Ok folks. The secret is out. The masses have figured out that Pinterest is the key to getting a ton of traffic flowing to their websites. Everyone is so sick of Instagram and Facebook algorithms (me too!) so it THE TIME to diversify your traffic streams with Pinterest. Wondering how my clients consistently grow their followers, content impressions and in turn, their traffic from Pinterest? Today I am going to be sharing a little juicy tidbit with you – engagement on Pinterest. Wondering how does Pinterest chooses who to highlight and promote? Wondering who Pinterest LOVES as a user? Today, you are going to learn how to engage on Pinterest, the right way.
HOW TO GROW YOUR PINTEREST ACCOUNT
In past posts I have discussed which Pins matter most, the magic number of daily Pins, and how to optimize your Pinterest presence with an account clean up, or how to name your boards. All of these pieces of the Pinterest puzzle help to grow your account and in turn grow Pinterest as your #1 referral source to your website/blog/company. Engagement isn’t something I have talked about before so I figured it was high time to share this little Pinterest secret with you.
It is true that Pinterest isn’t like Facebook or Instagram where engagement is critical. You don’t often hear about engagement in relation to Pinterest. Not engagements – we all know there are plenty of ideas about that on Pinterest – but actual participation in Pinterest outside of just Pinning your brains out. Strategic engagement on Pinterest is like the cherry on top in Pinterest’s eyes.
WHAT IS ENGAGEMENT ON PINTEREST?
I’m talking about commenting, trying Pins in real life, then sharing about it. It’s a pet peeve of mine to hear people refer to Pinterest as “social media” but I have noticed Pinterest trending toward favouring it’s more social members. People USED to say you didn’t need to engage on Pinterest but the reality is I am seeing a big change. Pinterest is beginning to favor users who engage with content on Pinterest. So wondering what you need to do to engage on Pinterest?
HOW TO GROW YOUR PINTEREST ACCOUNT WITH ENGAGEMENT
COMMENT
Yep, this is about as simple as it sounds. A little a “This is awesome!” or a “Looks delicious!” goes a long way. You can start with commenting on your friends Pins, or just in your “following” section. Make sure that your comments are relevant, true and most of all: authentic. Stuck? Find your FAVORITE accounts and comment on them. Just like you would on Instagram. That easy.
TRY IT!
Remember all those recipes that you saved? Go back and comment about how it went when you try it out! If you’re implementing a concept you discovered in a Pin, snap a pic and post it! Let other Pinners know if you liked it and leave any tips you might have discovered during the process. Pinterest tells us the comments left on Pins don’t affect the distribution of the original Pin, so you don’t have to worry about helping or hurting the Pin itself. What Pinterest is looking for are Pinners who actually USE Pinterest, and this right here, is why Pinterest was started in the first place.
SAVE NEW CONTENT
Remember to add your own content directly from your blog or website. As you develop new content, get it out there and let those Pins get to work for you! For a super-simple tip to save you time with this, check out this easy Pinterest hack. And you know, Pinterest ALSO loves when you feed their platform. On your favorite blog? PIN IT! Reading an article that has great advice? PIN IT! Don’t just repin over and over again. Those old pins are tired. Let’s breath some new life into the platform and keep it growing.
FINDING THE TIME
If you’re anything like me, this all sounds pretty time consuming, and if there was a Pin on how to grow time (not thyme) on your windowsill, it would easily be the world’s most popular Pin out there. So, until that happens, as with anything else, you just have to make the time. I set aside a few minutes 2 to 3 times a week for my own clients where I engage authentically on Pinterest on their behalf. And you know what, all of their accounts are growing!
That’s it. Now get off of my blog and GO ENGAGE ON PINTEREST!
Denise
I never thought about the commenting that much. Thank you for the great advice!
Valerie Deveza
Hi Meagan,
Thanks for sharing this post. It’s been very helpful.
People tend to engage more with posts that are organized and fresh, as well as content that makes them feel emotions. That’s why I do it a lot.
Do you think putting hashtags are relevant?
Valerie