Have you heard about the newest Pinterest algorithm update? There is always a lot of buzz around these changes and what they will mean for our business.

Today we’re going to explore exactly what Pinterest is changing and what YOU can change to keep serving your audience well.

Blame It On The Pinterest Algorithm 

If you have been a long-time listener of my podcast, you know that whenever someone says the words “algorithm change,” I tend to get a little prickly. It’s not because I think they don’t exist. I know they are happening all the time. The platforms are always trying to find ways to serve their audience more efficiently.

One thing I’ve realized is that sometimes people use this term when their traffic is going down without taking much time to look into what is going on in their analytics. I want people to dig a little deeper and find out what might be going on instead of automatically using “the algorithm” as their explanation.

Related: What to Do When You Experience a Pinterest Traffic Drop

Pinterest Algorithm Update: What’s Changed?

The Old Model 

With that said, we actually did experience a Pinterest algorithm change in mid-July and Pinterest let us know about it. They are introducing a new ranking model to their home feed. They want to show different types of content (regular pins, video pins, idea pins (formerly story pins), etc.)

Traditionally, Pinterest monitors the content on the home feed and looks at the habits of the pinner. They call this a “click-through prediction model.” They then show the pinner more of the content that they typically click on.

This model ensures that the pinner sees what they want and will engage with the pins in their home feed.

Controlled Distribution

The problem with this is that if a pinner never clicks on idea pins or video pins, they won’t ever see any of those types of pins in their feed. Pinterest has a ton of great content that they want to get in front of their users.

To solve that problem, Pinterest introduced a new real-time ranking system called “controlled distribution.”

First, the user tells Pinterest what content they love. Next, Pinterest decides how much of the “extra stuff” (like idea pins, videos, and GIFs) to sprinkle into that user’s home feed.

If the pinner engages with these pins, Pinterest will sprinkle in a little more.

This allows Pinterest to show a wide range of content without relying solely on the pinner’s engagement as the determining factor of what to include in their feed. With the goal of dispersing different types of content within a user’s feed, controlled distribution is the main feature of the latest algorithm change.

Good Content Keeps Giving

Our former creative director (Tina) recently attended a creative seminar hosted by Pinterest. During the seminar, Pinterest communicated loud and clear that its platform is changing. Although their initial goal was to drive content, they are now focusing more on content creation.

We see this when it comes to idea pins. In most countries, you can’t add a link to an idea pin.

Hearing that Pinterest is focusing more on content creation tends to freak out Pinterest marketers. But Pinterest is always focused on keeping the user around and showing them what they want. Even though you can’t link them to your site,

Whether you’re dying to know the best Pinterest image size, or how to get more clicks, we answer all your burning questions about Pinterest images.

Creating incredible images is one of the most important tasks when it comes to your Pinterest marketing. Those images will capture the pinner’s attention and lead to clicks to your site. And those clicks are what lead to conversions. 

For some of you, creating images is an escape. You love the design aspect. For others, creating images makes you want to throw your computer across the room. I definitely fall into the latter category. 

Regardless of which category you fall into, Pinterest images are different than the images you find on any other social media platform. You should always have the pinner in mind when creating your images. 

In today’s episode, my former creative director, Tina, and I are answering the five most commonly asked Pinterest image creation questions. These are the questions we field ALL THE TIME.

This episode comes at a perfect time since it’s Image Month in our Pinterest marketing community. We’re diving deep into coaching you on how to create the best images for your brand. This includes Pinterest video pin creation, story pin creation, and every other pin you need to create.

Join The Simple Pin Collective today to join us Image Month!

 

How Much Time Should You Devote to Image Creation?

There was a big push to jump on the Pinterest image creation bandwagon recently with Pinterest saying that fresh pins are what will get you the best distribution. This caused many creators to shift their focus from content creation to image creation.

But exactly how much time should you carve out for this Pinterest marketing task? It’s a hard question to answer because there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. 

If you are using image templates, Tina believes that finding the branded image you want and tweaking the images shouldn’t take you more than 20-30 minutes per image. If you are building a brand new image with multiple layers, then expect the image creation process to take up to an hour per image.

 

Top 5 Pinterest Image Creation Questions

 

Q: What types of Pinterest image designs are currently trending?

Right now, in 2020, we are seeing a trend toward light and airy images. Less is more. Uncluttered, simplistic, minimalistic designs that make use of white space are definitely performing well. 

If you look at what big brands are doing, and if you use Pinterest as a normal user would, you will see that promoted pins are simplistic in nature. 

