I have always had a Pinterest but in all honesty, I have never really used it much. Up until about a month ago, I do not think I could live without it when it comes to blogging. I get most of my blog inspiration for posts etc from Pinterest. Not to mention all of the bloggers I have met via Pinterest. 


Without Pinterest, my blog views would not be as high as they are now. Many new bloggers, myself included did not know in the beginning how important Pinterest is for bloggers. In fact, it's one of the most important social media tools to have when it comes to blogging and networking. I have found countless amounts of advice and other blogs due to Pinterest. I have Pinterest to thank for almost half of my social media referrals to my site. 

I thought I would compile a short but sweet list for my readers on how to gain more blog readers via Pinterest. I love Pinterest, I see it as the free advertisement/promotion social media account that is a must-have.

1. Set up a profile
Before you do anything, you have to first get a Pinterest account. Make sure you upload a professional-looking profile picture. This will get more people to view and click on your profile. It is very hard to gain Pinterest followers who will ultimately lead to more blog viewers if you do not have a good profile picture. Add keywords to your profile name. For example, mine is "Emily The Book Nerd | Lifestyle, Book Blogger." This allows people to know what you are trying to promote. It's like a mini free advertisement saying "Hey, come look at my blog!" Don't forget to connect your website to your Pinterest so it shows on your profile. If you don't how are people supposed to find your blog then? 
2. Switch to a business account
Turn your account into a Business Account! It is free and you want to do it if you are trying to grow your website. Switching to a business account will increase the reach of your pins and let you analyze your progress more easily. 

3. Make your profile stand out
Add personalized covers to all your boards. This will make your profile stand out and will gain your profile more followers. Which will ultimately lead you to have more website views. Look at my boards for example. I designed all of my boards cover images.

4. Pin consistently 
Just like blogging, if you do not post frequently people will easily forget about you. The more you pin the more you stay in people's feeds and are recognized. Gaining your blog more readers and clicks to your profiles. It's a pretty obvious concept. More re-pins from other Pinterest people causes more views to your site. Make sure all of your re-pins lead readers to your site. Add your site in the Pinterest descriptions and website section on photos when posting on Pinterest. This drives people to read your blog. For example, here is one of my pins. Make sure every time you post on your blog you design a cover image for Pinterest featuring that post and promote it on Pinterest just like you would to any other social media site. Driving people to go read that post. Make sure all posts have a description. This drives Pinterest SEO and will allow your posts to come up more frequently.
5. Join and create your own group boards
I had no idea that group boards even were a thing until I started blogging and fooling around with Pinterest. It's a great way to promote your posts and find other blogs to check out. If you are a book blogger.. go join my very own book blogging group board! Go ahead and pin away!

6. Link your Pinterest account to your blog
You want the readers that are on your blog already to be following you on your Pinterest as well. They will more than likely re-pin one of your photos creating free advertisements for your blog.

7. Follow at least 100 other accounts to start off
Ideally, follow at least 100 other profiles in your blog's niche. This drives more people to check out your page and who knows you could gain a follower and blog reader! The more people you follow, the better. You want to grow your page as much as you can. 

Go ahead, do all of these steps and watch your blog views and followers skyrocket right away! It really does work. As I learn more about Pinterest and gaining an audience.. I will continue to post and write about it for my readers. It's a wonderful resource and I think every blogger should learn to utilize it. 
xoxo,