Pinterest is increasingly becoming one of my favorite services to offer entrepreneurs. Implementing a few strategic steps has created such an increase in my clients’ following and traffic to their website. Achieving your goals are as easy as adding a few of these tips to your Pinterest pinning plan.
Note: This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission if you use them. I only recommend tools that I use and trust.
There are a few steps that you should take before implementing these tips, such as converting your Pinterest account from personal to business. Also, rich pins should be enabled for your account. These descriptive pins allow for those searchable keywords to appear on the pin. Descriptive (SEO) words are what help your pins appear to users searching for those words in particular.
There are so many ways to build your brand
and increase your business on Pinterest.
Here are my top 10 tips to using Pinterest to build your brand and increase your business:
1. Target Your Ideal Client
Every social network is different, and you will build a particular audience for your Pinterest Business Page whether you mean to or not.
Find out what that specific demographic is, so you can create an Avatar for your ideal and most responsive individual follower. Research the specifics on your Ideal Client.
- What does your Ideal Client enjoy doing?
- What motivates them?
- What are they passionate about?
Your Pinterest account is for and about your client – not you. Every pin posted and repinned is with the focus on your avatar. Remember, this is the person that is going to buy your products or services.
Want to be successful on Pinterest in 60 minutes or less?
Get the FREE Pinterest Success Checklist to get you
started on Pinterest here!
If you need more information on your ideal client, take a look at your Pinterest Analytics page found on the top-left menu bar on your Pinterest Business page. If you don’t see details of the person you are trying to attract, your Pinterest account is not appealing to your target market,
2. Use Your Pinterest Top Row
A great feature of having a Pinterest Business Page is the ability to add a scrolling top row. You can rearrange your pinboards so that specific ones run across the top row of your page. Highlighting a balanced combination of your best pins will showcase and reflect your brand message and focus. Showcase pinboards that are active and vibrant to capture your Ideal Client’s eye.
3. Pin as Often as You Can
Pinterest is one of the platforms that you can’t have enough of a good thing! Pinning at least 5 times throughout the day is a great start to start engagement on Pinterest.
There are some automation tools that dramatically increase your engagement and pinning. One of my favorite tools is Tailwind! This tool alone has increased my traffic to my website and that of my clients. Once you set it up, it will post at the optimal time every day.
However, I highly recommend to pop in a few times a week and manually pin posts to your boards.
4. Optimize Your Image Sizes Specifically for Pinterest
If you are creating images from scratch, pay attention to the sizes you set. Unlike Twitter or Instagram, Pinterest likes vertical rectangular images—not squares.
Your images should be a minimum width of 600 pixels X 1400 pixels. (That’s an image ratio of 1:3.5).
A 2:3 ratio also works (that would be 600 pixels X 1200 pixels).
Paying attention to this detail ensures that important parts of your images don’t get chopped off.
5. Use Image Templates
Save time and ensure correct display by using image templates optimized for Pinterest. There are so many graphic apps that you can use that offer templates for your use, such as Canva, Stencil, Word Swag, Ripl and so many more. Templates are perfect to stay within the recommended dimensions on Pinterest. It is so important to have pinnable pins for your boards!
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6. Create at Least One Pinterest-Optimized Image per Blog Post
You are creating great content for your audience – Don’t stop there! Create at least one Pinterest-optimized image per blog post. This will be the image you and people saving your pin will share on Pinterest. Make sure Pinterest dimensions are followed, descriptive title or text on the pin with quality picture, and SEO-rich descriptions. Pins around 200 characters been shown to be the most repinnable.
7. Make a Single Element Stand out
Apply this principle to your pin graphics: Make sure that any single important graphic object visually stands out by using high contrast and color. Also, use pictures and graphics that are appealing and reflective of your content. It also doesn’t hurt to create more than one graphic pin for your posts.
8. Avoid Cheesy Sales Messages
If people like your pin, they will click on your rich pin interactive URL and you won’t need to say a thing. Providing an informative blog post with clickable downloads may just do the trick. Even linking to a descriptive landing page is better than using salesy message. Avoid using cheesy sales messages on your graphic pins and descriptions like “Get Your Big Discount NOW!” Capture them with your message, then share your offer.
Want to be successful on Pinterest in 60 minutes or less?
Get the FREE Pinterest Success Checklist to get you
started on Pinterest here!
9. Install an Interactive “Hover” Button
After creating great content, provide your audience the ability to pin it to their boards. There are WordPress Plug-ins you can install that make this super easy and operational in a cinch! Your pinners will literally save your images in real-time by hovering over images or clicking on the classic red button.
Just take into account that this button won’t appear on mobiles.
10. Follow Pinterest on Pinterest!
Last, but not least, follow Pinterest! They share the latest and most trending pins on the platform using their Smart Feed algorithm. Not only are you exposed to quality rich pins from other pinners, you directly see what Pinterest is raving about in popular topics. What better recognition is there than Pinterest pinning your pins?!
And, of course, the most important tip of all for Pinterest: Your pins are as individual as you are.Click To Tweet
Don’t blindly follow all strategies, but do pay attention to your analytics and do more of what is getting your biggest response!
Looking to join a Pinterest board to share your blog posts?
The following boards on my Pinterest Account are open and accepting new members:
Online Biz Savvy
Bodacious Bloggers
Social Media Mavens
Pinning Pretty
Each board has a focus so just follow the directions to be included!
Apply to join! Can’t wait to see the new content.
Need a strategist to help you pin your business to success, contact me.
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I love the Pinterest top row idea! I have been meaning to do this. Thanks for the reminder 😉
-Hanna @ South2City
Glad you like, Hanna! Pinterest is a pretty awesome platform that is transforming the way businesses/bloggers/entrepreneurs share their content.
Thanks for the tips. I’ve been avoiding Pinterest in large part because I haven’t really had a good idea of how to approach it. I’m gonna give it a try
Yes, give it a try! It will pay off in the end. Feel free to contact me if you run into any issues. Always happy to help!
Great article Tennille! I love Tailwind too <3
Thank you, Jennifer. Tailwind is an excellent app for Pinterest AND Instagram. I’ve been very happy with the layout and process of uploading and scheduling posts. Hearting them!
Awesome article, another design tool you could add that are similar to Canva and GetStencil is Snappa.com
I haven’t tried Snappa! Thanks for the share!
Thank you so much for all of these wonderful tips! I definitely have to clean up my Pinterest profile and get rid of old boards. Is there a faster way to delete old boards?
The only way I know how to do it is individually. You can make it a Secret board if you want to keep the pins you’ve curated.