Good blog post title images are a blogger’s secret weapon.
When they’re eye-catching, descriptive and consistent, these images are the first thing to draw people into your posts.
The key is to have memorable post images that are consistent with your branding (and each other) so that when people see one, they immediately know it’s an image from your blog.
But slapping together a good template ain’t easy. It takes some careful thought and planning.
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How to Create a Dazzling Blog Post Graphic Template!
9 Ways to Create Better Blog Images
The Biggest Mistake You’re Probably Making w Your Blog Images + a Cheat Sheet
More on Blog Images
Start with a Brand Style Guide
Do you have a style guide for your brand? It’s kinda hard to keep your branding consistent throughout the internet without one so this step is important.
Creating a branding color and font palette or brand board and sticking to them as closely as possible is crucial to making you and your blog memorable.
You might want to read about my most recent branding and design process as well as check out my branding board for inspiration.
Color Palette Resources:
The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Colors for Your Blog or Website
10+ Spectacular Tools for Color Palette and Inspiration
Font Palette Resources:
Beginner’s Guide to Fonts for Your Blog
Free fonts: Google Fonts
Premium Fonts: MyFonts.com,* Creative Market* and Design Cuts.*
Style Guide Resources:
How + Why to Create a Style Guide for Your Blog (Free Worksheets!) from The Nectar Collective
10 Ways to Create Share-worthy Design (with free template) from Spruce Rd.
How to Create a Brand Style Guide from Elle & Co.
How to Create a Style Guide for Your Blog or Brand Plus a Free Template from byRegina.com
Use a Template
Templates make it faster and easier to create images for each post and we all could use some short cuts when it comes to time, can’t we?
A template also keeps your images consistent with each other and with your branding. Don’t do what I did when I started: I experimented with every design style under the sun! Admittedly, DYOB was my exploring ground and I was having fun with different types of design, but my post title images were so all over the board that no one could tell on first glance that they were from my blog.
Check out this tutorial on how to create a blog post graphic template. You don’t even need Photoshop!*
First, Some Inspiration
These blogs are fantastic examples of having memorable, consistent blog post title images that stand out in feeds like Pinterest or even Twitter and Facebook.
Caitlin at CaitlinBacher.com (formerly known as Little Farm Media) keeps her images fresh by using different colors and patterns from her branding palette, but the layout and typefaces remain consistent.
Pinnable images from CaitlinBacher.com
Lauren at Elle & Co. Design is a great example of using solid colors from her brand palette while occasionally switching things up and using a photographic background. But notice how the typefaces stay consistent throughout.
Pinnable images on Elle & Co. Design
Kayla of KaylaHollatz.com has a very consistent template that’s easy to update. All she needs to do is find a photograph that matches her branding and switch out the text and boom, she’s done.
Pinnable images on KaylaHollatz.com
Andrea (Dre) of The Branded Solopreneur has instantly recognizable post images because they are unlike any other post images out there. Her bold colors and consistent typefaces get some fresh variations when she adds different patterned backgrounds or photographs behind them.
Pinnable images on The Branded Solopreneur.
Melyssa at The Nectar Collective has a consistent layout for her images with diagonal lines and various colors from her branding palette.
Pinnable images on TheNectarCollective.com
Erika at Olyvia.co does a great job keeping her images consistent. She uses various photographic backgrounds overlaid with a transparent diagonal shaped layer and consistent fonts.
Pinnable images on Olyvia.co
Regina of byRegina.com recently switched up her template to match her new website design, but even her new templates are consistent with her old ones which are probably among the most recognizable images on Pinterest. She uses a photographic background overlaid with a dark layer and bright bold text.
Pinnable images on byRegina.com
Jen of JennyPurr has a very consistent look to her blog post images and her template is very easy to update. She uses a variety of photographs for the backgrounds, but notice the consistency in colors and filter on her images.
Pinnable images on JennyPurr.co.uk
Be Consistent Yet Be Original
Look, we all LOVE Regina’s post images, but we’ve also all seen REALLY similar post images out there on Pinterest that make us wonder if they aren’t hers right? Don’t copy someone else’s design. Make yours stand out from the rest on Pinterest. Let people see your images in a feed and immediately identify them with your brand, not someone else’s.
Check out how this tutorial to really make your stock photos stand out.
How to Create a Blog Title Image Template
Before you decide on the layout of your post title images, I strongly suggest taking a look at two posts first so you can plan out what elements you will want or need to include in your template and plan accordingly.
