There’s a feature to let you Report or Block someone on Pinterest, and it’s going to change the way businesses think about Pinterest Marketing.
Pinterest’s block feature significantly reduces spam and improves content quality on the visual search engine.
The block button allows users to avoid tons of irrelevant content in the their feeds. It also positions Pinterest to provide a more relevant, hyper-targeted content stream compared to other social platforms like Facebook or Twitter.
Pinterest is all about you and what inspires you. That’s why it’s important that you have control of your Pinterest experience. We’ve always offered basic features to control things like the emails you receive, social networking sites you connect your Pinterest account with, and the ability to report pins.
Today, we’re adding a couple of new features people have requested to give you more control, including the ability to block and report a user and more granular email settings.
-Statement from Dannie Chu, Pinterest Software Engineer
Blocking Changes Pinterest Marketing for Business (for the Better)
Why is letting someone block others on Pinterest so important for brands? It gives you much more control over the content you see on feeds and in search.
When you block some undesirable followers, your fanbase might not be as large, or grow as quickly as on Twitter or Facebook, but each fan will be massively more valuable to you.
Pinterest > Twitter and Facebook
We already know that Pinterest drives about 14x more referrals per user than Twitter and 12.5x more referrals per user than Facebook…
However, it’s becoming clear that when it comes tooverall value per follower, Pinterest has an even larger advantage over Facebook and Twitter, and it will only continue to widen the gap.
How to Block People on Pinterest and Remove their Pins from Your Stream
Blocking people on Pinterest is pretty simple, although the dashboard has changed a bit. You won’t see the small flag icon in the bottom right corner of someone’s profile anymore.
Instead, you’ll have to go to the Pinterest users profile and click the more button (…) and select block from the drop-down menu.
You also have the option to report this person if they are posting inappropriate content.
When you block someone on Pinterest do they know?
The blocked user is NOT automatically notified of the block. However, they see a notification if they try to follow you or interact with your pins.
What happens when you block someone on Pinterest:
The block is mutual – The person you block will not be able to follow you or interact with your pins, and you will no longer be able to follow them or interact with their pins.
Automatic Unfollow – If you are already following this person, or they are following you, blocking them will cause you both to automatically unfollow each other.
Comments Removed – Any previous comments between you and the other person will be automatically removed.
Repins and Likes are NOT automatically removed – You will no longer be able to repin or like any of each other’s pins from that point forward, but previous repins and likes will remain. If you want to remove those, you will be able to unlike or delete pins individually.
In Public Areas only, you might still see their boards and Pins:
Search results
How to Unblock Someone on Pinterest
Changed your mind about blocking someone on Pinterest? It’s easy to reverse the decision. Here’s how to unblock on Pinterest:
Go to the blocked Pinterest users profile
Click the more button (…)
Click Unblock
You’ll now have the option to follow that user again, as well as interact with their pins!
Sign up for Tailwind
Tailwind’s intuitive dashboard and clever browser extension help you to schedule a week of social posts in under an hour, at your convenience. To top it off our Smartschedule makes sure that all of those posts go out when your audience are most likely to engage with them.
There’s no doubt about it, Pinterest is fun for personal use. Whether you’re organizing home decor ideas, styling tips or motivational quotes, it seems like you can find, save and organize anything on the platform! But, Pinterest is incredible for business use as well!
You may be a small business, personal brand, or a blogger. Or, you might be marketing a product or a service!
Whichever it is, a Pinterest business account should definitely be a part of your toolkit.
Pin It For Later!
In this post we’ll:
Teach you how to convert to Pinterest business accounts from existing personal accounts
Take you step-by-step through how to set up a business account on Pinterest
Share best practices for Pinterest business accounts to help you get the most out of your marketing
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Pinterest Business Account vs. Personal Account
Here’s a quick chart of the differences between a Pinterest business vs personal account, as well as the features included in each!
If keeping track of multiple Pinterest profiles sounds like too much work, why not just keep Pinterest Boards relating to your personal interests secret?
Secret Boards on Pinterest are only viewable to you and anyone you invite to the Board. They won’t appear on your home feed, in search results, or on your Pinterest page (to anyone but you and your collaborators)!
Should I Get a Pinterest Business Account?
Have you started using your personal Pinterest account for business? If so, we have some bad news: you’re breaking Pinterest’s Terms of Service.
If you want to use Pinterest for commercial purposes you must create a business account and agree to our Business Terms of Service.
More simply put… if you are using Pinterest for work, you need to set up a business account.
Pinterest Terms of Service
Don’t panic yet! You can fix the problem and get back in compliance by creating a Pinterest business profile.
First, let’s figure out if you should convert your existing account or start over with a new one. Questions to ask yourself are:
Does your personal account have a lot of followers and a decent amount of Boards related to your business? You don’t want to lose that audience so converting your account, and then setting your personal Boards to secret is probably the best option.
Is your business niche completely unrelated to what you’ve been pinning for personal use? If you answered yes, it’s best to open up a new account and start fresh. On a new account, you can create Boards and Pins more relevant to your niche.
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3 Steps to Switch from a Personal to Business Pinterest Account
If you’re using your account to promote a business on Pinterest, switch to a business account! This puts you in line with Pinterest’s terms of service and gives you access to important analytics and the ads platform. It’s easy to do in just a few steps, which we’ll go over below.
Step One: Convert Personal Pinterest Account to a Business Account
It takes just a few clicks to convert a personal Pinterest to a business Pinterest! Here’s how to find the option to switch to a Pinterest business account:
Click the drop-down arrow in the upper right corner of Pinterest
Select Settings
Select Account Settings
Scroll down to Account Changes
Select Convert Account
Double-check that the email address is the one associated with your Pinterest personal account
Click Continue
Presto! You’ll now see your Business hub, where your Pinterest analytics and Pinterest ads info is displayed.
Step Two: Verify your Website with Pinterest
When you convert your personal account to a business account through Pinterest, one of the most important steps is verifying your website on Pinterest.
This is important because it allows Pinterest to attribute all the content saved from your site to the platform to you!
You’ll also gain more followers as people are able to see you as the author of the content as it’s shared on the platform.
Additionally, you’ll gain access to Pinterest Analytics, giving you a fantastic view of who your followers are, what your followers are likely to engage with, and what is driving traffic to your site.
Here’s how to claim your website on Pinterest:
Click the drop down menu in the upper right corner of Pinterest
Select Settings
Select Claim
Enter your website URL in the “Claim your website” section
Select Claim
Pick Claim option (You can add an HTML tag to your website or Upload an HTML file to your website’s root directory)
Add the tag or file to your website in another tab, and then return to your open Pinterest tab and select Next
Click Submit for Review and wait for Pinterest to verify (they’ll email you in 24 hours)
While you’re on this page, note that you can also claim your Instagram account, an Etsy shop, and even your Youtube channel on Pinterest!
