From Pins to Pageviews: How to use Pinterest for Blogging

Pinterest for blogging???

Yes, Pinterest can be quite effective for bloggers!

It’s a Holy Grail for driving more traffic to your blog site. However, many bloggers still haven’t fully tapped into its potential for increasing blog traffic. Why not turn it into an opportunity for yourself as a blogger?

Most people think of Pinterest as a cool app for finding or pinning aesthetic ideas and stuff. But it’s so much more than that. It’s an immensely powerful platform, with over 445 million monthly users globally.

There’s a solid reason why the “Pin it” option appears on many blog posts all over the internet. But how exactly is Pinterest beneficial for bloggers? And how can you use Pinterest for blogging? In this definitive guide to using Pinterest for blogging, I’ll address these questions and provide some helpful Pinterest blogging tips.

Let’s get started!

What’s Pinterest Exactly?

Pinterest is a platform that combines elements of social media and search engines. It is often referred to as a “visual discovery engine”, as it allows users to discover and save visual content. In addition to acting as a content library, it also serves as a community platform.

This platform leverages the power of visuals to drive traffic to websites and blogs. To organize their favorite content, users can “pin” it and create a Pinterest board.

You can create both a personal Pinterest account and a Pinterest Business Account. Like-minded users can follow you and view your boards.

To post on Pinterest, you can add the link, image, and description of your blog post.

Why Is Pinterest Good For Blogging?

Pinterest offers many benefits to bloggers. Let’s round off a few.

Pinterest – The Traffic Driver

Driving traffic is one of Pinterest’s core strengths. Its primary goal is to direct traffic to websites through visual content, which sets it apart from other social media platforms. Other platforms aim to keep traffic on their site and display ads for monetization. In essence, Pinterest is a traffic-driving platform.

Need Ideas? – Check Pinterest

The Pinterest feed is a great place to explore ideas and content. It’s common to run out of ideas, but this platform can help bloggers find inspiration to create valuable content. Bloggers can follow users and boards related to their niche, and can also shelf content ideas for future reference.

Meet Like-Minded People & New Audiences

As a blogger, you can use it to reach new audiences or connect with like-minded people. You can even create a community around your Pinterest board, provided you have a solid community-building platform.

Great Beginning Bloggers

Pinterest can be a valuable tool for new bloggers or young blogs looking to drive traffic to their websites. Its unique algorithm values the sharing of new content, making it a promising platform for bloggers. Consistently creating new content can help bloggers make the most out of the algorithm.

How To Use Pinterest For Blogging?

Let me share with you how to use Pinterest for blogging. I’ll be highlighting the necessary steps you need to take to utilize Pinterest for blogging.

Set Up Your Pinterest Account Account & Profile

It all starts with a Pinterest profile.

Create a free Pinterest account and add a profile picture. You have a choice here: you can either add your own picture or your brand’s logo.

I recommend adding a headshot instead of a blog logo. There’s nothing wrong with a blog logo, but as a blogger, you need to humanize your Pinterest profile. In fact, a well-taken headshot can lead to a 76% increase in how competent you appear.

Next, add a display name. This can be your blog name or your own name, or a mix of both and words that describe what you do.

Then, add a Pinterest username, which will also be part of your Pinterest URL. It should be between 3-30 characters and should incorporate your name.

Make sure to add relevant keywords to your username. Look for a specific keyword that best describes your niche and what you do. It can be an “umbrella term” from your niche. Don’t forget to be creative.

For example, Evi is a food blogger. Her Pinterest display name is Ev’s Eats and her username is @Evseats. She has a website (Evseats.com) as well.

Finally, add your Pinterest bio. Don’t forget to incorporate keywords and be creative. Your bio should be informative and talk about your blog, interests, or what you’re offering.

Create A Free Pinterest Business Account

Here’s a crucial step in your blogging journey with Pinterest: Anyone with a Pinterest account can upgrade to a business account for free.

This will grant you access to advanced Pinterest analytics, Pinterest Ads Manager, offers, free credits, and a variety of publishing tools.

Claim Your Website & Accounts

This is an important step. You must claim your website and social media accounts with Pinterest. When you claim a website or social media account, you communicate to Pinterest that you own that domain or account.

This tells Pinterest that the content from that domain or account is associated with your Pinterest account and sets you as an authority in that domain.

