How to Leverage Pinterest to Grow Your Blog

In this episode, Jenna gives an overview of using Pinterest as a blogger. She answers questions such as – Is it still worth it to start a Pinterest account? Do keywords matter? Can you really earn money just from posting Idea Pins? And what the heck is Pin TV? Jenna dives into all of that and more!

Resources

• Bonus Programs for Content Creators
• Want to start a blog? Read this guide!
• Ready to monetize? The Ultimate Guide to Pitching Brands teaches you how to pitch paid brand deals.

Craving community? Join the Content Creators Collective for weekly accountability, monthly challenges, co-working calls, and more!

Chapters

• 0:25 Intro
• 1:44 Setting up a business account
• 3:05 Filling out your profile
• 4:46 Pinterest boards
• 5:44 Pinterest keyword research
• 7:41 Designing your pins
• 8:39 Idea pins & reward program
• 9:37 Pinterest TV
• 11:09 Outro

Transcript

Speaker A: Welcome to the Blogger Bites podcast.

Speaker A: I'm your host, Jenna Urban.

Speaker A: This is a podcast for bloggers, influencers, and content creators.

Speaker A: Here I'll share transparent advice, plus emerging tools and platforms to empower you, to establish your brand, serve your audience, and monetize your influence.

Speaker A: I'm so happy you're here.

Speaker A: You.

Speaker A: In today's episode, we're going to be chatting all things Pinterest.

Speaker A: I'm going to be answering questions such as, should you be using Pinterest?

Speaker A: How do I set up my account in boards?

Speaker A: Do keywords actually matter?

Speaker A: Can I really earn money just from posting idea Pins?

Speaker A: And what the heck is Pintv?

Speaker A: We're going to dive into all of that and more.

Speaker A: So, to give you a little background in context, I started my blog and pinning for my blog in 2016.

Speaker A: But I was using Pinterest as a user way before that.

Speaker A: I used to use it to pin weekly meal plans, motivational quotes, sorority inspo, and even to help plan my wedding.

Speaker A: So when I started my blog, it was really a no brainer that, of course, I would share Pins to drive traffic back to my blog.

Speaker A: Fast forward to today.

Speaker A: My Pinterest strategy really hasn't changed all that much all these years later, there's a few key steps I take for optimizing my profile, my boards, and my Pins that I believe play a key role in making Pinterest my second top refer after Google.

Speaker A: Actually, for many years, Pinterest was my number one traffic driver, but now it's a relatively close second.

Speaker A: So let's dive in.

Speaker A: First question, should bloggers use Pinterest?

Speaker A: My answer heck yes.

Speaker A: So I want you to know that it's a long game, but eventually it can drive significant traffic to multiple blog posts.

Speaker A: Not just one, but many.

Speaker A: All right, so I've got your attention, and if you don't already have an account set up, you might be wondering, all right, let's do this.

Speaker A: How do I dive in?

Speaker A: So, just a few quick tips.

Speaker A: You're definitely going to want to set it up as a business profile.

Speaker A: And underneath your business profile, you can choose what type of business it is I have blogger selected, but maybe that's not as accurate for you.

Speaker A: Maybe you want to choose creator, influencer, or publisher.

Speaker A: Know that you have the options to change and that these things can be updated.

Speaker A: There's also a section to pick up to three business account goals, and those include sell more products, generate more leads, drive traffic to your site, create content on Pinterest to grow an audience or to grow brand awareness.

Speaker A: And so it's really important to set up your account as a business account, because that gives you features that the personal accounts just don't have, such as business hub and Pinterest analytics.

Speaker A: And now that you have your account, you're going to want to fill it out.

Speaker A: You're going to want to upload a profile picture and a cover image.

Speaker A: I actually named mine my food blog account.

Speaker A: It's.

Speaker A: My name Jenna Urban.

Speaker A: And my blog name the Urban Life.