Step Three: Sort Out Your Pinterest Boards
Look over the Pinterest Boards on your brand new Pinterest business account and separate out the personal and the business.Then, you’ll:
Keep: Boards that are related to your new business (any Board related to fashion — accessories, shoes, etc),
When you switch to a Pinterest business account, you may be tempted to delete some Boards. Look before you leap – deleting Pinterest Boards can’t be undone.
The only reason to delete a Board (rather than setting to secret) when converting from a personal to a business account is if the Board isn’t relevant to your business AND you no longer want to Pin to it for personal reasons.
Now that you’ve cleaned up your Pinterest Pins and Boards, review your remaining public Boards and make sure you have the correct Pinterest category selected, and that you’re using the best Pinterest SEO keywords in the title and description.
Cutesy or clever titles are fine for personal pages but now that you’re using a Pinterest business account it’s wise to optimize your content for search.
Keywords will help your Product Pins, Pin images and Boards come up in search when Pinterest users put in specific search terms.
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How to Create a Pinterest Business Account from the Start
If you’ve decided that your best bet is to create a Pinterest business account from scratch there are two different options to consider. You can:
Add a business profile to your existing personal Pinterest account
Create a stand-alone Pinterest business account
The first option works well if you want to have one account login from which you can manage both personal and business accounts.
The second option is good if you’re brand new to Pinterest and don’t have a personal account, or you want to keep your personal and Pinterest company account completely separate.
Luckily, the process of creating a Pinterest business account with either is simple! Here are the steps for both:
Add a Business Profile to Your Existing Personal Pinterest Account
Login to your personal Pinterest account and click on the dropdown menu in the top right corner.
From the drop-down menu click Add a free business account
Click Get Started
Enter your Pinterest business details, including business name, website, country, and language. You can also add a profile picture at this step!
Select an option from the drop down menu under “What’s the focus of your brand?”
Select your business type from the “Describe Your Brand” screen
Indicate if you are interested in running ads at any point
Now, if you click on the menu button again, you’ll see both your personal account and your business account on the Pinterest drop down menu. You can switch back and forth between your two Pinterest accounts with ease!
Create Pinterest Business Account Without a Personal Pinterest Account
If you already have a personal account make sure to log out
Navigate to the Business tab at the top of the Pinterest home page
Tap the Sign Up Button
Enter your email address, preferred password, and age
Click Create Account
Enter your Pinterest business details, including business name, website, country, and language. You can also add a profile picture at this step!
Select an option from the drop-down menu under “What’s the focus of your brand?”
Select your business type from the “Describe Your Brand” screen
Indicate if you are interested in running ads at any point
On the next screen, Pinterest will give you options for your next step.
You can either create a Pin, create an ad, or build your profile!
FAQs Regarding Pinterest Business Accounts
Can you have both a personal and business Pinterest account?
Yes, you can have a personal Pinterest account and a business account which are completely separate from one another!
By adding your business account to your personal account, you can easily switch between the two without going through the entire login process.
See the steps above for more details!
How can I switch back from a business account on Pinterest?
Changed your mind, and wondering how to switch back from a business account on Pinterest to a personal one?
Log in to Pinterest and click the drop-down menu next to your profile photo.
From there, select “Account Settings” and scroll down to Account Changes. Tap “Convert to Personal Account,” read the pop-up warning and confirm your decision by tapping “Convert account.”
Is a Pinterest business account free?
Pinterest business accounts are free, as are personal accounts! You can have up to four accounts on Pinterest in any combination of personal or business.
Check out the steps above to make a free business account on Pinterest!
How Do You Remove a Business Account from Pinterest?
To remove a business account from Pinterest completely, open the dropdown menu in the top right corner > Settings > Account Settings.
Scroll down to the bottom of the screen, and you’ll see options for how to remove business account from Pinterest.
Selecting Deactivate Account will hide your Pins and profile. It will also remove any links to other social media accounts. You can reactivate your account again at any time by logging back in.
Selecting Close Account will delete all your account data, Boards and Pins permanently – you won’t be able to get them back. Clicking this will send an email with the final steps to delete your account.
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Discover How to Effectively Market Your Business on Pinterest
Want to learn more about how to sell on Pinterest? Or perhaps you want more information on specific Pinterest features like group Boards, Pinterest ads, or just the best strategy for starting out!
Check out some of our top-of-the-line guides on the Tailwind blog!
And you can spend less time stressing about how to make Pinterest work for your marketing strategy with a Pinterest marketing tool like Tailwind! Grab a [sc name=”free-trial-of-tailwind-for-pinterest”] here – no credit card required!
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Have you tried to convert Pinterest to a business account? Tell us your story in the comments!
You may have noticed a new product name on one of our classic Pinterest tools lately.
Don’t worry, you’re not seeing things – Tailwind Tribes has become Tailwind Communities!
Here’s some backstory in a June 2020 letter from our Founder Danny:
A Letter From Our CEO
In 2017, we introduced a product called Tailwind Tribes. At the time, we thought the term “tribe” represented the community atmosphere of the product and seemed like an appropriate name on the surface.
We were wrong to do so.
“Tribe” is a term many Native nations hold in esteem with deep meaning and connection, but the term also has a challenging past.
Over time, we started to get a few messages stating concern over the use of the word “tribes.” But there weren’t many messages…so, we noted the concern and kept on our present course. One day, if we kept hearing from enough people who were upset about it, we’d make a change.
But that’s the problem when it comes to discrimination and racism. If you rely on the majority perspective to guide the proper action, you’re going to end up being in the wrong an awful lot. Because the majority isn’t the group at risk of being oppressed.
And we fell into that trap. Our privilege was on display.
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, our team started having a lot more honest discussions about racism and how we can work intentionally to become more anti-racist. Inclusion has always been one of our core values, but this moment in history showed that we needed to push beyond Inclusion to be the type of company we want to be.
One such discussion focused on the name “Tribes.” Could we feel right about offering a product with a name that isn’t only not Inclusive, but downright offensive to some of our members?
Our answer was “no.” So, we’re committing to changing the Tailwind Tribes name and branding by the end of the year. We don’t want to keep adding to the trivialization of the word “tribe,” nor propagate its hurtful connotations to Native communities.
We’re working through the plan and will seek feedback as we choose a new name, especially from members who have expressed concern or are impacted more personally by this decision. Once we have a new name, it’ll take some time to implement the changes in our marketing materials and software, but we expect to complete the transition by the end of the year.
We promise to continue to listen and learn so we can do better. Thanks for being patient with us. We hear you — and we promise to keep doing just that.
After months of careful planning, discussion, and seeking input every step of the way, we’re pleased to introduce you to Tailwind Communities!
Tailwind Communities is a tool that enables you to connect and grow with other Pinterest creators just like you!
Connect with Pinterest creators, get inspired by fresh ideas, and build relationships with members in more than 20,000 Communities.
With our Community tool, you’ll be able to share your Pinterest content to a Community, and other Community members will view, schedule and share your content to their audiences.