If your brand is not light and airy, you don’t have to worry. Regardless of your brand colors, you can choose photos that are more simple. Look at images that are trending and see if you can work those types of examples into your image creation. 

The image below on the left is a great example of the light and airy trend:

 

Q: What design techniques can get me more clicks?

This is the magic question. More clicks are what we all want. 

The answer for Tina always comes down to one thing: you have to be creating images specifically for mobile. Over 85% of Pinterest users are using their mobile devices to look at Pi...

Whether you’re dying to know the best Pinterest image size, or how to get more clicks, we answer all your burning questions about Pinterest images.

Creating incredible images is one of the most important tasks when it comes to your Pinterest marketing. Those images will capture the pinner’s attention and lead to clicks to your site. And those clicks are what lead to conversions. 

For some of you, creating images is an escape. You love the design aspect. For others, creating images makes you want to throw your computer across the room. I definitely fall into the latter category. 

Regardless of which category you fall into, Pinterest images are different than the images you find on any other social media platform. You should always have the pinner in mind when creating your images. 

In today’s episode, my former creative director, Tina, and I are answering the five most commonly asked Pinterest image creation questions. These are the questions we field ALL THE TIME.

This episode comes at a perfect time since it’s Image Month in our Pinterest marketing community. We’re diving deep into coaching you on how to create the best images for your brand. This includes Pinterest video pin creation, story pin creation, and every other pin you need to create.

Join The Simple Pin Collective today to join us Image Month!

 

How Much Time Should You Devote to Image Creation?

There was a big push to jump on the Pinterest image creation bandwagon recently with Pinterest saying that fresh pins are what will get you the best distribution. This caused many creators to shift their focus from content creation to image creation.

But exactly how much time should you carve out for this Pinterest marketing task? It’s a hard question to answer because there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. 

If you are using image templates, Tina believes that finding the branded image you want and tweaking the images shouldn’t take you more than 20-30 minutes per image. If you are building a brand new image with multiple layers, then expect the image creation process to take up to an hour per image.

 

Top 5 Pinterest Image Creation Questions

 

Q: What types of Pinterest image designs are currently trending?

Right now, in 2020, we are seeing a trend toward light and airy images. Less is more. Uncluttered, simplistic, minimalistic designs that make use of white space are definitely performing well. 

If you look at what big brands are doing, and if you use Pinterest as a normal user would, you will see that promoted pins are simplistic in nature. 

If your brand is not light and airy, you don’t have to worry. Regardless of your brand colors, you can choose photos that are more simple. Look at images that are trending and see if you can work those types of examples into your image creation. 

The image below on the left is a great example of the light and airy trend:

 

Q: What design techniques can get me more clicks?

This is the magic question. More clicks are what we all want. 

The answer for Tina always comes down to one thing: you have to be creating images specifically for mobile. Over 85% of Pinterest users are using their mobile devic...

If you’ve ever had a dream of growing a business but you’re scared to start, this episode is for you. I know that feeling all too well, and today I am sharing how I moved past it and the incredible growth that I’ve experienced in doing so.

200 Simple Pin Podcast Episodes!

I can hardly believe we have hit the 200th episode of the Simple Pin podcast! I am so blessed by you and by all the amazing guests I’ve had on this show since it started, way back in May of 2016. 

I am also really about the guest I have on today’s episode. Leslie Samuel was my very first business coach and the one who convinced me to start this podcast. I was so scared! But it has turned out to be one of my favorite things I do. 

Overcoming Fear in Business: Learn How to Do It Scared

Leslie and I chat about a lot in this episode, including what business coaching looks like, how to grow a business, what it means to push through when you’re scared, and how we wrestle through the challenges of being an entrepreneur. 

I just have to share a direct quote from Leslie here because it perfectly sums up who he is and what he does:

I love to take people from, ‘Do you really think I can do that?’, to ‘Oh my word! 200 episodes!!

 

You Can Do It!

Leslie loves working with people because he sees the potential in each person. 

We are all full of potential. Unfortunately, we tend to get in our own heads and we convince ourselves that we can’t really do the things we want to do. 

We tell ourselves that we actually don’t have what it takes to accomplish our goals and reach our dreams. 

In his previous life, Leslie spent time as a biology professor. As he studied the human brain, he was amazed to observe what we are able to accomplish if we simply allow ourselves to move forward. 

You truly can do whatever you set your mind to do. 

Can You Make Money Online?

