From Pinning to Winning – How To Gain More Followers and Repins

‘What Should I Be Doing on Pinterest?’

I get this question often.

Here is what happened before that question was asked!

• A business owner was told by someone ‘to check out Pinterest’.
  
• They created an account, made 3 boards and pinned 10 pins.
  
• Then… crickets.

Then I get that question!
‘What should I be doing on Pinterest?’

What Being Active on Pinterest Means

The first ‘requirement’ to gaining more followers and repins is to be active on Pinterest.

To me that makes sense, but many people still view social media (and Pinterest) as an afterthought, or as a ‘post it and leave it’ platform.

Here is what being active on Pinterest means to me:

• follow new people
  
• follow new boards
  
• ‘like’ pins
  
• repin pins
  
• introduce new content to Pinterest
  
• comment on pins(if I have time)
  
• thank people for pinning from my website
  
• join group boards
  
• create group boards
  
• invite my followers on other platforms to connect with me on Pinterest
  
• talk about Pinterest on other platforms
  
• pin my own pictures and articles
  
• create new boards
  
• create trending and/or seasonal boards
  
• pinning daily
  
• adding a Pinterest widget to my website sidebar
  
• blog about Pinterest
  
• give tips about Pinterest

That’s a lot of work, right?

And even then, does doing all this ‘guarantee’ you new followers and repins?

No, of course not, but you and your pins will be seen more and thus are more likely to be spotted!

If you are looking for more Pinterest followers and more Pinterest repins, read on.

I’ve gathered some of my best tips and ideas on how to do just that!

10 Tips and Ideas for Getting More Followers on Pinterest

1. Follow people and accounts that interest you.
   
2. Follow people and accounts who are active and pin daily.
   
3. Follow people and accounts within your industry.
   
4. Connect with those who follow your direct competitors – make a plan to start following the people who follow them (do it in batches – as in follow 50-100/day).
   
5. Use a call-to action in your email marketing to get people on your list to connect with you on Pinterest.
   
6. Invite your communities on other platforms to connect with you on Pinterest (Facebook, G+, Twitter etc.).
   
7. Comment on, and like industry-related pins.
   
8. Pin daily and repin from your industry peers/colleagues.
   
9. Pin quality content – i.e. pins that are
   
   
   
   • current/up-to-date
     
   • vertical
     
   • have a description
     
   • catch attention
     
   • fit your style/business/industry
     
   • link to a website or article
     
   • fit onto one of your boards
   
   
10. Pin your own content (videos, articles, images).

10 Tips and Ideas for Getting More Repins on Pinterest

A lot of the tips for getting more followers, also will get you more repins.

Handy, right?

But there are several tips in addition to the ones mentioned earlier that will get you more repins.

Here they are:

1. Pin pins from outside of Pinterest. Because 80% of pins are repins, introducing new pins from websites you frequent, will make yours stand out.
   
2. Repins pins from your influencers, peers and colleagues. They will most likely repin some of yours.
   
3. Find popular pins and repin them.
   
4. Use your Pinterest analytics to tell you what type of pins got the most repins in the previous week, and pin more of the same type of pins!
   
5. Use the ‘search’ function to find out what people are searching for! For example, if you are going to pin something related to ‘coffee’, check the keywords that pop up (see image) Use those keywords in your pin descriptions and/or board descriptions.
   
6. Use a call-to-action in your pin description to ask for the repin.
   
7. Cross promote specific pins to other platforms i.e. “Check out my ‘Pin of the Day’ ” on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or G+.
   
8. Timing is important! Try pinning later in the day and on weekends to see if your audience might be more receptive.
   
9. Add a Pin It button to your website.
   
10. Place your pins on group boards where more people will see them.

To Get More Out of Pinterest, Do This!

The most important tip I can give you is this:

More time.

More effort.

More thought.

More strategy.

More engagement.

If you put more in, more will come out, like

• more followers
  
• more traffic
  
• more repins
  
• more connections
  
• more sales
  
• more brand recognition
  
• more influence

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