I don’t know about you, but Pinterest has always been a minefield! It’s one of those platforms I’ve never truly been able to master, nor have I really had the time to look into it! However, as I was on part time furlough in February and early March, I felt like it was the time to try!
And I thought I just HAD to share with you everything I learnt!
NONE of these links are affiliate
Stage 1 – Learning
It’s safe to say, I was coming in completely cold! I read a few of Kayleigh’s posts and, while she covers a lot of topics, I felt like I needed someone to talk me through, step by step, what I should be doing! So I paid and did two courses – the Pinterest with Ell and Sincere Mommy. With the first being a more expensive, but fuller and more detailed course and the latter being cheaper and more top line.
I really enjoyed Pinterest with Ell‘s course. It’s safe to say, a $46.80 course is not a cheap one… but I throughly enjoy how this course took it back to very beginning in how to set up your Pinterest account and boards all the way to how Pinterest SEO and Analytics works! I feel like some of the latter stuff in the course (about how to post pints etc.) is available for free on websites such as Kayleigh, but that really early set up stuff really isn’t around!
And then with Sincere Mommy, I actually got it on offer, but it is $24.99. While it has a few useful tips in there, I feel like the real value of this course is the Pinterest templates for Canva (which I do use) and printable schedules, checklists and activity sheets (which I really haven’t used). I don’t feel like this course is worth the full price tag (but it was worth the deal I got it on for $6!). However, there is a really useful article on the Sincere Mommy blog on how to grow on Pinterest! Read it here.
Stage 2 – Where I Started
As an FYI – Safe to say, my Pinterest account set up is a bit of a mess… mainly because I had a non business account set up, I tried to make it a business account, I kept getting an error messages. So I now have a Business Account attached to my non-business account. It means I still get access to analytics and all the benefits of a business account, but the front end looks like a non-business account. I then tried making my business account the main one (i.e. changing my user names over), but got hit with error messages again. Not perfect, but unless I start again, it’s kind of where I am! And it’s working for me!
On 1 March, when I started implementing what I’d learnt, these were my Pinterest stats for the month prior. It’s worth noting I started pinning in February, but didn’t quite know what I was doing!
- Impressions: 1450 (+48%)
- Engagements: 39 (+77%)
- Total audience: 922 (+208%)
- Engaged audience: 15 (+200%)
- Referrals to my website : 2 (-60%)
Stage 3 – How Did March Look
My goal for March was to pin between 5-10 pins most days and just see how it goes!
So every Sunday afternoon I would design at least 35 pins. I have around 15 Pinterest designs built on Canva which I use on rotation. And for those pins, around 75% are new posts and 25% are old posts from 2020 or before. And I usually do 1 video pin for every 7-10 static pins. Why? Mainly because that feels achievable, and also it feels like the right ratios for what I’ve read!
I then post and schedule these directly into Pinterest. I know a lot of people use an app like Tailwind, but as I’m new to this game, I didn’t really want to pay for something when I didn’t really know what I needed.
My titles were a combination of the actual title of my blog post, some really clickbaity type headlines (i.e. ‘Is this the worst foundation ever?’) and something really searchable (i.e. Swatches and a review of xxx’). And then my captions are written just as I would for an SEO description on my blog.
TIP: I’ve been told to think of Pinterest like a search engine, and so key words are king!
I set up loads of new boards, after learning they should be a little bit more focused than just ‘all my posts’. So I now have a makeup review board, a haircare board, skincare board, makeup look board, blogging tips board and a few others in there too!
TIP: You should have around 10 different boards at least. It confuses Pinterest if you put posts in boards that don’t make sense.
And on videos, I use as many tags as I can that are relevant! But they’re supposed to have a shorter lifespan than still images, but can wrack up more impressions in a shorter amount of time. I’ve not noticed this that much… but I quite like splattering these in. I just create them using some of the animations on Canva.
Stage 4 – How Did It Go?
