How to Use Pinterest for New Bloggers
Pinterest is an amazing tool that can complement your blog by increasing traffic and helping you reach your ideal readers. We’ll simplify some of the ways to use Pinterest for bloggers and highlight best practices to get you started!
New bloggers may hesitate to incorporate another tool, but Pinterest can showcase your content in ways that will pay dividends. Unlike other social media platforms where content is short-lived, quality Pinterest content can serve your blog for years to come.
What is Pinterest?
In its early days, Pinterest was a very social platform. Now, it is utilized as a search engine delivering inspiration for just about anything! Pinterest states it is a “visual discovery engine for finding ideas like recipes, home and style inspiration, and more.”
Pinterest can be used as both a desktop site and an app. Users, or “pinners,” can search a wide range of pin types and organize them into digital boards. Users can also upload their own content to share with followers as well as a whole new audience.
With Pinterest, the possibilities of generating new traffic to your blog are unlimited! As of 2023, Pinterest had 465 million monthly active users. Additionally, Pinterest content has a continuous lifespan which means your pinned content can continue to resurface over time.
If your blogging goals include increased visibility, Pinterest can help you get there!
Why do people use Pinterest?
Early Pinterest users probably remember the chatter about trendy recipes and DIY home decor and crafts.
Now, pinners can search for inspiration for practically anything under the sun. You can find pins for recipes, home decor, seasonal crafts, DIY tutorials, fashion, beauty, and travel tips… and so much more! Not only do users pin their favorite finds, but they can share their ideas with others through either a personal account or a business account.
For business accounts, Pinterest’s visual search features can be vital marketing tools. Pins can generate traffic, grow your list of email subscribers, or directly link to products to purchase. Businesses can also utilize Pinterest to run ads to reach their ideal audience.
How can you use Pinterest as a blogger?
Pinterest can be a wonderful tool for bloggers, but it’s important to use it with a thoughtful plan that aligns with your goals. As you begin, create a simple strategy that includes a variety of pin formats and intervals of time. Be consistent and watch how it serves your blog!
One of the primary ways that bloggers use Pinterest is by posting pins that highlight blog posts on your site. These pins will lead readers to click directly to your linked posts and ideally enjoy more of your content! Pinners can also save and share your pinned images through their own profiles.
As a blogger, you can enhance your blog by creating content that will perform well on Pinterest. Use the search and trends features to determine what people are looking for within your niche. This is very similar to keyword research on other search engines!
It is important to note that Pinterest for bloggers is a “long game” when it comes to metrics. Begin with the industry tips we have compiled here and track your results over several months or more. You will be surprised – and encouraged – to see that quality pins can continue to provide payoff (through traffic, email subscribers, sales, etc.) even past their initial pin date!
Pinterest Best Practices for Bloggers
Start with a business account
Begin by setting up a free business account. Even if you already have a personal account and have been curating your boards for years, you’ll need a business account for its added features.
Most importantly, a business account will allow you to view a dashboard of analytics on your pins. Here you can find metrics to show which pins generate the most clicks or how often they are saved to other profiles. Pinterest analytics will also help you gain information about your audience and how they are interacting with your pins, and ultimately, your blog!
Lastly, with a business account, you have the option to run Pinterest ads. This feature can be helpful if you are marketing content to a purchase-oriented audience.
Optimize your Pinterest profile
To maximize your visibility and relevance to your audience, take a few moments to ensure that your profile is clear about who you are, what you offer, and how others can connect with you.
Use direct and specific keywords in multiple places throughout your profile. These can be in your profile name, your bio, your board descriptions, and in pin titles. These keywords sprinkled throughout your business account will let Pinterest – and other pinners – easily recognize your brand and the types of content that you share.
Create strategic boards
Within your Pinterest account, you can create digital boards to organize your pins. Create strategic boards that are specific to your audience and optimized for searchability.
You may be tempted to create cute or catchy titles for individual boards – don’t! Instead, stick to clear and specific keywords. These literal titles and board descriptions will help improve your search visibility and connect searches within your content pillars to your profile.
Organize boards around a niche that connects to your content pillars. If a board is not related to your content (such as a weekday menu recipe board if you are a travel blogger), it can detract from associating your profile with your intended audience. If needed, remove unrelated boards from your profile or turn on the “secret board” setting so that they are only visible to you.
In podcast episode #9, Kate Ahl, Pinterest management specialist, recommends starting your business profile with 5-10 boards that are connected to your content pillars. Keep it simple to begin and elaborate as you continue to develop your content!
Create content that people are searching for
Just like you would for any other search engine, spend a little time upfront looking for topics and keywords that organically generate in the Pinterest search bar. You can also utilize the Pinterest Trends and Pinterest Predicts pages to generate ideas of content that people are hoping to find on Pinterest. Use this information to connect to your current blog content or find new inspiration for your next post!
Optimize your blog
One of the primary reasons bloggers use Pinterest is to generate clicks to their sites. When those readers arrive at your site, you want it to be ready for them!
Optimize your blog by integrating a social sharing plugin and create visually appealing graphics that readers will want to pin and save for later! You can repurpose images that you already use in your posts, but size them appropriately for the type of pin (static pins, idea pins, etc.) and include aesthetically pleasing text overlays. Be sure the images are not too busy or overcrowded!
Also, when users click to your site from Pinterest, be sure your blog is optimized to capture the reader’s interest and provide valuable content. The pin should lead users to the information they want and entice them to check out more on your site! You can do this by suggesting links to other related content and providing a clear opportunity to sign up for your email list.
Encourage readers to share and save your content to Pinterest
One way to make the most of Pinterest alongside your blog is to give your readers a specific call to action. As they interact with your blog content, encourage them to save it to Pinterest for later, or share it with others through social networking plugins! This can be as simple as a suggested “pin this to reference later.”
Share your content on Pinterest regularly
Since Pinterest is a search engine, it is important to pin with consistency to enhance your visibility.
There are so many recommended strategies for how frequently to pin, and we recommend using a scheduler tool like Tailwind or Pinterest’s native scheduler. With the native (built-in) scheduler in a Pinterest business account, you can schedule pins up to 30 days in advance. With scheduling tools, you can stagger the intervals of time between your pins which can keep your content fresh in the Pinterest algorithm.
Lastly, plan time to batch your Pinterest tasks to save time and maximize efficiency. You may wish to create multiple pins at a time and get them all scheduled once or twice a month! For another time-saving step, find or create your own templates with your branding and images to streamline your pin creation.
Pinterest Podcast Episodes
We love to support new bloggers by sharing insight from industry experts. For on-the-go listening, check out our podcast episodes that highlight the many facets of Pinterest for bloggers. Heads up – you’ll want to keep a notebook handy to jot down all the valuable tips!
Learn more about our programs for blogging support here or connect with us on Instagram at @sparkmediaconcepts
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