1. According to this fabulous post, Anatomy of a Blog Post Design, by Jamie Starcevich of Spruce Rd., it’s best if your template includes the following elements:
- a catchy title
- a hook or descriptor text
- the category (optional)
- your website URL
- a branded element or icon
- I would also add background imagery to this list
Be sure to read her quick post to view the infographic and details on each element above.
2. Since catching eyeballs on Pinterest is a big deal, be sure to read 10 Sure Fire Ways to Create Attention-Grabbing Images for Pinterest to Increase Traffic which includes a few more rules of thumb to follow to get the most out of your images.
Select An Image Editor
Photoshop is my go-to tool for creating my templates. If you don’t have it, you might really consider getting a subscription to it as it’s only $9.99/month.* However if you can’t fit that into your budget, these alternatives will work just fine:
- Pixlr
- Canva
Check out this great guest post by Lillian DeJesus, if you decide to try Canva: Enhance Your Blog Post Images with Canva - Befunky – a new free editor like PicMonkey that allows you to save your projects to work on later! Check out my tutorial on how to use BeFunky to create blog post graphics!
- Sketch – $99 one time charge or try the free trial
As much as I like it, I don’t suggest using PicMonkey* for this since you can’t save a template there and edit it again later.
Resources to Create a Blog Title Image Template
All blog post images need thought put into what background(s) they will use. Whether you decide on photographs, patterns, illustrations or solid colors, like the inspirational examples above, you need something that matches your branding and helps differentiate your images from others.
Photography
If you decide to use photography for your backgrounds, look for images that match your branding in color or filter, look and feel, style, brightness, etc. Good photographic background subjects can be:
- people
- styled photography
- objects that relate to your post
- abstract objects
- landscape scenery
You might choose to go with one type of photo from above or mix and match depending on the topic of the post. The less busy an image is, the better background it usually makes as it won’t detract from the text overlaid on top of it.
Resources for Stock Photography:
- 23 Sites for Free + Affordable Feminine Styled Stock Photography
- 50+ Sites for Free Feminine Styled Stock Photography
- The BIG Guide to Free Images for Your Blog Posts // Part 1: Public Domain
- The BIG Guide to Free Images for Your Blog Posts // Part 2: Creative Commons
- Styled Desktop Photos on Pinterest
- Take your own background photos. Here are some great ideas for photo backdrops from The Nectar Collective
Patterns / Graphics
Instead of photography, what about using a seamless pattern or patterns that match your brand and colors, like Caitlin Bacher or Dre Beltrami do above?
Resources for Patterns:
- Subtle Patterns is one of my favorites
- Design Cuts* usually has awesome deals on bundles that include tons of beautiful and girly patterned backgrounds
- Creative Market* has a great collection of patterns
- VectorPortal has offered some free pattern vectors just for DYOB readers
- Freepik.com is a pretty good resource for free seamless patterns (among other things)
Solid Colors
Consider using solid colors like Elle & Co. Flat design is so popular right now and solid colors fit in perfectly with that trend. You could go for just one color, one color plus a tint or shade of it, or two contrasting colors, keeping colors consistent with your brand of course.
Icons
If you read Spruce Rd.’s post from above, then you may be considering using icons to identify your categories or post series. If so here are a couple of free resources for good icons. Be sure to read the terms first before using anything free.
Go Make Your Own Template Now!
Here’s a tutorial on how to create a reusable graphic template for your blog using a free image creation tool called BeFunky! Check out the super easy graphic template tutorial here now!
Conclusion
Now that you know the secret weapon to Pinterest and social media, I hope you take the time to come up with a creative and thoughtful template for your blog posts!
Don’t worry about getting it perfect right away, these kinds of things usually evolve a little over time. You can make tweaks to your template here and there until you find the one that speaks to you.
So tell me: do you already have a template for your blog post images? If so, share it with us in the comments below! If not, what questions do you have about creating one?
What an EPIC blog image resource! This is going to be a perfect reference guide for our Twitter chat tonight. I just linked to it in my reminder email. #BrandHour power, baby!
GARGANTUAN high five for the shout out and love in this post, Marianne. I’m soooo giddy powered excited for tonight.
Let’s DO THIS!… 😉
haha yes! thanks so much for linking to it in your email 🙂 TOO MUCH FUN last night girlfriend, thanks for being awesome 🙂
My greatest weakness is definitely in photos, so this was such a needed post! Thank you!
You’re so welcome Ashley, glad you got something from it. I would LOVE to see your images when you do some, feel free to come back and share!
I just made one with Canva for my Write 31 project, but otherwise it is on my ‘to do list.’
High five Nicole! It looks great, love the photo background.
Btw, is Reiding your last name?
I am new to all of this and do not have any templates yet. Excited to learn from you.