This helps build is so helpful because not only are you sharing your own content, but you are leveraging the collectively large audience of your peers.
Here is how it works:
Let’s say that you have created a Community with a few of your friends (we would call this a Community Lead).
While you are creating and scheduling Pins, you’ll be able to hand-pick content you would like to share with your Community Members.
Since other Community Members are doing the same, you end up with a pool of content by people you know and trust—helping you share new, inspiring content. You can also assign Community Admins to help invite and manage your Community.
Although collaborating, networking, and sharing content is not a new strategy, Communities makes it easier for anyone to build relationships and develop a healthy marketing strategy on Pinterest.
If you are a current Tailwind member and would like to use Communities, please reach out to us to learn more. If you are a current Communities member who would like to invite someone to a Community, head over to this article on “How to add Members to a Community“.
Happy Pinning! We’re so glad you’re a part of our Community!
Looking for how to delete Pins on Pinterest – or perhaps the best practices for deleting Pinterest Boards? Maybe you just want to know how to unpin on Pinterest permanently. We’ve got all the answers and how-tos you need.
In this post, we’ll give you step-by-step instructions for how to delete Pins and Boards from your phone or on desktop.
Most importantly, we’ll help you decide if you really need to delete those Pins – or if there’s a better way to handle your content.
What happens when you delete a Board on Pinterest?
When you delete a Pinterest board, you permanently lose all its Pins and any followers of that Board.
If you delete Pins, they’re also gone forever. Since deleting Pinterest content will impact your followers, don’t take the decision lightly. In fact, there are only three reasons you should delete Pins or Boards!
The Three Reasons for Deleting Pins or Boards on Pinterest
Tread carefully before going on a deleting spree! There are only three instances in which deleting content is absolutely necessary:
You Pinned something that could get you in trouble. Things like spam or content that goes against community guidelines.
You have a typo on your image. Glaring typos can affect Pin performance, so double-check your text before Pinning.
An influencer deal has expired. Outdated offers can create disappointment. You don’t want that to negatively impact your brand. Though keep in mind that if anyone has reshared your Pin, those will remain.
If your reason for deleting your Pin isn’t listed above, chances are you’d be better off with a less permanent solution for removing boards and Pins – like archiving!
Archiving Pins and Boards Vs. Deleting
Archiving Pins are a fast, temporary fix for how to remove Pins from Pinterest.
Archiving Pins or Boards makes them invisible to your audience, and you won’t get notifications or recommendations about saved Pins or Boards while archived.
However, if you change your mind, you can always unarchive them! Plus, archiving saves your time when making content if you can reintroduce the pin later.
To archive a Board or Pin, just tap the edit icon (gray pencil) and click “Archive.” When you scroll to the bottom of your Boards, you’ll see the archived section.
To unarchive a Board or Pin at any time, just tap edit again and click “Unarchive.”
How to Delete Pins in Bulk in 7 Steps
Sometimes Pinterest users want to do a little spring cleaning or focus on their most beautiful Pins. While we don’t recommend this – it’s more useful to spend your time creating new content – it’s not hard to do.
Here’s how to remove multiple Pins from a desktop:
Select “Boards”
Select the board with the pins to be deleted
Click the Filter icon in the top right corner
Click “Select Pins to Move or Delete“
Select the pins to be deleted ( a red outline will appear around selected pins)
Tap the red “Delete” button at the top of the board
Confirm “Delete“
How to Delete Multiple Pins on the Pinterest Mobile App
You can also manage your Pinterest account from mobile, which includes the move copy, delete, and archive features!
Here’s how to delete Pins on the Pinterest mobile app:
Open the Pinterest app and go to your page.
Select the Board with the Pins to be deleted
Tap “Select” in the top right corner
Select the {ins to be deleted ( a black outline will appear around selected Pins)
Tap the trash can icon
Confirm Delete
How to Delete a Pinterest Board
To delete a Pinterest Board or Boards from desktop, here’s what to do:
Open Pinterest and go to your page
Select the Board to be deleted
Click Edit (pencil icon) on the far left
Click the grey “Delete” button
Confirm “DeleteForever“
To delete an individual Pin:
Find the Pin you want to delete
Tap “…” at the bottom right
Tap EditPin and then Delete
Confirm Delete
How to Delete a Board on Pinterest Mobile App
Open the Pinterest app and go to your page
Tap the Board to be deleted
Select “…” in the top right corner, then the “Edit” button
Scroll all the way to the bottom and select “Delete Board“
Ready to make marketing on Pinterest a snap with Tailwind’s publishing tool? Sign up for a [sc name=”free-trial-of-tailwind-for-pinterest”] now to start scheduling Pins to the Boards you love. ❤️
Did you know that you can actually get paid to pin on Pinterest? Pinterest VA’s do!
While it may sound like I’m describing Pinterest content creators who share their content on the platform and earn an income from the resulting traffic, what I’m talking about doesn’t require you to have a blog… or even your own Pinterest profile! (Although the latter can be helpful.)
What I’m describing is working as a Pinterest VA – and in this guide, I’m going to share with you everything you need to know about the exciting Pinterest VA field and how you can get started.
Whether you’re brand new to offering online services or looking to add another in-demand service to your list of service offerings, the Pinterest VA field is definitely worth a look.
It’s a lucrative industry that can provide anything from a few hundred extra dollars in your pocket every month to a full-time income. So, if you love the Pinterest platform and want to turn your pinning passion into profit, keep reading!
What is a Pinterest VA?
A Pinterest VA (Pinterest Virtual Assistant) is someone who manages Pinterest business accounts for bloggers, brands, influencers, e-commerce shops, and more.
Why Should a Business Hire a Pinterest VA?
With over 335 million users, 89% of whom are using the platform for purchase inspiration, businesses that aren’t fully utilizing Pinterest are leaving income on the table.
The problem is, most businesses simply do not have the time to manage their Pinterest account. It’s just one more task on a never-ending to-do list.
There is a lot of pressure to “be everywhere” these days, but there is only so much time in the day to both be everywhere and know how to be everywhere.
That’s why the services of Pinterest VAs are so important! Pinterest VAs know exactly how to use the Pinterest platform to achieve results for their clients. With these specialized skills, they can command hundreds of dollars to four-figures per month per client, making Pinterest management a very well-paid field.
Honestly, the way I look at this monthly business expense is that it more than pays for itself many times over in terms of money, stress, and time! Pinterest VAs are experienced professionals; we often bounce ideas and best practices off one another, building a win-win for each of us.
Pinterest VAs work with brands and bloggers to create Pins like this.
(If the idea of becoming an “experienced professional” in this field makes you nervous, don’t be. The skills are totally learnable! Every Pinterest VA started out as a beginner.)
How Pinterest Launched my Career
Several years ago as a new blogger, I was struggling to get consistent (ok, let’s be real – any traffic) from social media platforms, so I turned my attention to Pinterest.
