Wondering how to drive traffic to your site with Pinterest? In this ultimate beginners guide, I give you everything you need to get started marketing on Pinterest.

Pinterest Beginner’s GuideĀ 

If you’re brand new to marketing your biz or blog on Pinterest and you have no idea where to start then you’re in the right place. I am going to show you the ropes with this ultimate beginners guide to Pinterest…Ā plus there is a free Pinterest quick-start download for easy reference!

With 100 million active users I am going to assume that you know a little bit about how Pinterest works because you most likely have been using it for yourself.

Whether pinning recipes, planning your dream backyard, or even planning a big event, Pinterest is definitely a visual search engine.

Pinners are there to dream and plan with the beautiful images they see. Studies show that people also go there to seek out information and spend their money.

Pinterest has completely changed the way we search for information. I notice, that now, I do most of my online searching on Pinterest over Google.

I use Pinterest as a bookmarking tool to plan my future, find home decorating ideas, DIY tips + tricks, to even look up valuable information on running a better business.

Pinterest has 4.75 million monthly users right now… it’s like its own country.

Look, the point here is that if you want to get your blog or biz in front of (potentially) millions of people, drive tons of traffic to your site, and make a ton of money (selling anything) then you need to be on Pinterest.

I don’t want you to miss out on a huge piece of Pinterest pie just because you don’t know where to start.

So, in this Pinterest for beginners guide, I am going to take you through the exact steps you need to get started.

First thingsĀ first – You need a Pinterest business account

When starting out on Pinterest as a beginner, a lot of people are confused about whether they should switch their personal account over to a business account or they should create a new business account from scratch.

Let me tell you that the easiest way is to start a new account specifically for your business.

The reason I say this is two-fold.

First, the people who already follow your personal boards are following you for a reason (hint: they like what you pin), so if you switch you might confuse your followers with all these business pins and possibly lose a lot of them as well.

Plus, Pinterest only shows your pins in your follower’s smart feed if they are already pinning content that is similar to yours. So, for example, if you have content related to helping bloggers build a better blog then your pins will not get shown to people who do not currently pin and repin blogging tips.

The second reason is that it is messy and time-consuming to go through all your boards and pins and make sure everything on your profile is attracting your ideal reader or customer.

It just isn’t a good idea, I don’t care if you have 5,000 followers, it will be a mess!

Let’s start fresh and set up a shiny, new account for your blog or biz.

Step 1 | Set up your account

Go here to set up your new Pinterest business account. You absolutely need to have a business account so that you can get access to your account analytics, sign up for rich pins, and have the ability to advertise with Promoted Pins.

Step 2 | Verify your website

When you verify your website with Pinterest you will get access to your account analytics. Here you can see insights about your audience, what pins are performing the best, and who is pinning your pins. Having this information is very valuable, so don’t wait!

Step 3 | Fill in your name and profile.

  1. Your name – You can use two of your most important keywords here along with your name and or business name. For example, my name is Kyla // The Secret Pinners Club // Pinterest Strategist // Mompreneur.Ā  When trying to decide if you should you use your name or your business name. You’ll want to think about what terms people would probably be searching for when trying to find you on Pinterest.
  2. Ā Your bio is also a great place for your secondary keywords. You only have 160 characters so be strategic! Explain what you do and you should also include a call to action. If you don’t have any freebies for people to grab then just leave your website address. (note: you can only get a clickable link to your verified website in the location field now)

Step 4 | Set Up Your Boards

I recommend that you have at least 10-15 boards that relate to your niche. I also recommend that you add a few boards where you have a cohesive look/style and show some personality with your account.

  1. Place your most popular boards in the top 2 two rows.Ā You will want to set up a dedicated board for just your own pins/content and make this the first board people see.
  2. Delete/ make secret any boards that are not suited to your ideal audience or brand.
  3. Change board names to keyword-rich names. For example: donā€™t be cute or catchy with board names. Instead of ā€œLetā€™s Eatā€ name your board ā€œQuick and Easy Dinner Recipesā€.
  4. Ā Make sure that every board is optimized with a keyword-rich description, so it will show up in the search.