I started coaching with Leslie at the end of 2014. As I look back on that time, I remember feeling a ton of fear. I was even afraid to hire a business coach. But a friend of mine had been coached by Leslie and she told me I simply had to do it. 

I asked Leslie to think back to that time and he remembers seeing the potential in me. 

I already had a small business. I had clients who were paying me every month. It wasn’t huge and I wasn’t making much money, planted the seed to grow something that was viable. 

Leslie firmly believes that:

if you’re already making money online, you’re miles ahead of people who are trying to make money online.

So, I had demonstrated that I had the ability to make money online, even though my business was still relatively small. 

If you have people who are willing to pay you for something you provide online — whether it’s a service like I was selling or a product — then other people will also be willing to pay you for it. 

Reaching Beyond My Comfort Zone

When I first began working with Leslie, I had around seven clients. And I was confused. 

I had this group of clients who were paying me but, I had zero idea how to move forward or what to do next. And I had no systems in my business. I was basically flying by the seat of my pants every single day. 

And so, the first six months were spent laying some necessary foundations in my business. We worked on systems. And then we worked on growth. 

I remember reaching 20 clients, and I decided that was good enough for me and we could st...

If you’ve ever had a dream of growing a business but you’re scared to start, this episode is for you. I know that feeling all too well, and today I am sharing how I moved past it and the incredible growth that I’ve experienced in doing so.

200 Simple Pin Podcast Episodes!

I can hardly believe we have hit the 200th episode of the Simple Pin podcast! I am so blessed by you and by all the amazing guests I’ve had on this show since it started, way back in May of 2016. 

I am also really about the guest I have on today’s episode. Leslie Samuel was my very first business coach and the one who convinced me to start this podcast. I was so scared! But it has turned out to be one of my favorite things I do. 

Overcoming Fear in Business: Learn How to Do It Scared

Leslie and I chat about a lot in this episode, including what business coaching looks like, how to grow a business, what it means to push through when you’re scared, and how we wrestle through the challenges of being an entrepreneur. 

I just have to share a direct quote from Leslie here because it perfectly sums up who he is and what he does:

I love to take people from, ‘Do you really think I can do that?’, to ‘Oh my word! 200 episodes!!

 

You Can Do It!

Leslie loves working with people because he sees the potential in each person. 

We are all full of potential. Unfortunately, we tend to get in our own heads and we convince ourselves that we can’t really do the things we want to do. 

We tell ourselves that we actually don’t have what it takes to accomplish our goals and reach our dreams. 

In his previous life, Leslie spent time as a biology professor. As he studied the human brain, he was amazed to observe what we are able to accomplish if we simply allow ourselves to move forward. 

You truly can do whatever you set your mind to do. 

Can You Make Money Online?

I started coaching with Leslie at the end of 2014. As I look back on that time, I remember feeling a ton of fear. I was even afraid to hire a business coach. But a friend of mine had been coached by Leslie and she told me I simply had to do it. 

I asked Leslie to think back to that time and he remembers seeing the potential in me. 

I already had a small business. I had clients who were paying me every month. It wasn’t huge and I wasn’t making much money, planted the seed to grow something that was viable. 

Leslie firmly believes that:

if you’re already making money online, you’re miles ahead of people who are trying to make money online.

So, I had demonstrated that I had the ability to make money online, even though my business was still relatively small. 

If you have people who are willing to pay you for something you provide online — whether it’s a service like I was selling or a product — then other people will also be willing to pay you for it. 

Reaching Beyond My Comfort Zone

When I first began working with Leslie, I had around seven clients. And I was confused. 

I had this group of clients who were paying me but, I had zero idea how to move forward or what to do next. And I had no systems in my business. I was basically flying by the seat of my pants every single day. 

And so, the first six months were spent laying some necessary foundations in my business. We worked on systems. And then we worked on growth. 

I remember reaching 20 clients,

Are you struggling to convert your Pinterest traffic to sales? The whole point of Pinterest marketing is to find your person, lead them to your website, where you offer products that directly address their pain point.

In today’s episode, we’re talking all about your Pinterest conversion rate — that’s basically how effective you are at finding and converting your person on Pinterest. This will help you drill down to also find your Pinterest conversion rate.

I’m going to be helping my friend, Natalie Gingrich, take her Pinterest traffic and convert them into people who want to sign up for her certification program.

Natalie is a longtime friend and I wanted to take this opportunity to help her figure out how to convert her Pinterest users. Why? Because 30% of her traffic is coming from Pinterest and she’s struggling with how to convert that to sales.

