How to start out on Pinterest and use it as an organic traffic source
From the first look, Pinterest seems to be about posting pictures. So is it just another Instagram? It is not! To channel traffic from Pinterest to your website, you need to stop comparing it to Instagram. These two platforms demand different strategies.
Visual search engine
To start with, Pinterest isn’t a typical social network, it is more of a visual search engine. In some ways, it is closer to Google than to Instagram. On Pinterest, people search for ideas, products and inspiration on particular topics and pin them to their boards as if to save them to different folders. Users do not really communicate with each other that much.
Warmed-up traffic
The traffic is also different. On the one hand, people are warmed up: they are actively searching for something, they are genuinely interested in your topic. On the other hand, they might be in “planning mode,” not ready to make a purchase yet. For example, some people might have a board with pictures for an ideal wedding without even having a partner. So it might take your sales funnel anything from 10 minutes to several years to convert.
Long live the pin
The life span of posts on Pinterest is longer than anywhere else. The feed here depends on algorithms more than on the time of the publication. A picture pinned to your board several years ago might still bring you traffic. Your pins can be truly evergreen.
Strategies
Design
To start with, you need pinnable content. Create visually pleasing images of your products, blog posts, and lead magnets. Those can be photographs or illustrations, or both. They should be in one visual style. You can make them yourself or ask a designer to make them for you. Refresh your designs once in several months to be en vogue.
SEO
A pin isn’t just a picture. It also includes a headline, description, and a link. Great news because you can treat those elements as tools. To write a good description, you will need to research keywords on Pinterest. Step into your customer’s shoes, imagine that you are looking for something. What would you type into the search bar? Brainstorm and experiment. When typing in your ideas notice search suggestions that drop down under the search bar. Pinterest is helping you, use those suggestions too.
Finally, go and see what your competitors are writing in their descriptions. Can you fish some keywords out of their texts?
Include researched keywords into headlines and descriptions of your pins. You can subtly include them in your texts. Or you can pile them up, separating them with commas. Even though this strategy may seem too straightforward, it will still help users find your pins. Both strategies work, choose whichever you like more.
And check your URL. It should work and lead to whatever is depicted in the image – be it the product page, blog post or lead magnet. People have expectations when clicking on the link. Do not disappoint them.
Pin pin pin
Now, pin regularly to your (and group) boards. Be patient, Pinterest is a long-term game, your account needs to be warmed up before it starts getting traction.
To save time, you can use scheduling tools like Tailwind. Thus, you can schedule your pins in bulk and forget about pinning for several weeks.
Need advice or have questions? Let us know what you’re dealing with, contact us via email or send us a DM on Instagram.