As a visual search engine, I realized the power of Pinterest for not only bloggers and brands but also consumers. Consumers use the Pinterest platform to seek inspiration, learn how to solve a problem and so much more.
Within a month of using the platform, my website’s traffic skyrocketed…and kept growing.
This blog post changed my life. Within a week of publishing my findings, fellow bloggers were asking to hire me to manage their Pinterest business accounts.
As there was no one else in the field at this time, I labeled my job role as a Pinterest virtual assistant.
In less than a year and with a lot of experience under my belt, I transitioned from Pinterest Virtual Assistant to Pinterest Manager with my own boutique management firm.
Not only was I training my team members how to use the Pinterest platform, but also creating new opportunities for brands to confidently use Pinterest for marketing purposes.
What are the Qualities of a Pinterest VA?
First and foremost, loving Pinterest is a must! Thankfully, Pinterest is such a fun platform that it’s easy to love all that it has to offer.
Next, you should be someone who loves to learn new things. While becoming a Pinterest VA isn’t rocket science, it will require you to learn a few new skills and to put forth some effort.
You should also be a goal-oriented person who enjoys striving for the goals that you set. This is important for two reasons:
It will help you during the process of learning how to offer Pinterest VA services and during the pitching process. While everything new is a little hard at first, if you’re goal-oriented, you’ll keep your eye on the prize and keep going!
It will help you when you work with clients because you’ll be excited to help your clients achieve their goals. When working with clients, it makes a big difference if you’re just as excited about their business goals as you are your own.
Lastly, while you don’t need to be a total tech whiz, you should be comfortable with learning a few online software programs. If you already know how to use Tailwind, that’s a big plus!
Who Can Become a Pinterest VA?
As long as you fit the qualities mentioned above, you’re a great match for the Pinterest VA field!
One of the best things about getting started as a Pinterest VA is it’s a flexible job that can fit around your life and your schedule. Pinterest VAs can work as little or as much as they’d like, offer the services that appeal to them most (see the next section for a few service offering ideas), and set their own schedule.
Pinterest VA services are also great “add-on services” if you’re already offering other services as a VA. A lot of businesses know they need Pinterest management services, so why not learn how to offer them?
What Does a Pinterest VA Do?
Speaking of services… there are a variety of services that you can offer as a Pinterest VA, but three of the most important (and in-demand) are Pin scheduling, Pin design, and account audits. Let’s take a closer look!
1. Pin Scheduling
Management of Pin scheduling is an incredibly valuable service. It’s not enough to just pin a few random Pins here and there; Pinterest VAs must establish a pinning schedule, abide by Pinterest best practices, monitor analytics, and make adjustments as needed.
Thankfully, scheduling on Pinterest is made much easier by Tailwind! Tailwind is a Pinterest VA’s secret weapon and is an invaluable part of the Pinterest management process.
As an official Pinterest Partner, Tailwind is both an effective and safe choice for Pinterest VAs. When managing Pinterest accounts, you should never put your clients’ accounts at risk by utilizing shady platforms that don’t abide by Pinterest’s rules. Doing so could lead to banned Pinterest accounts and very, very unhappy clients. (Make that former clients!)
Because Tailwind works directly with Pinterest to ensure everything on Tailwind complies with Pinterest’s best practices, your clients can rest assured that their account is in good hands.
Plus, by using Tailwind for your clients, you’ll have access to Tailwind Communities. Tailwind Communities can supercharge your clients’ growth by helping their content reach new, highly receptive audiences!
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2. Pin Design
Pin design is also a very valuable service offering. In the past, it was okay to schedule the same Pin design repeatedly on Pinterest. Nowadays, however, Pinterest loves to see “fresh content,” which means brand new Pin designs.
By creating new Pin designs for clients on image creation platforms such as Canva, Pinterest VAs can help businesses get new eyeballs on old content.
Again, this is where Tailwind is an invaluable part of the Pinterest management process. Tailwind makes scheduling fresh pins so easy!
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3. Account Audit
Many times, businesses who try to go it on their own on Pinterest inadvertently make a mess of their Pinterest profile. They have good intentions, but because they’re busy wearing so many hats, they don’t have the time to learn how to properly manage their Pinterest profile.
The result: a profile that needs an audit by a Pinterest VA! Account audits help get a profile back on track and positioned to receive more views, saves, and clicks.
How to Get Started as a Pinterest VA
A passion for Pinterest is a must, but just loving Pinterest won’t land you paying clients. You need to know how to set up your business, the ins-and-outs of service offerings, how to pitch and land clients, how to work with clients, how to design pins, and more.
Thankfully, there is a program that dives into all of this called Become a Pinterest VA TODAY!. It walks you through starting a Pinterest VA business step-by-step so there’s no guesswork involved. You’ll learn exactly how to perform Pinterest services, set up your service offerings and pricing, effectively pitch potential clients, and all the other important things that go into creating a successful Pinterest VA business.
By using a rock-solid program to help you start your business, you’ll start your exciting new venture off on the right foot.
After reading this guide, I hope you’re excited about the possibilities as a Pinterest VA! If you want to learn a new skill that can put some extra cash in your pocket, you’ll definitely want to consider this field.
Do you have any questions about getting started as a Pinterest VA? Leave your questions in the comments below!
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Pin it for later:
About the Author:
Kristin Larsen is a Pinterest enthusiast and Tailwind Ambassador. She can be found at PinterestVA.com and is co-founder of Become a Pinterest VA TODAY!, which has helped thousands of students and alumni start a new side hustle and career as a Pinterest Virtual Assistant.
Can you believe it’s been nearly TEN years since Pinterest first appeared? Since then, content creators and users alike have added well over 200 billion images – all competing for the attention of 322 million monthly active users.
Ten years is an eternity in internet time, so the Pinterest images that generated traffic and engagement then might not work so well today – and with competition increasing daily and with fresh content taking off on Pinterest, well, it seemed a good time to take a look at what works NOW in Pinterest images, and how YOU can take the best images for your own content.
After all, while you certainly CAN use stock images, there’s no better way to stand out than with one-of-a-kind images you take for yourself. With your smartphone. No fancy equipment required.
1. Incorporate Seasonal and Everyday Moments Into Your Pinterest Images
Why this works: Pinterest is the place to be inspired and to envision the best version of yourself, your home, family, job, hobby, and so on. When you can tap into what’s on people’s minds in the moment – how to make mealtime more enjoyable, how to reach fitness goals, how to wow at your next social event, or how to how to enjoy a special moment with your kids, you move people to action.
How to do it: When shooting photos for your products, place them in a variety of seasonal or moment-based settings. Show them in use and from multiple angles (this will also help you have a larger selection of images to share later!).
You can rely on your text on image to frame the event or season, but if you can incorporate it in your images, the effect may be more powerful. You can also try using stock image backgrounds in seasonally-appropriate colors for your Pins.
For example:
A Pin where the text on image specifies the “everyday moment” – breakfast time!
