Behind every great book blog is a well-organized system.
This January, I’m pulling back the curtain to share the tools, templates, and strategies I use to keep Forever Book Lover running smoothly.
This post is for book bloggers who want Pinterest pins that feel cohesive, readable, and true to their brand — without spending hours redesigning every graphic. Pinterest isn’t about flashy design; it’s about clarity, consistency, and making your content recognizable at a glance.
Pinterest is still one of my favorite ways to get eyes on older posts — especially book reviews, seasonal reading lists, and those “behind the blog” resources. The key is having pins that look consistent, on-brand, and easy to read on mobile.
Here’s exactly how I design my Pinterest pins in Canva for Forever Book Lover…
This post is part of my Behind the Blog | Tips & Tools collection, where I share the systems and workflows I use to keep Forever Book Lover running smoothly. You can explore the full series here: Behind the Blog | Tips & Tools .
Behind the Blog | Tips & Tools Sunday Series
This Sunday Series pulls back the curtain on the systems, tools, and workflows I use to keep Forever Book Lover running smoothly — from designing Pinterest pins to managing SEO and staying consistent behind the scenes.
Whether you’re a fellow book blogger or just curious how it all comes together, these posts are designed to be practical, approachable, and easy to apply.
Series Posts:
What I focus on when designing a pin
I’m not trying to use every Canva feature or create a “perfect” graphic. I focus on making pins that are easy to understand and clearly connected to my blog.
Before I call a pin finished, I do a quick check:
- Mobile check: Can I read it in two seconds on a phone?
- Brand check: Does it look like it belongs to Forever Book Lover?
- Clarity check: Would someone know what the post is about at a glance?
If it passes those three checks, I don’t keep tweaking — I save it, name it, and move on.
1. Start with the right Canva size
I keep it simple and start with a 1000 x 1500 or 1080 x 1920 vertical design. Pinterest favors tall pins, and this size gives me enough room for book titles, captions, and a CTA without everything feeling cramped.
If you’re repurposing for Instagram Stories or idea pins, you can duplicate the page and adjust the layout, but I design the “main” version for Pinterest first.
2. Use a brand mini-kit in Canva
A blurred look at my Forever Book Lover Canva mini brand kit — keeping colors, fonts, and assets in one place helps every pin stay consistent.
Because I post everything under Forever Book Lover, I keep a mini brand kit in Canva: warm neutrals, a dark accent brown (#604435), and clean serif/sans-serif pairings. This way every pin looks like it came from the same blog, even if the topic is different (recipes, blogger tips, book reviews).
You can save:
- Brand colors (your warm neutrals + accent)
- Your blog URL text so you don’t retype it
- 1–2 go-to headline fonts (no Lora)
3. Build 3–5 reusable templates
I don’t start from scratch every time. I have a small set of templates that I just drop new text into:
- “List” template — great for posts like “Easy SEO Checklist for Book Review Posts.”
- “Big headline” template — for single-topic posts like this one.
- “Mockup / image left, text right” template — for bookish or recipe pairings.
This keeps your feed cohesive and saves you so much time. You can even rename them in Canva as “FBL – Pinterest – List Style” so you can find them quickly.
4. Write Pinterest-first headlines
Your pin text should match how people search. For this post, I’d use something like:
- “How I Design Pinterest Pins in Canva (Book Blogger Workflow)”
- “Canva Pin Templates for Book Bloggers”
- “Pinterest Graphics for Romance + Reading Blogs”
This helps with Pinterest SEO and reminds people what they’re getting before they click.
5. Make it readable for mobile
Most people are scrolling on their phones. I keep my main headline big, use high contrast (dark text on lighter background), and don’t stack too many elements. If I use a photo, I lower the transparency or put a cream overlay so the text still pops.
6. Save, name, and organize
When I download, I name the file something Pinterest can understand, like:
how-i-design-pinterest-pins-in-canva-forever-book-lover.png
Then I upload to Pinterest and write a keyworded description to match the blog post.
Affiliate tools I use for Pinterest:
These are a few simple tools I reach for when photographing bookish content or styling flat lays for Pinterest.
- Ring light / desk setup for shooting bookish photos
- Bookish props to style cozy flat lays
- Additional staging decor to add visual interest
If you ever find yourself wondering how to do something I mentioned here, feel free to leave a comment. I’m always happy to turn a good question into a future how-to post.
This is the first post in my Behind the Blog | Tips & Tools Sunday Series — next up, I’ll be sharing practical Pinterest tips specifically for book bloggers.
If Pinterest has ever felt overwhelming, start small. One layout, one template, one pin at a time. Consistency builds momentum faster than perfection.
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