This article is inspired by Dick Greenberg 's contest. Now, I didn't exactly follow the rules, so not sure I'll get points for this. I've decided that I would try to teach you a bit from Pinterest learning and journey.
I've learned a ton about Pinterest. I have been using since 2012, but I didn't realize until the end of last year the huge opportunity I was missing. (And, I've been kicking myself for not doing this sooner). Previously, I was getting around 2,000 clicks/month to my site...and then I was able to increase that to 20,000/month. (And, I'm on a mission to reach 100,000/month by the end of the year).
Please note that this article contains affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure in the right side bar (scroll down a bit).
Yesterday, I just wrote this guide for Pinterest: 11 Pinterest Hacks for Massive Growth. If you have an interest in learning more, click that link. I think you'll find it helpful (and simple to implement some of the tips).
With Pinterest, there are really 2 keys to success: 1) Your images and 2) Reach/exposure from groups (see above for a better explanation on this).
For this, I'm going to talk about how I've changed and editted my images. I do this in Canva.com. This is an EASY and FREE program. (They do also have some images you can buy if you want and those just cost $1). I've just been using this for free and it's worked well for me. Also, once I have a template or format, I can just copy it and create a new one w/ a different blog post (i.e. change the pictures and the headline).
This may contain affiliate links.
Here's some learning on great images for Pinterest:
1. All pins should be vertical, never horizontal. Period. These will show bigger and more likely to be repinned (and clicked). They should be in a 2:3 ratio (or higher). They should be at least 735 x 1102 (and this is a default size in Canva, so super easy). I make most of mine 800 x 1600 so they're longer for even more impact in the feed.
2. Images should have a picture (or multiple picts) w/ a text overlay (i.e. a headline). This tells the user what the blog post is about so that hopefully, they will click and read your blog post.
3. Make your headlines awesome. Create a sense of urgency or curiosity or both. I've gone through many iterations...as you'll see below.
4. Lighter images and those with brighter/warmer colors do better. Darker images and cool colores (e.g. blues, grays, etc.) don't do as well. Of course this is a challenge for me as dark floors are in, and grays, blues and other cool colors. But, I will then add pops of color in the headlines.
5. Collages can work well. Canva also makes this easy. They have templates and then the image will just pop in there. Or you can do it manually. You can also crop pictures on there.
6. Avoid faces, especially those that look at the reader. These tend to get lower repins and clicks. If the person is facing away, it works better.
7. Avoid borders. They get repinned less (I'm guessing because they don't go well with the rest of the pictures in people's boards.
8. Create and test multiple images for the same post. You are more likely to have at least one that does well. Also, after I've used an image for a while that had done well, I'll create a new image for the same post (maybe 3-4 months later) for an added boost to that article.
Here are some examples of how I've improved my pins over the last 7 or 8 months.
The 1st picture is from a few years ago. 2nd one was from Sept/Oct 2016 when I made it vertical. But, it didn't do too well as it was so dark with the dark purple. The next one was much better - lighter, better design, longer. (This one was 800 x 2400...now I'm doing most 800 x 1600).
This next set is from an article I wrote 6 or 7 years ago. It wasn't getting much traffic (maybe 10-20 clicks/month) as I hadn't optimized for SEO. But, as soon as I did the 1st pin, I got 3,000 clicks in one month. Then, I created the 2nd pin which did even better (better headline and the orange pop of color helped). And, I got 4,000-4,500 clicks the next month.
The 1st one here isn't bad, but 2nd one has much more impactful headline and I think the collage helps.
For more pinterest tips, check out this full article: 11 Pinterest Hacks for Massive Growth.
Also, you may find Tailwind helpful. You can try it for free by following that link. Tailwind allows you to schedule pins (and saves a lot of time). It also has great analytic info and you can continue to use that even if you just keep free version. If you do decide to buy a monthly plan (as I have done), then you'll get $15 off if you follow my affiliate link.
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