10 Tips On How To Get Traffic From Pinterest To Your Blog
Looking to find out how to get traffic from Pinterest to your blog? Pinterest is the breeding ground for new and upcoming bloggers. The problem is that new users may not understand the platform or know exactly what it takes to make a splash on the Pinterest platform.
Stop worrying about other social media platforms and begin focusing on Pinterest. The platform is great for building an audience as well as increasing your overall organic traffic. By following these 10 tips on how to get traffic from Pinterest to your blog you will:
- Increase traffic to your website and blog posts
- Increase your Pinterest following
- Have opportunities for organic growth
- Establish an audience
- Have the opportunity to connect with other bloggers in your niche
- Increase your chances of obtaining backlinks
Sign Up For A Pinterest Business Account
What’s the difference between a Pinterest Business Account and regular account you may ask? A Pinterest Business Account will allow you to measure your overall pinning efforts through Pinterest Analytics.
Pinterest Analytics provides valuable insight into how your pins are performing. All your data is compiled in a user-friendly dashboard where you can see a variety of information including:
- What pins are receiving the most activity
- What content is being pinned directly from your website
- The dates you receive the most activity
- Your audience demographic
- The devices your audience uses
Apart from being able to measure your Pinterest Analytics, having a business account also provides you with the opportunity to apply for Rich Pins.
Rich Pins are organic Pin formats that provide more context than that of a normal Pin. The benefits of implementing Rich Pins include displaying more information in the grid layout.
There are 5 types of Pinterest Rich Pins you can use: App, Product, Recipe and Article. Article Rich Pins are most beneficial for bloggers. We will cover more on that later.
Pin At the Right Times
Pinterest pumps out content regularly every hour of every day, making it difficult to build a following without any knowledge on when the best time is for posting a new Pin.
This is where the benefits of having a Pinterest Business Account comes in. Having the analytics of when you have the most activity can help with compiling a Pinterest posting strategy.
Identify when your main audience is online and the type of activity they engage in when visiting the site.
Studies conducted by Fannit have found that the best time to Pin new content is between 8 pm and 11 pm and between 2 am and 4 am EST. Other studies have found that the best day of the week to Pin is on Saturdays when most users are active.
Now, this is just general data. The best times and days of the week to Pin can also depend on your niche. Take a look at what one study found for the best days to Pin depending on the category.
- Sunday: Food and Crafts
- Monday: Fitness
- Tuesday: Gadgets and technology
- Wednesday: Quotes
- Thursday: Outfits and fashion
- Friday: Gifts and humor
- Saturday: Travel
Know Your Pinterest Audience
Going hand and hand with when to post, you need to know who you’re posting for.
250 million people use Pinterest every month. Once you begin growing a following, take a look at your audience’s demographics. Identifying your audience’s characteristics will help you in constructing Pins tailored for them.
Generally speaking, Pinterest’s main demographic is women being 83% of total users. However, even if your blog is tailored to men you will be happy to know that 50% of new sign-ups were men in 2018.
People use Pinterest for a variety of reasons. There is definitely an audience out there for you. Once you find them, build your Pinterest content around their interests and behaviors.
Create Eye-Catching Pinterest Images
On Pinterest, it is all about images! The image you add to your Pin is what will influence users to click on it. You have to go further than throwing up any ordinary image. They need to be welcoming and built for engagement. Follow these simple Pinterest image tips for creating the best Pinterest images:
Pinterest Image Size
A classic rookie mistake that most make when first starting out on Pinterest is uploading images that aren’t Pinterest friendly. Unlike other popular social media websites, Pinterest emphasizes vertical images. The exact dimensions you should be using when editing your Pinterest photos are 600 X 900 pixels or a 2:3 ratio.
Copy Over Image
Having just a plain image won’t cut it on Pinterest. Add some stand-out text on top of your image. Preferably copy that explains what your Pin is about. Think of it as an advertisement. You want a statement followed by a little more information that will draw the user in. The whole goal is to sell the Pin without giving to much information away.
Image Authenticity
Even though stock images will get you by, taking your own photos will add authenticity to your pins. If you’re not looking to use photographs in your Pins you can add authentic value by adding your own graphics, fonts, layouts, etc. The takeaway from this tip is to use an image that you created!
