How to Use Pinterest Like a Pro, Part One
Is your blog primed for Pinterest?
Pinterest is a top top traffic driver online and shows no signs of slowing. As I've been working on site re-design, I've been reading a lot of posts on how to utilize Pinterest. I also had the privilege of hearing Bobbie Byrd speak at a Houston Social Media Breakfast. Bobbie blogs at the Clumsy Crafter and burns things, so you know I feel a kinship. She has had several of her pinned posts go viral. Did you see the Water Blob Tutorial? Or the Dollar Store Flower Pot Halloween Costume? That's her! Here are five tips and tricks from Bobbie and elsewhere online to optimize your blog for Pinterest.
(For more on using Pinterest, read Part Two!)
1. Always have an image.
If you want your blog to be Pin-able, you need an image. (This is a great blogging principle in general.) If you don't have a fancy camera or don't feel like a great photographer, it's okay--you can work on that. In the meantime, use what you have or search for free stock photos (I love this gallery from Jennifer Upton at Spiritual Glasses) or for images under creative commons on sites like Flickr. Use sites like BeFunky, Pinstamatic, or PicMonkey to add words to your image. If nothing else, add a quote from your post to a simple color or patterned background along with a watermark of your site address. Also, keep in mind that vertical images show up better on Pinterest than horizontal. Consider the image the face of your post--who doesn't like a pretty face?
*For more on optimizing your photos, Between Naps on the Porch has some great tips.
2. Label your images.
I admit that I often take down descriptions that come with a pin. Mostly because "I made this last night and my very picky mother-in-law said it was amazing compared to my normal cooking" does not honestly describe my relationship with the pin. But if you do not add a label, lazy people might pin it and it will have your photo with this kind of description: IMG_5504. You can change the name for the photo on your computer, add a description under the image's properties in Blogger, or as you are adding the photo in Wordpress. Be specific, be true to your post, and consider adding your website address here as well. Some people might still change your description, but put your faith in the laziness of mankind and assume they won't.
*If you want more ideas on labeling photos, check this great post by i am baker.
3. Have Pin It buttons.
Social share buttons are a must on each post (I like ShareThis) but you can also find a number of ways to add a variety of Pin buttons by each image. This may take a little more knowledge (or fudging of) code, but the Pinterest Goodies page has some helpful code for you to use. If you aren't confident in html coding, make sure you back things up first so you don't delete your whole blog accidentally. (Not that I've done that.)
*If you are using blogger, Code It Pretty has great instructions to install with minimal coding.
4. Market your content while staying true to yourself.
If you struggle with how your lifestyle blog might work with Pinterest, take a long look at your content with fresh eyes. You want to stay true to who you are, but consider your blog as a brand. What do you offer your readers to keep them coming back? That same content can translate to Pinterest. For some reason, I used to feel like posting my content to Pinterest was weird, though I do it all the time on Twitter and Facebook. Now I try to think of ways I can write what I would normally write, but in a Pinterest-friendly way. For example, when I almost set the kitchen on fire making breakfast, I could write a post entitled 3 Ways NOT to Catch Your Kitchen on Fire with a graphic of my burned toast. Catchy, right?
*You can read a great interview about how a blogger used Pinterest to drive blog traffic on The Social Craft.
5. Go back and update past posts for Pinterest.
Now that you're thinking of your blog in terms of Pinterest, go back through past posts and optimize them. Add an image, or a better image. Add graphics and a description if you didn't already have one. Tighten up your writing. Consider this a little bit of cosmetic surgery for your posts. They were great in their natural state...but with an itty-bitty facelift, they could be even better.
*Melissa Taylor from Pinterest Savvy has 3 easy steps for updating old posts for Pinterest.
Clearly, I don't always utilize all of these. I have a bad habit of forgetting to label my photos and I tend to like how horizontal images look on the blog, though vertical images look better in Pinterest. I'm working on it.
Do you have your own tips to prep your blog for Pinterest?
