But I noticed that pins 600×600 do look better and seem to perform better.
Question: It is worth the effort to change old pin sizes?
Thanks.
Louise Myers says
There really should be no difference in how these 2 sizes perform. It’s probably the freshness of the new pins, and maybe some design improvements you’ve made, that cause them to perform better. So if you want to redesign your old pins, feel free to change the size… tho it really shouldn’t matter as long as they’re 2:3 proportion.
Saurabh Ankush says
Wow.. You just solved my problem. I was actually planning some post for my blog, and Image size for pinterest was confusing me. So, I think 600×900 should be good option to be in safe spot.
Btw, whats your personal opinion which size works best for you?
Thanks,
Saurabh Ankush
Louise Myers says
There are too many factors to a pin’s success to say.
Lyn Boucher says
For those like me that has stationery cards with font text in their pictures, 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.
Thank you so much for your article too, it confirmed me which size were best and I will be going for 2:3 🙂
Louise Myers says
That makes sense to me. Have you noticed a difference? Mine are of various widths from 564 to 736 and I haven’t really noticed.
Elle says
Hi Louise,
Thank you so much for this extremely useful information, all of your posts have been very informative – us newbs appreciate it greatly! I have not yet posted any of my blog articles on Pinterest but might attempt it soon. One thing that I’m uncertain of, do I need to place the image in my actual blog article too? I’m hesitant to do so as that 2:3 ratio image will look out of place there. Also, many articles mention using an A/B format so there might be more than one. Do you have any recommendations on how to avoid adding the Pinned image to the page?
Thanks in advance,
Elle
Louise Myers says
I sure do! Several ideas here:
https://louisem.com/238716/hide-pinterest-images-blog
Think about placing a Pin image at the bottom of the post if you’re concerned about splitting the post content. Most people won’t pin your post if they don’t see a Pin.
Traci says
Thanks, Louise! I’ve only started really focusing on Pinterest as I’ve been tinkering around with different styles, and one finally hit the mark – garnering some nice traffic. Question for you…do you post multiple pins (different styles) from the blog post? I see different responses to this and would love to hear your thoughts.
Louise Myers says
Pinterest itself says to do this! No reason to poll others – so much misinformation online 🙁
Best of luck Traci!
Trang says
Thank you so much for this extremely useful information. There’s so much misinformation, or dumb down of how to use Pinterest out there.
I have a question for you: I sell some stock illustrations. How do I pin them to let more people discover my work? Most of the illustrations are landscape size. Cropping would probably ruin the composition. Should I combine several illustrations in 1 artboard to make it vertical for pinning?
Louise Myers says
You could combine 2 with a section of text in the middle. I recommend also cropping some to 2×3 to see which perform better.
Ness says
Thanks so much! It was very helpful!
no name says
Thank you very much Louise! Indeed, I got a resourceful post on the pin size.
But I was wondering how about 1080px by 1080px? It’s a square shape. It’ll usually cut down in the feed, isn’t it?
Actually, I would like to request some guidance for my promoting movie review blog on Pinterest. The images of my blog aren’t in 2:3 ratio.
Thanks in advance.
Louise Myers says
You can try to “Pin” those square images. They shouldn’t be cut in the feed, just less noticeable than a 2:3 shape.
Alessandra Passos says
Obrigada pela informação com este maravilhoso post! estava meio sem saber como estava as medidas para os pins para este ano, vou seguir suas dicas e fazer novas artes com os tamanhos que você ensinou!
Obrigada!
Karl Stevenson says
Very interesting and useful post! Thank you, Louise.
I was still operating under old the assumption that “giraffe” posts were best, but I’m glad I decided to do some research first. You just saved me a lot of headache, lost time and quite possibly, massive frustration.
I’m going to try a few of the long posts to see how they do, but my focus for now is now going to be on the 2:3 ratio model. Will check back in later if I have any startling discoveries or realizations. 😉
Louise Myers says
I look forward to hearing your results!
Nanda Kumar says
Here, in addition to unleash your imagination, it is important that you use a close tone, that you do not exceed 500 characters, and that you do not forget to use the right keywords so that users can find your boards in the guided search of Pinterest
12 Step Lifestyle says
Hi Louise,
I appreciate the tips but I have a question: you mentioned square Instagram posts will probably do better than they used to. I have hundreds of IG posts that would be excellent Pinterest content (mostly illustrated quotes).
Would you suggest using them as-is, or re-creating them in a vertical format (which would take a LOT of work)?
Thanks!
Michael
Louise Myers says
Your best tactic is to try and see how they work. Split testing a couple would provide the best info.
claudia r. says
I am using your tips, and creating 600×900 sizes. But, why when we get more envolved in the logistic of the rules, they come and change the rules? This sucks….
Louise Myers says
I’m not sure what you mean. They haven’t really changed anything, as they’ve been saying 2:3 proportion for years. I’m just adding that this size / aspect ratio may or may not actually be the most effective.
Nicholas Boyd Crutchley says
Hi Louise
Thanks for the excellent post. Really helped.
Just a question… where did you get your excellent social share buttons from?
Louise Myers says
Hi Nicholas, these are built into Rainmaker platform, which uses Genesis themes. So they may be available on all Genesis themes but I’m not sure.
Bryn Martin says
This is a fantastic read – thank you! Would you happen to know why images pinned straight from our blog are saving as tiny images at all? Is there a setting that I can change? All image sizes are correct and used to save fine and normal.
Louise Myers says
That’s a mystery. What image or social sharing plugins are you using?
