All Your Pinterest Questions, Answered
I love using Pinterest to help my customers grow their reach, because Pinterest is the one “trick” that always works.
Not only do users browse through the 200 billion pins already uploaded, but they actually click through and shop when they see something they like.
Over the years, I’ve gotten some questions over and over. Today, I’m answering all of them in a single place, so they’re easy to access whenever you’re in doubt.
The first batch of questions is for those of you looking to DIY their Pinterest account. The second batch of questions is for those looking to hire a Pinterest marketing specialist to help grow their account and reach a whole new audience.
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If You’re Doing Your Pinterest Yourself
Q: I'm confused about Rich Pins. What exactly do I need to add to my site?
A: Rich pins are a must, and they’re free! They automatically sync information from your website, and show it next to your pins. For example, if you’re selling products, rich pins will ensure their price and other important information is visible directly on Pinterest. If you’re a food blogger, rich pins will show all your recipe’s details (ingredients, serving size etc.) next to your pin. This adds credibility and invites people to click through.
Pinterest explains exactly how to get rich pins, and I find this blog post very informative as well.
Q: How many pins should I schedule each day? How many from my own website?
A: There’s no magic number of pins to post every day. What’s more important is consistency. Rather than pinning 30 pins on Monday and then nothing for the rest of the week, spread them out through the week for best results. This is where Tailwind* comes in handy - you can still schedule all pins at once and save time, but have them publish automatically at the best times during the entire week/month.
The latest best practices recommend focusing on pinning your own content and only using repins/other sources to fill in the blanks. Depending on what stage your website is in, you may have more or less content to work with, so take that into consideration when you’re posting.
Q: When sharing old content, should I create new images for it?
A: Yes! Pinterest loooves fresh imagery. Update old posts with new images and re-share. This can be as easy as adding some text on an old photo, but you can also create new graphics that better suit your current aesthetic if necessary.
Q: How often should I post on my blog so that I don’t run out of content to share on Pinterest?
A: Prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to your blog content. Write one great article and share different pins linking to it throughout the week, instead of struggling to post (subpar) content every day. Using different imagery to promote the same blog post will appeal to different groups of people on Pinterest. This means more people are likely to read the post you’ve worked so hard on.
Q: Should I use vertical images in my blog posts or just upload them to Pinterest?
A: By all means, yes, use them on your blog! Vertical images (2:3 ratio) are favored by Pinterest and they’re favored by users, too. If you have vertical images on your blog, people are more likely to pin them.
Make it even easier for them to do so by installing a Save button for all your images.
Q: I have boards I no longer use for my business. Should I just delete them?
A: It’s good that you’re thinking of removing irrelevant boards! You should. I don’t see a reason to delete them, though, it’s too definitive.
Make your board secret if it’s no longer relevant, if it’s personal, or if it’s not performing well. You’ll still be able to add pins to that board, but they won’t show up in search results or on your profile. You can add collaborators to your board, in which case they’ll be able to see your pins and add theirs. Secret boards can become Public once again.
Another option for boards you no longer need is Archive. This option won’t allow you to pin to the board anymore, and other people won’t be able to see it, but you can always change your mind and set it back to Public.
Q: Why are my group boards not bringing results?
I have some bad news about group boards… They're not as efficient for promoting each other as they used to be. Pinterest invented them as a way to collaborate with other people rather than to help promote individual accounts. Group boards with a very high number of contributors are hard to moderate, so the content in them tends to be lower quality. People are dumping their content in there without re-pinning other people. All in all, this translates as group boards bringing your account down, rather than helping it grow.
Have a look at the analytics of your group boards and consider leaving some of the low-performing ones. If they're active boards from people you trust and that people actually follow, then it's perfectly fine to keep them! Especially if they’re bringing you traffic.
Alternatively, you can use Tailwind Communities to find pinners in the same niche as yours, and help each other grow.
Q: Do my board cover photos need to be cohesive?
A: No, don’t worry about it. You’re the person spending the most time on your profile page, while your audience will more likely be looking at your pins in their feed. You can pick a pretty cover photo for each one of your boards, but there’s no need to create custom cover photos. Use that time to research keywords instead.
Q: Is it better to have fewer boards?
A: 15-20 is a good number of boards. Make sure they’re relevant to your niche, and that you’re actually using them. That one board with 3 pins in it is not helping you grow your account. Check your analytics to see which boards are performing well, and consider archiving those that aren’t.
