Pinterest Beginners Guide
Make Boards Based On Your Interests Not What Is Popular
Unlike other Social Media platforms, this platform requires a certain amount of effort. So in the beginning you are spending some time building your boards. The positive is that you have enough boards and fill them with enough pins, so that gives people an idea of who you are. If you are an artist or you create something, make one board just for your portfolio. From there the other boards give a picture of what motivates and inspires you. Try to have a mix of niche and popular boards. It should be what interests you, as you will be spending some time finding pictures to pin that will work on each board. This quickly becomes very dull if you focus on things that are not interesting. Choose something visual. Often when I search to make Pins, I do it based on colour. For instance, one of my boards is gluten free baking, I decided that more red or pink bakes were needed, for colour contrast, so I looked for tomato bakes or strawberry cake. This made it easier for me to find the pins. Food related boards are easier to find pins for, because people who make recipes often connect their site to Pinterest. So you don’t even need to make a pin just press the Pinterest button on their website to save their pin. Unlike repining other peoples pins on Pinterest itself, you gain impressions as does the person, as this is their actual pin. It is a scratch my back, scratch your back agreement. There are so many different subjects to devote a board to, what is a city you wish to visit, a hobby you wish you could try, an interior design style that you love or a natural phenomenon. It can be anything, something that makes you happy to see photos of.
Other Social Media Accounts Are A Great Inspiration For Finding Pins
I find a lot of my pins on Instagram, as well searching via hashtags and accounts that repost photos that deal with the subject you are interested in On Instagram, especially when you post gains it’s most engagement at the moment of positing even with the lack of chronological feed. But I found Instagram to be a great source. What I would do every time I made a pin I would credit the photographer and linked to where you found the photo on the Pin. For one of the boards I was pinning for, which was Australia from Above, that was drone photos mostly of Australia. I found a lot of photos on Instagram especially the accounts that repost other peoples photos. Just say if you have always wished to visit a country, each state or province has its own official Instagram account which reposts photos that have been taken in that area. It became an invaluable resource for me. People are posting photos all the time, you find new content to pin. Make sure to give credit and link to that person’s photo. I would via the reposted photo as well as go to the photographers account and link directly to them. Any photo that I find on the internet I make sure to link where it came from and who was the photographer.
Be Specific With Your Pin Titles
I have seen an increase in impressions after I fixed my pin titles by giving a lot more information. Being specific makes it easier to find your pins.
Use A Ratio Of Your Pins and Other Peoples That You Repined On Pinterest
On Pinterest, the platform works best for people, if you repin peoples pins on Pinterest and have your own. Most people go by a ratio. By pinning other people’s pins you are not only filling your board, but you are engaging with the platform. Some people say a ratio of fifty repins and fifty of your own on each board is best, other advice is sixty of your own pins and forty of repins. I chose the later, as this is the advice I was heard, when I started Pinterest. It is up to you what works and if it makes a difference. More impressions is always a good thing so possibly a fifty/fifty ratio works better.
Avoid Using Pins That Are Ads On Boards
When you start a new board, you wish to repin some people’s pins, the algorithm seems to suggest pins that have a lot of writing on them. I found them intrusive on my board, and these are pins that are pushed forward by the algorithm, because people have paid to have these pins be noticed. If you look at some of the nicest looking Pinterest accounts, they do not choose these pins. It causes clutter and you are reading not looking at board. What this does prove is ads pins are useful, if you are making them for a blog etc, keep it to one board. I was inspired by Julianna Swaney’s boards, she proved to me that Pinterest seems to look best without the clutter of ad pins.
Don’t Worry Too Much About Arranging Your Pins On A Board
I didn’t realise until I had spent time perfecting the layout of a board, that Pinterest changes the pins around. When you have logged in your carefully chosen layout but decide to log out or go on another computer, pins are changed around. The basic layout is still there, but your well crafted plan is not fully adhered to. I still try to move things around, but I am not fussed about it, as it is out of my control.
Followers Are Not As Important On Pinterest
Followers will come to you, don’t worry about following many people hoping they will in return follow back. Truthfully without trying Tailwind (it cost a small fee to use every month) which may work better, I struggled to try that strategy, no one was really interested in following back. Here it seems to be how your account looks and the way everything is arranged, not the follower count that matters. Impressions and link clicks seem to be more important to people. When you can keep making pins and you will see your impressions rise. There are times that are better to post and people use an app called Tailwind to not only schedule their pins, but help them be noticed. Tailwind is an official partner with Pinterest, it has been said by a person who has more expertise in the manner, to do some manual pinning when you are using Tailwind. One thing I know for sure is that Algorithms change constantly on social media platforms, once in a while check on Reddit or other places, to see if a different strategy for increasing engagement works better. As well find out how many pins you can post or repin in one day, though Pinterest says there is no limit anecdotal evidence suggests that the algorithm may mistake you for spamming if you post too many pins. The time of day when you post is important as with all Social Media platforms, that changes depending on different factors. It is just good to check around to know the best strategies.
Even If You Leave Your Account Alone After Finishing Your Boards, It Continues To Giving You Impressions
Unlike other social media platform, once you have finished your chosen boards and have enough pins, you can leave it alone. You will continue to have impressions and gain followers. The last two followers I gained were in the last few weeks and I haven’t touched my account except for adding a blog pin for each of my blogs every week. I haven’t been adding to the other boards. It is different to other social media sites, although you do gain more impressions when you are making a lot of pins and you don’t lose full engagement as you would with other platforms. The results vary depending on how much time you have put into your account. It can be dull to add pins, even for topics you enjoy, as you have to search to find photos for new pins and for some topics it is more difficult find new photos. I aim for a number for my bigger boards and when I do add, every I then add around twenty-five new pins to a board. When I reach my target number, I have a break. In the end what I love to do is paint art, this takes time away from it. Have as long a break from Pinterest as you need, before resuming pinning. Maybe do in large spurts and then long break. More pins increases the chances of gaining impressions or being pinned. I hope for people to see my boards so they can discover my art, but also Pinterest allows people to see what I am inspired by. It shows a different facet of yourself and allows people to know more about you. There is something beautiful about this app as peoples boards have the feel of a lifestyle, fashion or travel magazine look. When you have added enough boards and pins, it feels rewarding to see this visual spectacle before you. Keep pinning, who knows you may end up in Time Magazine in their top thirty Pinterest accounts to follow list.
Coauthored with Francesca Darcy who has more technological expertise then I possess and helps me with the technological aspects of my business. Twitter @francesca_darcy