I mean it was tough to come up with that many pins and actually pin them all! And I definitely missed days and I think that’s totally ok! But overall it’s been quite an enjoyable experience! My progress has definitely gone up by quite a bit, but the progress is still a lot slower than I thought it would be, and I didn’t include follower count as it’s pretty much the same! However, I hope you can see from the below stats… what I’d learnt in February really did make a difference!
- Impressions: 8050 (+380%)
- Engagements: 212 (+393%)
- Total audience: 3460 (+236%)
- Engaged audience: 90 (+462%)
- Referrals to my website : 42 (+2000%)
Stage 5 – What’s Next?
I’m going to keep going! I’m still very much learning, which is why I’ve not particularly said ‘this is what I think you should do’, but I’m hoping in a few months I’ll be able to come back with some actual tips! I just wanted to share with you my experience as someone more or less starting with 0 experience!
Want to follow me? Here’s my Pinterest account: www.pinterest.co.uk/katieemmabeauty/
Do you do Pinterest?
Katie x
Thankyou for including my blog on this! Pinterest can be a mind field when you first start out, this is good improvement for your first month!
Thanks for all your continued blog insights and help! Your blog is truly super helpful! x
Interesting post! I go through phases with pinterest but starting making my own pins this year though I find I pin far more home inspo than beauty haha xx
Danielle’s Beauty Blog
That’s totally fair! I just know some people who get like 90% of their views via Pinterest, so really trying to up my game there! x
I was looking forward to this post! I find Pinterest a struggle, but it’s so great to get a few tips and tricks from an expert 🙂 I definitely need to up the amount of pins I’m creating x
Hahah! I’m by no means an expert, but the tips I learnt from my courses are super helpful! And I’ll feed back if I learn anything! x
Pinterest can be so daunting and I didn’t know what I was doing when I first started either but I am so glad I stayed consistent with it. It’s great you have seen big changes. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren
I’m really hoping that it continues going in the right direction! x
This was such a great post and I am so glad the numbers are growing for you! I think pinterest can be one of the greatest platform but also a patience game! Thank you for sharing x
Aww thanks! And yeah, I’m going to keep going with it and see how it goes, but know it’s going to take time! x
So helpful! I was looking for information about Pinterest. I’ll check a blogger, you gave a link too!
So glad it was helpful! x
I really enjoyed reading this! I spent a lot of time on Pinterest this time last year and finally felt as though I’d figured it out until the algorithm changed! Since then i’ve found it impossible to understand. I love your approach to understanding Pinterest and it sounds as though what you’ve learned has already paid off! 🙂 x
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
Aww thanks! I’m fumbling through, but I’m hoping to find some real tips to share with people in the long run! x
Thank you for a great post. This is definitely on my list to learn how to work with Pinterest.
It was on mine for years! So glad I was finally gave it a go! x
Great post! Thank you for sharing this! Well done on your progress! I used to post quite a lot of Pinterest last summer and it really helped my blog! Unfortunately, I’ve been too busy recently to post regularly on Pinterest but I’m hoping that in the future, I can post a lot on my pinterest!
Yeah, I always hear it’s such a good blog referral platform, so really trying to give it a go! x
Great post! What an increase in your stats but posting so frequently is also a lot of work. Good for you to take such an interest!
So much work for sure! But really hoping to continue to see good progress! x
So cool to see how much of a difference Pinterest adds! I’ve reccently been trying to get into it more, figure out the right times to post etc. I always forget keywords…gotta remember that 🙈 Great post 🙂 x
Yeah testing what time to post is my next thing to do! x
Congrats on growing your Pinterest!
Aww thanks! I’m really excited to see how much I can keep growing it! x
Pinterest is such a hard platform to get good at, I still struggle to get many views on my new pins. Thanks for this article, I’m definitely going to check out some of the resources you mentioned!
Can’t wait to continue learning and growing on there! Fingers crossed April is the best month yet! x
So interesting to read about upping your Pinterest game and the results it brought for you! I need to up my Pinterest game massively and I may have to try these methods you have used! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Yeah, Pinterest is such a hard thing to get right, but I’m so happy I’ve tried some new things out! x
This is so helpful, and it was great to read about your own experience in using Pinterest!
