I’ve been sharing about my success recovering one of my HCU-hit sites… with Pinterest traffic! I thought we’d roll up our sleeves and I’d share some specific tactics, and results, from what I’m doing. Let’s dig into the data!
I’m diving deep into the three main pin designs I’m using on Pinterest—Text Overlay Pins (TOBI), Pure Image Pins, and Collage Pins. I’ll be breaking down the data from my top-performing pins. This analysis highlights what type of Pin Designs are getting me the best results.
Let’s start with a quick overview of each pin style I use, then dive into insights from my top 10 pins across three key metrics.
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3 Main Types of Pin Styles
Before I dig into my top-performing designs, let’s briefly recap the three main pin styles I’m currently using, and why each serves a unique role. I’ve approached pin design this way based on the methods taught by Tony Hill in his Pinterest Course:
1. Text Overlay Pins (TOBI)
These pins feature text on top of a background image.
My site is in the food niche, so TOBI pins seem essential. While they do require more design time, it isn’t that much harder with tools like Canva or PinGenerator.
Here’s an example (NOT from my niche, stock photos, you get the picture)
2. Pure Image Pins
Pure Image Pins focus solely on visual appeal. I like these because I have a photography background, and these allow the image to stand out. Plus they take no design.
Though they’re simple, the image itself must be striking and relevant to perform well.
Here’s a quick example:
3. Collage Pins
Collage Pins are highly versatile and effective across various niches. By featuring multiple images, they provide a snapshot of options or styles. They’re versatile, showing different parts of one concept.
Like Text Overlay Pins, they take a bit of design, but aren’t that hard once you have templates to work with.
And, here’s one example, but there are many ways to do this:
Performance Analysis by Metrics
Now, let’s review the data from my top 10 pins for each performance metric: Impressions, Saves, and Outbound Clicks.
Impressions tell me what is showing up in Pinterest, Saves tell me what people are interested in, and Outbound Clicks are where the money is generated!
I started by looking at how many of each type of Pin Design was in the Top 10 for each category. And then I looked at the total that each drove.
Here’s a breakdown of each pin type’s contributions.
1. Impressions
Data Summary:
- Text Overlay Pins: 4 out of Top 10 Pins (10% of total Top 10 Pin Impressions)
- Collage Pins: 4 out of Top 10 Pins (73% of total Top 10 Pin Impressions)
- Pure Image Pins: 2 out of Top 10 Pins (7% of total Top 10 Pin Impressions)
Analysis & Insights:
- Collage Pins capture 73% of total Impressions, despite representing only 40% of the top-performing pins.
- Text Overlay Pins and Pure Image Pins show significantly lower impression counts per pin.
Collage Pins generate a lot more total Impressions than Text Overlay and Image Pins.
2. Saves
Data Summary:
- Text Overlay Pins: 3 out of Top 10 Pins (6% of total Top 10 Pin Saves)
- Collage Pins: 3 out of Top 10 Pins (87% of total Top 10 Pin Saves)
- Pure Image Pins: 6 out of Top 10 Pins (7% of total Top 10 Pin Saves)
Analysis & Insights:
- Collage Pins outperform other styles again, accounting for 87% of total saves with only a 30% representation in the top 10 pins.
- While Pure Image Pins have the highest count within the top 10 for Saves, their overall total Saves contribution is minimal.
An interesting data point… a lot of my Top 10 Pin Designs for Image Only… but they didn’t account for many total Saves. Again, Collage Pins drove the bulk of total Saves.
3. Outbound Clicks
Data Summary:
- Text Overlay Pins: 3 out of Top 10 Pins (16% of total Top 10 Outbound Clicks)
- Collage Pins: 5 out of Top 10 Pins (81% of total Top 10 Outbound Clicks)
- Pure Image Pins: 2 out of Top 10 Pins (3% of total Top 10 Outbound Clicks)
Analysis & Insights:
- Collage Pins lead in driving Outbound Clicks, capturing 81% of total clicks.
- Text Overlay Pins contribute moderately to Outbound Clicks, while Pure Image Pins show minimal impact in this area.
Collage Pins win again, and this time in the most important of categories to content creators. More than 4 out of every 5 Outbound Clicks to my website from Pinterest came from Collage Pins.
Overall Insights
Ok, so what does this all mean?
- Dominance of Collage Pins: Across all three key metrics—Impressions, Saves, and Outbound Clicks—Collage Pins significantly outperform both Text Overlay and Pure Image Pins.
- Underperformance of Pure Image Pins: Despite their high count in the top 10 for Saves, Image Pins contribute minimally overall and are less effective at driving clicks or impressions.
- Moderate Success of Text Overlay Pins: While Text Overlay Pins have a presence across metrics, their overall impact is lower than Collage Pins.
Conclusion
The data clearly shows that Collage Pins are my most effective Pin Design on Pinterest for driving Impressions, Saves, and Clicks. So, I’ll be focusing more of my efforts on this style going forward.
No… that won’t be the only type of pin design I do. A well-rounded mix is still key to reaching different user preferences and adapting to changes in Pinterest trends.a
Furthermore, results might be different in your niche. But, I always love hearing data about a specific account, so I wanted to share with you!
What are you seeing work for your Pinterest Designs?
P.S. We’ve been beta testing our Pinterest Audits and Pinterest Management Services, and we’re getting ready to open up another round of slots. Get your name added to the list HERE!
