What is the advice I would give new bloggers? Getting started with Pinterest is important for blogging success. I haven’t found a better platform for increasing blog traffic and getting in touch with your target audience.
Pinterest is pretty easy to use and it’s actually fun. Once you get it going it can pretty much run on autopilot but there are some things you need to do to get it going.
Promoting Your Blog on Pinterest
If you’re a Pinterest newbie you’re probably wondering how a platform such as this which relies solely upon picture content can push traffic to your blog posts. The beauty of it is that every picture pinned to Pinterest is linked back to the site it came from whether it is a blog, shop, or any other site.
For example, you’ve probably looked for a recipe online and clicked on a picture of an amazing meal and it lead you straight to Pinterest. This is how it works! Gorgeous pictures pop up in search and lead traffic to your blog.
Pinterest is a search engine that relies heavily upon photo content. Google even ranks Pinterest as a prominent search engine.
The process is much easier than you think. It’s basically a method of creating your account, optimizing it, and creating your own beautiful pins directing traffic to your blog and your consistent use of the platform itself.
The Ultimate Guide for Getting Started on Pinterest
Pinterest is a true lifeline for so many bloggers. I stumbled along when Pinterest first became popular with blogging and didn’t take advantage of it but I’ve used it in the past for a few of my blogs and have witnessed its potential first hand.
Below I share with you a simple process for getting your account up and running on Pinterest so you can start getting that nice blog traffic.
Step1. Create an account and get it set up.
Getting going is pretty straightforward. Head on over to http://www.pinterest.com. You can choose to create a new account or log into the platform with an existing Facebook or Google account. Be sure to write down your account details so you don’t get locked out.
Next insert your details in “settings” such as your name, site, and account description.
PRO TIP: It’s important to add keywords to your account. One strategy is to list keywords in your account name. For example, mine is Boss Mom Blogger| Blog Coach| Mompreneur. Blog coach is one of my keywords. I also list it in my bio as well as hashtag other keywords.
Sprinkling keywords into your Pinterest name and bio helps Pinterest get an idea of what your site is about so they can recommend it to people who are looking for your content. This improves your chances of getting found by the right people (your target audience).
Step 2. Switch to a business account.
A business account is a must-have so that you can see insights and statistics that are going to be crucial to your business down the road.
Step 3. Confirm Your website.
Now that your site is set up you need to prove to Pinterest you actually own your website so they can connect the two.
Read up on how to confirm your website on Pinterest here.
Step 4. Enable Rich Pins
It’s very important to enable rich pins. You have to apply for them after you have confirmed your website. Pinterest is pretty good at approving applications quickly.
These pins share more on your feed such as metadata and extra details about your site. This benefits you, the reader, and your ranking in search engines. Read up on how to apply for rich pins here.
Step 5. Create Your Pinterest Boards
Great! Now those steps are complete it’s time to get your boards set up and start pinning. Create as many boards as you like but I recommend starting with 10 boards that are relevant to your niche and your target audience.
For instance, my blog niche is blog coaching. I have created my social media and Pinterest boards to reflect these topics as well as entrepreneur-specific pins since a blogger is also an entrepreneur. I don’t add boards that are off-topic as those will negatively affect my Pinterest and blog traffic. Remember, you want Pinterest and your readers to understand what your blog is about.
Pinning approximately 15-20 pins to each of your boards is ideal with continuing to add new pins as time goes on.
Another important part of getting started with the Pinterest process is adding board covers. These make your account look more put together and professional. You can have them all look exactly alike adding some text overlay and the name of the board or creating a cohesive branded look. I like keeping mine consistent. Canva is an awesome tool for creating board covers and other blog graphics.
PRO TIP: Your Pinterest account needs to represent your blog. It’s imperative you chose to build your boards with topics relative to your niche. You want to attract your target audience to your Pinterest account so it can drive more traffic to your blog.
Step 6. Don’t forget to build an anchor board
An anchor board is where you share only your own content (pins). each pin leads traffic to your blog or a landing page you created. You should name it something obvious like “The Best of YOUR BLOG NAME” so viewers know that this is where you share specifically your own content.
If your blog is centered around more than one topic, add an anchor board for each topic. Don’t forget to write keyword-dense descriptions and titles for your boards and use covers that are attractive.
Remember Pinterest is a search engine and getting started with Pinterest means adding keywords to your account so the platform can understand what you represent. Using your keywords in complete sentences is favored as opposed to adding a bunch of keywords in general also known as keyword stuffing.
Step 7. Start creating your own pins
Now it’s time to get to the fun part. Create unique pins for your blog and Pinterest account. I use Canva for all of my pins. It’s not hard to learn and it comes with all of the tools you need to make attractive graphics for your blog. Create around 2 to 4 pin graphics for each blog post you write. Add one of them to the actual post itself and upload the rest directly to Pinterest with a link back to your blog article. Keep the look generally consistent with a similar color scheme but make sure the pictures and words are different. You want pinners to start recognizing your pins and getting familiar with your blogging brand so that’s the main reason for staying cohesive.
Step 8. Come up with a strategy
Every successful blogger who uses Pinterest has a pinning strategy. What is that? It’s a method of pinning to your account, a type of schedule and routine that you follow. For example, Tailwind is a pin scheduling program approved by Pinterest that many bloggers use to help them get their numerous pins out there on schedule. I use it as well and highly recommend it. Sign up for Tailwind here.
An example of a pinning strategy is to create pins and schedule around 50 a day using Tailwind. Repin consistently on different boards. Follow other pinners in my niche and visit Tailwind tribes sharing my own pins and repinning others. Stay active on Pinterest and repin others’ content as well as your own. Tailwind makes it easy to spend just a few hours a month prepping and pinning content for weeks ahead. It’s definitely a time saver. Watch your analytics on Pinterest and tweak as you see fit.
So that wraps up getting started with Pinterest. It’s really easy, takes no time to get the hang of it and I highly recommend it as a game-changer in your blog’s future.