Why You Are Struggling With Pinterest

Last Updated on May 3, 2020 by ellduclos

Are you wondering why your blog traffic isn’t growing? Does Pinterest confuse you? No matter how hard you try you just can’t seem to make it work? I FEEL YA, because that used to be ME.

When I started my first blog back in April 2017 I remember trying my hardest to grow my blog traffic. I would spend hours on Facebook blog share threads and posting to social media. My traffic was merely 1,000 views a month after all that hard work. I knew there had to be something that I was missing… That’s when it hit me.

How did I even find out about becoming a blogger? PINTEREST! I stumbled across an article that told me they worked full time as a blogger and that’s when I decided to start my blog. Pinterest was the missing piece of the puzzle!

Ever since learning Pinterest marketing strategies my blog traffic exploded! My first blog gets thousands of blog views a day from Pinterest! During the holiday season Pinterest traffic picks up, so now is the time to focus on Pinterest marketing!

AND -> I rebranded my blog and created this blog that you are reading about 3 months ago. Thanks to Pinterest this new blog gets almost 40,000 blog views a month in just 3 months!!!

And now after almost 6 months of Pinterest strategies!

My bounce rate is extremely low too (but probably because it’s a newer blog) If you want to learn how to lower your bounce rate and keep your audience on your blog longer, check out this post!

Here is a snap shot of my newest Pinterest account impressions and growth from the last 30 days.

I started growing this Pinterest account and blog traffic just 3 months ago. If I can do it YOU can do it too! Eventually I am hoping to get it to reach the same views and traffic as my first blog EllDuclos.

 

In today’s blog post i’m going to share some Pinterest marketing tips, prove some myths wrong and help you figure out why Pinterest isn’t growing your blog traffic. It’s time to learn Pinterest marketing and get that audience your blog deserves!

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DISCLOSURE: Affiliate links are used, you can read my full disclosure here.

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7 Pinterest Myths Holding You Back

Please note that these are all my personal experiences. What works for one person might not work for the next. There are many different ways to be successful on Pinterest. Pinterest is all about trial and error.

1. You shouldn’t pin a lot of your own content

Something I see a lot of bloggers tell others is to do the 80/20 rule. Don’t get me wrong the 80/20 rule is great if your Pinterest is brand new. So what is the 80/20 rule? Essentially you would pin 80% other people’s content and 20% your own. This is great if you are just starting out and don’t have any followers or an audience. Pinning 80% others content will help you gain traction on Pinterest and get that audience.

HOWEVER, in the long run it doesn’t get you traffic as quick as possible. I like to do the complete opposite. I pin 80% my own content and 20% from tribes that I am apart of. Tribes are on Tailwind and it’s a place where you share your pins and re-pin others’ shared pins in each tribe. I go over this pinning strategy more in depth in my affordable Pinterest E-course.

2. Group boards don’t work

This is true to an extent. Group boards still work BUT spammy, non-related group boards DON’T work as well. If you are going to pin to group boards, you want to make sure you are only joining group boards that are keyword/niche related to the pins that are being shared.

For example – if you are pinning a fashion pin to a group board related to cooking, that is messing with Pinterest SEO. This goes along with if you are apart of a generic group board like “Promote your blog here” or “Bloggers Unite” these group boards aren’t niche related and chances are, multiple different niches are being pinned to these boards which confuses Pinterest.

You also don’t want to join group boards that have too many contributors. Just be picky and choosey when deciding on which group boards to join. I love Tailwind’s board insights because it helps me see which boards are most and least engaging.

3. Followers and Pinterest views make or break you

Not necessarily! On my BossGirlBloggers Pinterest I have about 1,600 followers and I am getting almost 40,000 monthly blog views. The thing about Pinterest is it’s a visual search engine. If you set up your Pinterest account properly, use keywords in your board and pin descriptions, you have the chance to rank when users search! This helps to get your content seen without them having to follow you!

ALSO, your pins will show up in the smart feed too if you are using proper Pinterest SEO. If you want to learn Pinterest SEO strategies check out this course! The most important analytic to pay attention to is your clicks! How is your click through rate? That’s what matters most.

4. Pinterest can’t grow your blog traffic unless you are a specific niche

I think I have already proved that this is FALSE. Pinterest has the power to explode your blog traffic! You just have to be willing to take the time to be consistent with your strategies. Sometimes Pinterest grows some blogs quicker than others. BE PATIENT and stick with it!

I will say some niches will grow faster than others because they are getting searched more. BUT, I am a true believer that your blog has the potential to grow if you are consistently using proper strategies. Don’t just put in half of your effort. Give it all your effort!

5. Pinterest is a social media

Although Pinterest has tried to make it more social, it really isn’t. It’s more so a Visual search engine. If you want to succeed on Pinterest, think like an average Pinterest user. What would they go on Pinterest and search? This is a huge reason why I say followers don’t matter much.

6. Manually pinning is better than scheduled pinning

I guess this is more so an opinion. I tried manually pinning and it didn’t give me nearly the same results as scheduled pinning. I swear by Tailwind! Without it my blog traffic wouldn’t be where it’s at. Tailwind allows me to schedule pins so I don’t have to be constantly pinning on Pinterest. PLUS, it allows me to pin without spamming. I can even pin in my sleep!

