What are Board Covers and Why Do You Need Them?

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There are lots of jobs to be done when you are setting up or making over your Pinterest account.  One of the ones that might seem a little time-consuming and not really beneficial is board covers.  And in one respect it’s true – you can still use Pinterest without having board covers.  But here’s a quick look at why you might want to use them and how to do it if you do.

The benefits of board covers

First up, let’s take a look at what board covers look like – here’s a shot from my big account.  I don’t adore the look, but they are simple, easy to customise to my different blogs, and look smart.

And here’s a look at a section without board covers (these are other’s people group boards).  Again, they don’t look terrible, but they are very busy.

So, the first reason to have board covers is that they create a harmonious branded look to your profile.  Now not everyone goes to your profile these days and that’s okay.  But if they do, they can see a continuation of your brand from your blog to your pins to your boards.  And that builds up brand recognition in the brain.  Plus, when Pinterest starts showing your boards to other people as part of keyword search results, your boards will stand out due to their snazzy board covers.

Group versus personal boards

Another point worth mentioning is that it is a lot easier to spot your boards among the masses when you have board covers.  That’s because your boards will have that branded, uniform look to them while group boards will either have other people’s look to them or won’t have a cover at all.  So when you are working with your Pinterest account, those board covers can make things just a little easier.

How to make a board cover?

My instructions are in Canva because that’s what I use for all of my graphics.  I’ve tried Adobe but just can’t get the hang of it.

Create an image that is around 800 pixels square – mine is 833 x 833 for some reason.  Add either a background or an image to the board.  There’s no right or wrong but many people suggest something colourful and patterned for businesses such as blogging blogs and photo-based boards for lifestyle bloggers.

If you are going for a plain or patterned background, create a white rectangle across the centre of the board.  This is where your words will go.  If you are using an image, you might want to add an overlay to make the image a little duller or bring down the transparency, so it doesn’t overwhelm the words.  Then add your rectangle.

Put the name of the board in the centre in your brand font.  Then add the name of your blog either at the bottom or under the name, however, you like to do it.

Adding the cover to Pinterest

Once you have your cover, download it to your computer and head over the Pinterest.  Upload a new image and select the cover then add it to the board it will be the cover for.  You can add your website URL to it in case someone happens to click it.

Next, go to the board and hit the pen icon to edit it.  There is a spot about two-thirds down where you can change the board cover – select the image you just made then save.  Refresh your profile and your cover should appear (sometimes it takes a couple of refreshes to do this for some reason).

Conclusion

You can have a bit of fun with your board covers but try to ensure they are branded in the same way as your blog to get that brand recognition thing going.  Some people change them regularly, but I’ve got too many boards for that.  The end result is definitely a more cohesive and professional look to your boards that is worth a little effort.

To make things even easier, you can grab a copy of my template for board covers below – all you need is a free Canva account and you can get started!

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