An everyday moment that needs no explanation:
2. Add a Personal Touch with People or Pets
What? Isn’t the first rule of Pinterest images “no faces”?
Trends change! While you’ll still see a lot of fashion images where the models are headless save for a chin, images are popping up with families, kids, couples, and critters. And apparently it’s working – because Pinterest is recommending we give it a try.
Why this works: This helps a Pinner see themselves, their family, or their pet in a setting where your product or service is enhancing their lives.
Campaigns that show someone using the product or service are 67% more likely to drive offline sales lift. – Pinterest
How to do it: Enlist family, friends, and pets to pose or find the perfect photo online. Remember to take multiple shots for many image opportunities, and remember tip #1 – tie it in to a season, event, or everyday moment (or two)!
For example:
3. Use Beautiful, Eye-Catching Images that Highlight Your Product
Why this works: It’s kind of there in the heading. 🙂 We love beautiful, and eye catching can stop the scroll. Making sure your product is a focal point makes it obvious what the Pin is about and builds awareness.
When your product is featured prominently in the Pin, it’s 20% more likely to drive more offline sales. – Pinterest
How to do it: Make your product the hero of the image with all other elements in support of it. While you can (and should) show your product in use, draw the eye to the product itself.
For example:
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4. Take Striking, Bold Images that Arouse Curiosity
Why it works: Attention-grabbing, yes, but if you can capture the kind of a attention that makes someone want to learn more, that’s where you’ll grow your Pinterest traffic. This is not to be confused with using click-bait headlines; rather, employ a bit of intrigue with your imagery!
“Images that we can not interpret at first glance invite us to engage with them.” – Adobe Spark
How to do it: Create a little mystery with your image. What’s the backstory? What’s around that corner? Why is he smiling?
For example: Who is this woman waiting for? Oh, I like that outfit! 🙂
5. Try Black and White
Why it works: In a sea of saturated images and bright colors, the rare black and white image can catch the eye.
“Busy, colour saturated pictures can confuse the eye—sometimes there’s simply too much going on. Black and white images on the other hand can seem refreshingly simple and it’s often easier to see and interpret the main focus of the picture.” – Headshot London
How to do it: Almost all photo editing programs have a simple option to transform a color photo to black and white, but you might have better success if you take your photo in black and white mode to begin with. Starting with that view as you compose the photo will lead to better composition and lighting choices for the desired final image.
For example:
6. Include a Bold Pop of Color
Why it works: A surprisingly-bold pop of color can stand out in the feed. If this feels like a contradiction to tip #5, just remember it’s all about testing and variety. Try it all!
“When you hear somebody use the expression “those colors really pop,” what he’s talking about is not necessarily just bright colors, but colors that seem to leap off the page (or the computer screen). That is, colors that are the first things you notice when you look at an image.” – Digital Photo Secrets
How to do it: Add brightly-colored accents to your photoshoot (think a bright flower, scarf, pillow, etc.) or choose stock images with highly-saturated areas.
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For example:
7. Use a Minimal Approach to Product Images
Why it works: There can be no doubt what this Pin is all about! While lifestyle photos may convert better overall, someone who is looking to purchase sooner rather than later may be drawn to these straight product shots.
“The aim with minimalist photography is to isolate your main subject, and this is usually done by ensuring that the subject has a lot of empty space around it.” – iPhone Photography School
How to do it: Simple staging, clean backgrounds, plenty of white space (that doesn’t need to be white), and impeccable lighting are your friends here.
For example:
8. Get Creative with Repeating Patterns
Why it works: In a feed that can appear random, patterns draw the eye. We can hardly look away!
“While repetition in the humdrum of daily life can at times be a little boring – capturing it in your photography can create an image with real impact.” – Digital Photography School
How to do it: Look for patterns in everyday objects. Capture and use these images as background images for your Pins. Or use your products to create a pattern in a photo.
For example:
9. Play with Texture
Why it works: Minimal design doesn’t always mean a white background! Textures add visual interest and an artistic flair.
“The viewer should be able to almost feel the texture. Sometimes it’s all about finding a creative angle to make the photograph.” – Digital Photography School
How to do it: Look for unexpectedly-interesting texture in fabric, stones, even paper and glass. Use these as a background for product shots. Or, get up close. Use the macro setting on your smartphone camera to create an unexpected backdrop for your product or a simple but unique text-on-image Pin.
For example:
10. Leave Some Empty Space
Why it works: Leaving some room allows for space for text. Adding text on your Pin can help increase engagement and clicks as it gives Pinners more context about your Pin and the page it links to. It also gives Pinterest more keywords to help them distribute your Pin in search results.
“Your Pinterest pin images should help tell the story of your article, recipe, or craft that you’re sharing. The image is a breadcrumb leading to the main meal, and people don’t want a surprise when they get there.” – Peg Fitzpatrick
How to do it: Take your photos a little further back than you think you need to. You can always crop out any extra white space later.
For Example:
11. Try a Flat Lay
Flat lays are popular partly because they’re often not industry/topic specific, so they’re a great choice for service providers and bloggers in particular. They’re also useful for showcasing a collection of items.
Why it works: Simple and clean, the typical flat lay has no shadows and while it has plenty of visual interest, giving an unusual perspective, there’s usually space to add text on the image.
“In marketing, advertising, and blogging – [the flat lay] works as a magical visual that demonstrates a lifestyle and transports your audience into the screen from the photographers perspective.”Ivory Mix
How to do it: Experiment with props on a textured or plain white background. Coffee cups, flowers, laptops, ribbons, and pens are common flat lay props. Arrange your lighting so that there are few shadows and shoot the photo from directly above. Try taking a few on the diagonal and some with more white space for flexibility in editing later.
How to Take Great Pinterest Images with Your Smartphone
Taking great Pinterest images has more to do with planning and perspective than with fancy equipment! Using just your smartphone, natural lighting, and some creativity, you can get more traffic and engagement with every Pinterest image. Here are 11 fresh approaches to try:
Incorporate Seasonal and Everyday Moments Into Your Pinterest Images
Add a Personal Touch with People or Pets
Use Beautiful, Eye-Catching Images that Highlight Your Product
Take Striking, Bold Images that Arouse Curiosity
Try Black and White
Include a Bold Pop of Color
Use a Minimal Approach to Product Images
Get Creative with Repeating Patterns
Play with Texture
Leave Some Empty Space
Try a Flat Lay
Keep your Pinning optimized, organized, and always on with Tailwind. Get a [sc name=”free trial of Tailwind for Pinterest”]. No credit card required.
While Pinterest success can sometimes feel elusive and Pinterest SEO might feel like a mystery, any time Pinterest tells us what we can do to improve our results, it’s worth doing, and doing well. And that’s certainly the case with Pin titles.
In fact, Pinterest feels that Pin titles are so important, that they are required on every image you save to Pinterest. Let’s look at what they are, how to add them, and how to leverage Pinterest SEO to make them work for you.
