HOW TO USE PINTEREST TO DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR BLOG

Pinterest is a visual goldmine. After staring at blocks of text for hours, what a joy it is to open Pinterest and feast your eyes on visual masterpieces – fashion, food, pets, travel destinations, and more.

You may already be using Pinterest for fun. You've probably set up boards for the categories you like to share. And you may even spend time each day browsing similar categories and repining pins that you like.

Pinterest, though, is more than just a playground for your eyes. In September 2015, Pinterest claimed to have 100 million active users monthly, so it can be a huge resource to get traffic to your blog. Here are a few tips to get you on the right path.

MAKE A SPECIAL BOARD TO PIN YOUR BLOGS

Creating a Blog Board is a great way to have your blog posts found by your Pinterest followers and also by people who are just browsing categories that interest them.

Give your Blog Board the same name as your blog. If your blog is about Thai recipes and you've named your blog 'Authentic Nigerian Recipes,' give that same name to your Pinterest Blog Board. When someone searches for 'authentic Nigerian recipes,' your board is likely to show up.

Be sure that your blog pins include mouth-watering photos of those Nigerian recipes. Add a brief summary of the post and a link to the article, and you're all set.

MAKE ADDITIONAL BOARDS THAT CONNECT TO YOUR BLOG TOPIC

You probably already have a number of boards in various categories in your Pinterest account. Make sure that several boards cover different aspects of your blog topic. If your Blog Board is 'Authentic Nigerians Recipes,' then make other boards:

• tips on Nigerian foods
• where to buy supplies for Nigerian cooking
• what kitchen utensils are needed
• whatever content connects with your blog topic of Nigerian cooking

Once again, you'll want to have great images, some text, and a link to your blog post.

IMAGES GALORE

If you've already been browsing Pinterest, then you realize the value of enticing images. You don't click on the boring images, so why would anyone else? Your images will be in a sea of beautiful photos, and you need your images to stand out from the crowd.

That's not always easy, but one way to do this is to make your image long – either a tall photo or an info graphic. Another way is to make a collage of several photos with captions on a tall background.
When you are writing your blog post, keep in mind the need to have at least one Pinterest-friendly image in your blog that you'll be able to pin on your Blog Board.

RELEVANT KEYWORDS ARE PARAMOUNT

A keyword is a word or phrase that someone puts into a search window when looking for information or images on a particular topic. When a person opens Pinterest and types 'authentic Nigerian recipes' into the search window, it is logical that Pinterest will give that person the results that are closest to that keyword phrase.

You can see, then, how important it is to give a name to your boards that contains a keyword or keyword phrase. In addition, use keywords strategically in the description you place below the image you pin. Just keep in mind that any text on the image itself will not be included in the search.

BE AN ACTIVE PINTEREST MEMBER AND PRACTICE GOOD SEARCH OPTIMIZATION

• Pin unique content on a regular basis
• Check out the boards of your followers and repining their pins
• Use relevant keywords in the pin's description
• Use keywords in the names of your boards
• Check your images on a mobile device to make sure they look good
• Add a link to your Pinterest account in your email signature

Pinterest is your opportunity to reap the benefits of visual storytelling. Everyone loves a good story, especially when the images are engaging.

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