Blogging

Blog Tips: How to Increase Your Pinterest Traffic + Strategies that Doubled my Pageviews

How to Increase Your Pinterest Traffic

How to Increase Your Pinterest Traffic

How to Increase Your Pinterest Traffic

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One of my blog goals this year, is to finally hit the 200,000 monthly pageviews mark. It’s mid-January and I’m already well past the 100,000 pageviews for this month only so far, and it’s all thanks to Pinterest. I never thought that I could hit my goal THIS quickly, but it looks like it’s happening.

So yes, blogger babes, today we’re talking Pinterest. Again.

I use Pinterest for many different things; like creating blog mood boards, generating blog post ideas, organizing my ideas, finding inspiration, etc. First and foremost, however, I use it as a tool to drive traffic to my blog.

I’ve been consistently getting about 120-130k pageviews a month for a while, but it was usually due to the fact that my posts were featured on other websites or newsletters every single week. So far in January, however, I didn’t have a single major feature, yet traffic-wise, this has been the best month yet and it’s only been a little over two weeks.

You also probably noticed that I haven’t been publishing new content as often as I usually do, and it’s mostly because I’m still grieving and trying to slowly ease back to my routine after losing my granny. I’m telling you this because a lot of people think that you HAVE to blog daily in order to be “successful” and that simply isn’t true.

I’m also not telling you any of this to brag. I’m telling you this because I want you to realize that you don’t need to rely on being featured on more popular blogs or websites if you want to grow your traffic. You can put in some work and make it happen all by yourself.

In October Pinterest announced that it has reached 150 million active users, by the way. I’d be silly no to take advantage of this now, would it?

Pinterest is different

Pinterest is very different from other social media platforms and that’s because it is not a social media platform- it’s a visual search engine. Think about it- when you log in to your Pinterest account and look at your feed, what do you see? Blog posts. It doesn’t matter if it’s a recipe, a hair tutorial, a blog-tips post, a photography guide, a nail tutorial, a DIY tutorial- they are all blog posts. THIS is why it’s such a great place for bloggers to be.

Unlike other platforms like Facebook or Twitter, where your content is only seen for a short period of time, your pins can get discovered and pinned at any time; even if your post was published years ago. Whenever I log in to Pinterest, I almost always see some of my photography posts from several years ago being pinned and shared.

How did I do it? 

Well… there’s no simple answer to this. It’s a whole bunch of tools and strategies that when used together, bring amazing results. These are some of them.

Rich pins

If you don’t already use them, you need to sign up for Rich Pins- STAT! This post explains in-detail what Rich Pins are and how to set them up. In short, Rich Pins are Pins that include extra information right on the Pin itself. It includes things like source of the pin- your blog name, post title. Rich Pins work by displaying metadata from marked up pages on your blog.

Pinterest-Friendly Images

It’s all about the visuals when it comes to Pinterest! Long, vertical images do a lot better, in general, as they get more exposure. Pinterest users also love when there’s text added to your posts. Your images should be bright, clear and sharp. See this post to learn more about creating images that are Pinterest-friendly. I highly recommend getting a Photoshop subscription. It’s only about 10 bucks a month and it really helped me with getting the kind of images I really want.

Be active + Schedule your pins + Pin Consistently and Constantly  

It’s one thing to have a “Pin it” button on your blog, and it’s another to grow your account. You don’t want to only rely on others pinning your content. You also have to remember to grow your following and be active on Pinterest. I try to schedule my pins using this tool and whenever I’m not consistent with it (like in the recent weeks when I needed a lot of downtime) I noticed that my account didn’t grow at a quick pace, as it usually does. This is why being active and pinning constantly is important. Tailwind is great for scheduling your pins as you can take care of your “pinning” during only a few minutes a week, and not have to worry about being active for the rest of the week, as your pins will go up automatically. I talked about Tailwind in more detail in this post.

Being consistent is also something to keep in mind. This is especially important for your Pinterest images. I use the same combination of colors, I don’t play around with fonts too much when creating Pinterest images and I always add my blog address to the bottom of my image. Being consistent will help you with branding and eventually, people will recognize your pins as yours, just by looking at them.

