I don’t know about you, but I’ve been blogging for a few years already and have gone through many articles about Pinterest for bloggers and still managed to make so many Pinterest mistakes.
Only after life brought me to Hong Kong for my husband’s new job, I found myself with plenty of time to allocate to the blog. Of course, I decided to grow my blog and make Pinterest part of my strategy.
But I had so many questions and worked hard for months to gather all kinds of information, test different Pinterest strategies, improve my pins, and track the progress along the way. I had to swim through the huge amount of useless information that’s out there.
Are you horrified about the number of hours you need to spend looking for the right Pinterest strategy for bloggers? Are you frustrated that you cannot find the one that will actually bring your blog the amount of traffic you need and deserve?
What if you could spend that time working on something else instead?
Check out this ultimate list of blogging gifts you’ll actually need!
Well, you can! By using the right tools and strategies you could save a lot of time that would potentially enable you to make money from your blog.
By using the below strategy I doubled my Pinterest traffic in just below 2 months and I got really close to the Mediavine threshold of 25.000 sessions.
In September of 2019, I was getting around 50 clicks daily from Pinterest, while today I have reached on average of over 350 clicks every day from Pinterest alone. That’s an increase of 700%!
What you will learn from my Pinterest for bloggers post?
After you finish this post, you will know how to:
- Optimize your Pinterest profile for Pinterest SEO
- Find the best tools and resources to succeed
- Increase your blog traffic without spending hours on Pinterest
Of course, the beginning can be a bit challenging and will require your time and attention.
I spent several days improving my profile and getting everything started, but now I allocate around 30 minutes to Pinterest daily. That will depend on the end of the number of things you will choose to do.
Assumptions we start from
I am starting from a few assumptions, some basic things you will need to have already implemented before starting to work on your Pinterest for bloggers strategy.
- Already have a self – hosted website – that’s not 100% required, but it would enable you to monetize it. I’ve used A2 Hosting for the past half of the year after researching for a long time. I’m really happy with the speed my site gained, the fact that they moved my site from my previous hosting supplier, and the quick customer support. Check their plans and services here!
Extra tip: a nice website goes a long way, I’ve invested in this 17th Avenue Theme just before my blog took off. See what other girly Premium WordPress themes they have here.
- You have a Pinterest business account
- You have claimed your website on Pinterest
- Have Rich Pins enabled
- Have some personal boards created
- Are part of some group boards
- Have a Pinterest extension on your blog
What is a viral pin and how can you go viral on Pinterest?
There is no definition for a viral pin. Not when it comes to the number of impressions and clicks a viral pin might get, nor when we talk about the period it will drive traffic.
However, we could say that viral pins are those that perform better than others and thus help you increase traffic to your site.
The number of Impressions, Saves, and Clicks you’ll get depends a lot from niche to niche. And I would always compare the stats with my previous ones.
Also, there’s no rule on how much time a pin needs in order to get viral: some take off as soon as they get posted, while others never do. Some gain traction throughout time, maybe weeks after they’ve been posted. While others never get noticed.
Another thing I’ve seen recently is that Pinterest stats take some time to update. Thus, I’ve learned not to stress too much about the numbers above the pin, but more about what I see in Google Analytics.
In order to see how much traffic comes from Pinterest, and from where exactly that comes from, just follow these steps:
Google Analytics –> Acquisitions –> Social –> Overview –> Click on Pinterest
Here is where I go to see how many sessions each pin sends your site. I then analyze which topics and which designs do better than others, and try to replicate that.
Nevertheless, my main objective was not only to get pins to go viral but also to have more high performing pins altogether. By having many pins performing well, I was able to steadily my traffic.
As you could see from the graph, I had some pins go viral in December and January. However, at the end of January, I’ve purchased the Explosive Traffic With Tribes eBook and started implementing the strategy.
Get your copy of the book here!
Together with the tips, you’re going to read in this article, I was stunned to see how fast Pinterest started showing results.
Which were my Pinterest mistakes, you might be doing too?
Posting new pins every now and then
I’m guilty. I used to create only 1 or 2 pins for every post and recycle those over and over again. I wouldn’t really keep track of how many times I pinned them to my boards or to Group boards.
No wonder I wasn’t getting any results!
What to do instead
Pinterest has said it over and over again throughout time: fresh content is king!
But they even went out in February 2020 and held a live conference on this topic together with Tailwind.
Wondering what fresh content is exactly? It is simply put a new Pinterest image.
