Do you want to know how to make your Pinterest Pins go viral? The Pinterest algorithm keeps on changing with time as is usual with any search engine. Old tactics quickly become outdated in the world of Pinterest and you simply cannot rely on them forever to make your Pins go viral.
As old ranking strategies get outdated, they not only become obsolete but oftentimes, you also get penalized for following them which hurts your progress greatly. For this reason, it is important that you keep up with the ever-changing Pinterest trends and see what works and what doesn’t.
You may find many posts out there telling you what to do to go viral on Pinterest. However, some of them are outdated while others contain no substantial information on what ACTUALLY needs to be done to create a successful Pinterest pin.
There is no need to get discouraged, though. I have got all the steps lined up for you below. We will talk about how Pinterest really works, why it is beneficial to create popular Pinterest pins, and how you can create Pinterest pins that go viral.
Let’s get started!
What is Pinterest and How Does Pinterest Work?
Pinterest is an image search engine tool that also doubles as a social platform, allowing people to both search for ideas and inspirations while interacting with one another.
Many bloggers and business owners overlook Pinterest to boost their marketing efforts and website traffic. This is because a lot of them don’t really understand how it works or they don’t want to make the effort to know.
Another reason is because there is a lot of misconception surrounding Pinterest. Most people think it is just a visually attractive website catering to women.
However, that is not the case.
Pinterest is so much more than just an aesthetically pleasing platform. It is a powerful marketing tool for businesses. It allows bloggers and brands to increase visibility by exposing them to its huge user base.
It also provides business accounts with a nice analytics tool that helps them recognize what works and what doesn’t and modify their marketing strategy according to those numbers.
On Pinterest, people search for what they are looking for in the search bar. Pinterest then shows them all the images that best match their search. Users can then click on any image (or pin) they like and that would lead them to the original website of where that image actually came from.
It’s simple yet effective!
Does Pinterest Drive More Traffic to Your Website Than Instagram?
While Pinterest has a huge user base, it is nowhere near Instagram’s. So, you may wonder why I am talking about Pinterest rather than Instagram to promote your online business.
The truth is that Pinterest has been shown to be more effective than any other social platform in existence.
Instagram has an extremely low conversion rate compared to Pinterest. This is mainly because people on Pinterest are looking to be helped. They are looking for ideas and products that they can then act on or buy.
On Instagram, people just want to look through stories and images. They are not looking to purchase anything. They are just there to pass the time.
This means that a small following on Pinterest can do more than what a following of thousands can do on Instagram.
How Going Viral on Pinterest Can Help You
As Pinterest is not as popular as other social media platforms, it leaves people wondering why they should even market on it.
The truth is, if you are a small business or a blogger, Pinterest can be a game-changer for you. It can drive a ton of traffic to your website in a short amount of time.
Plus, Pinterest posts tend to keep performing months or even years after posting. So the benefits of promoting your brand on Pinterest are long-term.
Going viral on Pinterest can help you in many ways, including:
- Increasing your sales by sending more traffic to your website.
- Increase passive income by generating traffic leading to more views on ads and content.
- Helping you get accepted by a good ad network since some of them require a minimum number of page views to get approved.
Basically, more views mean more money for you. And this is exactly where Pinterest helps.
How to Make Your Pinterest Pins Go Viral
Create Visually Attractive Images
With Pinterest, it is all about the aesthetics. So, if you want your Pinterest pins to go viral, you need to make them as visually attractive and high quality as possible.
This is one of the most effective ways of getting your pins reshared or re-pinned by other people. Each time you want to create a post that leads to your website, make sure you have at least one or two pin-worthy images to go along with it.
Here are a few best practices to follow:
- The post title should be placed clearly on the image along with your blog or website’s URL at the bottom of the image.
- The image should be long and vertical. 2:3 are the best performing dimensions – recommended by Pinterest itself.
- Use catchy titles.
Use Descriptive Text for Your Pinterest Pins
Writing a descriptive and keyword researched alt text for your images is important to make your pin go viral. Every time someone pins an image from your blog, Pinterest also exports the image’s alt text along with the pin description.
Make sure you make the best of what text goes in the pin’s description box by taking care of your image’s alt text and optimizing it for better visibility.
Install a Pinterest “Pin It” Button to Your Website
This is a simple step that can help a lot with making your pin perform well. This is especially useful for bloggers since many people actually look for a way to pin a blog post if they find it useful and want to get back to it at a later time.
Install a Pinterest PIN IT button on your website so that it makes it easier for people to share your posts with other Pinterest users.
