Welcome to 2019! I am so excited for what this year is going to look like here at SPM. This next series of podcasts will help us establish strong foundations to start the year off just right. Out of the gate we’re going to talk all about how to make Pinterest work for YOU.

How to Make Pinterest Work for You and Your Business

I understand that your business requires a lot of your attention in so many different areas. That’s why I started SPM in the first place – to share advice that you can time-block into your week. I recommend about 2 hours a week to work on your Pinterest marketing. As we talk about foundations, I recommend that you to budget a little more time into your week to work on the tips I share.

As I go through these tips, take some notes! I use Voxer to leave myself notes when I’m out and about. It’s super helpful, especially since I am a verbal processor. 

1. Create Boards and a Profile to Match Your Message

To start, be sure to create boards and a profile personalized for you.

Your profile communicates a message – your message! Make sure a viewer identify what you’re about in the first five seconds? Recognizable brands know that building brand awareness is key. Nordstrom, Starbucks, Sephora, we all recognize them immediately from their logos and what they pin. 

Look at your profile and update it. We just did this for my friend Ruth Soukup, who was on the podcast recently discussing blogging mindset. Update your name (which must be less than 30 characters) and your description. Your description cannot be longer than 160 characters, so I recommend one full sentence describing what you do (include your most used keywords).

Create a board that corresponds with the name of your business. Think about the boards you’re creating, and if they are reflecting the products you create or the topics you talk about. Be as niche-specific as possible. This enables the Pinterest algorithm to know what a user is interested in based on the name of the board they are saving a pin from.

If you have boards that are just for personal use, make them secret boards. You can still pin to secret boards and you can have as many as you want.

2. Create Images That Work for You

We all know that images are the main focus of Pinterest! The main home feed is totally driven by images.

Are your images optimized for Pinterest? Are they clear and easily identifiable? Easily identifiable pins are important when it comes to the visual search tool. That way when you have an image that has a dead link, you can search that image to find other pins that could have a link.

You also want your text overlay to be easy to read on a mobile device and you want it to pique curiosity. Use very fonts that are easily readable.

Create optimized pinnable images in a 2:3 ratio format using Canva or your favorite software. You want to keep your images in that 2:3 ratio (600×900 or 1000×1500) so that Pinterest can adjust them perfectly to fit the screen. If you go any longer, Pinterest will not distribute your image into the home feed.

We have an entire podcast episode on creating images that captured attention. Be sure to listen to that episode for even more tips.

Be consistent. Use a template that promotes branding and awareness. We all know when a Target ad comes on even before we see the bullseye because we recognize their branding!

3. Use Keywords (& Choose Them Wisely)