You know that saying, “People eat with their eyes first?” Well, that’s also true with your online brand. People “eat” with their eyes first when it comes to your online business. What I'm really trying to say is that social image sharing is super important to the success of your brand.

So you know that blog post you spent hours researching and writing, but didn’t feel like spending the time to make a shareable graphic for? You’re missing out. Your goal is to get traffic to your website (aka the home of your business on the internet). If you spend a ton of time creating a juicy article that you really want people to read, I highly recommend creating an on-brand graphic to go with it.

Today I'm sharing how to create your own pinnable graphics and sharing some guidelines to take the stress out of designing them.

While I'm all about outsourcing, I also want my clients to feel empowered to create a few materials themselves after I've created their brand identity guide and other collateral items. This is especially helpful if you have an idea pop into your head and want to write a blog post and publish it quickly. There’s no middle man if you know how to do it yourself!

Using a blog graphic template will save you so much time!

Keep the same structure for each post. By using the Elements to Include list below, you can have your template at the ready for when inspiration strikes.

Consistency in your title images allows for a recognizable look when you post to Pinterest and other social media outlets. It’s okay to keep the look simple.

Vertical size is the most ideal for Pinterest as it takes up more real estate on the platform than a square size. It also looks nice on a mobile device. The ideal Pinterest graphic size is 736 x 1104 pixels.

Feel free to use the title graphic image as the only graphic in your blog post. If it says what you need it to say, then you can share it all over the place and not have to make a ton of images to guide people to your website. Again, this will save you time and energy.

Elements to Include:

Title of the blog post
Your company website URL
Your company logo
Your brand fonts
Your brand colors
Your brand photos and/or patterns

Let’s get into creating your own original content for your blog.

Note: All directions shown below are in Adobe Photoshop CC 2017.
Need to get Photoshop? Click here to get the details from this post.

Step-by-Step Breakdown for Creating Pinnable Blog Graphics:

Create a new document:
Click on File > New
Set Preset Details
Width: 736 pixels
Height: 1104 pixels
Resolution: 100 Pixels/Inch
Color Mode: RGB
Background Contents: White
Create your layers: Click on Layer > New Layer. Then, name this layer (Could be Image or Solid background or just Layer 1). Be sure the settings are adjusted to those below.
Color: None
Mode: Normal
Opacity: 100%
Set your background. Remember, what you always see is top to bottom & front to back. Unlock the background layer by opening your Layers palette and double-clicking the layer labeled ‘Background’ with the lock too. Double clicking it will unlock it. Use the same settings as listed just above.
Use the paint bucket tool to set your colors. Click on the Paint Bucket Tool in the tools on the left.

Then, click the Set Foreground Color box to get the colors to pop up. Choose a color from your brand identity color palette. Click OK.

With your New Background Layer selected, click in the middle of your document to place in the color. You can use a solid color, insert a photo or even use text.
Be sure to SAVE often! Click File > Save, and save the original file as a .psd file.
To add your blog title, use the text tool. Click on the Horizontal Type Tool in the tools on the left. Click in the middle of your document or where you want the words to go. It automatically creates a new Type Layer. Don’t forget to use your brand identity fonts!
Double-Click the Set Foreground Color box again to get the colors to pop up. Choose a color from your brand identity color palette (or black or white or choose a contrasting color from your brand identity color palette). Click OK.
Begin typing the title of your blog post. Select your text and adjust the font, style, size, paragraph orientation, etc. in the toolbar along the top.
Now, add your logo or any other brand image. Open your logo file in Photoshop. Have both the template and the Logo file next to each other in separate files. With the Move Tool selected, select the layer that the logo is on and physically drag it onto your Instagram image. The logo is now it's own layer in your layered Instagram template Photoshop file.
Type in your website URL. Click on the Horizontal Type Tool in the tools on the left. Click in the middle of your document or where you want the words to go. It automatically creates a new Type Layer. Select your text and adjust the font, style, size, paragraph orientation, etc. in the toolbar along the top. Don’t forget to use your brand identity fonts!
Save your file for web use. Save the original layered file as .psd file, then save it in a location you can remember! Turn off the layers in your Layers palette that you do not want to be seen in the final artwork. Do this by clicking the small eyeball tool to the left of each layer in your Layers palette. Then click File > Export > Save for Web.

To Save Option 1:

Click File > Export > Save for Web.
Select the following details in the Save for Web screen:
- PNG-8
- Check Transparency
- Check convert to sRGB
- Image size: 736 x 1104 px
- Quality: Bicubic
Click Save. Save in a location where you can access it on your computer. Examples: your desktop folder, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.

OR

To Save Option 2:

Export as a .png, click File > Export > Quick Export as .png.
Be sure to edit or hide layers as needed. Tip: Include the month and/or day in the file name. Then save to a specific folder to add to social. Save in a location where you can access it on your phone.
Finally, click File > Save the template with your new art in the layered .psd file! Now all you need to do each time you write a blog post is to change the Title on this blog post graphic and re-save!

(Need help with file types? Learn more about the fundamentals of Photoshop here! Or, download this simple cheat sheet I made all about different Photoshop file types!

Finally, upload the image to you blog post draft in your web platform. After you publish your blog post, go ahead and pin the image to Pinterest from your live website. This will help to gather viewers from that exact space on your site.