Share Your Pins on Group Boards
Group boards are a great way to build a sense of community and create more visibility for your pins, helping them go viral.
Find a group board related to your niche and ask the group admin to join. Be sure to not take part in groups that go too fast as your post will likely get lost in a sea of content.
Instead, focus on a narrower niche and grow your following through that Pinterest board.
Pin Other People’s Pinterest Posts
On the internet, there is room for everyone.
Instead of going at it alone, you should try and grow with everyone. Therefore, do not use Pinterest for the sole purpose of promoting your content only.
Instead, re-pin other people’s posts as well that you find interesting and creative. Not only is this going to bring more traffic to their content but also, give you a better chance at growing your own profile as well.
When you pin content from other content creators on Pinterest, chances are they will pin your content too in the future.
This way, everyone helps each other grow and become part of a community on Pinterest.
Keep Pinning Your Pinterest Pins Repeatedly
Most people post their pins once and then forget about them. This should not be the case. You should keep on re-pinning your pins multiple times. You never know when they can come in handy for your new followers.
You should also pin your posts to multiple boards that are similar to that particular pin. This adds to getting the best chance at making a pin perform well.
You can use tools such as Tailwind or its feature Smart Loop to schedule your pins or keep your pins looping through your boards after specific intervals.
Write a Post Pinterest Users Would Be Interested In
Creating content that is informational and useful for your target audience is key in making your Pinterest pins go viral.
No one is going to engage with your content if you only write personal stories about yourself. What you need to do to be a successful business or blogger is to always strive to provide value with your content to your user.
Instead of posting pins related to content that you think your audience SHOULD know, you should post about content that your audience already likes to know.
Go to your Pinterest profile and recognize which posts appear in your feed. What are those posts about? Are they mostly listicles? How to’s? “x ways” to do something? Whatever it is, follow that trend. Try different things and see what your followers resonate with the most.
With time and experience, you will find what makes a Pinterest pin go viral.
Write a Compelling Headline
Writing headlines is a huge skill in itself and something that is extremely important if you want your Pinterest pins to go viral.
To get better at writing your own compelling headlines, see what works for other people, whether it is in your niche or just in general.
Study good headlines. Try to recognize a pattern that exists in headlines that are performing well. If something makes you click on it, ask yourself what is it and why.
Do Keyword Research and Use Them in Your Pinterest Pin Description and Hashtags
Just like other search engines, Pinterest has its own set of search engine optimization (SEO) guidelines that can make your Pinterest pins rank well during search results.
Keyword stuffing by using tons of hashtags no longer works on Pinterest. In fact, you can get flagged for it and go to Pinterest Jail.
To avoid doing that, you need to utilize other sources of SEO and see how you can optimize your pins and the content around it to rank better on the Pinterest search engine.
One way to do that is to first do your keyword research. Once that is done, you need to use keywords you found relevant in all the text surrounding a Pinterest pin you are going to post. That includes alt text, pin description, and much more.
You should also use those keywords in hashtags but no more than 2 or 3 hashtags are safe to be used according to Pinterest’s SEO updates.
Use Pinterest Best Practices Guide
If you want to learn how to make your pins perform well on Pinterest, what better source to learn than from Pinterest itself.
Follow the instructions and information given in Pinterest Best Practices guide and keep up to date with the changes made. You need to find and do everything you possibly can to make your Pinterest pin go viral.
Therefore, always stay alert!
Use Large and Clear Font
You want to convey information through your Pinterest pin in as few words as possible to make it go viral.
Therefore, use a font that is clear even without opening the post. Avoid making the text too small so that the user cannot even view it. Most users will past instead of clicking on a pin to see what it actually contains.
For this reason, you need to find ways to communicate what you are offering to the user through the use of a large, clear, and easy-to-read font that compels them to click on your Pinterest pin.
Pin at the Optimal Time and Frequency
Most Pinterest business accounts ignore this but taking into account the optimal time and frequency to post can affect how well your pin performs.
When it comes to frequency, Pinterest recommends to not post any more than 25 times in a single day. If you post any more than that, you could be flagged for spamming. For this reason, avoid pinning all your pins no matter how tempting it may seem.
You should also space out your pins throughout the day. Pinning lots of images at once is no longer a Pinterest best practice and should be avoided.
As for timing, you should schedule when to post your pins and images. Figure out where your target audience resides in the world. Post according to the time that they would be more active.
Follow all the tips and tricks mentioned and watch your Pinterest pins go viral in no time!