Be descriptive 

In your profile, your boards, your pins- be descriptive! Use keywords like “beauty blogger” in your profile, if you have a beauty blog. If you have a board about shoes use words like: heels, stilettos, sandals, etc. This will help your boards get discovered. Avoid using hashtags. Makes sure all of your boards have selected categories and your featured image somewhat follow a certain color theme.

Join Group Boards

These can be a great way to gain some exposure. Use PinGroupie to find group boards to join, and always remember to follow the rules and avoid spamming.

Pin Valuable Content

There is a lot of spam on Pinterest, so make sure to only pin valuable content. Follow others in your niche. Know someone who shares awesome hair tutorials or great recipes? Follow them on Pinterest, pin their content. Remember that valuable, evergreen content that always stays relevant, helpful articles and blog posts are what Pinterest users love. Start pinning seasonal content in advance, create seasonal boards and remember to move them to the bottom once the season passes.

Optimize Your Blog for Pinterest

Do you have a “Pin it” button? Is your Pinterest account linked on your homepage and can be easily found? Improve your images, create a call to action on your images, stick to consistent branding. Make it easy for others to share your content.

Combining all of those have really helped me expand my blog and my audience. I get thousands of referrals from Pinterest alone, every single day, so if you haven’t looked into it yet, it’s definitely something to consider!

For more blogging tips, visit my “BLOGGING” section. 

55 Comments

  • Reply
    Angel Bland
    January 16, 2017 at 8:23 pm

    This is very helpful! I am trying to grow my pinterest. So far people have been following my boards which is great! But I still haven’t gotten a repin yet.

  • Reply
    Estefania
    January 16, 2017 at 9:02 pm

    Great post! Thank you very much, I’ve just started using Pinterest and this will help me a lot. Hope you are doing well after hearing about your granny.

    Instagram | Blog

  • Reply
    Leah, A Relaxed Gal
    January 16, 2017 at 10:36 pm

    This is a great post! I’ve implemented many if not all of these tips and my traffic has increased significantly. I just wish I had done these things when I first started blogging instead of a couple of years in.

  • Reply
    Joanna Joy
    January 17, 2017 at 12:53 am

    These are great tips. I am going to look into doing this right away. Thank you for sharing.

    astylishlovestory.blogspot.com

  • Reply
    Aleksandra // bunniesaremagic
    January 17, 2017 at 3:15 am

    I;m very sorry to hear about your gran – I remember the sad days when I had to say goodbye to mine and it was probably the darkest time in my life. Give yourself some more time, it is perfectly ok to feel sad, and I hope you will get better soon <3

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      January 17, 2017 at 10:07 am

      Thank you so much Aleksandra. We lost her right before the holidays and I don’t know how I’ll ever recover. So sorry you had to say goodbye to yours, too. x

      • Reply
        Aleksandra // bunniesaremagic
        January 17, 2017 at 2:54 pm

        Getting better after a loss like that can take time, rushing makes it even worse. It will slowly get better, bit by bit, till you’ll miss her but will no longer be petrified by it, somehow. Sending plenty of hugs till that happens <3

  • Reply
    Frances Kayleigh
    January 17, 2017 at 3:39 am

    Thanks Paula this was super helpful. I honestly feel like I don’t have enough hours in the day for Pinterest as well, but I’m going to look into your scheduling suggestion as I realise how helpful it can be! I usually just have a Sunday morning scroll and that’s the only time I’m active so I really need to work on this! Xx

    franceskayleigh.com

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      January 17, 2017 at 10:15 am

      It’s hard to keep up with everything. Especially once your blog grows it just seems like there’s so much to do and it’s not easy when you work and/or go to school at the same time, too. Scheduling is a life-saver.

  • Reply
    Dagmara Klich
    January 17, 2017 at 5:02 am

    You’re doing amazingly well Paula! Over 100k pageviews a month is absolutely fantastic!