That’s why you’ll want to create many more pins for the same blog posts.
And that’s what I’ve started doing towards the end of last year. I’ve started to create around 5-10 pins for every new and old post I had.
For those that performed well, I went on created even more fresh pins.
Does that scare you? It shouldn’t! Once I’ve started using Canva and had created some templates, it took me less than 2 minutes to have a new pin.
I’ve also started uploading at least 2-3 new pins daily to Pinterest. No matter if I am pinning from my website a new pin, or I upload it directly to Pinterest, I make sure it is a pin I haven’t already posted.
I also try to mix up the topics I add pins for in one day. Let’s say for example I’ll add a pin about an Italy destination, one in Germany, and one packing list guide.
Pinning the same image over and over again
Previous to my Pinterest for bloggers strategy, I was doing this Pinterest mistake. I was pinning manually and through Tailwind, the same pins over and over again.
If you’re not using Tailwind, I’ll get to that part a bit later.
I was pinning the same pins to my boards and to group boards, basically risking to get marked as spam.
What to do instead
Make sure not to pin the same pin to the same board more than 2-3 times every year. This is especially valid for seasonal posts (gift lists, holiday posts etc) which need to be reshared at least 45 days before to allow them to gain traction.
What I do now:
- I pin every new post or image to the most relevant board first,
- Schedule it to be added to a maximum 10 other personal and group boards with a 2 days distance between them (Tailwind and their Interval option is great for that)
- Come back and repin it only months later,
Pinning only in group boards
When I first started joining group boards, they were a huge thing and everyone encouraged bloggers to jump on the train.
The advantage was that I could get my pins in front of many more people than the small number of followers I had (and still have).
Throughout time though, the group boards have become a place where people dump their content without actually coming back to repin any of your pins. And that’s not what we want.
However, some can still be efficient and that’s why I still have them in my Pinterest for bloggers strategy.
What to do instead
Go to Tailwind and check which of the group boards are actually worth pinning to. How can you do this?
Go under Insights –> Board Insights and you’ll see not only the performance of Group Boards but also the performance of your own boards.
What you must check is the Number of repins, Virality score, and the Engagement score. They usually say to be part of group boards with a virality score of over 1. That means that for every pin posted in the group board, you’ll get 1 repin.
However, I’ve seen that in the Travel niche it is very hard to find group boards with such high virality. That why I look at my number of repins and decide if I want to continue pinning in that group board or not.
I also read in many places that I should stop posting to group boards altogether because it hurts posting in low-quality places. For my Pinterest for bloggers strategy, I haven’t stopped. I just left the ones with low engagement scores and joined new ones, while keeping the stats under review.
I learned a lot about how to interpret my stats from the Explosive Traffic With Tribes eBook and if you want to improve your Pinterest game, stats are something you will have to look into.
TIP: Don’t be afraid to invest in the right blogging education. There’s no such thing as 100% guaranteed returns (nothing in life is guaranteed). But think about how much time and money you have spent on formal education. Why not invest in the activity you wan’t to monetize? As soon as I’ve decided to invest in the thing I want to make money from, I started to see results. Investing in yourself is the best investment you could ever make!
What I also do, is pin first in my most relevant board, and schedule it to be posted in at least 5 other personal boards, and another 4-5 group boards.
When I look at the stats of my personal boards, I can see that most of them show higher numbers than the group boards. That’s why you want to start by posting on your boards, and only afterward share in the group ones.
How to find group boards
I did it by looking at other people in my niche, who had good stats and page views. Once I saw which group boards they were in, I would follow the steps stated in order to be accepted as a contributor.
The fact that another blogger post there does not mean it is actually a valuable board. That’s why you will want to analyze the stats after some time and assess whether you still want to use that board or not.
I thought I had an SEO optimized profile
When I first started out I had read a lot about SEO for Pinterest and I honestly thought I had everything figured out. I may have had it figured out, but I wasn’t doing it right.
Just putting a few words every here and there is not enough. And when you want to see results, you will need to have everything in place.
What to do instead
I went in and added keywords and # in:
- Profile title
- The description of my profile – 160 characters,
- All board titles,
- All personal board descriptions – 500 characters,
- The image file name,
- Pin title
- Pin description – include at least 3 keywords and 3 hashtags in every pin description
Check out next: Pinterest Keywords: should you use them?
