Azure CollierIf you’re a regular Pinterest user, you’ve noticed some recent changes in the Pinterest feed.
Pinterest has introduced an algorithm — known as the smart feed — that has changed the way content is displayed for users.
Instead of seeing a stream of chronological content from the people you follow, you’re seeing content that is chosen for you by the smart feed algorithm. It was designed to improve the user experience by displaying relevant content based on a combination of criteria:
- Pins from the people you follow
- Pins that are related to the content you engage with
- New pins that have been added since your last visit
- Interests that you follow
- The quality of the pin, which means a pin with a higher number of repins will be pushed to the top of the Pinterest feed
- The quality of the pin’s source, which looks at the website the pin is linked to. Quality sources are websites with a high number of pins created from that website’s content, that also have pins with a high number of repins.
What does the Pinterest smart feed mean for your business?
The Pinterest feed is no longer based on chronological order, so your content isn’t always going to appear at the exact time and date that you pin it.
But don’t worry — there are lots of things you can do with your Pinterest content to make sure it shows up in the Pinterest feeds of your followers and as related pins for potential new followers.
Here are 5 best practices you can use to get found in Pinterest’s smart feed:
1. Pin what’s popular
Tap in to the content that people like, and you’ll get more engagement from pinners. There are a few ways you can find out what’s popular on Pinterest:
First, use your Pinterest analytics to find out what types of content people have been pinning from your website, what curated content has been doing well for you, which boards are getting the most engagement, and what your audience’s top interests are.
Keep creating and curating the content your audience wants to see. If they continue to engage with it, those pins will show up in the Pinterest smart feed.
Next, use what you’ve learned from your Pinterest analytics tools about the content your audience likes, and do a search for those topics in Pinterest’s Interests tool.
Interests displays the most popular content for those topics. You can also follow topics, and pins from those categories will appear in your Pinterest feed. Create similar content or curate the pins you find there to appeal to your followers.
2. Create good descriptions
The titles and descriptions you use will help get your pins found and repinned. People use Pinterest to find products they want to buy, ideas and inspiration, and content that will help them learn something.
Make sure that your pins and boards have a description that includes the keywords from your most popular content and Pinterest Interests so they’ll get noticed in the feeds of your followers and to show up as relevant pins in the smart feed or in a search.
Do you have content about products, places, and recipes on your site? How about blog content? Think about using Pinterest rich pins by installing special code on your website. When people pin that content, descriptions will automatically fill in text from your website in the pin’s description.
3. Be smart about images
Users who scroll through their Pinterest feed are looking for beautiful images that represent the things they like or want to learn about. Catch their eye with great visuals from your own pictures or images you create with free online tools like Canva or PicMonkey.
When you’re creating and sharing content on Pinterest, aim for larger, longer images. They take up more real estate in the Pinterest feed and really stand out. You could start with the recommended size of 600 pixels X infinite in our Social Media Image Size Cheat sheet. Use Canva’s Pinterest template, or create an image in PicMonkey with the dimensions you choose.
4. Make it easy to pin
Your customers who are Pinterest users might want to use Pinterest to bookmark your products, services, blog posts, or other content from your website.
Remind them to pin, and make it easy to do, by installing the Pin It button on your website. It will show up next to the images on your site. You can get the Pin It button in Pinterest’s Pinterest for Business tools.
5. Repin responsibly
You can find a lot of great curated and repinned content from other users on Pinterest that fits your audience’s interests, so make sure you share it on your Pinterest boards.
But if you repin that content, make sure that it goes to a reputable source. This takes a few extra seconds, but it’s worth the time and establishes you as a responsible pinner in Pinterest’s eyes.
Click on the pin and make sure that the website matches up and leads to a reputable source. Sometimes people will spam on Pinterest by including a link that leads to a sales pitch or other unrelated content to drive traffic to their websites.
Take your Pinterest content to the next level
Now that you’ve taken steps to make sure Pinterest users can find your content when they’re logged in to Pinterest, take advantage of Search Engine Optimization to boost your visibility in online search.
For advice on how Pinterest can boost your business’s visibility, check out our Social Media Quick Tips video, Using Pinterest for SEO.
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