I had an overwhelming amount of requests on my last post for tips on how to get started with Pinterest and use it to drive traffic to your blog. When I first started blogging, Pinterest was an app that was not on my radar at all. I actually thought Pinterest was just a personal scrapbook where you save random stuff like recipes and wedding ideas. Pinterest is actually those things, but it’s so much more!
I didn’t realise that Pinterest could be a great source of traffic till I stumbled across it on an article that talked about ways you could drive traffic to your blog. I was intrigued, but I was shocked when I found out that 90% of some bloggers traffic came from Pinterest.
I wanted to know more so I read many articles which were mostly confusing, but I slowly began to get it and now my Pinterest game is improving! I’m shocked at how Pinterest brings a steady amount of traffic to my blog. I can’t say the same about my other social media accounts which only peak whenever I post something new and I don’t have the time to post daily.
Before I begin, I am by no means a Pinterest expert. I think I’m the last person that should be giving advice on Pinterest but since a lot of people really want to know how to use Pinterest from my perspective, I am happy to make this post!
My traffic from Pinterest is also pitiful compared to other bloggers and I am still figuring it out. I only started using Pinterest last month after half-assing it for 3 months! The improvement is amazing and thats why I’m beginning to really like Pinterest. So as I go along, I will continue to share what I have learned from Pinterest to you!
So What Is Pinterest Anyway?
Pinterest is a social media/ bookmarking site that allows you to share, search and “pin” any interesting image you find on the internet. You can organise your interests in board, re-pin other people’s photos and follow them. Pinterest is filled with photographs, recipes, informatics and many more stuff. Which is why it is perfect for bloggers.
How Does The Algorithm Work?
The reason why I like Pinterest in particular is because your feed is highly tailored to your interests. If you have ever used Pinterest, you would notice that when you search for something (like chicken nuggets) and go back to you home page, similar photos of what you searched for will begin to pop up on your feed.
This good as a blogger because your stuff can pop up on someones homepage without you having thousands of followers or re-pins. However, I recently learnt that Pinterest favours accounts that pin often. So I strive to pin 5-10 things each day.
Creating Your Pinterest Profile
Your profile is really important in Pinterest and it’s important for it to be visually pleasing and easy to read/navigate. With a good profile, you will appear higher in search results and allow readers to visit your blog! Here are some of the things our Pinterest profile needs:
- A business account.
- An easy to read bio that explains what your blog is about.
- A profile picture
- An explanatory username
- Seven to twenty boards related to your blogging topic.
First of all, you need to create a business account. Which you can easily do here. Having a business account gives you access to Pinterest analytics and ads. Which is invaluable for a blogger. Just like viewing your blogging stats, it’s also good to view your Pinterest stats to see what Pins were popular, insights into your followers and average daily impressions! Here’s a snapshot of my recent stats!
Quick Tip: You also need to confirm your website is yours on Pinterest! Here’s a guide to help you achieve that.
Now, on to my Pinterest profile. I currently have 16 boards consisting of things I enjoy but are somewhat related to my niche. I add a new board every 2 weeks. Theres a lot of makeup, hair, beauty and photography pictures/tips.
It is important to pin within your niche because the if people that follow you are interested in your pins, they will probably click and visit your blog!
Your bio also needs to convey what your blog is about in a few words. Be direct and straight to the point. There’s usually no need to beat around the bush in the bio section. The perfect bio should ideally explain what you do and there should be a link to your website so people can visit it straight from your profile!
It may be helpful to have a username that contains a tagline of what your blog is about. This is to make it easier for people visiting your blog and pinning your posts to know what type of blogger you are.
Finally, a profile picture. Duh! You don’t need to think too much about this one because I didn’t. Just make sure you have a profile picture there! You could use a clear selfie of your face and you’re good to go!
Pinterest Boards
Once you’re done with your bio, you can usually start searching for photos and pinning right away! Search for things relevant to your niche that can be organised in a board. Once you see something you like, click the pin button and create a board for it to be located it. It’s that simple!
Here are some things a board needs:
- A strong description (Oops I haven’t completed this lmao.)
- A straight to the point title.
- Cohesive set of posts with a minimum of 20 pins.
It’s also good to pin popular and visually appealing pins. It seems like the more popular a pin is, the more people will find it and consequently visit your page. So because of that, I strive to strategically pin high quality or popular pins each time.
You may also need to create a separate board for your blog so all your personal blog pins go there.
Once you’re pinning other people’s photos, you can inject some of your personal pins into the mix! However, you shouldn’t spam your boards with all your pins. 80% of your pins should be other people’s pins and 20% should be yours. So always try to balance it out.
That is all you need for making you Pinterest profile ready! Once you have a legit looking profile, you will definitely get more visits to your blog.
I sincerely hope this was as helpful as possible. I was once confused starting out on Pinterest so I’m happy to be helping other people navigate this website even though I’m still a baby blogger/Pinterester.