Pinterest is a top top traffic driver online and shows no signs of slowing. As I've been working on site re-design, I've been reading a lot of posts on how to utilize Pinterest. I also had the privilege of hearing Bobbie Byrd speak at a Houston Social Media Breakfast. Bobbie blogs at the Clumsy Crafter and burns things, so you know I feel a kinship. She has had several of her pinned posts go viral. Did you see the Water Blob Tutorial? Or the Dollar Store Flower Pot Halloween Costume? That's her! Here are five tips and tricks from Bobbie and elsewhere online to optimize your blog for Pinterest.
(For more on using Pinterest, read Part Two!)
1. Always have an image.
If you want your blog to be Pin-able, you need an image. (This is a great blogging principle in general.) If you don't have a fancy camera or don't feel like a great photographer, it's okay--you can work on that. In the meantime, use what you have or search for free stock photos (I love this gallery from Jennifer Upton at Spiritual Glasses) or for images under creative commons on sites like Flickr. Use sites like BeFunky, Pinstamatic, or PicMonkey to add words to your image. If nothing else, add a quote from your post to a simple color or patterned background along with a watermark of your site address. Also, keep in mind that vertical images show up better on Pinterest than horizontal. Consider the image the face of your post--who doesn't like a pretty face?
*For more on optimizing your photos, Between Naps on the Porch has some great tips.
2. Label your images.
I admit that I often take down descriptions that come with a pin. Mostly because "I made this last night and my very picky mother-in-law said it was amazing compared to my normal cooking" does not honestly describe my relationship with the pin. But if you do not add a label, lazy people might pin it and it will have your photo with this kind of description: IMG_5504. You can change the name for the photo on your computer, add a description under the image's properties in Blogger, or as you are adding the photo in Wordpress. Be specific, be true to your post, and consider adding your website address here as well. Some people might still change your description, but put your faith in the laziness of mankind and assume they won't.
*If you want more ideas on labeling photos, check this great post by i am baker.
3. Have Pin It buttons.
Social share buttons are a must on each post (I like ShareThis) but you can also find a number of ways to add a variety of Pin buttons by each image. This may take a little more knowledge (or fudging of) code, but the Pinterest Goodies page has some helpful code for you to use. If you aren't confident in html coding, make sure you back things up first so you don't delete your whole blog accidentally. (Not that I've done that.)
*If you are using blogger, Code It Pretty has great instructions to install with minimal coding.
4. Market your content while staying true to yourself.
If you struggle with how your lifestyle blog might work with Pinterest, take a long look at your content with fresh eyes. You want to stay true to who you are, but consider your blog as a brand. What do you offer your readers to keep them coming back? That same content can translate to Pinterest. For some reason, I used to feel like posting my content to Pinterest was weird, though I do it all the time on Twitter and Facebook. Now I try to think of ways I can write what I would normally write, but in a Pinterest-friendly way. For example, when I almost set the kitchen on fire making breakfast, I could write a post entitled 3 Ways NOT to Catch Your Kitchen on Fire with a graphic of my burned toast. Catchy, right?
*You can read a great interview about how a blogger used Pinterest to drive blog traffic on The Social Craft.
5. Go back and update past posts for Pinterest.
Now that you're thinking of your blog in terms of Pinterest, go back through past posts and optimize them. Add an image, or a better image. Add graphics and a description if you didn't already have one. Tighten up your writing. Consider this a little bit of cosmetic surgery for your posts. They were great in their natural state...but with an itty-bitty facelift, they could be even better.
*Melissa Taylor from Pinterest Savvy has 3 easy steps for updating old posts for Pinterest.
Clearly, I don't always utilize all of these. I have a bad habit of forgetting to label my photos and I tend to like how horizontal images look on the blog, though vertical images look better in Pinterest. I'm working on it.
Do you have your own tips to prep your blog for Pinterest?
More posts from Kirsten Oliphant
