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.
UPDATED with info from Pinterest in Spring 2018 to February 2019.
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.
Pinterest says 600 x 900 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.
Which Pinterest Pin size should I use now?
Any 2:3 size is recommended by Pinterest (see more options below).
Some of my readers have suggested that the 564 width x 846 height actually looks best after uploading to the Pinterest platform.
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.
I haven’t seen any evidence that the platform actually favors larger images.
I would caution you against placing any images wider than your blog’s content area on your website, as these will slow down your site. Google hates slow sites.
Some people will place a small image on their site but post a large on on Pinterest. You could try this if you’re a stickler for high-resolution images.
I tend to use 720 (my blog’s content width) x 1080, or sometimes 600 x 900.
Or taller! 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!
I haven’t found square images to be the best performers, but if you already have them, give them a go. Follow up with the stats to see if they’re working.
They’re no longer talking about square Pins in 2019, so I wouldn’t create that shape for Pinterest specifically.
What size is a Pinterest long Pin?
I’ve never found 2:3 Pins to be my best performers, either. In fact, my top blog posts for Pinterest traffic have tall infographics. This “infographics rule” stat extends 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.
PIN SIZE UPDATE 2019
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.
In 2019, 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
In 2019, 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 believe in infographics! They outperform all others for me. NINE of my top Pinterest-traffic images are infographics.
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 well.
I usually make my Pins the width of my blog’s content area, so I’ll continue to use 720 width. For an “optimal” 2:3 Pin image, that means 720 x 1080 for me.
I will still make and post infographics.
For this article, I tested my old, taller Pin size against one that’s twice as tall as wide – AND a new “infographic” in a 2:3 shape!
Result: I honestly saw little difference between the shapes in 2018.
I do post square quote images that I’ve already created, but I don’t make that shape specifically for Pinterest.
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 600 x 900 (2:3 ratio) and 600 x 1260 (to not get cropped).
For higher resolution, use 1000 x 1500 up to 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 twice 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 10+ times taller than wide.
I recommend approximately a 1:3 ratio for infographics. 1:4 should work as well. Avoid 8, 10, or more times tall than wide.
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.
Which file types does Pinterest accept?
For organic, unpaid Pins, you can save or upload either flat images or videos.
You need to set up an advertising account to upload videos, but you don’t actually need to buy an ad. The option to upload a video will appear for you.
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: 10 MB
- 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.
Also, multi-image carousels are rolling out. You might have this option already!
Carousel Image specs
- Image count: 2-5 images per Carousel
- File type: PNG or JPEG
- Max file size: 10 MB per image
- Aspect ratio: 1:1 or 2:3
I’m not sure which video specs apply to organic Pins as I don’t use them – I suspect standard width. I tested one video Pin and it went nowhere. If you try them, know your goals and keep an eye on your stats.
Promoted Videos at standard width
- File type: .mp4 or .mov
- Encoding: H.264
- 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 Videos at max width
- File type: .mp4 or .mov
- Encoding: H.264
- 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.
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.
How to write a good Pinterest Pin description
Don’t forget to include a keyword-optimized Pin description!
Don’t keyword-stuff. Write an intriguing, conversational 2 or 3 sentences with a compelling call-to-action to let Pinners know what they should do next.
You can include Pinterest hashtags at the end of your description.
Don’t forget to include the URL the Pin goes with (not your home page, but where to purchase or learn more).
Here are the details, direct from Pinterest:
Make sure to fill in all the text components that go with your Pin. This info gives people helpful context about your Pin, and what to expect if they click on it. The text also helps us understand more about your content so we can show it to the right people.
Optimize your landing pages
When someone clicks on your Pin, they want to learn more about it. You can link Pins to your site, blog or any other website. Make sure to pick a landing page that feels like a natural progression from the Pin, to your site. For example, Pins that feature a product should link to a page where people can buy that product. If your Pin features a DIY, it should link to the article on your site with full instructions.Write a full description
Descriptions add context and reinforce your branding. If you’re sharing a recipe, you could mention the main ingredients or prep methods. If you’re creating a travel Pin, you could add ideas for activities at that destination.Use real sentences, and make sure to include a call to action. You should work relevant keywords into your descriptions, but stay away from keyword stuffing. It’s unnecessary, and makes your Pins less useful for the people reading them.
Use hashtags to improve search results
Add a few relevant hashtags to help people find your content. On Pinterest, hashtags function as search terms, and people use them to find trending topics. Unlike on other platforms, Pinterest hashtags aren’t used for jokes, memes or commentary. So for a fashion brand, something like #springfashion would work well—but #ilookterribleinhats wouldn’t. If you’re not sure which hashtags to use, try searching for your topic on Pinterest, and use the autocomplete suggestions as guidance.People often ask if they should go back and add hashtags to older Pins. You can, but it won’t help your content show up at the top of hashtag feeds. Newer Pins with that hashtag will appear first.
Also NEW is that you can schedule your uploaded Pin for FREE right inside Pinterest! At this time, you can only go 2 weeks into the future.
Pin description character counts
- Title: Up to 100 characters. If you don’t fill out a title, people will see your Pin description instead.
- Description: Up to 500 characters. The first 50-60 characters are most likely to show up in people’s feeds, so put your most important info first.
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Conclusion: Pinterest Pin sizes
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 or 1:2.1 for Pins.
1:3 to 1:4 for infographics. Make them simple, valuable, and enticing.
I recommend against posting anything shorter than a square or taller than 4x width, unless it’s already proven content.
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.