So great Kim! We all start somewhere. I hope this was a helpful place for you to start 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
Doing a photo template is on my list. Your post gives me some inspirations to do a great one 🙂
http://www.gadzotica.com
That’s fabulous Gadis! So good to see you around here again 🙂 Please come back and let me know when you’ve created a template, I’d love to see it.
I love this photos!
Hi Joana, so glad you liked them and hope they provide some inspiration for your own.
Hi Marianne! Thank you so much for including me in this roundup of super talented ladies. Can’t wait to join in the #brandhour fun! XO, Caitlin
Your images deserve to be shared Caitlin, I really love them! Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it! Hope to see you at the next #brandhour! I’m really going to try and make #creativebizchat tonight!
Such an awesome list of branding geniuses! One day, I will float high on the list of awesome blog images. Lol
My current image is quite simple, which I like but, I need it to be a little more snazzier. Dressed up a bit. Stand out. Right now, I don’t have the time to tweak it so it’s going to be as is until I can find someone who can rock it out for me!
Great chat tonight, and I am emailing you about the co-host opportunity!! 🙂
Yes you will be there Caressa, I have no doubt! Your images now are pretty close. I would try making the line heights (vertical space) between the lines of text smaller. Bringing them closer together can help make them look better.
Thanks so much for joining us last night!
I already have a template, including color coding depending on the category! I use Canva, but I’d love to win the free images!
That’s great Raewyn, it really helps to tie them all together, nice job! And hey if you win, you can upload your new image to Canva! 🙂
Great post, and thank you for introducing Jenna, her photos look awesome!
Thanks for reading Sara, so glad you found inspiration in the images!
Hi Marianne,
Really helpful post – as ever. I love Regina’s images already but so good to see a few others here. I’ve been attempting – albeit it in a very amateur way – to do similar on my own site but thanks for this inspiration to really do it properly!
Heather, they don’t look amateur at all! You have a great template and your images are very recognizable. I would just add your URL to the bottom so people know where it’s from. Oh and I noticed you don’t have a custom favicon yet. Read this: http://designyourownblog.com/tutorial-how-to-create-blog-favicon/, it won’t take you long!
Sometimes I wonder if my blog images are good enough – they follow the same style as my blog design, use two colors, two font styles at maximum, include icons and just seem to go with the overall aesthetics of my design, so I like them. I also have two types of graphics, but both seem to just gel you know? I love this, it’s such a super great collection! 🙂
Amanda, I LOVE your post images, they are perfect just the way they are. They are consistent with each other and your branding, are easy to read and I’ll bet very easy to update. Great job! Thanks for reading 🙂
I love Pic Monkey because it allows me to use my own fonts which I think helps in branding images. i make templates ahead sometimes and save them in a separate folder and just load them into Pic Monkey when I need them.
Hi Anne, yes PicMonkey definitely has an advantage over Canva when it comes to fonts. I’m curious to know how you create templates ahead of time. Are they flat images that you upload and add text over in PicMonkey?
I don’t have a standard image yet, but it is definitely on my to-do list!
That’s great Dara, I think it will really help your posts stand out in Pinterst and other social media. Feel free to share it here or in my Facebook group for feedback.
This is just what I need right now! I’ve just started on Pinterest and have been trying to figure out the “pinnable” blog post image. And I just love all the resources you pack into your posts! I’ve got a bunch of tabs open, again, to check out the cool stuff you sprinkled in like a fairy god-mother. 🙂
Haha Erika! Glad I could load up your browser tabs! 😉 Definitely check out the post I link to with the infographic if you’re wanting to create more Pinnable images. Thanks so much for reading!
Hello and thank you for the epic blogpost! It’s going to take me a few days to get through all the fantastic resources and advice in this post. I’m primarily a writer so the whole branding and marketing part of blogging is a challenge, but I’m slowly starting to get the hang of it. Thanks so much for this resource!
Hi Vivian, yeah it’s a lot of info that’s for sure! I’m sure that after reading it all, you WILL have some really great branded images for your blog! Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂
What a great resource! I am looking to making some changes on my blog and will be opening up an etsy shop. I will be using this information for sure! Thanks for sharing! Pinning. 🙂
Thanks so much Emily and I also appreciate you sharing it in your post roundup!
No problem! I am happy that I found your blog. Lots of great info here. 🙂
This is SUCH an amazing post. Wow. I’ve been trying to create better blog post images, but have struggled with creating a consistent, original look. I’ll be putting your advice to work, for sure! Thank you for creating such an amazing resource for us!
Awesome post! So much info and resources to help. I am currently trying struggling with my templates/blog images, I am looking into switching it up a bit or maybe going a different direction. On my “to-do” list!
