I have read a lot about Pinterest sending tons of traffic to bloggers and that’s how I started working with Pinterest. While I fell off the bandwagon very soon as I couldn’t focus much on pinning, I realized that I still kept getting traffic for older pins and still do…

I wondered how I still was getting traffic without actively pinning… and soon realised its all because my account has been setup properly. Account setup is one of the keys to helping Pinterest understand what your Pinterest account is all about.

If it is cohesive, it will signal to Pinterest that your account is all about the niche you are targeting.

Not only that you will be finding that you can generate a ton of traffic to your website.

Everytime you pin, your pin will be positioned correctly in the Pinterest algorithm and will be shown to the right audience.

So in this article you will learn how to set up Pinterest the right way.

You can also join my video series on setting up Pinterest for success.

Pinterest Strategy for Bloggers

As a blogger, you can set up an automated funnel of leads that are generated on auto-pilot using Pinterest. Pinterest has an algorithm which is still in its infancy as compared to the search engines like Google.

Wait.. did I not mention that Pinterest is a search engine?

Yes Pinterest is a search engine and how well you optimise your profile, pins and description determines how high you rank in the Pinterest search.

I have also found another benefit for bloggers… Pinterest images show up in the Google search. This leads to backlinks and lots of visibility.

So I feel Pinterest is a strategy that can work to the advantage of most niches and bloggers should utilize this.

How to use Pinterest to drive Traffic to your website

Here is an amazingly simple strategy to drive traffic to your website from Pinterest. Do some keyword research for your article. Here is how I go about it

I search in Google and Pinterest for topics I am interested in writing about. Now look at the pins which show up and discover the intent of the pins.

We are interested in learning what Google and Pinterest are assuming people are interested in when they are searching for a topic.

Next, figure out the best topics you want to write about which

• Fits the overall niche of your website
• You are passionate about
• You can write about with confidence

Now write on these topics. Try to understand the competition of the topic you have picked.

If it’s low competition, then 1500 to 1800 words should suffice.

If it’s medium completion we need a little bit more content. High competition topics require massive pieces of content. For high competition you should be writing at least 6000 words of content.

If you are an established website you can pick topics which are more competitive and still rank easily.

Site authority and age of website does seem to help in article rankings.

Next embed Pinterest images on the article before you publish.

Ensure that you have the key elements addressed in the pin as addressed below.

How to use Pinterest images on the Blog

Pinterest works on images hence the pin images should

• Convey what the pin is about ( the design and text on pin)
• Help the user understand what you are trying to address when viewing the pin ( the intent)
• Help Pinterest what the pin is about ( pin name, the description, tags)

For this step use canva or PowerPoint to create pins.

Canva has default pin templates making it super easy to create pins

Make sure that you name the pin correctly ( include your keyword in the name of the pin.

Pin dimensions matter a lot. I would recommend using the templates provided in Canva as they have used the Pinterest recommended sizes.

Place the pin on the page and add an alt text.

There are some advanced techniques mentioned in this Pinterest course which help a lot.

How to pin your blog post on Pinterest

Pinning your posts on Pinterest is a science in itself.

It isn’t about creating pins and randomly pinning on pinterest.

For pinning to be effective, timeless and maybe go viral, you should understand how Pinterest works.

Pinterest has to understand your pin and give it a place in its infinite number of pins about the topic.

So in order for Pinterest to read your pin it needs to look at the image on your pin, read the text.

Yes Pinterest can understand the image and figure out what the image is about.

It is important to use relevant images in your pin.

If the pin is about candle making, then candles, wax , person making candles has to be the images used.

You can potentially use any images you want but having relevant images will ensure that the pins rank.

Try to use your own images if possible. Royalty free images freely available on the internet have been sued and reused multiple times.

These could have been used in another context, hence your pin will be identified as a pin for another topic.

As an example you have used the picture of a lady for your teaching business.

Let’s assume the same image had been used previously for a parenting pin, another person used it for their anxiety related pins.

So Pinterest has already associated this images with other topics and your pin will be wrongly categorised as maybe a parenting pin ( not your intended teaching pin)

The Strategy

• Put a lot of thought in using the right image ( or no image) and text
• Pin to the most relevant board on your Pinterest account
• Optimise the pin description with relevant keywords

Now the right method of pinning includes having an optimised Pinterest account.

Let’s learn on how to do that the right way.

Create Pinterest Business Account

It is recommended to use a Pinterest business account.

Here are a few reasons why you should create a Pinterest business account.

• You get access to analytics
• Your pins will be showing up with the business name
• You can link your account with YouTube , Etsy, Instagram
• You can access the Pinterest ads platform to perform free keyword research
• You can use Pinterest trends to intensify keyword research

Pinterest business account is free to create. It offers many additional features.

The analytics can help you understand the statistics such as how many impressions your account had, the number of clicks it got, your most viral pins, pins sending the most clicks to your website.

Pinterest Traffic

Pinterest traffic as per many studies converts very well as compared to other sources such as Facebook.

Pinners are mostly women and they have the intent to buy, be inspired and usually take action.

Having relevant pins to the topic being searched, and the associated article also relevant to the topic will help convert easier.

Pinning Strategy

There are typically two types of pinning strategies. One is manual pinning, the other uses pinning automation using tailwind.

Strategy 1 Course – Automated

Strategy 2 Course – Manual

Recently Facebook groups have Pinners talking about how the reach from their pins has been low.

There are reports of Pinterest traffic dropping.

Some attribute it to tailwind and automation.

There is a general consensus that automation done in moderation can help.

The choice basically is time versus effort.

If you have more time go the manual pinning route, if you are okay with some effort then check out the manual pinning course mentioned above.