Aww thanks! Glad it was helpful! x
Pinterest is a whole lot of work but it puts a smile on the face to see your hardwork pay off. Pinterest requires more time and commitment than other social media platforms. I have had Pinterest for a while now and believe me, I haven’t gotten the hang of it yet. I might get some Pinterest courses as I really need them. This was a helpful post tho, I learnt a thing or two from it.
Pinterest is such a slow burner, but I’m so pleased you learnt something from this post, considering I’m just fumbling through!
Congratulations! I read Ell’s guide and did the same thing, have gone from 1.9k to 5.9k in a month! So happy – there’s something about Pinterest success that feels so rewarding right? Great post!
OMG it seems Ell is onto something! Cheers to us having successful Pinterest pages! x
I love seeing your results! Pinterest is so great 🙂
Brianna | https://briannamarielifestyle.com/
Pinterest is such a minefield, but I’m loving it so far! x
Thanks for not only sharing some lovely feedback on how you have used the courses you took in daily life as well as for sharing where you started and where you are now. I am still not totally on with the Pinterest game, but I enjoy making pins. I love the idea of having a set number of templates to use on rotation!
Thanks for sharing and may you keep growing. 🙂
I was just hoping it would be helpful for me to be painfully honest about the whole thing! And may we all keep growing! x
Hello there how are you doing today
This is awesome tips. I love Pinterest. It has brought great traffic to my blog website. I also love using Pinterest to help me get inspired to write different blog post. Its awesome getting to read about your success. I wish you the best.
I’m really hoping to keep growing on Pinterest! And glad to hear you’re having success from it! x
Wowsers that’s fascinating! The detailed look at how you approached pinterest and how it changed your blog’s traffic is really interesting. Thanks for sharing!
No problem! Hope it helps! x
I want to start using Pinterest better. I am not very consistent with it, so my stats are not great.
Maybe start with trying to post 1-4 pins a day? It gives you a little bit of consistency! xx
Oooh I guess I learned a lot form this post alone. Thank you so much for the tips for someone who has zero knowledge using Pinterest! xx
Awww I’m so pleased! As I still feel like I’m useless at it! haha x
Your results were sooo impressive afterwards which is so good and rewarding because your hard work definitely did pay off. I don’t use Pinterest too much and make a pin whenever I can remember so I definitely feel like I need to use Pinterest more x
http://thesydneysider.com/
Yeah I’m loving the improvement I’ve seen on Pinterest, and I’m hoping I can continue to grow throughout April! x
Thanks for these amazing tips! I’m glad to see the progress!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
Awww thanks for stopping by! x
Great experiment – keep going with it! You’re making great progress. I hate Pinterest but I use it because of the benefits although I am struggling a little with it at the moment. I get around 5,000 views a month from Pinterest alone but would love to see that number go up!
5000 views a month is still pretty impressive! Just trying to get myself to that point, but sure it’ll take time! haha x
Oh, what a journey! You’re making awesome progress. I still haven’t mastered Pinterest too so this is an insightful article for me. This is so inspiring actually. Thank you so much for sharing this, Katie!
http://www.lifebeginsattwenty.com
Aww I’m so pleased it was helpful! x
Thank you for sharing your experience! Pinterest has been difficult for me to master. Your post has helped me understand how often to pin and how many boards to create.
I’m so pleased it was helpful! I’m hoping to be back in a few months once I’ve mastered a bit more! x
How incredible! Thank you for sharing your tips and tricks too – it’s always nice to compare your stats at the start of each month then compare them to the end. It’s all about finding out what works for you!
100%, I’m just trying to learn as much as I can and hopefully I’ll be back with a part 2 full of tips and tricks! x
Pinterest is a total minefield but it looks like you’re doing so well! I will have a look into the courses you recommended because as a total beginner, I feel like it’s what I need.
Thanks for sharing!
