Learn how to brand your Pinterest profile with this step-by-step tutorial for how to make Pinterest board covers.
This guide will teach you how to create Pinterest board covers in under 10 minutes as well as answering the following questions:
- what is a Pinterest board cover?
- what is the ideal Pinterest board cover size?
- what are some Pinterest board cover ideas?
We’ll also go over:
- tips for creating high quality graphics
- how to add a board cover on Pinterest
- and a couple of tricks for increasing your board’s reach
You only need two things to get started: the free version of Canva and 10 minutes.
Let’s go!
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links and I may earn a commission if you use them. This comes at no additional cost to you and all recommendations are based on my experience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
What is a Pinterest board cover?
Think of a Pinterest board cover like the cover of a book – a book cover provides the title and possibly a visual related to the contents of that book.
A Pinterest board cover should include your board name and a visual related to your niche. This gives profile visitors a sense of what your brand is all about.
Why use Pinterest board covers?
On top of being visually appealing, branding your Pinterest profile can increase:
- brand awareness
- repin rates
- Pinterest followers
- blog traffic
When you visit a retail store, items are displayed like with like – whether it’s according to brand, style, or colour. This provides a pleasant shopping experience where customers know what to expect and can easily navigate their way around.
Pinterest board covers make your profile look more professional and let users “shop” your Pinterest boards without experiencing visual overload – instead of a messy, cluttered profile, users can focus on the information you have to offer.
Here’s an example of a Pinterest profile I have without board covers.
Here is my Pinterest profile for this blog – custom Pinterest board covers included!
The board covers have a focal point – the text at the centre of them.
1. Use a Square Template
The Pinterest board cover image size is 200 x 200 pixels. However, the 600 x 600 size is recommended for designing the board cover frame as it will provide for a pinnable image.
The first thing we’ll want to do is create a Square Template on Canva.
From the home page, select Custom dimensions and enter 600 px for Width and Height.
While some Pinterest users may disagree with going against the optimal 600 x 900 px pin size, using a square image assures that your board covers display correctly in both the mobile and desktop versions of your Pinterest profile!
I’ve had experience creating both square and rectangular board covers and upon uploading optimally sized pins, you may experience issues in your formatting for mobile.
When you go to select your board cover later on, the square crop box that you choose may cut off your text bar in the mobile version of your Pinterest profile’s boards section – regardless of the crop you choose.
For some reason, it was consistently inconsistent (hah!) when it came to my old board covers – everything appeared gorgeous in my desktop profile but on mobile, things were often displayed incorrectly.
Now, when you consider the fact that 80% of Pinterest users are on mobile, this is a serious no-no!
Also note that your followers will not unfollow you for posting a square image from time to time! Some incredibly successful pins have been uploaded directly from Instagram in fact, where the upload size is a 1080 x 1080 square as of 2019.
The image shown below was uploaded from Instagram in 2016 and measures 564 x 703 px and is a 4:5 ratio rather than the ideal 2:3 Pinterest ratio.
2. Customize Your Background with A Gorgeous Photo
Now, from the left-hand menu, select either Photos to choose an image from Canva or Uploads to select one of your own.
Drag your desired image to the left part of your square for automatic positioning.
If you’d like to adjust it from here, double click the image and reposition it to your liking.
3. Add an Element as an Image Overlay
Click Elements and type in Square next to the magnifying glass in the Search Elements Pro tab.
Click the white tab in the top middle of your newly added square element to drag it down and change it to a rectangle – you are welcome to leave it as a square or choose another shape all together, but rectangles definitely have a professional visual appeal to them.
Next, let’s change the color of your Element.
Click on the small grey box in the white tab near the top of your screen.
Select the white square, or the color of your choice here.
Want some of your background image to show through? Click the checkered box at the top right of that same white tab for Transparency options.
From personal experience, transparencies of between 80 to 95 normally look best.
4. Add Text
To add text, click the Text icon in the left-hand side menu. Click Add a heading.
Type in your board’s name.
