An unsung hero amongst the more commonly shouted-about social media channels, with over 250 million people around the globe using Pinterest every month, it’s the one platform where users are actively seeking out new ideas and new products. They come to Pinterest to plan and to buy.
Not on Pinterest yet? Or haven’t made the most of your account? Here are seven quick tips to get you off to a flying start:
One: Set up or switch to a business account and claim your website
First up, you really need to create a business account so that you can take advantage of all the free Pinterest analytics. If you already have a personal Pinterest account, you can easily convert it to a business one, or add a separate business profile to it which will enable you to quickly switch between personal and professional at a click of a button. While you’re in your account settings, take a minute to claim your website, too. This will give you access to more website analytics and your profile picture will show up next to any Pins that result from your site.
Two: Apply for Rich Pins
Next up, apply for Rich Pins. These are Pins that include more information than an average Pin as they include all the metadata from the content source. This makes them more attractive to potential Pinners and makes them infinitely more Pinnable. Applying for Rich Pins is a two-step process and you can read more about it here.
Three: Connect your RSS feed to your business account
A great time saver; if you connect your RSS feed to your Pinterest account, Pins will be created automatically for you whenever you publish new content on your website. You might want to create additional Pins for that content at a later date but it’s great to know that it will be done for you if you’re struggling to juggle everything. Pinterest have published a handy step-by-step guide to walk you through the necessary steps.
Four: Download the Pinterest app
Success on Pinterest requires consistency, therefore, regular Pinning. But before you worry about having to create more and more and more and more content, it doesn’t have to be your own Pins. Think about what your audience/customers will be interested in and repin content from other sources … sources that back up your own beliefs or that nicely link with what your business is about. Download the Pinterest app and Pin on the go to save yourself valuable time.
Five: Think ahead with your content planning
Remember that people start planning for big events and celebrations ahead of time. Therefore, Pinterest advises Pinning content 2 to 3 months in advance of seasons, occasions and milestones. For example, got a great Christmas cake recipe? Pin it in December and you’ll miss all the search traffic from people starting to plan and Pin their perfect Christmas in October and November. You want your content/products to be showcased in plenty of time for people to take inspiration from them.
Six: Give Story Pins a go
New for 2019/2020 are Story Pins – the feature is currently being rolled out, so if you don’t have the option to create one yet, don’t worry, you soon will. With the ability to include 20 pages of images, text and multiple links, Story Pins are probably the most immersive Pin format, and high-quality Story Pins are being repinned A LOT. Think of them as a mini blog or highlight reel giving people more of a flavour of the content you have to offer on your main blog or website.
Story Pins are particularly good for recipe and craft posts where you can share step by step images, or travel features sharing snippets or tips from a particular trip or itinerary. We’re yet to see whether having that much information in a single Pin will stop people clicking through for more details, though.
Seven: Check your Insights regularly
Once you’re all set up, don’t forget to keep an eye on your Insights. These will tell you what your existing and potential customers are interested in based on what they’re Pinning and engaging with. And remember to check your Google Analytics too to understand which Pins are resulting in the most click-throughs to your website or blog. That’s one of the most important metrics of all!
Leave a Reply