Additional Recommended Image Requirements
Brand each image you create. Include your blog’s name and the website logo. This will add authenticity to your Pins and will also help with building your brand.
If you have an Adobe Creative Cloud account they offer a tool called Adobe Spark. Adobe Spark has Pinterest templates available that make for easy to create Pinterest images.
There are also free photo editing software’s available that can help you construct beautiful Pinterest images such as Pixlr Editor.
Write A Thought-Out Copy Description
Think of your image as the cover over a book. Now, your description is the inside that tells a synopsis about the book. You got their attention now you want to give them enough detail to want to continue reading.
For bloggers, the description should include your blog post’s headline and a description of what the blog post is about.
Again, you want to focus on engagement here so your copy should do one of three things:
- Entice Interest: This is accomplished by playing on the user’s emotion through a bold statement or question.
- Be Helpful: This is more so for “How To” blogs or similar. This description lists key points without giving away too much information.
- Call for Action: This makes the reader want to click the link ASAP. It is perfect for giveaways or if you have a piece of content that you feel is extremely valuable.
Your copy should also be written with SEO in mind. Using keywords in your headline and throughout your description will make it easier for you to be discovered organically.
Get Discovered With Pinterest Hashtags
Like every other social platform, hashtags increase your chances of being discovered on Pinterest. They are what Pinterest users use to search for content on the platform. They are what you use to begin generating followers and traffic if you don’t already have an established presence.
You want to use hashtags that are relevant to what your content is about. Conduct some research by going through what hashtags other users in your niche are using. It is also beneficial to check out what is trending at the moment.
Hashtags also offer you the opportunity to begin branding yourself. Among the hashtags you add to your description, come up with one that reflects your own personal blog.
Pinterest recommends including a maximum of 20 hashtags within each of your Pins.
Join & Create Pinterest Group Boards
Pinterest Group Boards is a board owned by one person who adds other pinners to contribute pins to that board. In a way, it is like joining a community. It is a collaborative environment that can increase your exposure on Pinterest.
You can both create your own Pinterest Group Boards or join Group Boards that already exist.
For new Pinterest users, joining a Group Board will help with increasing your following as well as gaining exposure. Here is how to find and join one:
- Search for terms in your niche and filter the results by “Boards”
- Identify any boards that appear to have multiple contributors
- Start a dialogue with the owner of the board. Begin with pinning their content and commenting.
- Ask the owner of the board to join.
There are some Group Boards that will have instructions on how to request to join, making this process easier. Once you have been accepted begin pinning your content that is related to that board.
Focus On Pinterest Article Pins
Going back to Rich Pins, every blogger looking to drive traffic up through Pinterest should implement Article Pins.
Article Pins show more information than that of a tradition Pin. They display your blog’s headline or title, the description and the author of the blog.
They are an upgrade to normal Pins giving you the advantage of standing out among hundreds of other bloggers.
Applying for Article Pins is simple, especially if you run a WordPress website. Find out more about how to add Article Pins to your website.
Engage With Other Pinterest Users in Your Niche
It is no secret that engagement is still extremely beneficial on social media platforms. It can be tiresome scrolling through endless Pins, but by engaging with content that is not yours, you are increasing your exposure.
Interacting with others who are in your niche will help you become part of the conversation. However, this goes beyond simply pressing the “Pin It” button.
For engagement to actually be beneficial it is recommended that you leave well-thought-out comments on Pins. Personally, if it is a topic I have insight or an opinion on, I will leave a comment addressing my thoughts. Doing this, keeps the conversation going.
However, if you’re just starting out, avoid leaving any negative comments altogether. Doing this could be detrimental to launching your Pinterest account.
The bare minimum you should be doing each day from an engagement standpoint is this:
- Leave at least 5 comments on Pins that are not yours each day.
- Save at least 3 Pins that are not yours to your own Pinterest Boards.
- Follow a minimum of 5 Pinterest Boards each week.
Make It Easy For Others to Pin Your Content
You want to make your content as easy to Pin as possible.
There are plenty of Pinterest Plugins available that will transform your website into a Pinterest Pinning hub. But, if you don’t want your website clouded by Pinterest Plugins, there is one type of plugin that is important to have.
Along with the Pin It button, be sure to have some kind of other plugins that allows your blog visitors to share your content with as little as a click of a button.