Gemma
http://www.thegemword.com
Thanks for stopping by, and fingers crossed Pinterest starts to make more sense soon! x
I’ve hated Pinterest since the algorithm change last year, my account nose dived because if that which seems largly done to how Pinterest deals with my niche. I’ve yet to find anything that helps
I’m so sorry to hear this! I’m relatively new to the Pinterest world, but hopefully some of the links in here to other bloggers who know what they’re doing will help? x
Well done! I’ve really struggled with Pinterest lately. I used to be at 100k views a month and now thats dropped to 18! I’ve stopped using tailwind as it was only really good for scheduling the same pins to different boards but now you’re not supposed to do that!
I need to try schedule more each day but it’s hard finding the time!
Corinne x
It was like when Instagram messed with the algorithm, I had the same issue! Fingers crossed you can start to grow again soon! And oo, good to know re Tailwind, everyone says it’s always the best thing ever…! x
These numbers are amazing. You made huge progress. Thank you for sharing.
New Post – https://www.exclusivebeautydiary.com/2021/04/dior-diorskin-mineral-nude-bronze-003.html
Aww thanks for stopping by! x
That’s amazing to hear your story and experience with working on your Pinterest account to best support your blog! Pinterest is so powerful and really can have amazing results! Congrats and thanks for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by! x
Yay! I’m so glad your Pinterest numbers are up 🙂 Pinterest is such a tricky platform but so rewarding long term. xx
Lynn | https://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
I’m really trying to work at it! x
I love using pinterest! Such a great way to get more traffic to your blog.
Candice x
theblogsocial.com
Yeah! I’m really hoping to build mine up! x
Wow, it seems like you got a lot out of those courses. The difference in stats from February to March is huge. I definitely need to up my Pinterest game. Thanks for sharing.
Awww thanks! And thanks for stopping by! x
Pinterest is a platform I really want to excel on but haven’t dedicated enough time to. Thanks for sharing your tips and what you’ve learned.
Aww no problem! Hope it was helpful! x
Yes it was.
Pinterest is definitely a confusing platform nowadays LOL but it’s really encouraging to see your growth! I hope it continues for you in the future xx
Hahah I’ve never really used it before, so I’m as confused as I can be! haha x
I have not been on Pinterest in a long time as a social media platform I use if for research. But this is very interesting was not sure if people still use it, seems like it is about IG which I am not a fan of. I guess you can only focus on so much. I focus on my blog and YT channel.
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Yeah, I think it’s so important to set yourself priorities! x
thank you so much for sharing this! really helpful! 🙂
Anyway, just dropping by to say hello all the way from the Philippines! I hope you can drop by my blog too and follow along if you like. Have a nice day! 🙂
xoxo, rae
http://www.raellarina.net
Oh hai! SO nice to have you! x
Thank you so much for this honest insights of your blog! I’m really thinking about investing on Ell’s course, but I’m not pretty sure since I don’t earn in dollars and it’s a bit expensive on my currency! Do you highly recommend? What should I do?!!
I paid in British Pounds. It was pricey, and I would say if you can afford it it’s so helpful to have it all in one place in a way you can just work through it. However, if it is out of your price range, a lot of the tips she mentions are out there on the internet, just across a few different places so it’ll take you a lot longer, but cost a lot less! x
I did a course on Pinterest for blogging. It’s definitely one of the fastest to grow, but it does take a lot of work. I need to get back into it!
I’m taking mine slowly by surely! x
Wow I need to get into this. Video pins…? I barely understood this post, I need to step up my game. Specially because Pinterest is the only social media I could actually get into. I guess Pinterest courses are in my future.
Pinterest is one of the most confusing social media platforms, but when you start to understand it, it suddenly becomes really easy! x
It’s great to see you getting on well. I gave up with pinterest but would love to get back into it in a bit to increase my traffic. Maybe next month I’ll give your little challenge a go and see what happens!
Em x
Seriously, take it on for like 3 weeks or so, that’s when you start to see results paying off! x
Thank you for sharing!