Each social network has it’s own culture and style… and Pinterest is no different. Here are some of the best Pinterest practices and etiquette tips to help you reach your audience better and to craft optimized messages in the Pinterest channel…
Best Practices
1) Streamline your content
Some Pinterest accounts have created boards for every topic imaginable, but each board contains only a few pins. You need to make it interesting for your followers by providing broader range board topics that they can follow rather than dividing topics too specifically.
Do not create boards until you have items to post. Your audience will not understand an empty board and might think you’ve abandoned Pinterest.
2) Leverage your social channels
Share appropriate pins with your other social networks (like Twitter and Facebook). It’s an easy way to expand your reach and engage a conversation.
3) Use keywords
Pinterest has the ability to search keywords by pins, pinners, or boards so take advantage of this feature by using keywords in the descriptions – similar to other social media channels.
4) Understand “Acceptable Use” policies
There have been many concerns over using copyrighted content on Pinterest. You need to be aware of what rights you have and where the liability lies , so take the time to understand Pinterest’s policies as well as your company’s guidelines (if using it on behalf of the brand) to protect yourself.
5) Join relevant group boards
Before you click on board invitations, evaluate how many pins you would receive from those boards… Getting flooded with pins each day may have an adverse effect on your participation and productivity.
6) Mix up your content
Repeatedly pinning the same type of content can get boring for your audience. Mix up your pinning with a combination of videos, case studies, reports, SlideShare presentations (if for business), articles, blog posts, and other types of content. A good rule of thumb is 70% new content and 30% repins.
7) What works
Understand Pinterest user trends and your market demographics will go a long way towards your Pinterest marketing success. A study by RJ Metrics revealed the popular categories:
- 17.2% of all pinboards are categorized under Home
- 12.4% Arts and Crafts
- 11.7% Style/Fashion
- 10.5% Food
- 9.0% Inspiration/Education
Of these, food is the fastest-growing category and also gets the most repins, generating on average more than 50% repins than the second most reshared category – Style and Fashion.
Etiquette Tips
No only is it important to know what to pin, you also need to know how to pin… Here are some etiquette tips to keep your interested and attract new followers:
1) Give credit
Always gice credit to the source of your content – especially for items that have copyrights. If the source is on Pinterest, use the @ format to link to the person/organization.
7) Use descriptions
Always insert a description (with keywords!) to help your followers understand your pins more easily which will lead to more repins.
7) Respond to comments
The purpose of social media is to be social. Even though 2-way exchanges are still a new trend on Pinterest (versus other social networks), it’s important to respond to posted comments. This will go a long way with your followers.
7) Frequency of pinning
Do not bombard (spam) your audience with pins. Space out the number and frequency of pin posts over time so you allow your audience the opportunity to share new content without having to do a lot of research work ahead of time.
Do not try to duplicate pins – it will only confuse your followers.
7) Leverage your social network
You don’t have to post every image on Pinterest… Pinterest is dynamic and social and perfect for sharing a variety of information. Use Instagram, Flickr, or other networks for photo postings instead.
7) Share the love
Watch your audience metrics and monitor how your content is shared. If you find there are certain followers that consistently repining your content, you should reciprocate and repin their content.
7) Following others
Before you follow others, you should check on the type of content they post and evaluate if the content matches your objectives and what your audience are interested. You do not need to follow everyone that follows you.
7) Post preparation
Here are a few details to consider before to pin:
- Images: Use images in blog posts or other communications to make it easier on Pinterest users to post.
- Pin Features: Include pinning capabilities as part of your social media toolset. Include “Pin” buttons on websites, emails, and more.
- Captions: Use short, descriptive captions for each photo to brand information more clearly.
Pinterest wants you to succeed! More tips and tools to help you get more from Pinterest, I recommend you download and read the Pinterest for Business – Best Practice Guide.