Claiming your accounts and websites gives you access to improved Pinterest Analytics. Additionally, your name appears on each pin created on your website.

Furthermore, claiming your accounts and websites can improve your Pinterest SEO and potentially earn you a verification checkmark.

To claim your accounts, go to the settings and click on “Claimed Accounts”. Then, enter the URL of your account.

Enable Rich Pins

These are not your typical Pinterest pins. Rich Pins are an essential element of Pinterest SEO. They are organically optimized pins that allow bloggers to integrate data from their blogs. The information is presented in bold and these pins are designed to increase brand awareness.

These pins can also help you boost your reach and engagement, depending on the nature of the content on your blog.

4 Types Of Rich Pins

These are:

• App Pins: Focused on data and information related to apps.
• Article Pins: Such pins automatically update your blog post’s blog title, description, and headline. These pins also include the author’s information.
• Recipe Pins: Related to recipes, cooking time, and ingredients.
• Product Pins: These pins are focused on products, their up-to-date price, and their descriptions.

Bloggers Need To Focus On Article Pins

Article pins are important for bloggers. After all, these pins will link to their articles or blog posts.

Product Pins Are Important Too!

If you offer a digital service or product, such as an online course, you must enable product pins. These pins can work wonders for you and your product because 93% of people use Pinterest to make purchase decisions online.

How To Enable Rich Pins On Pinterest?

Here’s how you can enable rich pins.

• Copy your article or blog post URL.
• Go to “Rich Pin Validator”.
• Insert the URL and click on “Validate”
• Next, you will get a confirmation.
• Finally, click on “Finish Now”.

You will see a green checkmark with your pin when it has been enabled. Any update to your blog post’s key info will be automatically updated in the pin when the “rich pins” is activated.

Please note that you will not be able to enable rich pins if you have not claimed your website.

Create Your Pinterest Boards

Pinterest boards are collections that house pinned content and posts. I recommend creating 5-6 boards if you are a beginner.

How To Create A Pinterest Board?

Here’s how:

• Head over to your profile and click on the “+” sign. Further, click on “Board” in the drop-down list.
• Next, enter a name for your board.
• You can also choose to set the privacy of your board by checking the box.
• For the purpose of Pinterest blogging, make sure to set your board to public for privacy settings.
• Finally, click on “Create”.

Important: You must create Anchor boards, which are boards dedicated only to your content.

Your Pinterest boards play a big role in blogging and Pinterest SEO. You should create them in a way that helps you drive more Pinterest traffic to your pins and, ultimately, to your blog posts.

Let me tell you how you can do that.

Pinterest Board Name

The way you name your Pinterest board matters a lot for how your targeted users find you, and for Pinterest SEO. Use relevant keywords and be specific. This will effectively communicate to Pinterest what the board is about.

Relevancy is important when it comes to creating board names. You do not want Pinterest to get confused. Your board name should be relevant to your niche.

Write Optimized Board Descriptions

Remember to optimize your board description by including relevant keywords and key phrases. This will help Pinterest recommend your boards to other pinners with similar interests.

Tips For Creating Pinterest Boards

Here are some additional tips for using Pinterest effectively:

• Use the search bar to find relevant keywords and phrases, including popular suggestions and related keywords.
• Avoid spamming your boards with the same pin, as this can negatively affect your reach and rank.
• If you must pin the same post to a board, ensure that there are other pins between them.
• Optimize your boards by using popular 3rd party pins. Use the search function to find the top 3 pins.
• Always pin a new blog post to the most relevant board.
• Lastly, remember to add fresh pins to your boards frequently.

Create Your Own Pins

We’re making progress!

Now it’s time to create your own Pins to add to your blog board. Pins are the primary elements that drive traffic to your blog or website.

Pins are primarily made up of pin images. In addition, a Pin includes a title, description, and most importantly, a link to the corresponding blog post on your website.

How To Create A Pin?

Head to your profile and click the “+” sign. Further, click on “Pin” in the drop-down list.

Editing Your Pin

Start by adding a pin title and a description. Do not forget to incorporate keywords.

Pin Image

Images are the most important aspect of any pin, as they carry the responsibility of attracting visitors.

You can easily create high-quality images for your pins using Canva’s pre-built pin template. These images can be screenshots of your article or blog post. Additionally, the pin image can provide a descriptive aspect of your blog post.

Bring your creative instincts into play!