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What is a Pin Title?
The Pin Title is a short (up to 100 characters) bit of prominent, bold text that provides more context to your Pin in the feed and on a Pin closeup.
When someone sees your Pin in their feed or in a search result, the first 30 characters or so of the title will likely (not always) appear under your image. And they’ll see it when they click on the Pin for more details:
Left: Pin titles in the feed. Right: Pin titles on closeup.
Why Pin Titles Are Key to Pinterest SEO
A Pin title gives added context to your image. It’s used by Pinterest in determining when to display your Pin in search and related images, and it’s used by Pinners looking for a bit more information before they click through to your site.
Previously, when you didn’t enter a title manually on Pinterest, they would pull your title from Rich Pin data if you had it, or it would pull the first part of your description to form a Pin title. Now, all Pins must have a specific title.
If this sounds like more work, don’t worry, we’ve got you.
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How to Write a Pin Title for Pinterest SEO and More Clicks
You have up to 100 characters for your Pin title, but it’s usually the first 30 or so which will appear in feeds – so choose wisely!
Remember, the purpose of your Pin title is to give context to your image. Don’t repeat what’s in your Pin description or exactly what’s on the text on your image. Use it to ADD information that might encourage people to click.
Rather than keyword stuffing, use natural language, never over promising or employing “click bait” tactics (in fact, don’t use the word, “click” at all). Pinterest can detect this and it will hurt the reach of your Pins. Be honest and thorough (as thorough as you can be in 100 characters!) in explaining what this Pin has to offer.
Let’s look at an example.
A search for “mid length updo” turned up a promising Pin. The Pin title and the beginning of the Pin description are “Fashionable Mid-Length Hairstyles for Fall – Medium Hair Ideas.“
How could this content creator keep things consistent enough for effective SEO and content distribution, but make use of the additional field for context without repeating the description?
How about, “Stylish, Easy Mid-length Updos” or “Medium-Length Fall Hairstyles”?
Here’s a Pin that makes good use of both title AND description.
You may want to use title case rather than sentence case in your Pin titles. It looks more official (and more like a headline), and has been shown to result in higher click-through rates when used in ads. Not sure how to use title case? This handy converter will do it for you – but it doesn’t have to be perfect!
How to Choose Keywords for Pin Titles
Start with the keywords in your linked content. Pinterest wants to see consistency from Pin to page. From there, branch out to other keywords which might be more likely to be searched in Pinterest.
Pinterest will tell you what people are searching! Just start typing the keyword you used on your website and you’ll get several related options:
Hit “enter” and you’ll get even more:
For the best distribution of your Pin, use these Pinterest-recommended keywords in your Pin titles, descriptions, in the text on the image, in the Board title and description where you’ll save this Pin, and in the page you link to (title, description, and main text). Naturally, you may not be able to put them in every one of those places, but do the best you can while resisting the urge to keyword stuff.
How to Add a Pin Title on Pinterest
You’ll see Pin titles when you create a Pin right on Pinterest. In fact, it’s the most prominent field:
How to Add a Pin Title When Scheduling with Tailwind
You’ll see it when you schedule a Pin on Tailwind (whether with the extension, upload, to Tailwind Communities, or in SmartLoop):
Just click into the title field and edit your title! Or, if you like the one that’s there, schedule away!
Tailwind will save you some time on this step!! We’ll automatically pull in any title information we can detect on the URL you’re using. Of course, you are free to use what we find or customize the description as you like!
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Do I Have to Go Back and Add Pin Titles to Old Pins?
What if you’ve been saving your content to Pinterest – without titles – for years? Does this mean you need to edit all of them – or save everything to Pinterest again, this time adding the Pin title?
Nope! As with most changes on Pinterest, you’ll want to focus on today and tomorrow – going back to adjust your older Pins is not necessary – PHEW!
What About Pins I’ve Scheduled to Pinterest Via Tailwind?
Never fear! We know many of you like to plan ahead and did not want you to have to edit all of your drafts, scheduled Pins, Tailwind Communities submissions, and SmartLoop Pins. So, we’re pulling in as many titles as we can from your Rich Pin and other website data.You might want to scan your scheduled Pins dashboard to make sure everything looks OK as it’s been pulled from your site.
If you have Rich Pins enabled, we’ll look for that first to auto populate your Pin titles. Otherwise, we’ll look at meta data and other signals to try to formulate a title. Such a time saver!
Pinterest Pin Titles in a Nutshell
For one little part of your Pin, titles sure can make an impact! Now that they’re required on all Pins, make sure to keep SEO and keywords in mind so your titles are doing all they can to help Pinterest distribute your Pin and encourage Pinners to click and visit your site!
Verifying your site on Pinterest. Sounds like a complicated, code-heavy process. And who really needs that, right?
Well Pinterest site verification has many amazing benefits and doesn’t have to be hard at all! Verifying your website on Pinterest gives you access to valuable business features. For example, you gain access to deeper analytics both on Pinterest and through Tailwind and your profile photo will be on all Pins from your site, prompting users to visit your page and a small globe icon will appear next to your website’s URL on your profile, assuring visitors of your authenticity.
There are two main ways to go through Pinterest website verification:
Update the meta tag on your site;
Upload an HTML file
The best part? Verifying your website on Pinterest doesn’t take a professional developer – anyone can do it! Don’t worry, we’ll be here to hold your hand along the way.
Option One: How to Verify or Claim Your Website on Pinterest by Uploading a Meta Tag
Step 1. Go to your Pinterest profile and click on the edit button
Step 2. Click on “Settings” and “Claim”.
Step 3. “Confirm Website” button
Step 3. Copy the Code
Step 4. Add the code to your website’s head section.
So here’s where things might feel like they get complicated. But never fear – it’s easier than it sounds! In your website’s content management system (CMS), look for index.html where you can edit the code of your website. You’ll know you’ve found it when things look something like this:
Once you’ve found this area, add the code from Pinterest in the head section:
Save those changes.
Step 5. Click “Finish” back on Pinterest
Option Two: How to Upload To Website
Step 1. Edit your profile and open up the “Confirm Website” Dialog box.
Step 2. Click on “Download This File”
once the file is downloaded, DO NOT rename the file. This is very important!
Step 3. Upload the file to the root server
Common root servers are public_html, www, or wwwroot. This video will explain how to upload the file.
Step 4. Click “Finish” back on Pinterest
Upload to Popular Site Types – WordPress, Tumblr, and Blogger
Pinterest website verification can be easily done through many hosts. Right now, there are 19 total hosts with instructions on how to verify your website on Pinterest. We are only going to go over a few of the most popular ones here – WordPress, Tumblr, and Blogger.
You’ll want to upload your video to Pinterest or schedule with Tailwind because while you can Pin a YouTube video or a .gif to Pinterest, it won’t auto play. Keep reading for an easy step by step!