I hate to come back to that, but I’ve only done it properly after I read the Explosive Traffic With Tribes eBook and I’ve started seeing results right away.
TIP: Don’t overdo it! Try to do it consistently, and not create or delete a lot of pins or boards in only one day. Pinterest might see you as spammy and might suspend the account.
Also, I have found Maria’s Youtube video on Pinterest SEO very useful.
I wasn’t researching keywords in Pinterest
Whenever I would Pin something from my blog or directly into Pinterest, I would maybe write one sentence about the blog post. I was never researching what people actually look for.
If you do only one thing from my Pinterest for bloggers strategy, choose this one thing: research your keywords.
Pinterest is not a social media tool like Instagram or Facebook. Pinterest is actually a search engine. And that’s why you need to know what people are looking for so you can reach them with the solution.
What to do instead
Research! Include at least 3 keywords in your pin descriptions, on the text of the pin, in the title of the pin, and pin to your keyword-optimized boards.
How do you find keywords on Pinterest?
You’ll have 2 easy options:
- use the search bar and see what else Pinterest suggests
- using the Ads option where you will also get an approximation of the search volume
I wasn’t using Tailwind properly
I had discussed with people before who told me Tailwind doesn’t do anything for them. I used to think that as well. But not anymore.
Once I’ve started implementing my Pinterest for bloggers strategy, and all the tips I got from the Explosive Traffic With Tribes eBook I really saw traffic coming from Tailwind.
What to do instead
Use Tailwind to schedule your pins to be posted to your boards with an interval of at least 2 days between them.
But most importantly, use Tailwind Tribes and reach a whole lot of other people interested in the type of content you produce.
Find this helpful but want more? I offer 1 to 1 Pinterest strategy consulting and Pinterest management services. Check it out here and send me an email!
What are Tailwind tribes and how do they work?
Tailwind Tribes are another kind of Pinterest Group Boards. Only that they actually work, because people have a reciprocation rule.
Through Tailwind Tribes I’ve managed to reach a huge number of people. And I’ve also got over 2000 reshares.
I’ve learned how to see which tribes are good and which aren’t so effective from the Explosive Traffic With Tribes eBook.
By following her methods, I’ve created reports I use daily and update on a monthly basis to make sure I pin in the right tribes so that I can maximize my reach and chances for repins.
Yous should also know the difference between a re-share and re-pin:
- a re-share means that someone from the tribe has reshared your pin.
- a re-pin means that someone following a person who has reshared your pin had pinned it.
Let’s grow your Pinterest traffic! Sign up for your free Tailwind trial today: you get 100 free pins to schedule, plus you’ll get access to Tailwind Tribes. At just $9.99/mn if billed annually it’s hands down the BEST investment I’ve made in my business.
I was sharing the same pin to all the tribes
Before coming up with my Pinterest for bloggers strategy, I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was pinning to.
I used to take one pin and add it to all of my 5 Tailwind Tribes at the same time.
This way, I was not thinking that especially in the travel niche, there are more or less the same people in all the tribes. When they see the same pin in all 5 Tribes, they would only pin from one, right?
I was basically wasting all the other 5 submissions.
What to do instead
Mix up your submissions. Now I would add 5 different pins to 5 different tribes. Or add the same pin to a maximum of 2 Tailwind Tribes daily.
Just look at my stats from Tailwind Tribes first in November and next in February. And it was only the middle of the month!
Below I use Kristie Hill’s dashboard, you can download it and start using it by subscribing to her mailing list here.
Wasn’t paying much attention to pin design
Of course, how beautiful a pin is depends a lot from person to person. After all, what I find pretty or even beautiful will not be the same as something someone else will think.
But looking back, I can say my pins were really ugly.
What to do instead
I’ve started using Canva to design my pins. I use the free version, and I’m thinking about switching to the PRO version in the future because it offers so many great features on top of lots of great pictures.
A great pin does not have to be complex or complicated. Follow the below guidelines:
- keep it clear and clean
- don’t overcomplicate things: maximum 2 fonts and colors
- use high-resolution pictures
- use attention-grabbing words: greatest, best, ultimate etc
- some colors do better than others: see what colors do the top pins have on them and try to replicate
Check out this video that will help you out with some ideas on creating great Pinterest images.
I wasn’t pinning images from my posts
I was putting all the effort into creating new pins with text overlays.
What to do instead
Once I’ve started pinning vertical images directly from my posts, I saw some traffic coming from there as well.
