Create Pinable Images {Write Blog Posts People Will Read} + A Little R & R Linky Party #58

I'll confess, this is an area where I am not always strong.

I think I make passable images, but a good image doesn't always mean that it is well configured for Pinterest.

Why is that so important? Well, I don't know about you, but Pinterest drives my blog 4 times more traffic than any other source!  So, investing in Pinterest is a wise investment! 

So let's look at images for a moment.

Why are images important?People are visual. I call Pinterest "A Visual Favorites Folder", because that's exactly how I view it. I can pin recipes and then search for what I want visually.
Being able to visually determine what an article is about is a helpful way to decide whether or not you want to invest your time in reading it or not. 
This is why a quality, attractive main image is so important.
If you are not investing time in a quality main image, I would encourage you do start doing that today!
Believe me, it will help engage readership so much more!

There are 4 things you need to know about making an image:
1. Make sure it is a quality image
Blurry, out-of-focus images simply will not do. Make sure that it sharp and centered well. You don't have to invest a ton of money in professional photos or equipment. I use my point-and-shoot a lot. Even your iPhone can take good images as long as the resolution is high and the photo is centered well.

2. Edit your image
I don't care how expensive your equipment is, you still need to edit your photo.  You don't need photoshop, or another expensive editing program. I use Pickmonkey.

Pickmonkey can used for free, or you can pay to access they're "Royale" features - and believe me, it is worth it! Pickmonkey Royale is not expensive: only $2.99 a month - but the images you will make are amazing and you can use fonts from your hard drive (which means you can download awesome fonts and use them to edit your images!) Which brings me to point 3...

3. Add text to your image
Seriously. Do this! Put the title in large, bold, colorful font on your image. An image speaks 1,000 words, and an image with text speaks 10,000 words. I'm not kidding!

Watch out for these 3 mistakes (all of which I've made):
Don't use thin fonts - they wont be readable at linky parties and on social media where your image is reduced to a thumbnail.Don't use fonts that are too light for the same reasonDon't use "distracting" fonts - these make be cute for Memes, but they aren't that great on blog images
4. Make sure it's legal
This may be last, but it certainly not least. This is a very serious point!  And one that I unknowingly violated when I started out.

It is illegal to Google an image and then use it in your post. Images are copyrighted, just like written content, and are considered the personal property of the owner. Some bloggers have been sued for illegal images. To avoid this, you can do three things:Take your own pictures and edit them to make them appealingUse a free program to make your own graphicsUse royalty-free, relevant imagesSunu at Clothed in Scarlet has a board dedicated to free images here.

Be sure to read their policy. Some sites require attribution and remember you are always responsible for the images you use.


Do you need some inspiration? I often Google my topic and click to view images to see what other people are doing to make awesome images. Just be sure that you do not completely copy the image, rather use it as inspiration for your own idea!

I did that with this post 12 Days of Christmas Family Fun. This is one of the best images I think I've ever made!

How do you make your awesome image a pinable image? Now that you have an awesome image you need to do these two things to make it pinable:

1. Make it a long image.  Pinterest science shows that long images get more pins. So, if you've created a landscape image for your blog, invest a few more minutes in creating a portrait image, too and embed it someplace in your post and ask people to pin it!

2. Rename your image. Please....pretty please-with-a-cherry-on-top.... do this!!  You do not want your super-awesome image floating around Pinterest with a description of IMG_3289. Seriously - there is literally nothing there to inspire me to repin that!

Here is an example of what I mean: Recently I became a contributor of the Blessed at Home team over at WholeHearted Home. I contributed my first post last Thursday: Easy Banana Triple-Berry Trifle. And when you pin the main image in that post, this is what pops up in the description:

"Easy Banana Triple-Berry Trifle. A perfect summer desert. You HAVE to try this!" That is the name I gave my image on my hard drive before I uploaded it to my post. If your image has the name IMG_3289 and you give it a different title text and alt text, it will not help you on Pinterest. You  have to first rename the image on your hard drive and then upload that image to your blog post.


Here are a few more articles on this topic that you may want to refer to:

Preparing a Pinteresting Pinnable Image by WholeHearted Home

5 Design Tools for Creating Pinnable Images by Tailwind Blog



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 And now for the party!!!!
Here are the "rules"

1. Link up as many posts as you'd like (even giveaways!)
2. Link up old posts you wish would have received more attention!
3. Link back here by posting my button in your post or sidebar - or with a link
4. Visit the post just before yours
Do you host a linky party? Stop by here and link it up!
The party runs through next Tuesday evening!
So have FUN!

Click here to receive a weekly reminder about this party!





An InLinkz Link-up


Linking up with Christian Mommy BloggerDon't forget to link up:A Little R & R Wednesdays - a linky party weekly link up

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