Lauren Baxter | Lovely Decor
xx
Putting together some awesome blog post graphics is something I want to do but have been really putting off. Love all the different examples of templates you included here, gives me some good ideas thanks!
What a #heroic post!! I just adore this. There is so much valuable info here that is going to help people. A few of these resources are new to me, too, so I can’t wait to check them out!
Love this! I’ve always just made each image unique, but after listening to a lot of people, I think a template is in order!
I am loving this information. I have been making each image as needed, but the idea of a template makes so much good sense! I think I have a project for the weekend!
Great information as usual! Absolutely loaded with info! Caitlin Bachers website is super cool, I just found it this week.
Thanks so much Zara, I’m glad it was helpful to you and agreed! Caitlin’s site is awesome and so beautiful too!
This is an amazing post full of resources Marianne! Love it! Sharing it…
By the way – thanks for the shoutout!
Have an excellent day,
Lillian
Of course Lillian! And so glad you liked this and I really appreciate the share 🙂
My blog title images are the bane of my existence! I like the idea of a photograph related to the blog post, but I have a hard time making the words legible even when I use an overlay. Also I don’t like the font I’m using, that that is the story for another day. How do you share a photograph in the comments here if we wanted to upload an example of our image? Thanks for all of your help, Marianne, I just wish I had time to soak in every single thing you publish!
Hey Wendy, I would try using less busy images for your backgrounds. Try ones with more “white space” or solid color areas where you can place the text over top in a contrasting color. Also, it looks like a lot of your overlays could be less transparent. This would help the text stand apart better.
Wow, thank you for this resource, Marianne! I’m going to check out BeFunky and Sketch right now!
Hey stranger, so nice to see you here! Yes both are great resources for sure!
I definitely struggle with making good images and I still haven’t settled on a style. I’ll definitely go through this guide again. It is so handy and full of resources that it must help me.
Thank you for writing.
~ Sofie
Sofie, I only just NOW finally settled on my own images. It was difficult to settle on a style that I truly felt matched my brand so I know what you’re going through, but just keep playing with it and saving images that speak to you in a secret Pinterest board for inspiration. Thanks for checking out the guide!
So true! Images are the first thing to draw people into your post.
This a perfect guide for all the content producers out there who want to learn how to use images to drive reader engagement.
Thanks so much.
Yes, images can be quite powerful when done correctly. Thanks for checking it out Anjan!
Thank you thank you thank you thank you! This is very useful and excellent food for thought. I’ve been massively stuck on the pinterest front – often just pinning the images I already had for the blogpost. Today I created my first pinterest specific image, it’s a bit rough but it’s not half bad. It will improve, I’ve lots of ideas after reading through this post!
Honestly Aine
Hooray Aine, I’m so happy for you!! I know what you mean about getting stuck on these images. Truth be told, I am still not happy with mine! 😉 It’s always a work in progress though.
I recently started blogging, and didn’t really have a clear direction I was going with my pictures. Thank you so much for sharing this information. I’ve been playing with Canva and using my own nature photography with a white overlay. My new pictures look 10x better than what I was using before.
Hi Marianne,
I am actually focused on making my Pinterest images better this month. I still haven’t seen the results I would like to see from it. So maybe I need to make better quality images.
I am going to use some of the tips that you recommend in this post to see if I can increase my click-through rates on Pinterest.
Thanks for taking the time to share these tips, I know that they will help so many people improve their images.
I’ve never heard of the BeFunky image editor. I always stick with my go-to Photoshop. Maybe I’ll take the time to check it out on my free time.
Have a great day 🙂
Susan
Hey Susan, I use Photoshop too mostly but the BeFunky editor is a great alternative for those that don’t have Photoshop because it’s free and easy to use. Plus having pre-designed templates that you can edit is super helpful! Canva works great for that as well.
I just took a look at your images and I think they look great! They are consistent, recognizable and attractive. Make sure you are posting many times per day and not just your own pins. Create great descriptions too. It takes some time, but you’ll get there with these. 🙂
This is great thanks.
Hi Marianne –
I am so glad I came across this post! This is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I’m new to the blogging community and although I am a graphic designer, I’m still learning how to create impactful and eye-catching image titles. Thank you for all the helpful tips and inspiration and I’ll be bookmarking this page for future reference.
Jess
That’s awesome Jess and means a lot coming from a fellow designer. Thanks for reading 🙂
Hi, this article is good. I was wondering how we bloggers can create awesome blog post titles. Thanks.
Yes! Finally something about Creating graphics.
I have been playing with Canva and using my own nature photography with a white overlay.
Thank you for sharing this information