Q: Is Pinterest flagging my account as spam?
A: If you’re having trouble logging into your account due to “suspicious activity”, it may or may not be your fault. Suspicious activity might include spam or frequent logins. If you haven't done any of these, you shouldn't worry, the limits will be removed automatically in 30 minutes, then you can log in again.
Pinterest might also remove your pins if they’re considered “suspicious”, i.e. misleading, spammy, or just plain inappropriate. Once they’re removed, they’re gone forever.
Q: Can I use affiliate marketing to earn money on Pinterest?
A: Pinterest has changed its affiliate marketing policy a few times already but you CAN use affiliate links on the platform right now. Try signing up with Shareasale, RewardStyle or other trusted affiliate program to get started. Just make sure the products you’re sharing are on brand and within your niche.
2022 update: Pinterest has launched their own program, called Pinterest Creator, meant to allow its users to monetize their content straight from their Pinterest profiles. The program is currently available to US creators.
Q: Are Pinterest ads worth it?
It’s complicated. Right now, you can still grow organically on Pinterest, but things might change as more and more brands start tapping into paid promotions. Depending on the size of your business and the budget you have, you might consider using Pinterest ads. As a starting point, you could decide to promote one of your pins that is already doing well organically.
2022 update: It happened - Pinterest ads are now the norm. While your organic content can still “go viral”, a little (financial) boost doesn’t seem to hurt.
Q: How can I create Pinterest stories?
All in due time… Pinterest is really pushing Stories, and they’re probably getting the most traction right now. However, this feature is not yet available for everyone. Only select accounts from the United States can use it. If you have a business account and are located in the US, you can request access to this feature here.
2022 update: Stories are now called Idea Pins, and they’re the most popular type of content on Pinterest right now. Tips and tutorials are especially sought after, but to give you the brief: video does better than plain image; content created for other platforms (e.g. with a TikTok or Reels watermark) is not encouraged; originality is desirable.
If You’re Working with a Pinterest Specialist
Q: Other than scheduling pins, what else do you actually do?
Scheduling well-curated, on-brand pins using customized time slots is just part of what I do as a Pinterest specialist. I also:
verify your website and activate Rich Pins
analyze insights in order to determine most popular pin types, most popular boards, potential for viral pins
edit bio description to include accurate description of product/services, keywords, call-to-action, contact information
edit board titles and descriptions to include relevant keywords
research, activate and use the most appropriate Tailwind Tribes for your niche
analyze Pinterest Trends and your audience to determine topics of interest
design pins that best suit your branding
Q: I have a new post published, is it ok if I just add it to all my boards?
If you hired me, I’m keeping an eye on your blog to share new content, so you don't have to do any pinning yourself. I know you’re excited about your latest post, but pinning it to all boards at once will not bring more clicks and saves. This post will dominate your “Created” feed, as well as your cover image, if you’re using the “latest pins” feature there, and it will look spammy.
Try to avoid having the same pin pinned to several boards at the same time. And, in general, avoid adding a bunch of pins at once. Although it's more natural to do so for a private users, it doesn't bring the best results for a business account like yours.
Schedule with Tailwind* instead of pinning directly - this way, you can space out your pins and move them around as needed. You can promote a post over days, weeks or months, and make it look fresh to your audience by using different images and graphics.
Q: Do I need to pin manually at all, or will you be scheduling everything for me?
Ideally, you would let me take over completely, and I will combine scheduling with manual pinning. As I’m working on curating a collection of beautiful, clickable pins, adding personal pins or pins from follow trains will break up coherence. You should pin any content you want to save to your Secret boards.
Of course, if you have a sponsored post that needs to be shared with certain hashtags right away, feel free to pin it as needed.
Q: I know we agreed on a certain budget but can we reduce it by 50%?
A: Sure, we can do whatever you want… However, by reducing the budget or number of hours, you’re reducing the amount of time I can spend focusing on growing your Pinterest account. If I’m working less, you’ll be seeing slower progress. In the long run, you’ll actually spend more money to achieve the same results, just over a longer period of time.
Do you have any other Pinterest questions I haven’t answered? Ask away on Instagram!
*Affiliate link. If you click through and make a purchase, I might make a commission. This does not affect your price or my opinion.