Saturday, 8 August 2015

How To Grow Your Pinterest Account And Get More Blog Traffic

I love Pinterest and could happily spend hours looking at amazing cakes or children's bedroom decor, but I don't really use it to promote my blog posts, I think I have only pinned a handful of my own blog posts. I am also guilty of going on once every so often pinning tons of pretty things then neglecting my account for days or weeks at a time. However even though I only have a fairly small following on there (in the 300s) I do actually get traffic from Pinterest every single day, thanks to a few Slimming World recipe posts.

So when I heard that Pinterest UK was holding a talk for bloggers in Newcastle at the biscuit factory, I knew I had to attend and find out how Pinterest actually works. I thought it would also be useful to see if I could use it to gain more traffic to my blog. The talk was held by Lizzie who works for Pinterest UK and this is what I learnt.

Pinterest tips logo

Firstly Pinterest is often referred to as a social network but it is in fact not classed as a social network at all but a visual discovery tool, which helps people find ideas that are tailored to their interests. A huge 80 % of users visit via mobile, so it is important that your blog is mobile optimised or you will end up with a high bounce rate if people visit via Pinterest. The average pin is pinned 11 times which can result in lots more traffic to your blog.

So first things first how does Pinterest work? 
  • As it is a visual discovery tool it relies on your pin description and the name of your boards to help you find relevant pins. 
  •  Most content is found via the search bar on the homepage.
  • There is no 'good' time to pin like people are often led to believe, as most content is found via search.
  • Commenting on other pins/ boards has no value at all and if you comment too much you could get blocked.
  • Hashtags do not work, always use a thoughtful description and defiantly don't use emojis. 
  • You can not ask people to repin one of your pins ie for a competition as this could get you blocked. 
  • Follow count is a bad measure of success as repins are more valuable than followers.
pinterest badge

How do you grow your account?
  • Pin regular, daily if you can as this will get you noticed more.
  • Show what inspires you via your boards. 
  • Share lots of good content from others in your niche to help build up your brand, don't just pin your own content.
  • Pin content from around the web that you see when searching the web, don't just pin things already on Pinterest.
  • Make sure your boards have relevant names
  • Add detailed descriptions to pins, don't just repin something, change the description to explain what you are pinning.
  • Content is evergreen and things like weddings and home decor are huge.
  • No such thing as too many pins or too many boards
  • It also does not matter what your boards look like as hardly anyone but you will see them, as most people won't look at your boards they will just see shared pins.
  • Only pin quality images of things you want to pin don't just pin everything in sight.
  • Check the link of a pin before pinning it to check where it leads too.
  • Make your boards engaging.
  • Get rich pins as this helps your content get found and it also gives you some editorial control over your pins.
  • Be careful when joining collective boards with people you do not know as you do not know what they will post. It is best to just join boards with people that you know and who have similar interests as yourself.
pinterest badge

How to get more traffic.
  • Make sure you sign up for a business account for your blog when you are offered a one from Pinterest, this makes your profile more professional and your pins easier to find.
  • Make sure you verify your account as this will enable you to access analytics.
  • Optimise your blog for Pinterest by making sure it is mobile ready, has pinnable images and a pin it badge.
  • Make sure your pins redirect to the Pinterest UK site.
  • Use a long portrait image as the first picture in your blog posts and make sure it looks pinnable, relevant and appealing. 
  • Make sure your image's always links back to your blog, you can edit the source in settings.
  • Make sure you include a good description in your pins.
  • Use tasteful branding on your pins and make sure all your images start to look easily identifiable as yours.
  • Make sure you do not over promote yourself in the description.
  • Make it easy for others to pin or repin your content.
  • List type posts always do well on Pinterest.
  • Images with text overlays are the most repinned images, but try to avoid logos and borders on photos.
  • Move your boards around regularly, making sure you move relevant boards to the top of your profile at least two months before an event. Such as making sure Christmas boards are at the top of your profile by October as google searches your boards up to two months in advance.
  • Add some of your pins or boards to your blog posts as this can encourage more people to follow you if they like what they see.
pinterest book and pen

So that is what I learnt, I also learnt lots of other things but as a Pinterest newbie, they flew straight over my head. But if like me you are just getting to grips with Pinterest then these are sure-fire ways to increase your following and start to get some extra traffic to your blog. But bear in mind that sometimes it takes a while to start getting traffic. 

Another useful thing I was told was to search pinterest.com/source/ and then add your URL after source as this will show you what others have pinned from your blog. Now I just need to find the time to verify my account and remember to start pinning lots of pretty things I find from around the web as well as adding some of my own blog posts. And if you fancy following me you can view my Pinterest boards

If you use Pinterest what do you find useful for growing your account and getting more traffic?

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51 comments

  1. That was so interesting to read....I pin my posts every day then others throughout the day that I read and like but I know I really need to use it more :)

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    1. I'm glad you found it interesting Kim , I need to be more like you and pin every day xx

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  2. Thank you for this. I'm looking to grow my Pinterest account. Very useful, especially the url tip.

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    1. You are welcome Bek, I hope you find the tips useful . I need to grow my Pinterest too as it such a lovely site xx

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  3. Great tips! I don't use pinterest much but notice when I use it more that the interaction increases x

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    1. Thank you Donna, I am glad you found it useful. I am the same if I use Pinterest I really do see the benefit xx

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  4. I couldn't attend the event so very pleased you have blogged it - lots of useful info, esp that you can't have too many boards!

