I love Pinterest and it is my new addiction and the addiction of many others as well. I use it as my bookmarking tool. I have always saved bookmarks on my browsers and they were usually things that I Pin now but Pinterest makes it so much easier to find and it’s great that you can share your interest with others and find more interesting articles, recipes and more.
When I first signed up I was so lost and confused but after a little while I figured and now I am up to almost 1400 pins. I learned some things I wish that I had known in the beginning. So I am going to share some tips with you, hope they help.
Boards :: Once you sign up and begin pinning the best thing to do is create as many boards as you need. Don’t just create one for crafts and add, crafts, sewing, etc. Create one for sewing and one for crafts, etc. The more interests you have the more individual boards you need. This will save you a ton of time in the long run. I started out with one board for recipes and it ended up taking me hours to create boards for each category of recipes….main dishes, cookies, etc., then moving my pins from the recipe board to the appropriate board so that I could locate the recipe I needed later. Tip:: Choose interesting fun names for your boards, people will be more apt to follow them. (I need to follow my own advice here!
Follow :: The more people you follow the bigger variety you will find on Pinterest. Pinterest shows what your friends have pinned so the more people you follow the more pins you will see.
Pin :: If you find something interesting Pin it. Be sure and Pin the link to the actual post you are wanting to Pin. For example if you are on a blog click on the title of the post to bring up the correct web address of the post and not the home page.
Here’s an example:
today if you went to my home page you would see the Quicky Cake and it would be the first post. If you wanted to pin the Quicky Cake recipe to Pinterest you would need to click on the words Quicky Cake by the arrow and that would bring up the URL (web address) for that recipe. So highlight the address by the check mark, copy and then go to pinterest and add it.
Why? Because if you just copy the home page address http://groundbeefbudget.com/ it would bring up the home page showing the most recent post and the person looking for the recipe would have to search through the entire blog to find the recipe~frustrating, I tell you.
Describe Your Pin :: When you add a pin you have an area to describe it. Tell them what it is they will be clicking to. Do not copy and paste the full article or recipe, that is a copyright violation.
Look for the Pin It symbol ::
Most bloggers love Pinterest and it is flattering to see articles, etc. that they have written being pinned. It drives traffic back to their blog and that is what a bloggers looks for, an increase in traffic. When you are browsing around blogs look for the pin it symbol (usually at the top or end of a post) and you can usually pin it with one or two clicks. The blogger may have even chosen the photo that would go on the pin and the description, making it much easier for you.
Use the @ symbol :: You have a friend on Pinterest that you want to be sure and see the pin you just pinned? Use the @ symbol and it will tag them. They will be notified and can click on over and view your pin.
Comment and Like :: By all means like pins and make a comments. That lets others know you are viewing their pins. It’s a social site. Be a social butterfly.
Use the $ sign :: Maybe you found something on Etsy or another website. Using the $ sign in your description marks the price in the corner of the pin and lets your followers know the cost of the item.
Bloggers
Use Pinterest to promote your blog :: If you are a blogger, Etsy shop owner, Real Estate agent you can use Pinterest to promote your own posts or items but your own stuff is not all you need to be pinning. Interact, repin and pin new pins from other blogs you love. There needs to be a good mix of what you are pinning, keep a much higher ratio of pins from other sites than your own.
Bloggers you can see what has been pinned from your site :: Use http://pinterest.com/source/URL/ replace the URL with your site address minus the http:: ex. mine is http://pinterest.com/source/groundbeefbudget.com/ replace the groundbeefbudget.com with your blog address.
If you need an invitation to join Pinterest just leave a comment and I will send you one. While you are there be sure and follow me: http://pinterest.com/grndbeefbudget/
If I left anything out be sure and leave a comment below.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for the little tutorial here…Now I feel very familiar with pinterest…Thanks for the tips and tricks too…
Stefannie recently posted..Utopia Systems Inc Home
You are so welcome. When I first signed up with Pinterest I was so lost but once I figured it out…it’s addictive!
Great post! I’d include taking quality pictures if you are a blogger and making sure that your web site or blog has pictures that are actually pinnable. Some are not. Also, folks can use Picmonkey.com to edit and embellish their photos for free or if they want to upgrade and do more, pay $4.99 a month so that can take advantage of even more photo layouts and embellishments.
-Asia