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This post, and any subsequent posts, is going to be a bit of a detour from the lifestyle content I normally post on this platform, but it's no less relevant. In fact, the two platforms I'm going to be talking about today are a big part of my daily life and when I shared a big Pinterest milestone on Instagram, my comment box flooded with questions about how to use both Tailwind and Pinterest to grow blogs and businesses.
I'm not going to be able to cover every question and every concern in this one blog post, but I'm more than happy to make this a continuing series if there's enough interest. Very likely, however, I'll move this entire topic over to my YouTube channel and start posting weekly videos to get into the specifics and oddities of Pinterest.
For the sake of time, I broke this post down into sections. Click a section on the right to automatically scroll down to the content you're interested in reading.
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How I Use Pinterest to Grow My Blog
I don't think I'm alone in saying that Pinterest is my go-to social media platform. Yes, in the age of TikTok and Instagram, Pinterest is still my tried and true. And that's because at it's core it is not a social platform it is a 'visual discovery engine' with a social element.
There's still the lingering presence of comparison, hate, and judgement ( because I dare you to find an online space that doesn't have those things tingeing the outer edges) but it's MUCH less prevalent than on IG, Twitter, etc. And for that reason alone, I believe Pinterest is a good place to hang out.
I've sat in many virtual seminars and conferences hosted by the Pinterest team over the past 2 years and every time they strive to reinforce the idea that Pinterest is a search engine. It's a place for inspiration and education. It's a positive online space that people go to to improve their lives, take action, and get off the internet.
With those goals from Pinterest itself in mind, I have a much easier time refocusing my mindset and creating content for the platform. I know in order to attract people to my content it needs to inspire them or educate them. My content WILL fall flat if I'm not working to add value to both the platform and people's lives. It's less about just pretty pictures anymore and all about pretty pictures that pack a punch.
My main purpose for Pinterest is less about engaging with followers and much more about driving awareness and traffic to my blog. I work hard to create relevant content that is mostly evergreen so even in three years from now someone can discover a pin linking to a blog post about an organic grass/lawn company and still find the information useful.
Growing on Pinterest
This is the million dollar question, isn't it? How does someone go about growing on any social platform? I believe the phrase "the daily grind" was coined years ago in relation to social media or perhaps just the internet in general, and as much as I hate that phrase, it's relevant.
Two years ago I decided to start daily grinding on Pinterest without a significant break or pause and I'm convinced that was the only way I grew. I have said this to so many people, but without consistency there will never be measurable growth.
And believe me, it's difficult to stay consistent with Pinterest. And I think the trickier part is staying consistent not just in uploading pins but in keeping track of how the platform is performing, what changes the developers and algorithm shifters are making, what is trending, what types of content Pinterest is pushing, etc.
There is no shortcut for gaining this knowledge either. You just have to spend quality, thoughtful time on the platform. Let me walk you through my daily Pinterest checklist. That may give you a better understanding of what I mean.
MY DAILY PINTEREST CHECKLIST
- I always start by checking my notifications
- Always always always reply to comments - that's how you can grow audience loyalty
- 9/10 DMs I ignore, but I have had brands reach out to my via Pinterest message, so I'll always check those
- Next, I check the Today tab on my homepage - this gives me an idea of what content Pinterest is promoting/celebrating that day. Often I'll find my pins tucked into the different sections, which is always fun! If I do see one of my pins, I know to keep tabs on it throughout the day to reply to comments and also make sure the blog post it links back to is up to date and all affiliate links are working.
- Next, I create a piece of content directly on the platform. It's either a Story Pin, Video Pin, or Regular Pin – I'm currently testing out a few theories I have about pin exposure and upload timing. I use Tailwind to schedule out evergreen pins, but recent pins from the current blog post I like to post directly through Pinterest
- After that I like to scroll my home feed for a bit and re-pin a few pieces of content that I personally find inspirational. Whether it's a quote, a recipe for dinner, or an outfit idea to try, I still use the platform myself as a place for inspiration and education
- About 2-3 times per week I like to hop into the Trends tab under Analytics and see what's trending on the app. Often if I don't have a new blog post going up I will plan for the next day's content based on what is trending.
Once a week I check in on my audience analytics to see what content they're loving. Not surprisingly, last week my IKEA desk posts got a lot of attention so with that in mind I may come up with a concept for a Story Pin or video pin to drive even more traffic and exposure to the blog. I can also see what Pinterest is predicting will be a big deal with their Pinterest Predicts feature - it's scarily accurate!
You see what I mean about spending quality time in the app? It's about using the data Pinterest gives you to uncover what's working for you and what's not. If you're not willing to spend that time to uncover what your audience really loves, no significant growth can happen.
How I Use Tailwind
Like I mentioned above, I use a combination of in-app posting and also Tailwind to schedule out my Pinterest content. If you've never heard of Tailwind before, keep reading for an overview of the program.
WHAT IS TAILWIND?
Tailwind is an app (both desktop and mobile) that makes scheduling out your content for both Pinterest and Instagram excessively easy. A free trial of the program will get you in the door for up to 100 scheduled pins ( and no time limit!) so you can play around with 100 of your pins to get a feel for the program before committing to their affordable payment plan.
With a Tailwind subscription also comes a great new feature called Tailwind Create where you can design out beautiful Pinterest pins for free using their analyzed designs, suggested graphics, and even your own brand colors.
Most importantly it's a Pinterest and Facebook Partner, so everything they do is in line with what Facebook (for Instagram scheduling) and Pinterest is already doing.
I spend about an hour in Tailwind every week and that's it. After I've done my research about what pins are generating exposure, what topics people are interested in, etc. I'll hop onto Tailwind and schedule out new pins that link those trending or popular topics from older, evergreen blog posts.
This workflow might not work for everyone, but I personally love spending just a short amount of time and knowing that I have 2-3 new pins automatically going live at relevant times that will drive traffic to older blog posts without me spending too much additional time.
The Future of Pinterest
I have high hopes for the future of Pinterest. I personally think it's what YouTube was 6-7 years ago – relatively untapped but teeming with highly engaged users. If you're a blogger, don't wait to start optimizing your profile and creating high quality content. If you're a business owner, get creative about how to visually market your product on Pinterest.
How are you going to add value to someone's life with your content? How will you inspire and educate? How will you make your life a little easier with apps and programs that do a lot of work for you?
There's a lot of potential for small business and blog success with using Pinterest and as they continue to add features that make audience connection possible, the ways to use the platform will be endless.