If you aren’t using Tailwind you are missing out on potentially an awesome opportunity to grow your traffic! I hear a lot of people say that Tailwind confuses them and that it was a waste. If Tailwind confuses you and you aren’t sure if you are using it right, I go over step by step how I schedule my pins and use Tailwind to help grow my Pinterest and blog traffic faster.

7. You should delete pins and boards that don’t relate or bring engagement

No! Do not do it! Deleting pins is something I never recommend. Essentially you are deleting impressions which will drop your stats. PLUS, pins have the potential to take off MONTHS later! You could potentially be deleting a pin that was going to go viral a few months later.

I also say, DO NOT DELETE BOARDS. I made this mistake and lost thousands of followers when I first started. IF anything, archive or make the board secret.

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5 Main reasons your blog traffic isn’t growing from Pinterest

 

1. You aren’t pinning your own content

Usually when someone asks me to take a look at their Pinterest to see why their blog traffic isn’t growing it’s usually because they are barely pinning their own content. If this sounds like you, try this: Pin at least 30 times a day and make at least 20 of those pins your OWN pins!

2. Your pins aren’t click worthy

Ouch this sounds harsh but it’s true! You want to create pins that will capture the viewers attention. If I am scrolling in my feed and your pin is hard to read, hurts my eyes, and doesn’t stand out, chances are I will scroll right by.

Things to consider when making your pins:

• Make them 600 x 900 (USE CANVA)
• Use bold and/or easy to use fonts
• Don’t make the font too small and hard to read
• Use titles that make people want to click. Wording is everything
• Play around with your colors. I find blues get less clicks than warm toned colors.

Learn how to create viral pins here.

3. You don’t create fresh pins

This is something I always recommend doing and people act like I am crazy but I swear it works! If you aren’t creating fresh pins and you’re just re-pinning the same pin to the same board all the time, SWITCH IT UP.

Maybe it’s just me, but I find that to be kind of spammy. Pinterest said they don’t mind if you pin the same link to the same board multiple times but since they are a visual search engine, switching up the pin design helps a TON! Check out my blog board on Pinterest and you can see what I mean about the different designs I created for the same blog post.

If you don’t have the time for this, maybe hiring a Pinterest manager will help!

So what do I do?

I create 10-15 new pins once a week. I create about 10 pins, one for each popular blog post that week, any blog post pins that went viral on Pinterest, I will re-create in a new design. I also create 5 pins for my Pinterest e-course which goes over my Pinning strategy in MUCH MORE detail.

4. You aren’t using proper Pinterest SEO strategies

A huge reason why people don’t see an increase in their blog traffic from Pinterest is because they aren’t using proper Pinterest SEO strategies! If you are sharing your pin without a description, you are missing out! Your Pinterest description should be 3 sentences (at least) that include keywords explaining what the pin is about. You should also only pin that pin to keyword/niche boards!

Thanks to my Pinterest SEO strategies I get my pins to rank for competitive keywords!

5. You don’t pay attention to your analytics

Your analytics are going to give you insight on what your audience LIKES! Learn your audience. Figure out what blog posts tend to get you the most clicks. Look at what pin styles bring you the most engagement. Re-create pins that go viral! I had a blog post “10 Relationship Reminders” and every time I created a new pin for it, that pin would take off!

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What can you promote on Pinterest (besides blog posts)

Another reason why I recommend Pinterest marketing is because it has the potential to bring you more than just blog views! I have been able to sell my course, gain new email subscribers and make affiliate sales thanks to Pinterest!

You can use Pinterest to promote:

• email opt ins
• Affiliate links
• YouTube videos
• Instagram posts
• Products you sell 

I share how to do this in my course.

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5 Pinterest mistakes to avoid

1. Not having a business account

Having a business account will give you access to so many insights! You will be able to see how often your pins are getting clicked, your Pinterest impressions and so much more! This also allows you to set up rich pins. HOWEVER, I know Pinterest has been having issues with rich pins not working. Not sure if that’s been fixed yet.

2. Spammy pinning

You don’t want to be spamming when you pin. Some examples of spammy pinning…

• Pinning the same pin multiple times in a row (Tailwind has a shuffle feature that helps fix this issue)
• Pinning too many times in a row. Pinterest prefers that you pin sporadically throughout the day rather than all at one time.
• Pinning the same pin to the same board multiple times, especially in a row.

Reasons why I don’t enjoy manual pinning. Using Tailwind helped me cut out the spammy pinning and made my life a whole lot easier.

3. Not pinning consistently

You want to be pinning consistently. If you pin once a week your results probably won’t be as great. It also might take you more time to see the results you want. Get into the habit of consistently pinning. I like to do my pin creation and pin scheduling once a week. I’ll schedule my pins for the week and it’ll take maybe 2 hours to create the pins and then schedule them for the week.

4. Not pinning your own content

Like I said before, if you aren’t pinning your own content, you won’t see the blog traffic you want. It’s okay to pin your own content! You really should if you don’t already.

5. Pinning the same pin to the same board more than once

I try to refrain from pinning the same pin to the same board more than once. This is why I like to create fresh pins weekly. This strategy has always worked for me so I am sticking to it!

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I hope these tips helped! If you are ready to dive into Pinterest with Ell and master growing your blog traffic with Pinterest, then check out my affordable course here! & NO it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.