How I Grew My Pinterest Traffic to Nearly 1 Million Views in Two Months
Are you tired of pouring your heart into a blog that no one reads? I get it. I've been there. And, bluntly... it sucks. After Instagram crashed a few months ago I decided to take a look into my blog traffic. It was good, but not great, and I had no idea how to improve it. So, I did what I do best, and dug into the numbers.
To my shock, most of you weren't finding my blog through my Instagram Page. You were finding it through Pinterest. WHAT? Clearly, I needed to pay attention to the numbers and spend more time building out a Pinterest Strategy that converts. I enacted the tips you'll find below and today i've grown my Monthly Pinterest views from 100,000 to nearly 1 Million (and growing)! Not only does it feel incredibly refreshing to expand my strategy beyond Instagram, but it's converting traffic to the page that I actually own...my blog!
Shamless plug to follow me on Pinterest here!
If you're tired of the Instagram Algorithum and need something else to focus on OR if you're just trying to build up your site traffic, I hope that these tips will double your blog views just as they did mine.
#1: Get a Pinterest Business Account
If you haven't already switched your personal Pinterest page to a Business Page you need to get on that like yesterday. It takes SECONDS, and it gives you so many insights into how your Pinterest converts. This is how i'm able to see pins from my website, daily/monthly viewers and SO MUCH MORE. To start the process click here.
#2: Verify your Website + Apply for Rich Pins
Once you convert your Pinterest page to a business account you'll be able to verify your website. This will ensure that your pins have your profile picture next to them AND it will give you insights into what content people are saving most from your website. I've used this to help determine which content I should create more of!
Next up, you'll need to Apply for Rich Pins. Think of a rich pin as an expanded pin so to speak. Instead of just being a photo, it will include your headline, website information and more. Thus, creating stronger engagement from your audience. Start the process here.
#3: Optimize for SEO
The term SEO used to terrify me, because I knew NOTHING about it. I'm still not an expert, but i've picked up quite a few tips over my years blogging. When it comes to SEO you have to think of Pinterest like a search engine. Optimize your bio + pin boards + descriptions to contain keywords that users will be searching for. As a home + life blogger I use phrases that hone in on what I like (i.e.) Indoor house plants, Scandinavian Home Decor, Mid Century Modern Decor. You can see how I optimized my bio below!
A great way to identify searched keywords is to type in a topic and then see the suggested search terms that pop up below it. I use this tip to optimize all of the descriptions on my boards.
#4: Clean Up Your Boards
I've been using Pinterest since well before my blog days, so a ton of pins and boards were no longer reflective of the brand that I have built. So, I spent some time reorganizing my boards based on the categories I talk about here on the blog. Your audience follows your brand, and your boards should be a reflection of that. My advice? Don't pin to pin. Pin things that are an extension of your brand. AESTHETICS ARE EVERYTHING. So, do yourself a favor and delete everything that no longer aligns.
#5: Make Your Header POP
If you look at my profile you'll notice that the header image is all content that i've pinned. I've done this on purpose to draw users in with my content! I also would suggest having feature boards for your most popular pins. Mine include my blog pins, home decor, cocktails and seasonal (Christmas, Valentine's Day etc.) because those always convert traffic to my blog best.
#6: Schedule your Pins with Tailwind
My number one tip hands down is to schedule out your pins with Tailwind. This has been a GAME CHANGER in my Pinterest Strategy, and I know it will be in yours too. I schedule out about 50 pins per day that then get pinned at the times my audience is using Pinterest.
I can't recommend the service enough, and although it's a paid service, you can try out your first 100 pins for free to see if it works for you. Honestly, this is the NUMBER ONE reason my traffic has grown so substantially.
Try out Tailwind here if you're interested.
#7: Make Eye Catching Pins
My second biggest tip is to create Pinterest worthy graphics and images! Think about it you're much more likely to pin a beautiful image or telling resource than a grainy shot...right? You can see a sample of the types of vertical graphics I make for optimal pinning below!
#8: Re-pin Others
There is nothing worse than a Pinterest User that only pins their own content. SO BORING. I'd say that I pin about 50% my content and 50% of content I find on my group boards or randomly scouring Pinterest. Every pin might not be my own content, but it's things i'm inspired by, find beautiful or connect to in some way. Keep that in mind and your profile will remain "on brand".
Was this helpful? It had been a minute since I had done a Behind-The-Blog post! So, I figured you all deserved a big one! Let me know if you implement any of these tips on your own, and how they work for you! Happy pinning!
XO,
K