Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my coffee drinking habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me supplied in caffeine. It’s a win for everyone, really!

First a little bit about Pinterest

Pinterest has been around since 2010 and is fast becoming a tool of choice for everyone when wanting to research, purchase, dream or be inspired by things they would like in their lives. Whether it’s a holiday, car, business, quotes Pinterest has it all.

Pinterest offers excellent opportunities for businesses to increase their web traffic and sales, by promoting products using Pins. And although Pinterest has ads, it is one of the few platforms where you can still gain traction without spending money on ads.

Let’s get you set-up on Pinterest

Set-up Pinterest account

Visit https://www.business.pinterest.com and go to ‘create business account’. You can sign-in using either Google or Facebook account details, or you can use your email address. Select a password and select ‘Create Account’. You will be then be asked to choose five topics you find interesting. Click ‘Continue’. You will also be asked whether you want to add the Pinterest extension to your browser. This can be super useful, but we will also be adding the Tailwind extension later.

Optimise image and profile

Once you have set-up your Pinterest account, you want to optimise your profile and image. The image size for profile pics is 165 x 165 pixels. To edit your profile go to ‘Settings’ under the three buttons in the top right corner. Add in as many profile details as you can, upload your picture and add in your profile description. You can also change your Pinterest username. You can also connect your social media accounts. When writing your profile remember to add a call to action.

Claim your website

While you are in settings, it is a good idea to claim your website. Under the ‘Claim’ section you will see a ‘Claim’ button next to where you enter your URL. Enter your URL and select ‘Claim’. Select the way you wish to add the HTML tag. I found adding the HTML tag the easiest way as I have the widget ‘Insert Headers and Footers for WordPress. Insert or upload the HTML code to your website and select ‘Next’. It will then take 24 hours for your website to be claimed. If it does not work the first time try adding the code at the very top before any other codes you may have in the header. You can also claim other accounts such as Instagram, Etsy and YouTube. Claim these as well if you are using them.

Once you have set-up your profile and claimed your website save your settings and move onto Rich Pins.

Add rich pins

These instructions will be for those using WordPress and setting up article pins. You can also set-up Rich Pins for products, recipes, movies, places and apps.

1. Add the YoastSEO plugin to your WordPress site
2. Once the YoastSEO plugin is activated, go to ‘Social’ in the ‘Settings’ section.
3. Head to the Facebook section and enable ‘Add Open Graph meta data‘ at the top.
4. To validate your Rich Pins copy a URL from your website and head to https://developers.pinterest.com/tools/url-debugger/ . Enter your URL and select Validate. Ideally, you will receive a green tick saying your Pin has been validated showing you what your Pins will look like.
5. Click ‘Apply Now’ and wait to hear from Pinterest. It can take a couple of weeks for Pinterest to respond.

If you have any issues, please let me know. I had a couple of issues when I set my account.

Create boards

Pinterest boards show off your brands personality and divide each board into different topics. People will follow your boards individually as well as your profiles. Check out this blog post to learn more best practice tips for Pinterest boards. To create a board in Pinterest go to the Boards tab and select ‘Create Board’ add the name of the board and select ‘Create’.

Create Pins

A great tool to use to create Pins is Canva. There’s a range of different Pinterest templates in Canva that you can choose from that make Pins quick and easy to design. To add a Pin directly to Pinterest go to the ‘+’ and select ‘Create Pin’. Add in your image, copy, URL and select ‘Done’. To create your perfect Pin check out this blog post where I break down each element and the best practice tips for creating Pins that work.

Set-up Tailwind

Taliwind is an awesome tool that helps you schedule your Pins at times that are relevant to your audience. The basic package is free and is perfect for getting started.

1. Go to Tailwind
2. Select Sign-up with Pinterest
3. Make sure your Pinterest account is added to Tailwind by going to ‘Settings’ – the cog sign in the right-hand corner.
4. Check out Tailwind tutorial here
5. Add yourself to some TailWind groups and start scheduling your Pins

Apply for Group Boards

To get even more reach email 20 different group boards and request access. Remember to add in your handle and the email address connected to your account. You can find some available groups in your niche listed below:

• The Brazen Biz Bloggers Group Board – https://www.pinterest.nz/EliseMcDowell/brazen-biz-bloggers-by-house-of-brazen/
• EllDucllos Ultimate Guide of 100+ Group Boards  – http://ellduclos.blog/2017/11/30/join-pinterest-group-boards/
• Terryn’s Ultimate List of Pinterest Group Boards – http://www.justasimplehome.com/blogging/ultimate-list-of-pinterest-group-boards/
• Kyla’s Ultimate List of Group Boards for Bloggers & Creatives – http://dishitoutsocial.com/best-pinterest-group-boards-bloggers-creatives/
• Shem’s 700+ Pinterest Group Board Directory – https://shemknows.com/pinterest-group-boards-directory/

Now you know the steps I took to grow my Pinterest account from 0 to 42K monthly unique viewers in 4 weeks. It’s your turn!

My results

You can see in the graph below how my account has grown over the last 5 weeks just from setting up my Pinterest account using the steps above, as well as scheduling posts every day in TailWind. 

Remember to schedule 50% other pins and 50% your own pins or 80/20, give them both a go and see how they work for you. Everyone loves a little test and learn. The same ratio also applies to group boards as well. Please read each groups requirements before posting.

I can’t wait to see how your Pinterest accounts grow. Email me with your Pinterest handle and connected email address, and I will add you to my Group Board Small Business Badasses by Gabi Caldwell.

Until next week badasses 😃

Xoxo

Gabi

Want to learn how to make your first affiliate sale in 24 hours using Pinterest? Check out Elise from House of Brazen’s course ‘How to make your first affiliate sale in 24 hours’