Speaker A: So it's extremely searchable and easy to identify that it's me and my blog and this is what you're going to find on it.

Speaker A: I also claimed my website, so the URL displays first thing on my profile.

Speaker A: So let's talk a little bit more about building out your profile and some key tips to keep in mind.

Speaker A: So your profile bio or description if you will, should really be a short and sweet blurb about what users can expect to see if they follow you, or if they're just browsing your Pins.

Speaker A: If they come across your profile, what do you share?

Speaker A: So I prefer for mine to read like a conversation, but I'm also being mindful that I need to include keywords such as delicious and healthy recipes, always dairy free and egg free.

Speaker A: So mine actually reads and you can edit this from time to time, but currently mine reads here you'll find simple seasonal meal ideas, homemade cocktails, and allergy friendly travel guides.

Speaker A: So really hone in on what your content pillars are and what you're really sharing on Pinterest.

Speaker A: There's thousands of variations, but try to put your own personal touch on these.

Speaker A: And just remember, you can always edit and tweak as you go.

Speaker A: It's important to publish and move on.

Speaker A: As I like to say.

Speaker A: And I always remind myself, published is better than perfect.

Speaker A: So let's go into your board descriptions.

Speaker A: And similar to how I filled out my profile, I think of my board descriptions pretty similar.

Speaker A: So it's the ideal place to optimize your account with keywords explaining what the board is about.

Speaker A: You don't just want to list keywords or include a block of hashtags.

Speaker A: And speaking of hashtags, just don't use them.

Speaker A: Just don't use hashtags on Pinterest.

Speaker A: But for example, my Dairy Free Breakfast board description reads easy, dairy free and egg free breakfast recipes to kickstart your day.

Speaker A: Also, my Dairy Free appetizers reads a collection of the best dairy free appetizer recipes that are perfect for afternoon snacks, serving at parties, or enjoying just before dinner.

Speaker A: So you can see that I did some research on keywords, but I still want it to feel conversational and not just keyword after keyword.

Speaker A: I've touched on adding keywords to your profile and descriptions, but before digging into Pins and Pin titles and beyond, let's chat for a second on four ways to find keywords for your content.

Speaker A: So first, you're going to want to go into Pinterest trends to see what your audience is loving, plus what content is popular on Pinterest as a whole.

Speaker A: And you can filter and really dial in to specific keywords.

Speaker A: And you can also check the keyword interest over time.

Speaker A: So is it a seasonal keyword or is it pretty level throughout the year?

Speaker A: This will help you identify what keywords and phrases you should include throughout your profile.

Speaker A: Second, once you have a keyword or two, type it into the pinterest search bar.

Speaker A: Let's take Smoothie Bowl as an example.

Speaker A: Along the top of the page, you'll see a handful of related keywords such as Recipe easy and how to make.

Speaker A: I want you to jot those down as they're showing you what actual users are typing in.

Speaker A: Third, for certain keywords, you'll also notice that drop down option.

Speaker A: It can vary based on what you're searching, but it can really help you refine exactly what users are searching for.

Speaker A: So let's use our Smoothie Bowl example for that one.

Speaker A: The drop down, it says fruits, so if you click on it, you can see you can filter it by mango, strawberry, oranges, and so on.

Speaker A: New example if you search casserole, you can refine it by meal, like breakfast or dinner.

Speaker A: All of this gives you clues into how users search and find Pins on Pinterest, and how, if you utilize these tools correctly, users will find your pretty little Pins.

Speaker A: And lastly, just use common sense.

Speaker A: Put yourself in the user's shoes, make it easy for them to find your content, include descriptive sentences and be straightforward.

Speaker A: Remember the quote be clear, not cute.

Speaker A: Now let's chat about the actual Pins.

Speaker A: Before you start designing your Pins in Photoshop, or canva check out what's already ranking high on the page, is everyone using the same red color?

Speaker A: Because maybe you want to consider switching it up to stand out.

