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If you're reading this blog post, there's a pretty good chance you have a blog of your own, am I right? And there's also a good chance you came across this blog post via Pinterest (because that's where most of our traffic comes from)! In this post we're spilling the beans on how to use styled stock photos to create blog post graphics and get more traffic to your blog.
We're probably not the first people to write a blog post about creating share-worthy blog post graphics, but something made you click through to this post – so let's talk about what might have been…
Vertical Images
Most people peruse Pinterest on a mobile device, so it's no surprise that “tall” vertical pins are more effective than horizontal or square pins. Many pinners (including ourselves) won't even pin or repin an image if it isn't vertical, so that's something to keep in mind if you want more people to share your blog posts – and who doesn't?!
Almost all of the Styled Stock Society collections include vertical images that are perfect for creating pins, but even our square or horizontal images can be cropped to create vertical blog post graphics. Aim forimages with an aspect ratio between 2:3 and 4:5 to get more repins on Pinterest.
Images without Faces
Multiple studies have shown that images without faces are more likely to be pinned than those with faces (source). This makes a lot of sense because faces can be distracting or make people relate less to an image (whereas a “faceless” image could relate to a variety of different people).
Most of our members are solopreneurs/bloggers with a personal brand, and we believe the best way to be the face of your brand is to literally use pictures of YOUR face. That's one of the reasons we don't always include stock images with faces in the Styled Stock Society member library. It also makes the photos for more relatable Pinterest images.
Images with Color
While black and white images might be more your style, images with color (not oversaturated color!) are more likely to be pinned (source). If you're not sure which colors to use, your brand colors are the obvious choice, though some studies show that warmer toned images are more likely to be pinned than cooler-toned images.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if you want to make your pins easily recognizable to your followers (or potential followers), make sure you are using consistent colors and fonts for your brand.
Images with Text
If your goal is to drive traffic from Pinterest to your blog, you need to give people a reason. Creating a graphic with a text overlay makes it easier to tell people on Pinterest what your blog post is all about. Of course, you should also include this in your pin description, but including your blog post title on your blog post graphic makes it easier for your post to stand out so people are more likely to click on your pin to learn more. The easier you make it for your audience, the more likely they will be to take action!
Many of the Styled Stock Society images include white space or negative space that makes it easy to add text. Alternatively, you could add a semi-transparent overlay under your text (like in this post) to help your text stand out!
Create Blog Post Graphics with Templates
To save time and ensure all of your blog post graphics are share-worthy (and on-brand!), it's best to create templates for your blog posts. Make sure to include your blog post title and your website info (in case your graphic ends up floating around the web without the correct link back to your blog). It can also be helpful to add a short subtitle or “teaser” of what the post is about or a sneak peek at a content upgrade or other free resource if you linked to one in your post.
There are even more Canva templates inside our member library to make it easy for you to create share-worthy blog post graphics. Plus we've got over 7,000 stock photos for your blog post graphics, social media graphics, and so much more! Join Styled Stock Society or click the button below to download 25 free stock photos!
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