Create eye-catching images that align with your niche and blog post. It is recommended that you have an image pin ratio of 2:3, with images at 600 x 600 pixels.

Pin URL

Include the URL that links to your blog post in your pin. This is where the magic happens! Make sure that the URL is fully functional.

Alt-Texts

To provide search engines and Pinterest with a better understanding of what your pin is about, be sure to add alt-text to your pin images.

Add Call-To-Action To Your Pin

Lastly, add a clear CTA (Call-to-Action) to your pin.

Tips For Creating Pins

Here are some additional tips:

• Add your blog name to each pin for brand awareness.
• Make sure your pin images are vertical and easy to read.
• Do not forget to add a clearly readable blog title of your post to your pin image.
• Always follow Pinterest guidelines for creating pins.
• Have a consistent brand tone in your pins to make your pins more recognizable.

Make Your Blog Posts Pinnable

If you do not have a “Pin it” button on your blog posts, what’s the point of using Pinterest for blogging?

This is a red button with the Pinterest logo on it. It allows users to pin a blog post from a website and can help drive more traffic.

To add this button to your website, go to the Widget Builder Section.

Now you’re ready to use Pinterest for blogging, but we’re not done yet.

How To Grow Your Blog Reach With Pinterest?

It’s time to enhance your Pinterest blogging game and take it to the next level. To grow your blog’s reach through Pinterest, you need to employ various strategies. Let’s discuss a few strategies that you can easily implement in your Pinterest marketing plan.

Join Pinterest Group Boards

Joining group boards on Pinterest can give you more exposure. A group board is like a community board where other users can also pin. However, only join relevant boards and make sure to pin regularly. This way, other members can get to know you better.

Use Idea Pins

Idea Pins are one of the great features of Pinterest. An Idea Pin gives you all the information to try out a creator’s idea. It’s like a resource package. It can help you build credibility in your niche.

For example, you are an online course creator who provides lessons in the field of photography. You can pick up a problem in the photography niche like how to click portrait shots in low light. For this, you can create short videos and posts to add to your idea pin.

If you are able to attract pinners to your idea pin, there’s a greater chance they will check out your other pins and boards.

Pin At The Right Time

To increase the chances of your followers and pinners seeing your fresh pins as soon as you pin them, it’s important to pin at the right time.

The right time to pin generally depends on your account, but there are some general rules to follow. For example, most users are active on weekends, especially on Saturdays. Activity is also at its peak in the last four days of the week, and 8-11 pm is a peak time to pin.

Create Fresh Blog Posts & Pins

Your blog posts and pins go hand in hand. If you create fresh content frequently, you will have more material to pin. Pinterest favors fresh content, and an increase in the number of posts with more pins associated leads to an increase in traffic.

Create a content and pinning plan for yourself, and be consistent. Aim to create at least 10-15 new pins every week.

Monitor Pinterest Analytics

Access to advanced analytics is a perk of having a business account. Make the most of it by regularly monitoring your pin performance and adjusting your Pinterest strategy accordingly.

Monetize Your Blog with Membership and Course

One of the best ways to grow your blog is by monetizing your traffic and content. By creating a paid membership community or selling a course around your expertise, you can scale your blogging efforts and give your business the opportunity to grow.

As you continue to build your blog, it’s important to consider how you can turn your traffic into revenue. A paid membership community can offer exclusive content or access to a community of like-minded individuals. Selling a course can provide value to your readers while also generating income.

When creating a paid membership community or course, it’s important to ensure that it aligns with your brand and provides value to your audience. By doing so, you can establish yourself as an authority in your niche and build a loyal following.

Remember that monetizing your blog should not be the sole focus. Creating valuable content and building a strong community should always be a top priority. By providing value to your audience, you can attract more traffic and generate more revenue in the long run.

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Final Word

In summary, Pinterest can be a powerful tool for bloggers to drive traffic to their websites. To get the most out of Pinterest, you should set up your Pinterest account with a clear blogging strategy and goal in mind. Focus on delivering value to your followers and the people who search and find your pins.

Furthermore, bloggers can enhance their Pinterest strategy by joining group boards, using Idea Pins, pinning at the right time, creating fresh content, and monitoring Pinterest analytics. These tips and tricks can help bloggers grow their blog’s reach and build their brand. With these strategies, bloggers can tap into the immense potential of Pinterest and take their blogs to the next level.