Video – Front and Center on Pinterest
You’ll likely notice that videos also appear at the TOP of your search results on mobile. Though not auto playing in that spot (at least not for me!), what would you pay to get your content there – at the TOP of the feed?
If you click to “Watch more videos,” you’ll see a feed of videos that could easily keep you busy for hours. You want your content there.
While video is relatively new to Pinterest and as marketers are figuring out how best to use video there, take advantage of the prime placement and lack of competition today! Ready to get started?
If you’d prefer to watch and learn, check out this recent conversation I had with Jeff Sieh and Kate Ahl on Facebook.
How to Upload a Video to Pinterest
It’s easy! Create a video Pin the way you’d create an image Pin!
Click the red + to the right of your account name at the top of the screen.
2. Upload your video, add a destination URL and description (don’t forget the hashtags!), and if you don’t have Rich Pins enabled for this site, add a title. Keep your keywords in mind all the while.
3. Choose the Board from the drop-down menu.
4. Select “Publish immediately.”
That’s it! Your video will be reviewed and posted when approved (usually within 24 hours). You’ll be able to see the video on your own account right away from the “videos” tab on your profile and it may display a notice regarding its pending status.
How to Schedule Pinterest Video with Tailwind
When uploading a video to Pinterest, you can schedule the Pin for a later time, OR you can use your favorite Pinterest marketing tool – Tailwind! That’s right, video scheduling is now open to Tailwind members, even if you are on a free trial. [sc name=”Pinterest Signup – Text Link”]
Important Details about Scheduling Pinterest Video with Tailwind
Pinterest is currently accepting videos in English, French, and German and will add support for more languages soon.
Keep your videos between 1:2 and 1.91:1 (1000x2000px to 1910x1000px). Recommended ratios are square (1:1) or vertical (2:3, 9:16).
Minimum 4 seconds, maximum 15 minutes
Size limit: 100MB
Upload in .mov or .mp4 formats
Note: Video Pins are sent to Pinterest at your scheduled time and are subject to review by Pinterest, usually within 24 hours (community guidelines). Once approved, your Pin will be visible to others immediately. While under review, it may be visible to you on the Video tab of your profile.
Cover Photos: When you schedule video Pins with Tailwind, Pinterest will choose a frame that is most representative of the video to serve as the cover photo. This might be a frame that exemplifies dominant color palette or imagery.
Start Scheduling Pinterest Video with Tailwind!
Visit the dashboard and hit the “Enable Video Publishing!” button.
You’ll see a popup with some more details about this new feature. Give it a read and then click the “I Agree, Let’s Go!” button. Then simply head over to drafts and create a new Pin as usual! Here’s a quick walk through:
You may get a notification when your video Pin goes live and is available for others to see. Mine arrived just one minute after the scheduled time:
That’s it!
What’s the Best Way to Use Pinterest Video for My Business?
“People come to Pinterest ready to try something new, which makes it an ideal platform for businesses to feature helpful products and services, how-to videos and tutorials, and to tell an interesting brand story.” – Pinterest
According to Pinterest, searches for “inspirational videos” have increased 31%¹ since last year (April 2018-19). So, are you ready to inspire?! Doing so may drive more brand awareness, bring in more engaged followers, and help to increase the distribution of your content.
Can Pinterest Video Drive Website Traffic?
Yes! While Pinterest wants users to consume video on Pinterest, video Pins on Pinterest ARE clickable, giving you a real opportunity to drive traffic to your site. Check out some details from one of our recent video Pins:
In this case, where the video has been promoted, we see an overall 1% CTR which is higher than the average CTR on Promoted Pins in general and for ours as well!
Looking at the Promoted data specifically, the cost per impression is much lower than nearly all of my other promotions (so, this is the time to promote video!), but so is the save rate, which means that this video isn’t likely to deliver a lot of free downstream clicks for us. That’s alright though – the cost per click here is so low, it’s absolutely worth it for us. AND, the lift in brand awareness is not to be ignored either!
How to Get More Awareness, Engagement and Pinterest Referral Traffic from Video Pins
Inspire, But Give Them a Reason to Click
If you’ve ever found infographics to be fantastic for engagement (oh, the saves!) but lousy for traffic generation (wah wahhhh), you’ve may have come to this invaluable realization:
If you give everything away in your Pin, whether it’s an infographic or a video, you leave people no reason to click through to your site.
The finished product below (so cute!) makes me want to make one myself, but unless I’m a quick study, I’m not going to be able to do it just by watching the video. So, I’m going to have to click through to the site!
You could also offer a discount for some of the items you use in your video which is only available on your site.
Tell An Inspiring Story
Pinterest is all about inspiration and aspiration, after all! And just as lifestyle images work well because they help people imagine your product or service enriching your life, so can your videos!
Show the progression of a simple project you want to teach, or illustrate your product in action. There’s so much more you can “say” with video!
And while you can try out clever and simple “video” tricks like stitching together images to create a video, Pinterest reports that people watched actual videos with story lines 32% longer than they watch a gif or series of animated stills.
Try Something New
There’s also a lot of room for experimenting. This clever Pin with the dynamic background stopped me in my tracks:
There are already quite a few “videos” showing up in the feed that just swap out the color of the text, or move one element. At the top of the feed, this feels a little too obviously a ploy to grab attention, but not for the right reasons, and not in a way that adds much value. Still, if it works (for now), there’s no harm, either!
Start Off Strong
Hook people in fast! My Promoted Video opens with a white screen, which was not intentional (still testing here!), but it still has a great click-through rate. Maybe the blank video made people curious?
Don’t rely on such happy accidents though – make sure your opening scene will stand out in the feed – and choose a good cover image when uploading (hint: you can upload a custom cover image when you upload on Pinterest).
This opening scene sucks you right in!
Brand Your Videos
While many small businesses don’t make “awareness” a priority and may not even be tracking their progress in that area, there’s no reason to ignore it – especially when you can get so much for free!
With Pinterest investing in featuring video and encouraging its use by offering priority placement and affordable ads, you can get your brand in front of people with your videos in a way that might not be possible with still images right now.
Make sure your logo or brand name features prominently, but tastefully in your videos. If it’s practical to leave the logo up for the length of the video, go for it!
American Eagle gets it.
Don’t Count on the Sound
Video plays without sound unless someone clicks on the Pin to enable audio – and most people aren’t likely to do so – especially if they’re browsing Pinterest while standing in line at the grocery store!
If a spoken message is important to your message, use a text overlay.
Short and Sweet Videos
Pinterest reports that shorter videos work best. Since Pinners are accustomed to scrolling and tapping rather than settling in to watch a video, keep it around 20 seconds or so. I’m seeing view times between 4 and 11 seconds, but will be working to increase that!
Easy Ways to Create Pinterest Video Pins With These Simple Tools
I asked Manly Pinterest Tips’ Jeff Sieh for his recommendations. No surprise, he had a bunch!
Wave – with built-in stock video and the ability to upload and resize your own video, Wave makes it easy. Pricing starts at forever free.