Step 5 | Go follow people and repin amazing content that your audience is interested in.

  1. Follow people in your industry or niche, follow topics, or you can follow individual boards so you will have relevant content to repin.
  2. Pin with your target audience in mind. What wouldĀ theyĀ be pinning to their personal boards?
  3. Consider creating boards around the most popular topics on Pinterest. For example, quotes are always popular. DIY, decorating, crafts, recipes, etc.
  4. Don’t be afraid to infuse your personality into your business account. Think about your brand and make sure you are keeping with a cohesive brand look.

Why should you repin other people’s content?

This is a question that gets asked a lot so I decided to clarify it for you. You should be repinning quality content (on an everyday basis) to help your ranking on Pinterest and for your audience.

The reasons? Because your account is attached to every pin you repin to your boards. If you pin quality pins that get repinned then Pinterest views your account as valuable. When you’re viewed as valuable then Pinterest will start showing your pins more in the searches and smart feeds of your audience. Plus you want to be known (and ultimately followed) for pinning quality and aesthetically pleasing pins. It’s a win, win!

Step 6 – Download the Quick-Start Guide Below

24 comments on “The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Growing your Blog or Biz with Pinterest”

  1. Hi! Thanks for all the great info! I am about to start your e-course and am super excited. I am brand new to blogging. I just started my site tidyandteal.com recently, and I like to write about ways to save money, organization, and how to “tidy” up your life. Bloggers like you have really helped me learn the tools I need to succeed. I would love any tips or feedback! Thanks so much for your time!

    • You’re Welcome Rachel! I am so glad you found the information helpful, and thanks for signing up for the free course. P.S. I’m going to check out your site now šŸ™‚

  2. I love this article! Thank you! I’m trying to sign upnfor your 10 Day course but the link keeps sending me to a 404 error page. Can you give me another link to it please?

  3. Thanks for this info Kyla! I’m super new to blogging and need all the info I can get. I signed up for your free course. Thanks so much for making this available!

    • Hey, Melissa! I’m so sorry I didn’t respond sooner, I’m apparently not getting notified of new comments. You want to use your name and 2 keywords that describe what you do. For example, mine is Kyla // Secret Pinners Club // Pinterest strategies // Mompreneur. This would be for your profile name.

  4. This is such great content! Step 5 is super important like you’ve said – it really helps to pin other people’s amazing content, to be a part of group boards & also use eye grabbing images as backgrounds. Thanks for sharing!

  5. Hi! I wanted to change my account to a business account but when I tried thru your link it said user not available. Why would it say that?
    I’m glad I found this blog cause I’ve been wanting to change my account but didn’t know how.

  6. Hello Kyla!

    I’m SO happy I found you! I signed up for your 10 day course, and am really excited to get started! I am a total newbie to Pinterest, but a quick learner luckily!

    I signed up for a business account, but am having difficulty claiming my website…

  7. Thanks Kyla. This was very useful information for me as I’m a beginner. I am signing up for your e-course now. God Bless!

  8. Hi Kyla, such an amazing ideas to start a blog on different niches. Really an useful post with clean and clear details. Thanks for sharing this post. Keep sharing.

  9. This is really helpful! I just started my own blog and I have been cramming so much information in my head burts! ? this was super helpful and I found this article on– Pinterest! Thank you!

  10. Hi Kyla,

    Thanks for sharing your tips on Pinterest for us beginners. I love Step 5 because I do love connecting with other Pinterest users. I think it’s beneficial for people who own a pin and people who see your boards.

    Again, thank you.

    Valerie

  11. I really enjoyed your blog; thank you for the information and guidance. I just launched my first blog and now I am trying to understand Pinterest. You were so helpful. šŸ™‚

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