This post is just how to build an optimum Pinterest profile but there is so much more things you can learn about Pinterest too.
In my subsequent posts, I will discuss about making your images pinnable, how to edit them and promote them and pinning strategies to increase your exposure. These tips really increased my engagement and I hope they work for you too.
Thank you so much for reading and give my baby Pinterest account a follow!
GIRL! If I wasn’t on my phone I would pin this to my blogging board because this is SERIOUSLY useful… I love Pinterest as a blogging tool, But im terrible at using it x
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Haha thank you so much girl! I’m really glad I could make things clearer for you. 💕
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Woah I haven’t thought of using Pinterest to gain blog traffic. Thank you so much for this post!!
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I’ve learnt that it’s one of the top ways to get traffic as a blogger! You should definitely look into it 💕Thank you for commenting!
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Thanks for the tip!! ❤ And no problem x
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Very useful for me
Thank you
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You’re very welcome!
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Pinterest is so important for bloggers. I’m slowly trying to master it. Thanks for the advice Pearl. X
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It really is great for traffic! Same here I’m learning new things everyday. Thank you so much 💕
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I know. Isn’t it awesome how much we can actually learn each day.
Most welcome. X
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It really awesome especially when it all comes together and finally starts to make sense!
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Great article! I love Pinterest and now you have shown me how to use it to increase visits to my blog. Thank you!
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Thank you so much. There’s still a lot to learn but the basics is getting a Pinterest ready profile. I’m glad I could help you! 💕
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Thank you for the tips! One question though, do you have to have the WordPress business plan in order to claim your site through Pinterest?
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You’re welcome! No you don’t need a business plan at all. I’m currently using the free plan and I could confirm my site without any issues!
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All the posts I’m reading at telling me to download a plug in? Where do you add the meta tag? (from the link you suggested?)
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I’m sorry, I’ve done it now. I didn’t scroll down enough. Thank you again!
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I was just about to start using my Pinterest for my blog this was perfect timing and super helpful! Thank you! Xx
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That’s great! I’m really glad this was helpful. Thank you for the lovely comment ❤️
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Wow Didn’t know pinterest works that way! Great tips! Need to try them xx
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Thank you! I’m glad I could help 💕💕
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This was super useful, thanks a lot! xx
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You’re very welcome ❤️
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This is a really insightful post. I personally started getting the hang of Pinterest this year and I’m hooked. Definitely pinning this. Do follow me – WanShyGirl
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I’m definitely hooked on Pinterest too! Thank you for the comment girl 💕💕
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Omg thank you so much!!! This is was so helpful
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I’m so so glad I could help you 💕 Thank you for commenting!
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This was amazing and super helpful!! Thank you soooo much!! This will definitely come in handy!!
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You’re so welcome! I’m really glad you found this useful xx
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Thank youuuuu for the hindsight!! Gosh i am struggling with my pinterest and the blog u post is the answer ❤️ xoxo
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I feel you girl Pinterest can be confusing at times! I’m really glad I could help you though 💕💕
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I’ve been considering making a Pinterest business account, I’ve heard lots of other bloggers talking about it. I may consider giving it a go. Thanks for sharing these tips Pearl!
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Thanks Angela! Yes a business account is really worth it. Do give it a try! Thank you for the lovely comment girl 💕💕
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Amazing tips! Thank you for sharing!!
https://dolvella.com
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You’re very welcome!! ❤️❤️
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Ah ha! This is something that I’ve been struggling with, how to separate my blogs site from all the rest.. excellent idea! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Seems like a no brainer!
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Thank you very much! Im really glad this was helpful. It seems like a no brainer but its pretty easy to look over right? Thank you for commenting ❤
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That is very useful.
Am going to do it now.
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Thank you! I’m glad you liked it ❤
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Thanks so much for the tips! I have been trying to get a grip of this whole Pinterest thing. SO much to learn on the business side of things!
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It is a lot to learn! But its really fun once you get the hang of it! ❤ Thank you for commenting.
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Thank you for posting this dear 😊😊 I found this super helpful. I’ve been thinking about creating a pinterest for my blog. Love your tips x x
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Thank you for this post! I started using pinterest after reading this. It would be helpful if you tell me how to confirm my website on my pinterest account. Thanks again!
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You’re welcome! It’s pretty straightforward.
Go to settings in Pinterest and add your personal website address there. It would usually say “confirm website” and Pinterest will give you a meta tag (like a code) to paste into your blog.
So go to your WordPress dashboard (www.exampleblog.wordpress.com/wp-admin)
Then go to Tools –> available tools and paste the meta tag in the Pinterest field. Then save it.
Go back to Pinterest and click complete verification.
Then you’re done!
I hope this was explanatory enough 💕
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Thanks. This was helpful, I confirmed it! 🙂
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This is more than valuable info! Like I know Pinterest is useful and all. But trying to figure it out has been like working on Calculux so I just decided to go with the flow with it. But this here just saved my blog life. Thanks girl 😊
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