VideoLeap – mix videos, use green screens. There’s almost nothing you CAN’T do with this iPhone app! Pricing starts at $5.99/month.
Promo – one million businesses have used Promo to create stunning video for all kinds of uses! $39/month. Industry-specific templates make it easy.
Swish – create videos on your iPhone in three minutes! Templates and music clips included. $9.99/month or $59.99/year. (iPhone)
Slider – (wordswag) – create animated stories on your phone. Brand with your logo and colors. Free (mobile app).
Adobe Rush – shoot, create, and edit – across devices. Free to start, $9.99/month
Filmora – simple, and $59.99 for lifetime access with free trial. Add titles, effects, and overlays.
Did we miss your favorite? Let us know!
In Conclusion:
Can video Pins play a central role in your marketing strategy – increasing brand awareness, engagement, and website traffic? Absolutely! Following suggestions provided by Pinterest and running your own video Pin experiments can help you take advantage of a standout format on Pinterest for the good of your business.
It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, either. There’s a video-editing program available for every level of skill and every budget.
Have you tried video Pins on Pinterest? What’s your experience been like? Please let us know!
How do I get started marketing on Pinterest? How much should I Pin? Should I Pin other people’s content, or just my own? Can someone just give me a simple strategy?
Why, yes, we can! If you have your account set up and you’re ready got GO but you don’t know what to do next, you’ve come to the right place!
Watch the Live discussion with me and co host Jeff Sieh, or keep reading!
Pinterest Strategy #1: Prioritize Your Own Content
Your content is what will drive traffic and sales to your site. AND, since you’ve claimed your website, Pinterest knows it’s your content. Pinterest loves ❤️active contributors, so by all means, create and save your content!
This doesn’t mean you can’t save other people’s content if it would be of interest to your followers and you want to support other hard-working creators. However, there is no rule that says you must save anyone else’s content and no merit in any 80/20 or 20/80 rules.
Nor is there any minimum or maximum number of Pins per day. Just remain consistently active, which might mean just 1-5 Pins per day for you, especially when you’re just starting out.
Tailwind makes it easy to never miss a day of activity on Pinterest. [sc name=”Pinterest Signup – Text Link”]
Pinterest Strategy #2: Save New Content To Pinterest Right Away
Save your new blog post and product listing images to the most relevant Board right away. So, your post on “10 healthy back-to-school lunches” fits better in “Healthy Lunch Ideas” than “Parenting tips,” but it might also belong on your “Back-to-school Ideas” and “School Lunch Ideas” Boards.
Just use Tailwind Interval Pinning to get them out to all relevant Boards. We suggest spreading them out a bit, with a default of 7 days between Pins. You can extend that if you like!
Pinterest Strategy #3: Create and Save Images That Convert EVERY WEEK
So much of Pinterest IS about the images. What makes an effective image? At its most basic level, great Pinterest images are professional-looking and inspiring. But there’s so much more to it. For instance:
When you can show someone using your product, you could get up to 67% more offline sales.
Your product or service should be the focal point of the Pin – even when you use lifestyle images.
Add tasteful logo placement in the top or bottom center. The corners are often used by Pinterest for engagement buttons, visual search, etc.
Use a vertical format (ie., 600×900) for optimal results.
Align with seasonal or life moments (22% online sales lift)
Text overlays to show product or service details (54% higher conversion to email)
If you haven’t yet seen this video from Pinterest showing how to improve results with various creative elements, it’s worth a look!
Pinterest Strategy #4: Write Descriptions that Motivate
Pin descriptions add context to your image and they can impact where your content shows up on Pinterest and who sees it. They can also help build brand awareness and motivate Pinners to action. In fact, using your brand name in the first sentence of a Pin description can increase your conversion rate to email signups by 54%!
Pinterest Pin Description Tips:
Use relevant keywords in your description, but write in natural sentences and never keyword stuff.
Include in your description anything that might help people decide if your Pin is relevant to them. The more details, the better.
Use clear, actionable wording and strong call to action in description (“sign up,” “get yours,” “discover” for 70% higher conversion rate to signup).
Use up to 500 characters and put the most important part first, since the first 30 or so characters are what people see in the feed.
While a Pin description can feel like an afterthought, give it the time it deserves – it can make a huge difference in your success.
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Pinterest Strategy #5: Use Your Keywords
Keywords on Pinterest help your content appear in relevant searches. Pinterest looks for cohesion between the keywords used on the text:
In text on your image,
In your Pin description,
In Pin titles,
In Board titles and descriptions,
On the website to which you’re linking
The interesting thing about a Pinterest search is that you won’t always see a direct correlation between what you searched and all of the results you get. Pinterest is trying to help us discover related ideas. So, think of Pinterest SEO as part science, part magic…and that just makes it even more fun! ✨
But, back to keywords! You can start with your keyword list for Google if you have one, but know that on Pinterest, people are not search for brand names – in fact, 97% of searches are unbranded. They are often searching for ideas and tips, which you’ll see if you start to enter a search in the search bar. Let’s use “running” as our starter key word.
Hit “enter” and you’ll see even more ideas:
This is Pinterest telling you that Pinners use these words and searches when looking for content related to running. Incorporate these in all the important spots!
Pinterest Strategy #6: Analyze, Tweak, and Repeat
Now it’s time to see what’s working to bring traffic to your site. Pinterest’s own analytics are great for that! Keep in mind that it can take months to see a considerable increase in Pinterest traffic once you start really trying. When you’re ready to look:
Simply go to Analytics > Overview and change the drop-down option to link clicks,
If you’re advertising, change Content types to Organic,
Change your Claimed accounts to your URL (to exclude your Pins to others’ content),
Change Devices to All and Source All, so you can see the impact of your own activity and that of others on clicks.
What can you learn from this? See which Pins have the highest click rate. What do they have in common? Is one particular style or topic recurring in the top ten? Is that Pin you thought sure would do great falling flat? Redesign it and try again!
Get Pinterest-Specific Content Ideas from Analytics
Now, change the “Claimed accounts” option to “Other Pins” to see what Pins to other people’s content is getting clicks. What can you adopt from their Pin topics to get some of that action for your own content on Pinterest?
It looks like content about Etsy, graphic design, and time-saving Pinterest strategies are really resonating with our audience. We should consider adding that to our editorial calendar!
Recap: Steps to a Simple Pinterest Marketing Strategy
You wanted more? It’s really pretty simple, and your success will have more to do with your content strategy than with anything else you do. Follow these steps:
Prioritize your own content.
Save your own content to a relevant Board right away.
Create and save new images WEEKLY.
Write motivating Pin titles and descriptions.
Use your keywords.
Analyze, tweak, and repeat!
Still, if you want more in-depth information on setting up your account, keyword research, and lots more, check out our Getting Traffic From Pinterest Guide. [sc name=”CTA – Image – Pinterest Traffic Guide”]