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    1. That's a shame that you could not attend Sam , would have been nice to have a catch up with you. Hope you find some of the tips useful xx

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  5. This is great thank you for sharing this month my mission is to get to grips with Pinterest I am going to save this post :)

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    1. Thank you Laura, I know I am trying to get to grips with it myself. I hope you find some of the tips useful xx

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  6. Once the kids are back at school I really want to focus on Pinterest, so this was a really useful read :) Thanks for sharing. #sharewithme

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    1. I am glad that you found it useful Sara , I want to focus on it more too once I get the chance xx

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  7. Wow what a great post, so helpful thank you! I am going to pin this to one of my boards right now so I can refer back to it! Becky x #sharewithme

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    1. Thanks Becky I am glad that you found it helpful xx

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  8. Really useful post! Thanks so much for sharing what you learned!! ~ Jennifer via #sharewithme

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  9. A useful post - will be more engaged with Pinterest now. Thanks for sharing #Sharewithme

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  10. Your first paragraph describes how I use Pinterest too at the moment - almost exactly! Very easy to get carried away with all the pretty stuff and for time to just evaporate. This is really useful for me so thanks for sharing. #ShareWithMe

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    1. I am glad i'm not the only one who use's Pinterest like this. It really is so easy to get carried away on there , I could spend hours just looking at pretty home decor and recipe ideas xx

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  11. I definitely need to get so much better at Pinterest. I love it but only use it in short bursts. Some great tips here!

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    1. Thank you Tas, I am exactly the same I love it but often go days or weeks without going on and then go on and start pinning everything xx

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  12. You described exactly how I use Pinterest too—going on and pinning so much one day, just to neglect my account until my next pinning spree! I love it so much though. I really need to make a conscious effort to pin every day. Thanks for sharing what you learned—very helpful! #sharewithme

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    1. I am glad you found it useful, i really need to start getting into the habit of pinning daily too. I love a fgood pinning spree although I could happily just spend hours pinning pretty things if I was not careful xx

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  13. Great tips and love the notebook very jealous #TheList

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    1. I know the notebook is pretty cool isn't it, we got some cool stickers and pens too xx

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  14. Fab tips! Pinterest and biscuits, sounds amazing! I have made much more effort with pinterest in the last month and it really does make a difference. Thanks for linking up to #TheList x

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    1. Thanks for hosting Aby, It makes such a difference doesn't it if you pin your posts if I pin a recipe I get so much extra traffic xx

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  15. This is brilliant thank you so much for sharing! I definitely need to do more with pinterest! xx#TheList

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    1. Thank you, I am trying to make more effort too as it is such a lovely site, I just wish their was more hours in the day xx

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  16. Fantastic tips here I am trying to help my pinterest grow but it's slow going will have to sit down and take a few notes from you. Thank you for linking up to Share With Me #sharewithme

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    1. Thank you Jenny, I am glad you found the post useful, I find it slow too but when I make the effort I notice a huge spike in traffic. Than you for hosting xx

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  17. Fascinating read and very insightful. Thank you for.sharing X

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    1. I am glad you found it interesting, I hope that you find it useful xx

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  18. This is really interesting, thanks for sharing, I learnt a lot of new things and I am going to put them in to practice over when I get chance. I love pinterest and I would really like to learn even more.

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    1. You are welcome I am glad you learnt something. I know I never have the time to do half of the things that I want to do blog/social media wise etc xx

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  19. Pinterest is a network I haven't worked on yet. I've heard it can be very good for bringing traffic to your website. You have some wonderful tips here, I'm pinning to refer to this in the future, thanks! x

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    1. Thank you, It really is a great site for bringing traffic and it is such a great lovely friendly site full of pretty pictures and clever ideas xx

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  20. I do pretty well in (slowly) getting followers, but not much traffic to my blog. I rarely do recipes on my own blog, or tutorials/crafts, so personal blog posts are always harder to get repinned.

    Interesting about comments. I didn't know you could get into trouble for them.

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    1. I never knew about the comments either, so I am glad I found that out as I was commenting on pins. I don't do any craft type posts either but I have found days out type posts do well xx

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  21. Great post I'll definitely have to start using Pinterest a lot more for my blog.

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    1. You really should it is a great platform and a good way of getting traffic and also finding new ideas and blogs to read xx

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  22. I have never really understood Pinterest so haven't bothered with it. I have friends who use it and love it

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    1. I was the same and then I started going on it and I love it now and I get more traffic then I do on Twitter which is crazy as I have a lot more twitter followers then pinterest ones xx

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  23. Your tips are perfect Lindsey. I'm a huge fan of Pinterest - I always wish I had more time to sit and enjoy it.
    One of the best underrated social platforms out there.
    Thanks so much for sharing this - Hopefully it will help others understand it better.

    Charlotte x

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    1. I always wish I had more time to spend on Pinterest too, I could spend hours just looking at all the pretty and amazing ideas on there. xx

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  24. Great post, I've been meaning to up my game when it comes to pinterest, I've started making pinable images with every post now and the traffic and followers are beginning to come!

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    1. I need to up my game with Pinterest too, I have realised when I do make an effort I get a lot of traffic from it which is amazing xx

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  25. I'm not sure if my other post worked so testing this again!

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  26. These are great tips. I dabble with Pinterest but don't feel I've really mastered it. I'll be following your tips. I would have enjoyed this talk too

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    1. I am the same, I feel like I need to spend more time on it as I neglect it a bit. You should keep an eye out incase they do one of these talks near you in the future as they do them all over for free which is amazing xx

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