Creating a ‘Pin-able’ Image For Your Posts (Pinterest)

Hello 30 Day-ers! I’m back again!

This time I’d like to talk about how to create a pin-able image for your posts.

This is also how you can create any graphic (think Header, buttons, social media icons, etc) for your blog. The steps are basically the same but in different sizes.

So let’s say you created an amazing project that you want to write a post about and you’d love for it to be pinned.

People love to know exactly what they are looking at on pinterest so if the photo isn’t quite clear about what the post is about use text to tell them.

How about a free mason jar invitation?

Now obviously I already put my watermark on it but pretend it is a blank image.

I use photoshop for my design business but you can do this in photoshop elements or, what I always suggest, Gimp.org.

Gimp is a free downloadable software that has almost all the same functions as photoshop. I know they used to have a PC version but I’m on a mac so it may be different than the images I’m showing you here.

Step One: Open gimp and open up your image

Step Two: Click on the “A” in the toolbox then click on your image. This gets your text tool active.

Step Three: Type on your image. Choose a short, clear message.

Step Four: Change the font, colors, sizes, etc. Gimp imports all the fonts you have installed on your computer so if you’d like some great free commercial use fonts try the google font registry.

Step Five: You can highlight the text then change the color so it shows up better on your particular image.

Step Six: When you have it the way you want it you can ‘export’ the image. Instead of saving it as a .png you have to export it in gimp.

there is an extra step when exporting–you have to click export again.

Step Seven: Use your new image in your post!

You can open a blank image in Gimp and create a text only image if you’d like as well. Here I used text and some star brushes to create a graphic.

 

Since Gimp.org uses layers and most of the powerful tools like photoshop it is one of the best image manipulation software out there.

Extra Tip: Make sure you put a pin it button directly below the image you’d really like people to pin (i.e. the one you created with the text on it). It is really very easy to do this while you are writing your post.

Go to the Pinterest Goodie page and scroll about half-way down. You will see a section for the pin it button.

Fill in the URL of the post, the URL of the image & a description. The html code will appear in the blue box below. Just copy & paste that into the html editor of your blog directly below your image. (see the button above).

If you’ve never used that before there is a small second code you must copy and paste (One time only. Once it’s there you don’t need to do it again) before the closing </body> tag in your blog template/html.

Extra Extra Tip: If you have guest bloggers or feature other blogger’s projects on your blog do them a huge favor and use the goodie page to create a pin it button. But instead of YOUR post URL use the URL of their original project you are sharing. That way when people click the pin it button it will automatically be linked to the proper post on their blog. (This is good etiquette, to pin the original source)

Thanks so much for having me again!

Don’t forget to check out my blog if you’d like to try to DIY Your Blog Design