So you want to start using Pinterest or at least using it to your advantage? Want to avoid making Pinterest mistakes on your account?

There’s a lot of mixed information out there about Pinterest marketing. You may have read many blog posts about it, and what I’m about to say might conflict with what you’ve read before. It’s hard to know who to believe and what advice to follow.

Many creators get frustrated with being told they need to pin a certain way. But what works for one pinner probably won’t work for the next.

Pinterest users respond to different images and wording, and they’re active at different times throughout the day. For example, your food blogger friend might have success sending out pins in the morning, but your audience might be more active in the middle of the day or late at night.

Your friend might post three new idea pins a week and three new static pins a day, but you might be able to do less or more. Everyone’s audience is different.

As someone who works with many clients in different niches, I can say with certainty that you need to figure out what works for you instead of just following what works for others. It might take some time, but once you figure it out, you’ll be successful.

Before I talk about what I know to be true about Pinterest marketing right now, I want to discuss common Pinterest mistakes that many pinners make and what you shouldn’t do.

Pinterest Mistake #1

You are using a personal Pinterest account. 

If you want to use Pinterest for your business, blog, Etsy store, or anything you are looking to drive traffic to, you need to have a business account. 

Why a business account? 

• You can claim your website. 
• You can promote your pins so they get in front of the RIGHT audience.
• You will be able to see your analytics to see what is and is not working. You can see who is responding to your content, males, and females, their ages, what type of device they are finding you on, etc. 

The cool thing is it’s 100% free to sign up and use a Pinterest for Business account! You can convert your personal account and take your followers with you, OR you can start from scratch! 

Pinterest Mistakes #2

Believing followers matter.

FALSE. Unlike Instagram and other social platforms, you don’t need thousands of followers on Pinterest to succeed. Your follower count won’t make or break your account.

Pinterest is a search engine. So the key to success on this platform is consistency and proper SEO.

Followers are a vanity metric. Sure it looks cool that I have 5K followers, but that does NOT mean all 5,000 of them will see what I pin.

So you don’t NEED people to follow you; you want your content to appear in the correct user’s feed. Followers will come.

And here’s the thing about Pinterest. Unlike social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, your post will live longer than a few hours or days. The cool thing about Pinterest is once a pin is on the platform, it’s there for LIFE.

I have been on Pinterest since 2011 and I still have pins that were originally pinned in 2013 that get traffic 10 YEARS LATER! It’s wild!

Pinterest Mistake #3

Pinning the same image to more than one board.

This is SUCH an outdated practice, yet I still see SO many Pinterest experts telling users to do this. Pinterest themselves have said more than once that this is a NO-NO!

So if you are doing this, STOP it right now!

Pinterest wants us to give them at least one fresh new pin image daily, even if it links to an old URL. In addition, they prioritize fresh new pins, so your fresh pin image will have a much larger reach than a pin you are re-pinning already on the platform.

Pinterest Mistakes #4

Pinning with no strategy.

Using Pinterest without a strategy can lead to frustration and giving up, especially with all the mixed information out there. It’s important to have a plan.

To start, create pins that are designed for your ideal reader or client. Use wording that will grab their attention and experiment with different images and colors to see what works best for YOUR audience.

Consistency is key! Pinterest likes active users, so make sure to pin at least one new image per day. This will increase your confidence score and help you reach more people. You can plan ahead and schedule your content for the week to stay consistent.

Seeing results from Pinterest takes time and effort. Don’t expect a quick fix for traffic. It’s important to figure out what works best for you in terms of how much content you create, how often you pin, and when you pin.

Pinterest Mistakes #5

Thinking you can only create one pin per URL.

This is FALSE! It doesn’t matter to Pinterest how many times you share an external URL. All you need is a fresh, new graphic each time. So switch out the photos on new pins and pin to your same awesome blog post.

The added bonus is by creating different graphics for one post, you can get a good idea of what type of look and wording receives the most engagement! This will help you design new pins going forward.

I think the biggest frustration users get with Pinterest is they are used to hearing content creators talk about how they got thousands of views overnight.

I am here to tell you they are lying. Pinterest does NOT work that way. It never has. It will take time and effort, and like I’ve mentioned before, it’s a long game. Just as it takes time to rank for you content on Google, it also takes time for your pins to marinate and rank on the platform.

Don’t give up! Slow and steady and consistency win.

Need help with your Pinterest strategy or management? Check out my offers here!