Select Spacing in the white tab above to adjust your Line Height. I’ve chosen 1.1 for the one shown.
If desired, you can even adjust the space between your letters using the Letter spacing option.
Change the font to your brand font by selecting the font name that is currently displayed at the top left-hand side of the top white tab.
Change the color of your board cover name to match your branding colors using the A with the line underneath it.
5. Change the Image Name
Click on the white text that reads the same as your board cover’s name.
Give your file an SEO friendly name.
I like to name my files using the following method:
blog-name-category-image-name-keywords
So, for example, if this board cover were for Nikki Blogs, I would name it:
nikki-blogs-blogging-mom-blog-goals-moms-who-inspire
This helps both in keeping me organized as well as making my image discoverable on Pinterest.
Using keywords is an essential part of every effective Pinterest strategy as is optimizing your profile.
6. Save as a PNG
From the upper part of your screen, select the white arrow pointing down to the line to Download your new board cover.
Leave the file type as PNG and select Download.
When it comes to downloading pins and other visual elements for my blog, I normally like to save items as JPG’s due to their small size – keeping things lightweight is essential for my blog running lightning fast!
For instance, when downloaded as a PNG, this board cover is 341kb versus merely 39kb as a JPG. That’s nearly 1/10 the size!
When it comes to Search Engine Optimization for your site, speed is a key factor in Google’s decision making. To discover terms you’re already ranking for, add your site to Google Search Console and SEO your site according to these terms.
Keep your site running as fast as you can by reducing image file sizes and correctly optimizing them to your site’s structure.
In this case, you’ll be uploading your board cover image onto Pinterest – no need to worry about slowing down your site as there is no direct link here! Enjoy that high quality image and stand out from the crowd.
7. Upload Your New Pinterest Board Cover(s)
To upload your new Board Cover to Pinterest, click Create Pin from the homepage or the red circle with the white plus sign to then select Create Pin.
Click to upload or drag and drop your image in the designated spot.
8. Name Your Board Cover According to It’s Designated Board
Name your new board cover image according to the board it will cover! Self-explanatory, right?
You can also do the folllowing:
Brand New Board Cover | Your Blog Name Here
That way, when people search your blog’s name on Pinterest (or the keywords that appear in your blog’s name), this board and it’s designated cover will appear in their search results!
9. Add a Pin Description for Your Board
Add a description for your board here to let current and potential followers know what they’ll find within it – be sure to run a search for queries and keywords related to your board in order to maximize discoverability!
10. Use the Pinterest URL as Your New Board Cover’s Link
Link your board here.
Give users the opportunity to check out the board corresponding to this pin here – they’ll also have the opportunity to check out your other boards, profile, and blog when they do.
11. Change Pinterest Board Cover Image
To change your Pinterest board cover image, open your Pinterest Profile and click on the Boards tab.
Now, find the board you want to change the cover for and click the pencil icon at the bottom right hand corner.
If your board does not yet have a description, be sure to fill one in now and enhance your SEO even further.
Be sure to also select a Category.
Now, click the Change button next to Cover.
Your newly loaded board cover should be the first image that appears but if not, click the arrow to the left to navigate towards your most recent board additions.
When you see your board cover, click Save Changes and voila, you have your first beautifully branded board cover that will look fabulous on any device!
For a Pinterest profile that flows beautifully, maintain your font colour, text size, and spacing. Also consider sticking to one background image unless your photos flow seamlessly together!
In my case, I made the decision to switch to square Pinterest board covers for consistency after I already had 100 existing boards!
Shooting or curating that many similarly colored images would have taken me a lifetime so, I stuck with one background image that I feel is suitable for all of my boards!
Pinterest has been an absolutely incredible tool for growing my blog and online business. Upon branding my boards and using Tailwind, I’ve been growing steadily at over 100 new followers a week!
What are your favourite branding and promotional tools? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Loved this tutorial on branding your Pinterest Board Covers?
Check out these other step-by-step guides to customize and grow your blog and social media profiles!