Louise Myers says
I went to your home page and pinned using the browser extension. The pin was normal size.
Patrick says
Very nice post. All the info I needed about posting on Pinterest. Thank you.
Louise Myers says
You’re welcome 🙂
Tricia says
Hi Louise! Great content and thank you for putting it together. I looked around and didn’t see the answer, but is there a trick to uploading a larger image to WordPress, choosing to display it smaller but Pinterest pinning the larger image?
Louise Myers says
Hi Tricia,
You can, it will take some step-by-step explaining that I’ll add to the article at some point, and let you know.
Shophub says
Thanks for your informative article. I have learned everything about the Pinterest pin in 1 article. Really, I am always confused about the image sizes of Pinterest. Thanks to Google that I found your article on the top of the first page. Very descriptive, appreciate you and your effort as well.
Louise Myers says
So glad it was useful!
Simmy says
I have recently started working on Pinterest, and looking for tips to perform well in Pinterest and landed in this blog. It really help me to know about the sizes and its actually help me to get more views on my pins.
Louise Myers says
Awesome!
Andrew says
Thanks for this helpful guide! I am new to Pinterest and came across this article and it’s great help. I am experimenting with different sizes but keeping the 2:3 ratio as recommended by you.
Louise Myers says
Experimenting is always a good idea!
Earnistan says
I am using 2:3 for almost anything and it works great!
Pearl says
Hi Louise,
should we use JPG or PNG image when we pin it to Pinterest? With JPG image my text on the image goes blurry, if I use PNG image it’s better but the image file will be much bigger and since it’s on my blog as well it’s going to slow down my site.
Louise Myers says
I would definitely not post large PNG files on your blog. If the quality difference is important to you, you can upload the PNG version directly to Pinterest or Tailwind.
Pearl says
Thank you for your reply.
Grant says
Thanks so much for all this excellent information!
I have a question about images on a blog post. With the Shopify “buy button” I am able to insert a link/buy button into a WordPress website. I am able to insert this button below the image of my choosing.
So I can make the image with the dimensions that Pinterest favors, such as 600 x 900. Then, if a visitor decides to save my image to Pinterest it’s already in the right ratio.
The problem I have is; the image is very large on my website. If one has several products and if one chooses to arrange those products in a catalogue style the images @ 600 x 900 are too big.
Just wondering if you have encountered this before, and if there is a solution to it?
I expect it would be similar to images on a full Shopify store.
Thanks!
Grant
Louise Myers says
You have to do a bit of code.
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.
Pat says
Help!
Can anyone tell me how to resize the pins that I get from Pinterest?
They have turned from a very readable size to postage stamp size, and I can’t
read them. Thank you.
Louise Myers says
I’m confused what you mean about getting Pins from Pinterest. How are you getting them?
Stacy Russell says
I’ve come back to your post several times for updates. Thanks for keeping it current! 2020 I’ll be working on more video pins.
Louise Myers says
Definitely a good plan, Stacy!
Holly says
This is an incredibly helpful article, thank you! Pinterest is fantastic for getting the right eyes on our content but there is a bit to learn about how to do it right!
I’ve been confused by what sizes to use where and still not cause poor load times on my site. You have cleared all of this up brilliantly. I thank you! I’ll be sharing on social media for others to learn more as well. Many thanks.
I wish you a beautiful and blessed day. ♥
Louise Myers says
So glad it helped, Holly! Thanks for sharing.
Sarah says
Hi Louise, great post!
Can I ask, does saving the large versions of the pin images to your server not slow down your site over time as more images are accumulated?
Thanks,
Sarah
Louise Myers says
Good point Sarah, you should probably check with your host to see how this might impact your hosting plan and site speed.
Priyanka says
Thank you, This was so through! I have learnt more from this one blog post than from a handful of useless youtube videos about the same topic.
Louise Myers says
I’m glad it was helpful! Much easier to keep up to date than YT video too.
Arati says
That’s very helpful, Louise! What’s your opinion on 3:4 images and videos?
Louise Myers says
3:4 is still taller than wide so is worth a try.
4:3, a typical video size, is wider than tall and probably won’t do well on Pinterest.
Arpit Agarwal says
Thanks, Louisem. It really helps.
I’ve one question for you… I upload images on IG – 1080:1350
So… can I use this same image size on Pinterest?
Please, let me know.
Thanks,
Arpit
Louise Myers says
Yes you can.
Beth says
What DPI should I use. Is 72 good enough since we are talking about screen resolution?
Louise Myers says
Definitely.
Carrie @ Two Small Potatoes says
Hi Louise,
I found your blog post while searching for info about an error message I just started receiving this week on pretty much all my pins.
It says: “We recommend an image that is at least 1000 px x 1500 px. This image is 1 px x 1 px.”
Have you seen this before or know what that might be about? I have a blog with a couple hundred pins. My max blog width is 1400px wide for full feature images and 750 for the main column, so most images don’t need to be wider than that. I resize most images down to either 1200x900px or 1200x800px and compress them so they’re not usually bigger than 200 kb. The pins I’ve posted are also this size. I can’t seem to find any info about this error. It’s bizarre. I have noticed that a lot of older pins now suddenly look terrible, really grainy. 🙁
Based on my site specs, do you have any tips that might help? Thanks!
Carrie @ Two Small Potatoes
Louise Myers says
Yes, I have a screenshot of this warning and Pinterest’s response to it in the article. I also discuss best practices to deal with it.
I am really sorry to hear older pins have lost quality though!