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Your Pinterest Conversion Rate

Natalie is an operations leader and mentor for helping people that have a skillset in project management. She takes effective project managers and helps them to build a business in remote and online spaces by utilizing their skills in project management.

Natalie’s ideal person has the ability to be an effective project manager. They might have those skills from education or from experience. They don’t have to have a background in the corporate world to come into her certification program.

Having experience in operations can look like HR, project management, finances, engineers, medical professionals, etc. Any person who has worked in a profession where processes and systems are incredibly important.

Natalie is looking for leaders and strategic partners. Leadership means being willing to say “yes, maybe” instead of “yes, ma’am” to everything.

It’s important for Natalie that her applicants get exactly what she has promised, especially since they are spending money on the program.

The Content Investment

Natalie has been consistently blogging for three years and has been releasing podcast episodes for one year. She started using Pinterest about 2.5 years ago. Every one of her blog posts has 1-5 pins created for it.

Natalie’s top ten performing pins are team-related. Her most popular pin is about “Onboarding New Team Members,” but these posts are older and her branding has changed since then.

Her “Director of Operations” board is what she wants people to be clicking on but that term might not be as easily found as “Online Business Manager” or “Service Provider.”

The first thing Natalie can test out is pairing down the text on her pins. You need to create an interest in the user in order to create a desire in them to click.

The person on Pinterest doesn’t want to read a ton of text on an image. You need to capture them as quickly as possible. One thing you can do is take the questions you are being asked and put that text directly on your pin images.

Learn how to a/b test images.

Two Different Types of Pinterest Users

There are two different types of users on Pinterest:

* One is looking through their feed and mindlessly scrolling.

* The other is actively searching for something specific.

By creating two different types of images for the two different types of users, you can capture both of them.

You don’t have to have your podcast episode numbers on your Pinterest images, but it is crucial that you just have your branding on every image. Make sure it is visible and tasteful.

Are you struggling to convert your Pinterest traffic to sales? The whole point of Pinterest marketing is to find your person, lead them to your website, where you offer products that directly address their pain point.

In today’s episode, we’re talking all about your Pinterest conversion rate — that’s basically how effective you are at finding and converting your person on Pinterest. This will help you drill down to also find your Pinterest conversion rate.

I’m going to be helping my friend, Natalie Gingrich, take her Pinterest traffic and convert them into people who want to sign up for her certification program.

Natalie is a longtime friend and I wanted to take this opportunity to help her figure out how to convert her Pinterest users. Why? Because 30% of her traffic is coming from Pinterest and she’s struggling with how to convert that to sales.

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Your Pinterest Conversion Rate

Natalie is an operations leader and mentor for helping people that have a skillset in project management. She takes effective project managers and helps them to build a business in remote and online spaces by utilizing their skills in project management.

Natalie’s ideal person has the ability to be an effective project manager. They might have those skills from education or from experience. They don’t have to have a background in the corporate world to come into her certification program.

Having experience in operations can look like HR, project management, finances, engineers, medical professionals, etc. Any person who has worked in a profession where processes and systems are incredibly important.

Natalie is looking for leaders and strategic partners. Leadership means being willing to say “yes, maybe” instead of “yes, ma’am” to everything.

It’s important for Natalie that her applicants get exactly what she has promised, especially since they are spending money on the program.

The Content Investment

Natalie has been consistently blogging for three years and has been releasing podcast episodes for one year. She started using Pinterest about 2.5 years ago. Every one of her blog posts has 1-5 pins created for it.

Natalie’s top ten performing pins are team-related. Her most popular pin is about “Onboarding New Team Members,” but these posts are older and her branding has changed since then.

Her “Director of Operations” board is what she wants people to be clicking on but that term might not be as easily found as “Online Business Manager” or “Service Provider.”

The first thing Natalie can test out is pairing down the text on her pins. You need to create an interest in the user in order to create a desire in them to click.

The person on Pinterest doesn’t want to read a ton of text on an image. You need to capture them as quickly as possible. One thing you can do is take the questions you are being asked and put that text directly on your pin images.

Learn how to a/b test images.

Two Different Types of Pinterest Users

There are two different types of users on Pinterest:

* One is looking through their feed and mindlessly scrolling.

* The other is actively searching for something specific.

By creating two different types of images for the two different types of users, you can capture both of them.

You don’t have to have your podcast episode numbers on your Pinterest images, but it is crucial that you just have your branding on every image. Make sure it is visible and tasteful.