by Lisa Maliga, Copyright 2015
I’m a huge fan of Pinterest. It’s like being in a library full of pretty pictures and filing them in your online card catalogue! Learning how to pin is incredibly easy and once you’ve created your first board, you’re off and pinning.
Here are eight tips about how to have more fun pinning pictures on Pinterest.
1. Pin Me!
You’ll see the red and white capital P which means it’s ready to be pinned to one of your boards, sent to a fellow member or given the red heart of approval. Additionally, you have the option of checking the Twitter box whenever you pin so you can share it with your Twitter followers.
2. Your Board Covers
These can be changed as frequently as you like. Each board cover should reflect what your pin board is about. For my popular Talented Soapmakers board, I always choose striking and unique looking bar/s of colorful soap.
3. Pinterest & Twitter
The following gorgeous photo of Chanel No. 5 type soap by Soproano Labs was found on my Twitter feed so I had to share it with my Pinterest followers. The two sites work very well together–much better than the early days of Twitter where you had to click links to see photos and videos.
4. Commenting and Likes
Choosing to comment on any pin that floats by is entirely up to you. Some pins seem to elicit more comments than others do – especially if an adorable baby animal is the subject. Liking is that heart-shaped button on the right hand side of any pin. I ‘like’ every pin I share.
5. Organizing Pins/Pinboards
How you choose to organize your pinboards is what can help make yours stand out more. Some opt for alphabetical order; other pinners group their boards according to subject. I’ve seen pinboards that show an entire spectrum of colors. Others are seemingly haphazardly arrayed, yet make perfect sense to the board owner. Pinterest people come from all over the world, so when it comes to pinboards, I like to include international boards–because beautiful photos transcend language. I’ve since learned the word soap in several languages. I now recognize jabon, savon, zeep, and seifen, to list a few–although there can be variations and I’ve left off the accent marks! Naming boards can also show a pinner’s creative or practical flair. Below you can see my top 11 boards. Click to enlarge image.
6. Group Boards vs. Your Own Boards
You may see some pinners with hundreds of thousands of followers. Don’t be fooled by large numbers as they may only follow group boards. Group boards allow you to pin your own pins or share pins. You can invite others to share pins. However, depending upon the size of the board, your contributions may get lost. Carefully read the instructions for each group board as some forbid commercial pins while others encourage them. Also, you may be limited in the number of pins per day you can add.
7. Keywords
It’s always helpful to use keywords when you upload a pin. This way, your pin is easily found in the Pinterest search engine. For example, if you’re looking for a melt and pour soap recipe, you’ll certainly find them on the internet and especially on Pinterest.
In the example on the right, the photo is clearly marked as to what type of soap it is, along with the company’s URL. The keyword-rich description includes the name of the company and the fact that it’s a recipe. This is very intelligent marketing.
8. Pick a Board
This feature has gotten even easier to use, especially with keyword-friendly pins. Oftentimes, I’ll pin to my Squirrel-Friends board https://www.pinterest.com/lisamaliga/squirrel-friends and while many of the pins aren’t loaded with keywords, just by using the word “squirrel” the Pick a Board feature takes me to my Squirrel-Friends board, which saves me from having to scroll down. The example on the left doesn’t show any keywords but Pinterest recognizes it as a squirrel picture and offers the correct pinning option.
Pinterest is changing for the better and you can help it grow by pinning your pretty pictures!
lisa maliga 