Guest post: A blogger’s guide to Pinterest

Unless you’ve had your head firmly wedged in the sand for the last six months, you will no doubt have heard of Pinterest. Perhaps you’re a seasoned user, just dipping your toes into this supposed time-sucker, or have been avoiding it at all costs… this blogger’s guide to Pinterest hopes to show how you, as a blogger, can use this fantastic tool to your advantage.

What is Pinterest?

In a nutshell, Pinterest is a visual bookmarking tool. A virtual pinboard for you to share and find inspiration… or should that be pinspiration?

You can create and categorise pinboards and then wander off into the internet and ‘pin’ images just for the fact that you like the image, or perhaps it’s within an article that you find interesting and want to come back to… tutorials, recipes, craft ideas… the possibilities are endless. In essence, each pin is linked back to the website that the content originated from.

As a blogger you can use these pins to direct traffic to your blog if it gets shared, or re-pinned, and people find the content interesting.

But isn’t it invite only?

Yes, it is… but there are plenty of people out there already using Pinterest. You could tweet me and I will happily send you an invite, or just put a general shout out on twitter and I’m sure an invite will be winging its way to you within seconds. Failing that, please leave a comment below and I will make sure to check back regularly to send any invites requested.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Pinterest

Do describe your pins so that it will come up in searches for others to find… and hopefully re-pin.

Don’t include the whole text of War and Peace in your description. Be brief. Only a description is needed (and perhaps a few words on why you like it/find it useful etc.), you don’t need to include the full recipe/instructions on how it was made… the whole idea is for the pins to lead you to the information.

Do promote your own content if you think others will find it useful/interesting.

Don’t become too self-absorbed. If you pin only your own content you will find that you will quickly lose followers. Pinterest is all about curating interesting links… of course you find your own content interesting… at least I hope you do! Be sure to pin/re-pin content by others too.

Do link your Pinterest account to Facebook and/or Twitter to get more exposure. This can be done within your settings on Pinterest… where you can also include a link to your blog/website.

Do add Pin It buttons to your blog posts (something I am still yet to do, so it’s more a case of do as I say, not as I do!) to make sharing and pinning your content easier.

Do install the Pinterest bookmarklet to your toolbar so that you can happily pin wherever you are on the internet.

Don’t pin the homepage (unless that is your intention). An article may be on the front page at the time you pin it, but days or weeks down the line it will be several pages in and people following your pin will have to search for the information that you intended them to find.

Therefore, do pin from within the article/post itself and not the homepage. (Have I made myself clear on this one yet?!)

Do create Pinterest-friendly images for your posts. Including a title on the main image of the post, or even just a title banner/badge makes it obvious what information is linked to from the pin… just like the badge on this post! Why not pin it so that you never forget where to find this extremely useful information?

… And my most important piece of advice? Just get pinning! You can find a wealth of inspiration for every part of your life… it’s not just all about the blogging after all! Get on and have a play, but be warned… it can become addictive! Don’t worry, there are ways to make sure you use your time on Pinterest effectively… mmmm, perhaps an idea for a future post?

Don’t forget to come and follow me on Pinterest… and leave your link in the comments too, so that we can all follow each other.

Is there anything you think I’ve missed? What are your dos and don’ts for Pinterest?

–Rebecca McLuckie, twobecomefour

Rebecca McLuckie blogs at twobecomefour about the trials and triumphs of raising her troublesome, and terrific, twin toddlers, Tilly and Jasper. Try saying that without your teeth in…!

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