A guide to using Pinterest to make your blog traffic soar

As a social media platform, Pinterest contains huge potential as a resource for bloggers. According to Hootsuite blog statistics, 250 million people use Pinterest every month. That is 250 MILLION people who could be accessing your blog’s content. So what are some ways that you can maximize Pinterest’s potential and use it to your advantage? There are many businesses that help bloggers with their social media presences, which are always an option. However, there is a lot that bloggers can do on their own to use Pinterest as a resource and increase traffic to their blogs.

Setting up your profile on Pinterest:

Though people will see the things you have pinned before they see your profile, each pin is an advertisement for you and your blog. Your profile on Pinterest is like a “Meet the Author” page on a blog. It tells your followers who you are and what your blog is all about, so it is important that your profile is appealing and eye-catching. Your profile picture and name are prominently displayed not just on your page, but on every pin you post. Be sure to put some thought into them. Your profile name should match the name of your blog. This will eliminate confusion for followers and allow them to find you easily outside of Pinterest. Make sure that the photograph you choose is clear and pleasant! You want to invite people into your profile and your blog.
Be sure to include key words in your name and profile description, as this will help Pinterest searchers find your page most easily. Because Pinterest is a search engine, you want to make sure that your page pops up when people search for certain key words. Blogger Adrian (of Adrian’s Crazy Life) suggests using similar key words in descriptions for your profile, boards, and pins so that people will see what you’re about and Pinterest algorithms will know who might be interested in your content.
A business profile on Pinterest is free and offers a lot of helpful tools for bloggers. One thing you should do when you first set up your profile is claim your website. This is a simple process that proves the authenticity of your website. When your site is claimed, your profile picture will appear next to pins from your site. Claiming your site also allows you to access Pinterest analytics for your profile. The Pinterest help site provides detailed instructions for claiming your website. It also has information on how to claim Instagram, Etsy, and YouTube accounts so that all of your social media can be linked!
Rich Pins are another helpful resource from a Pinterest business profile. A Rich Pin includes more information than a regular pin. Product Pins provide pricing and purchasing information, Recipe Pins include ingredient lists, Article Pins provide author information and a story summary, and App Pins allow Pinterest users to download an app straight from Pinterest. Find more information about adding Rich Pins to your Pinterest account here.
Pinterest Business also offers a widget builder. This allows you to add Pinterest buttons, such as save and follow, to your blog. It also has options for embedding a pin, a board, or even your profile as a pop-up on your site. Check out the widget builder here.

Setting Up Boards on Pinterest:

Beyond your picture and description, your boards are what Pinterest followers will really notice about your profile. Boards tell Pinterest and its users who you are and what you’re all about. Start with eight to ten basic boards based on the natural divisions of your blog. So, if you have food, fashion, travel, and parenting sections of your blog, make a few boards for each of those topics. Divide your boards into major and minor topics.
You can have a general recipe board as well as dessert, breakfast, appetizer, and side dish boards. The organization of the boards on your profile is as important as what is on your boards. The board on the top left corner of your profile is where a viewer’s eye will go first; that board should contain only your own content. Content from your blog is what you want to focus on to draw readers. You can also use the Showcase feature for business accounts to feature up to four boards.
Readers will pay attention to the look of your boards, so make sure that they are eye-catching and pleasant. Try making uniform board covers so that your page will look clean and curated. For this, you can use free tools like Canva or PicMonkey for creating these covers. These tools offer a variety of templates, font, and color options for your personalization. If you choose this option, make sure that your blog name is easy to read on each of your board covers. Everything you do on Pinterest should draw users back to your blog! If you choose to make board covers using a tool such as Canva, just save them as images to your computer, upload them to the board, and go to “Change Covers” in the edit options of the board.
Many bloggers have had success with group boards on Pinterest. These are boards with multiple contributors where each user can only move, edit, or delete his/her own pins. Group boards are a good way to quickly share your content with a large number of Pinterest users. Anything you share to a group board will be shared with the other contributors and their followers.
When you’re starting out, look for other bloggers in your topic areas and check out the group boards they have joined. Ask to be added to these boards and go from there! Be aware that many group boards have rules for members, such as how often you can share your posts per day or week. When you’re ready to create your own group boards, create multiple boards for each topic you blog about. Make group boards that are similar to boards you already have so that you have content ready to go. You can copy 50 pins at a time from one board to another, so don’t be afraid to pin your content on multiple boards at a time!

How, What, and When to Pin:

So, you’ve set up your profile and created beautiful, eye-catching boards. Now comes the important part: the pins themselves. First and foremost, create your own unique content! Turn articles and posts from your blog into pins for your Pinterest. This will allow you to share your content with a wider audience and attract people back to your site. When creating pins, try to think of new ways to present your blog’s content. You can probably create 3-5 pins from a single post if you get creative. Try using slightly different images and key words and then check analytics to see what is getting the most hits. Also, pique the curiosity of your audience with phrases like “secrets,” “did you know,” or “you’ll never guess.” The descriptions of your pins should include key words just like your profile and board descriptions. Think of the things that people are likely to search for and use applicable key words. Use sentences that include key words and follow up with a few relevant hashtags.
Just like your boards, your pins need attractive cover images to draw readers’ eyes. Because Pinterest is a visual search engine, be sure that the photos or covers you use are related to what you’re writing about. This is especially important if your pin doesn’t have an image that naturally fits with it. Again, PicMonkey and Canva can be useful tools for creating uniform pin covers. Be sure to include your blog name in a prominent location and make the title a focal point.
Knowing when and how much to pin can be a challenge for those new to Pinterest. Even the experts disagree on the perfect number of pins per day, so the most important thing to remember is that consistency is key. If you don’t choose to use a scheduling tool, try to pin as often as you can. Don’t just pin your own content; be sure to repin other content as well. You can pin the same pin to multiple boards to increase visibility.

Using Tailwind for Pinning on Pinterest:

Tailwind is a Pinterest scheduling service that can help streamline your posting. It allows you to schedule pins in advance and upload images in bulk. This way, you can create your Pinterest posts when you have the time and let Tailwind do the work throughout the week. Tailwind can also auto-post to Instagram for you.
With its Smart Schedule feature, it suggests optimal posting times based on your audience. Board Lists allow you to organize similar boards into categories and post the same pin to multiple boards at once. Tailwind also offers a “shuffle” feature so that the same pin posted to multiple boards does not show up at the top of your feed multiple times. Looping can also be used to repeat pins automatically. With a hashtag finder and hashtag lists, Tailwind can also help you find the perfect key words for your posts.
Tailwind also has a Tailwind Tribes feature that is similar to group boards on Pinterest. Each Tribe has a common theme. Posters add their pins to the tribe and pin other people’s pins. Most tribes have rules about the pin and repin ratios, so be sure to pay attention!

Pinterest Analytics:

Finally, in order to make Pinterest work to your advantage, be sure to stay up-to-date on your analytics. They are a great resource that can be used to discover what can be improved about your Pinterest. Pinterest business accounts offer analytics, as does Tailwind. Pinterest Business analytics include page impressions, profile activity, people you reach, and website activity. These can be a great way to not only see what people are liking about your Pinterest, but also what is attracting them back to your blog. Google analytics can also be useful for this: you can see traffic to your website and figure out which pins are generating visits. Tailwind analytics provide a weekly summary of repins, followers, and new pins. Board rankings show each of your boards and its participants, followers, and pins.