Speaker A: To me, what's made the biggest impact for increasing not only impressions, but click throughs to my blog is make sure the Pin is easy to read and easy to scan.

Speaker A: Remember, most users are using their little phone app, some are on desktop, but still we are scrolling and scrolling, so you want that thumbstop as quickly as possible.

Speaker A: Lastly, for naming your Pin title and description, use that same tactic we use to fill out your profile and board descriptions.

Speaker A: And personally, I pin each new Pin to its relevant board and then track using Insights in Pinterest Analytics and Google Analytics.

Speaker A: Don't obsess over these, but keep an eye on it.

Speaker A: I want to switch gears a little bit to chat about Idea Pins.

Speaker A: These are formerly named story pins.

Speaker A: They began rolling out in 2020, and now most users have access to them.

Speaker A: If you don't, or if you're new to them, think Instagram IG stories with images, videos, stickers songs, et cetera.

Speaker A: The really cool thing about Idea Pins is that Pinterest has a rewards program that you can earn up to a couple thousand dollars a month, literally, just from posting Idea Pins consistently or from different engagement incentives.

Speaker A: The program seems to change month for month, but in general, you can earn $200 for posting one Idea Pin a week for the entire month.

Speaker A: Other rewards are based on how many saves your Idea Pins get, but there's opportunities to earn a nice chunk of extra cash.

Speaker A: I have a full blog post over this and different creative reward programs that I'll be sure to link in the show notes.

Speaker A: Lastly, but certainly not least, let's chat Pintv.

Speaker A: Let's talk about it.

Speaker A: Pinterest TV.

Speaker A: It's still relatively new.

Speaker A: If you go onto your Pinterest mobile app, you'll see a little TV icon.

Speaker A: Press that to see upcoming and previous episodes.

Speaker A: Most live episodes are 30 minutes or 1 hour.

Speaker A: And what's really cool is that currently only one creator can go live at any given time on Pinterest.

Speaker A: I've had the opportunity to go live on Pintv a couple of times and y'all, it is so cool, it is so much fun and it's surprisingly seamless.

Speaker A: What I mean is, sometimes when new tools or platforms roll out, they're a little clunky, but I haven't experienced that all with Pintv.

Speaker A: So I'd love to share some benefits of hosting on Pinterest TV, as well as some tips if you have an episode schedule.

Speaker A: So really the benefits include reaching a new broad audience that you can connect in real time and you can gain new followers.

Speaker A: You have the ability to link to blog posts or affiliate links, and when I've done that, I see an immediate spike in traffic and I'm experimenting with capturing those as new email subscribers.

Speaker A: As far as tips go, I recommend you to prepare an outline and have some questions in mind that you can easily answer.

Speaker A: I also really suggest that you lean into that chat box, encourage users to follow you, ask where they're from, drop their favorite emoji, and really just have fun.

Speaker A: So that's all I've got for you for leveraging Pinterest in 2022 to wrap this episode up.

Speaker A: Yes, you should definitely be pinning as a blogger on Pinterest, even if it's just one pin per new post.

Speaker A: Do what you can use keywords so your content is searchable.

Speaker A: Set some time aside to optimize your account, and be sure to track Pin insights both in Pinterest Analytics and Google Analytics.

Speaker A: If you post idea Pins, be on the lookout for your invite to join their rewards program.

Speaker A: And lastly, keep an eye out on Pintv.

Speaker A: It's growing in popularity day by day.

Speaker A: Thanks so much for joining me this week.

Speaker A: Before you go, make sure to subscribe for the podcast so you can receive new episodes right when they're released.

Speaker A: And if you're enjoying the episodes, I'd love to ask you to please leave a review.

Speaker A: It takes just a few seconds, but makes a huge difference and means a ton to me personally.

Speaker A: Thank you again for joining me, Jenna Urban and this episode of Bloggerbytes.

Speaker A: Next episode we're diving into Facebook groups.

Speaker A: See you then.