Pinterest has changed a lot over the last year so we thought it might be helpful to share our 2020 Pinterest Best Practices. From fresh content requirements to new video and story pins, we have a lot to talk about!
2020 Pinterest Best Practices
This blog post topic was suggested by someone on my Pinterest for Wedding Pros private Facebook group. It’s a group for anyone who enrolls in my Pinterest Masterclass for Wedding Pros where we share even more helpful tips and tricks to help you to attract your ideal client through Pinterest.
Pin Fresh Content
The newest addition to Pinterest Best Practices is to pin fresh content. In early 2020, Pinterest announced that they were making changes to the algorithm and making it prioritize fresh content. What the heck does that even mean? Well, it basically means that it wants you to submit fresh new images to the platform weekly. Sounds like a lot of work right? Don’t worry, you can still reuse your old blog posts and content if you know they do well BUT you will need to create new pins for them. You can still reuse the same photo but you’ll need to make certain edits to it like:
- Add a logo
- Add text overlay
- Crop it differently
- Add a filter
- Add an animation
It’s not to say that your old content won’t work anymore but Pinterest is letting us know that fresh new pins are going to do even better. Remember, on average, pins have about a 4 month shelf life on the platform. Some go strong for years and years while others will fizzle quickly and that’s okay.
Create eye-catching Pins
Clickable images
Along the same lines as creating fresh pins, you want those pins to stand out. I recently listened to a podcast about creating eye-catching pins and they were saying that light & airy photos with white background are working really well on Pinterest. On the other hand, dark & moody photos aren’t quite as popular. That being said, I think when potential wedding clients are looking for a certain photography style, it’s still important to have those warm tone images pop up on Pinterest. But, if you’re creating pins that link to a “Best Of” or “3 Tips for” type of post then I recommend you stick to lighter images with white backgrounds.
Fonts
One thing you want to avoid is small script fonts. It was used a lot, especially on wedding content, but it’s very hard to read on mobile. Most Pinterest users are choosing to be on the platform from their mobile devices. That means, before adding a pin to Pinterest, be sure it’s mobile friendly and that you can clearly see the title and images. Choose your font colors wisely and when in doubt, stick to black on white and a sans serif font!
Links
The best part about Pinterest is that each image has the power to drive more traffic to your website. How do you do that? Well, part of creating eye-catching images is also adding a link that gives the user access to more of those images. Ideally a link to your blog post is the best way to give your readers more information and show them more images similar to the one you had on Pinterest. You can also link to a gallery page, sales page or even a highly rated blog post your work was featured on. Regardless of the link you choose, make sure it is helpful to anyone who decides to click to read more. Double check that your links aren’t broken or lead to a spammy website. Avoid those bounce backs!
Optimize your Profile
Of course, we all want perfect Pins but before creating those, take a look back at your Pinterest Profile. Is up to date? Do you have long tail keywords in your title and description? Do you link to a freebie? Have you claimed your website? The list goes on! I made it really simple for you to follow from this blog post where I walk you through 5 Tips to Optimize your Pinterest Profile. It’s worth the read and from there you’ll be attracting your ideal clients even from the keywords you have in your profile.
Update your Boards
When it comes to Pinterest Best Practices, you want to be sure to take a look back at your Pinterest boards from time to time. Maybe you were part of a group project or styled shoot inspiration board that is done. I recommend you archive that. Did one of your clients have a Pinterest board for their daughter’s 1 year old birthday party? Archive it now that it’s over! More importantly, take a look at your board names. Now that you’re a keyword pro, could you edit these titles to attract your ideal client a little more? For example, you can turn “Wedding Inspiration” into “Glam Wedding Inspiration”. A simple adjective can transform a board and signal to your dream clients that you are the go-to expert for all things Glam!
Add your logo
If you’re a brand, as most of us are even if that means a Personal Brand, add your logo to your Pins! Pinterest has actually recommended that you do so but with a couple suggestions:
- Make it subtle.Don’t ruin the photo by adding a giant logo. If people want to know who it came from, they will look for the logo.
- Avoid the lower right corner. This is where Pinterest adds their product icons so try choosing the left side to make sure your logo doesn’t get hidden.
Use Video Pins
I just tried testing these out myself and it’s fun to see the stats climb quickly. I’m still trying to figure out what will work best for the video and what’s more likely to be watched by users. The best videos, according to Pinterest, tend to be ones that are teaching the users how to do something (a craft, recipe, DIY project, etc.). Typically, aim for a video that is 6-15 seconds which is what is best if you turn it into a promoted pin. Lastly, create really good, clear copy for your video pin. Use hashtags and make sure your title and description are clear so it can get found in the search bar.
There it is folks! Your 2020 Pinterest Best Practices put together by yours truly.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed and want to try to do all the things but take it one step at a time because Pinterest is a marathon, not a sprint!
Want to uplevel your blog and Pinterest content? Read How to Use Pinterest Trends next!
Gabby