Let’s get pinfamous together..
Okay, are you as obsessed with Pinterest as I am? Holy cow. I could spend more hours on it than I’d like to admit if I really let myself, from planning my dream home, cooking 5 star restaurant-like dinners, activities for the kids to outfits and coop decor for my future-someday chickens. but for real.
Let’s talk how to boost your Pinterest game and gain viewers like a champ.
Guys, I went from 20K monthly views to almost HALF A MILLION in just a few weeks and I want to spill all the beans on how this was even possible. I had no idea Pinterest could draw so much traffic to not only my business profile but my website and blog and literally QUADRUPLE my website views.
WHAAAT??
I know right?
I’ll let you in on the hot goss..
Let’s GO..
#1. Make sure you have a business profile.
Going from a personal profile to a business profile makes all the difference (and yes, it’s free!).
Using a business profile allows you to see how many monthly viewers you have and what ORIGINAL (I’ll explain) pins are getting viewed, saved and clicked.
#2. Update your profile name and description.
Using a unique but descriptive name on your Pinterest allows you to share who you are and what you do.
You can see on my profile I did ” My name | What I do | Catch Phrase or Slogan (Optional) ”
I do this so people who know me personally can search my name and people who know my business can search that as well.
(TIP: Doing this on your mobile Pinterest app allows you to add more characters to your name than desktop)
Next, update your description. Using who you are, what you do, and either why or something unique about you.
Be unique. Everyone and their grandma loves coffee (okay, I may have that as part of my description but it’s not just that!) I love bad puns and avocados. I could eat avocados like apples, straight up. I have people tagging avocado everything on my Facebook profile multiple times a week, and I love it. This ties into your branding and it’s so important to make yourself front of peoples mind. I bet next time you go to the grocery store and see an avocado, you’ll think of me.
#3. Clean up your boards.
This one is pretty self explanatory, was the most work and took the most time but trust me, it’s worth it. I went through all my boards, got rid of pins and boards I no longer was interested in. If you’re anything like me I had quite a few boards (I think somewhere around 60 to be exact), so this took a little time, but it made me feel less cluttered and it helped everything stay true to my brand and me.
#4. Make yourself searchable.
What the heck do I mean, “make yourself searchable”?
I used to have boards like, “Norah & Gwen’s Room” and “Things for Daniel”. I don’t know about you but I don’t think many people are going to be searching for what they want Norah’s room to look like. By making yourself searchable, rename your boards by things people will actually search for, “Girls’ Room”, “Room Ideas”, “Kids’ Bedroom”.
This keeps things true to your brand, but boards people will save and actually search for, making your content more relevant.
#5. Make ORIGINAL pins.
This doesn’t mean pinning everything you see. Of course I pin other things on Pinterest that I like and see, such as clothes, decor, food and that type of thing, but this is where YOUR business comes into play. Whether you work for an MLM, run your own business, write a blog, or are an aspiring model, this is how you bring in the numbers.
Up at the top of your Pinterest you’ll see a “+” sign. This allows you to add your own picture and website link.
Add your own photography images, blog graphics or outfits, link them to your website (which I hope you have!) and write your descriptions and title.
(TIP: Adding pins from your mobile app is easier with image size and writing a title! On desktop you will have to change your image size and it doesn’t allow a title.)
#6. Original pin descriptions, titles and #hashtags.
This is another way to boost those numbers. If you’re like “all right, I got my pin out there, now watch those followers and views roll in”
*NOPE*
You need to be, again, making yourself SEARCHABLE.
Make a descriptive title that people would search for and even more detailed description and hashtags for things relevant to what you’re posting.
If you’re posting pictures of your 1 year old poodle in his sweater and hashtagging #carrots, you’re not helping yourself. You could hashtag #dog #puppy #sweater #pets #fashion, you get the idea.
Here you can see the top right how many impressions (how many people have seen it), how many people saved it, and how many people clicked and followed the link to my website.
Here is an example of my description and hashtags for the above picture.
#7. keep pinning.
I don’t just post original pins, if I see something I like, I pin it. I have (searchable) boards for clothes, recipes, home, kids, crafts, you name it. Pinning a variety of things is going to help you reach a broader crowd.
I also make original pins that aren’t only about my business, such as, a blog on how I meal plan, DIY and decor around my home, outfits I wear. Maybe you don’t like that sort of thing, so make a graphic of your top 5 must read books, movies, date ideas, vacation spots, the possibilities are seriously ENDLESS.
#8. have nice looking pictures or graphics.
Having nicer pictures or graphics makes something more likely to be clicked on, right? Especially when we are talking being Pinterest Worthy.
I use the app called WordSwag (it was a one time $5 purchase) and I use it for everything. Guys, it was so worth it, only $5 and I use it literally everyday and for every graphic. It’s so customizable.
Otherwise there are websites like Canva were you can create graphics as well.
The idea of different graphics appealing to different crowds gave me an idea. I made a blog post on meal planning and when I pinned it I made 3 different graphics.
The results of what was pinned more was very interesting and gives you an idea of what pictures appeal more. I don’t just use this method to conduct experiments I also use it to reach more people, based on picture choices.
First picture of my meal planning blog I posted with a good 28 saves.
Second time went a little better with 35 saves (also ignore my note on the recipe card at the bottom when it says slow cook for 3-4 hours or high for 7-8 #whoops don’t do that. hahah.
This one was my best saved pin of the experiment and the third one I posted with 49 saves.
So I know you’re probably thinking, I mean cool your best post of that blog got 49 saves, BUT guys, I posted different pictures to reach broader audiences based on their graphic preference, which means from that same blog post I actually got 112 saves all together!
#9. Be consistent
Last and especially not least, this is probably the most important step. Not just in Pinterest, but in anything you do in your business, consistency is key.
There are APPs like Tailwind that can help you schedule out your Pinterest posts if you’re a busy person or don’t want to add another thing to your “to do” list. For me personally, I’m on Pinterest at least once a day for 5 minutes and for me that’s all it takes. I’m not talking you need to schedule or post original content everyday, but I’d say at least a 1 or 2 times a week, or at least every time you write your blog, have a new session or product, whatever it may be.
I thought I’d share a last inside scoop on my website traffic and how this can seriously help you big time. This is my website views from the past month. Can we take a look at the sources. Pinterest brought in 76% of my website views!!!!
Thank you for sticking around and I’d LOVE to hear if this helped you. Share your results and I can’t wait to see you on Pinterest!!
PS. You should probably pin this blog post 😉