    I still haven’t got hang of Pinterest, haha. But I’m slowly getting used to it and funny enough almost 40% of my monthy traffic comes from Pinterest. x
    Mummy’s Beauty Corner

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      January 17, 2017 at 10:16 am

      Thank you so much Dagmara!

      That’s nice to hear that Pinterest sends you that many referrals! It’s definitely and amazing tool for growing your audience :)

  • Reply
    Amy M
    January 17, 2017 at 6:25 am

    I never really understood the importance of Pinterest until reading this post, thanks for sharing! Definitely going to up my Pinterest game now haha ♥

    Amy // snippetsofamy.co.uk

  • Reply
    Millie Robinson
    January 17, 2017 at 6:28 am

    I’m obsessed with re-pinning things on Pinterest but I very rarely upload my own content. This is such a helpful post and I’m definitely going to start inputting my own images, thanks for sharing! x

    http://www.abeautyromance.com
    http://www.abeautyromance.com

  • Reply
    Natalie Harney
    January 17, 2017 at 6:53 am

    I’ve never been tactical about my pinterest, I just use it for fun. But after reading this I’m thinking I could definitely be using it better

    – Natalie
    http://www.workovereasy.com

  • Reply
    Katie @ Over The Moony
    January 17, 2017 at 7:52 am

    That’s so exciting about your page views!! Fingers crossed for you that you hit your goal this month. That would be so exciting!!

    One of my blog goals is to join group boards. I tried last year for maybe a day, never heard back and got discouraged about it, so I stopped. For as much as you talk about how helpful they are, it’s really something I need to buckle down and do.

    I had used Tailwind but I honestly just love going through Pinterest in the morning and pinning thing and in real time. I’ve noticed some steady growth and some of my own pins are starting to get repinned, which is exciting!

    Katie | http://www.overthemoony.com

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      January 17, 2017 at 8:01 am

      I just sent you an invite to join my group board Katie! :) Should have mentioned it in the post but I’m planning on closing it to new members after 200 and we’re almost there.

      • Reply
        Katie @ Over The Moony
        January 17, 2017 at 9:08 am

        Just saw and (obviously) accepted. Thank you so much! I meant to send you a request about that. I kept thinking about it and then never did it lol Can’t wait to join in! :)

  • Reply
    Liz | Lipstick & Confetti
    January 17, 2017 at 9:51 am

    I just signed up for Rich Pins a few weeks ago and I have definitely been noticing a difference. Great post!

    xo, Liz
    http://lipstickandconfetti.com

  • Reply
    appletoothpaste
    January 17, 2017 at 10:26 am

    I really couldn’t bookmark this post quick enough. I hadn’t even heard of rich pins…Opps!

    Good luck on getting to your goal.

    annie | appletoothpaste

  • Reply
    The Gossip Darling
    January 17, 2017 at 10:50 am

    Great tips!!! I need to focus on Pinterest a lot more! I just need to!

    Mel | http://www.thegossipdarling.com

  • Reply
    Lauren Scorzafava
    January 17, 2017 at 11:18 am

    Great tips! Thanks so much for sharing!

    xx
    Lauren Elizabeth
    Petite in Pearls

  • Reply
    kate_winford
    January 17, 2017 at 12:31 pm

    Oh my gosh, your page views are an inspiration!! I focused on Instagram for all of 2016 and I recently switched to focusing primarily on Pinterest – my page views have DOUBLED for the few weeks that I have actively been working on Pinterest! I am going to use PinGroupie to look for new group boards because I think that is really key! Thanks for the great post!

    Kate | katelovesmakeup.com

  • Reply
    Christine C.
    January 17, 2017 at 12:54 pm

    As usual, your advice is always so helpful! I’m hoping that this is the year that I will finally have success on Pinterest! Sending hugs your way as I know the grieving process is tough. I’ve been there and it feels like you’ll never make it through it, but eventually you do. You never forget them, but the pain changes….

  • Reply
    Jaynie Shannon
    January 17, 2017 at 3:19 pm

    Pinterest can be super helpful, I don’t use it as much as I should though! Great post.