According to my Pinterest for bloggers strategy I made sure the images had a description that was SEO optimized with keywords and hashtags. And I would follow the same process as for any other pin: pin the picture to the most relevant board first, and schedule it to some other personal and group boards.
I wasn’t using Pinterest Groups
Of course, once you get started with blogging joining all kinds of Facebook groups is a great idea.
But in most of the cases, I would only join a group and never use it to the fullest. Facebook groups can be places where you can find very valuable information for free.
Of course, I had to swim to tons of information, take the things and test them myself and assess whether it was something that worked for me or not. And come up with my own Pinterest for bloggers strategy that I’m sharing with you.
What to do instead
Join some great Facebook groups and read what others are posting about. Help them out with your knowledge. Because it is all about helping each other at the end of the day.
Here are some of the group boards that helped me:
I wasn’t participating in repinning threads
Time ago I used to do it, but without following all the other steps from this post. Consequently, I decided it was a major waste of time and have given up on them.
What to do instead
Join repinning threads with highly optimized pins. It will give them an initial kick and I’ve seen major improvements. It is always better to have 100+ people pinning your pin and let SEO work from there onwards.
Where can you find repinning threads for the Travel niche:
- Pinterest for Travel Bloggers
- Pinterest for Travel Bloggers
- Mapping Monday
- Travel Bloggers guide to Pinterest
- Travel & Pin it
Tip: When you first start out doing threads don’t start with the longest ones. Take it easy and build up to it gradually. If you start pinning 100+ pins daily all of a sudden, Pinterest might think you’re spamming and suspend you.
I wasn’t paying attention to trends and seasonality
I would pin anything I had or published. But the thing is, people prefer a certain kind of content on Pinterest.
On top of that, it might take an optimized pin up to 45 days to pick-up and show up top of the feed. That’s why Pinterest suggests starting to pin seasonal content (Christmas, Valentine’s Day, winter, summer etc) up to 45 days before the season starts.
What to do instead
Once I’ve learned the above, I’ve started to have 2 different approaches to what I was posting on my blog as part of my Pinterest for bloggers strategy:
- I create content I know will work well on Pinterest: dreamy locations, listicles, bucket list locations.
- I create content SEO optimized for Google ranking
I was looking at monthly views
While the monthly views number can be a vanity one when it looks good, ultimately it doesn’t show you how well your content is performing.
The monthly views refer to the overall views the content you have on your boards gets. That means your content and other people’s content.
That being said, having many views is good. But even better is having people saving and pinning your content.
What to do instead
Look at Impressions correlated with repins and link clicks.
Learn how to deal with numbers from the Explosive Traffic With Tribes eBook.
My daily Pinterest routine
So once I had everything set up I’ve started testing things out and I’ve started going through the next steps daily.
- Pinning new 4-5 images from the blog or new pins directly to Pinterest
- optimize them with researched keywords
- schedule them to be pinned in the next weeks to up to 10 other boards (mix of personal and group)
- add around 7 pins to Tailwind Tribes
- add 1-2 pins to Facebook repinning threads
Extra tips
There are two other topics I’ve come across throughout time.
First of all, covers for your boards. Are they a must? I would say no. They just make your profile look better and more professional. But they don’t really have any impact on ranking.
Secondly, keeping it within the niche. I’ve read it many times that you must pin only topics your audience might be interested in. That means that I would only pin travel-related pins and have only destinations or travel-related boards.
However, I’ve seen people succeed that have all kinds of boards and pin content from destinations, delicious food to try, outfits, and so on. And I think it’s normal because that’s how we are as humans.
When I look at my Audience Insights I see they are interested in Travel, but also in home decor, education, women’s fashion, and a whole lot of other topics.
Bottom line, it’s only up to you if you want to keep it niche related or pin other stuff too. I don’t think it will have a negative impact.
Must-have tools and resources for Pinterest for bloggers
To summit up, there are certain tools and resources I wouldn’t have had these great results without.
I’m still working on it and growing, but I think these are the minimum you would need when you think seriously about using Pinterest for traffic.
PIN FOR LATER!
[easy-image-collage id=9651]
This was a great and informative post – well done! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your strategy xx
Thank you! Happy you find it helpful. I’ve gone through so many articles with great titles and little information, that I think a lot of people would be happy to read something actually helpful.
lovely and very much practical! thank you very much for the sharing!
I’m so glad you found it useful! I’ll keep on updating it as I learn new things myself.