Last Updated on July 10, 2020 by Dana Berez

Pinterest Tips for Beginners

In this post, I am going to spill the tea on how to set up your Pinterest account for success. These Pinterest tips for beginners are geared for the set up of your account, but whether you are an advanced Pinner, these are tips that you should already be utilizing. Let’s get into the tips.

Here is the truth: if you are a blogger, then you need to utilize Pinterest. Pinterest accounted for 72% of my blog traffic last year, and is an incredible way for new people to check out your blog, and potentially return again in the future.

I have been using Pinterest for about 3 years, and have grown to 4.5 Million Monthly Viewers.

These tips are the foundation to set up a great Pinterest Account to gain more traffic to your website.

RELATED: HOW TO START A PROFITABLE BLOG

1. Optimize Rich Pins

Rich Pins are viewed as original content on Pinterest and give more information about your post. See below for an example. My Pin on the left has a clear title, giving someone an idea of what the post is about. The image on the right just looks like a pretty image. I don’t know where it will lead me if I click.

Setting up “Rich Pins” on Pinterest is a must. Basically verifies to Pinterest that you are creating original content from your website and you are that website owner.

It may seem like a tedious process but it’s just pasting a code into your account. Let me explain how to do it.

1. Download the Yoast Plugin (which I use for EVERY post) for WordPress users.
2. Under the Yoast Plugin click Social –> Facebook –> Enabled Open Graph Data
3. Now copy and paste any link from your website on Pinterest Validator page. It may take up to 24 hours to be validated but it’s that simple.

I also found this short youtube video that will help you set up Rich Pins to your site if you are more of a visual learner.

2. Optimize Your Profile

Optimize Your Name

An easy way to categorize your niche through Pinterest is by adding your specialty in your username. I started my account as “Dana Berez | Travel Blogger & Travel Photographer” which told Pinterest that I am a Travel Blogger and a Travel Photographer.

That gives Pinterest a lot more information rather than just “Dana Berez”

Over time I gradually got more presence on the platform. Now when you search “Travel Photographer” on the “People” Tab on I will pop up on the first row.

This is great for exposure for your Pinterest Page, which will lead to more exposure for your brand.

Add Keywords to your Bio

In addition to optimizing your name, also add two sentences about your page and what you pin. Be sure to sneak in some keywords that you would like to be known for.

For example, in my bio, I have: “NYC Based Travel Blogger inspiring individuals to travel and live their best life! I pin travel guides & travel inspiration, and social media blogging tips.”

The phrases in bold are keywords that I would like to rank for. Think about your brand and niche, what are some phrases you would like to rank for? Add them in your bio.

Be sure not to be spammy and just write the keywords. The internet knows real sentences vs words.

2. Create Your Boards

At first, this might seem a bit overwhelming. I didn’t create my Pinterest and have 78 boards in one day. However, I gradually added them as I went. But be sure to start off with a few boards to fill up.

Now you might ask: What boards to I make? Take your niche is break it down as much as possible. I am a travel blogger so I don’t just have one travel board.

I would be pinning in that one board for everything, making it hard to sort out for people looking for a specific topic. Instead, I have travel boards by countries, continents, season, popular cities, etc.

In addition, I have a beach board, an epic pool board, you name it.

Can you pin things not related to your topic? I would keep your personal pins to a minimum. I do have a makeup board, and a Vibes Board where I pin inspirational photos, but I don’t pin there heavily.

In the beginning, I would focus on your niche!

Optimize Each Board

Do you know how we optimized our bio? This is the same practice you should do for every single board: Add a Description. You will have the chance to add in keyword-rich sentences to fully optimize your boards.

Here is my description for my Greece Travel Board: “In this Greece Travel Guides Board I will cover the top Greece Travel pins that cover Greece Islands travel tips, things to do, guides, and what to pack for a Greek Vacation.

Greece has so many beautiful Islands and I have included those pins here for your next beach vacation. Don’t forget to look at the Greece Photography board for Greece inspiration!”

3. Set up Your Feature Boards

I have lots of boards where I share other people’s pins. But I have a few boards where it’s just my content.

The first board I want people to see when they come to my Pinterest Page is my main Travel Blog board where I pin all my Travel Blogs.

So I made sure to add that to my Feature. I would suggest featuring your own content from your blog.

• To do this: Click the three dots at the top right corner –> Edit Settings –> Edit Profile –> Featured Boards

4. Start Pinning

But what do I pin exactly? Pinterest is a visual search engine. People on Pinterest are usually looking for information or inspiration (aka your blog!) So pin exactly that.

I pin my blog posts through a Pinterest Image like the one below which will lead people to click through to my website. I also pin images on my blog post.

Pinterest is also a social media site, therefore time to be social. Don’t hog your Pinterest to only your own pins. Pinterest is about pinning other people’s content!

I don’t know the golden ratio of original pins vs re-pins, but the majority of my Pins are my own, but I do share the love!

5. Pin Consistently

Pinterest LOVES when you are active daily on Pinterest. That means pinning 10-15 times a day. Now if you ask me, I don’t have the time to be pinning all day every day. What about you? 

That is why it is so important to use a Pin Scheduler, like Tailwind.

Tailwind literally changed the game for me when I started Pinning. Not only can you schedule out your pins, but they also use smart technology and pin at times when your audience is mostly on the platform!

I started using Tailwind as a free 30-day trial and my Pinterest account started growing and I saw more traffic to my blog immediately.

I knew this was an application I needed to keep the momentum going, and I have been using it since!

Tailwind also has a “tribes” feature that is essentially like a group board on Pinterest. But I find I have a higher re-pin rate on Tailwind rather than Pinterest Group Boards. It’s a great way to find other Pinners in your Niche!

TRY TAILWIND FOR FREE

6. Follow Other People in Your Niche

Once you find a blog or resource that you like, be sure to follow them! I follow other travel bloggers for more inspiration.

It is a great way to see what is going on in your industry and it tells Pinterest that you are a similar account, which can help categorize you in their system.

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Hope you learned a thing or two from this list! If you are just starting off you have some work to do including setting up those boards and start pinning in them!

RELATED: INSTAGRAM GROWTH SECRETS                   HOW TO START A PROFITABLE BLOG

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