    Jaynie Shannon | Beauty & Lifestyle

    xx

  • Reply
    Nikoleta
    January 17, 2017 at 4:39 pm

    Great tips! Your page views are an inspiration!!! Pinterest is amazing tool and very helpful for every blogger!
    Thanks for sharing.

    N, xoxo. | https://nljuljduraj.blogspot.com

  • Reply
    Justine Machin
    January 17, 2017 at 4:48 pm

    So sorry for your loss hun. It’s hard isn’t it? I lost my nanna just over a year ago and then my grandad in august. All I can say is time helps you cope better although obvs they’re always missed. Big hugs. And a fantastic post. I’ve saved it so I can refer back to it in the future. I’ve literally just joined Pinterest so am learning how to use it… Slowly lol xxx

  • Reply
    Paula Loreti
    January 17, 2017 at 5:54 pm

    I always see things of you in pinterest, and I always pinned them without realizing they are yours haha. This post was super helpful, as all of the ones you make :)

    http://www.blossomikebana.com

  • Reply
    Brooklyn
    January 17, 2017 at 6:22 pm

    Love all these helpful tips, I will be trying them all!

    http://www.justbeingbrooklyn.com

  • Reply
    Joanna Joy
    January 18, 2017 at 12:21 am

    Congratulations on reaching and surpassing your goals dear!

  • Reply
    Sorren
    January 18, 2017 at 2:19 am

    Amazing tips and photography here! I just love this post!

    Sorren xx
    http://www.beautyinbold.com

  • Reply
    Ambar Syed
    January 18, 2017 at 3:50 am

    Some lovely tips again Paula. I’m really keen to grow my Pinterest and use it properly this year, so all of these Pinterest posts are super helpful :)
    – Ambar x
    http://www.herlittleloves.co.uk

  • Reply
    Kiss & Make-up
    January 18, 2017 at 4:15 am

    I am not active on Pinterest at all. All I do is check what pics of mine people have pinned, but that’s it.

  • Reply
    KELLiLASH/Kelly
    January 18, 2017 at 10:34 am

    I have book marked this post as it is so useful and you clearly know what you are doing! Your monthly reads are amazing so I am taking note as I want to increase mine as such as I can! Thank you ;) Kelly xx
    http://www.KELLiLASH.com

  • Reply
    Katie Wright
    January 18, 2017 at 12:32 pm

    This is so helpful, thank you! I realllly need to up my Pinterest game, especially since you’re right that it’s the place to BE for bloggers!
    { Katie Acutally }

  • Reply
    Kate
    January 18, 2017 at 2:55 pm

    I am so clueless about Pinterest so I will definitely be saving this post for future study! Your blog advice posts are the best, thank you so much for this one! x

    Kate Louise Blogs

  • Reply
    Brooklyn W.
    January 18, 2017 at 3:44 pm

    Great post! Just wondering, are there any free ways to see stats on how people got to your blog? (For example, via Pinterest, Twitter, etc)?
    <3 Brooklyn
    | latidoblog.weebly.com |

  • Reply
    ThePartyParrotBlog
    January 19, 2017 at 5:20 am

    I can’t believe that I am not using Pinterest…*awkward pause*. I should explore it a little bit better and congratulations on reaching 100k so far in Jan! That’s impressive!

    Naya xx

  • Reply
    caroline
    January 23, 2017 at 5:30 am

    I’m currently getting into Pinterest and found this really helpful. I’ll be saving your other posts too. :)

    Caroline.x
    http://www.carolineelgeywhite.com

  • Reply
    Ariadna Morell
    January 24, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    Absolutely loved this post, it’s been so helpful!! I’ve noticed that I get a lot of my traffic from Pinterest so I want to learn how to make the most of it! x

    Ariadna || RAWR BOWS

  • Reply
    Julie
    January 31, 2017 at 3:00 pm

    This Was so sooooo helpful, thank you! And btw your blog is so pretty!

  • Reply
    Amy
    February 28, 2017 at 12:52 pm

    Super helpful, thank you very much :)

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