Monday, June 17, 2013

Social Media Monday—Tips to Connect with Pinterest


Pinterest is growing by leaps and bounds as a valuable social media tool for writers. It’s a great way to connect with readers and there are numerous ways to utilize this image driven platform.

Here are just a few ways to connect with Pinterest:

  • Build boards with your book’s subject.
  • Build boards that help you with world building or setting.
  • Share blogs from others who write in your genre.
  • Build boards from books you love—you can legally post the book covers and links to Amazon or the author’s blog.
  • Build a board and share the blogs you follow—as long as the blog has a picture you can post it.
  • Build boards with your personal interests, like knitting, sewing, bird watching, there’s no limit to the topics you can choose. 

BUT, it’s important to remember Pinterest is still social media and you need to use the same guidelines as for other platforms.

Here are a few things to remember when you pin:
  • Share the limelight. Like any social network, being me-centered can drive away traffic. Remember to pin things that will draw in your audience.
  • Tag your friends. It’s easy as easy on Pinterest as it is on Twitter. Just like Twitter put the @ sign in front of a Pinterest user name. I would be tagged on Pinterest as @EdieMelson.
  • Utilize Hashtags. Use them in your pin descriptions so you’ll be found more easily.
  • And most important— Pin everyday, but not all at once. When you pin or repin an image it shows up on the community boards and you don’t want to dominate the conversation. There are several tools that allow you to schedule your pins, although right now they all charge a monthly fee.
Have you had the opportunity to add Pinterest to your social media plan? What's your favorite way to use it? Share your experiences and we'll all learn together.

Don't forget to join the conversation!
Blessings
Edie

14 comments:

  1. I haven't explored Pinterest yet, but you make it sound so easy, Edie.

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    1. Yvonne, it is easy. Just take some time and play around with it! Blessings, E

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  2. I am completely clueless when it comes to Pinterest but you make it sound interesting and worth looking into, Edie! Thanks!

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    1. Pam, I don't spend a ton of time on it, but I think it's fun to play with.thanks for stopping by! Blessings, E

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  3. I've been on Pinterest since January and love it! I try to get on twice a day for 10 minutes. It's very user friendly.

    Besides putting my book cover up, I've found some useful tips on household chores, recipes, and lots of nostalgia. Fair warning, it's just as addictive as Facebook.

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    1. Susan, for me it's more addictive than FB! Another fun idea for writer is to post recipes that relate to your book. They could be from a time in history, geographic location or just some of your characters' favorites! Thanks for stopping by, Blessings, E

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  4. I'm a horrible Pinterest user...as in, I didn't even set up my own account. My sister did and she pretty much manages it for me. BUT I know it's a great place to connect with people in a different way, so one of these days, I'll get around to diving in. Thanks for the tips, Edie!

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    1. Melissa, I know what you mean. I haven't done a lot with Pinterest yet because I just don't have time to add another thing. Thanks for stopping by, I LOVE the video on your of today!!! Blessings, E

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  5. Ginger, you rock!! Thanks so much, Blessings, E

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  6. Thank you for the post! I just joined Pinterest. So many possibilities to promote books, and I'm grateful to know about this one!

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  7. My wife turned me onto it cause I do a lot of crafts. When I did my bio I included my blog address and the title of one of my posts. "Victory over Stuffitis" I do a lot of personal finances and ways to survive in a bad economy. That post got almost 200 hits and the only thing I can attribute it to is Pinterest. So it can definitely bring you some readers. I just hate getting on it cause I can be gone for a couple hours easily.

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  8. Not to bother you again, but the reason I knew it was Pinterest that pushed the blog numbers is that it was a repost of a blog that only got about 12 hits when it was published. When I redid it I added a paragraph and mentioned another title and they both got hits. It thrilled me. Also about the time of the conference another blog post that was about a year old took off and seems to be getting a life of its own. In barely two years my blog has gotten over 7000 hits and been read in 67 countries. That is without pushing it or really advertising it. The title of the take off is "You need no man teach you" It is a Bible study on discerning if it is the holy spirit leading you in a decision.

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  9. I totally love Pinterest and don't forget there's RebelMouse which can go hand-in-hand with it and Twitter and Facebook - a true lazy marketer's boon. On Pinterest I have a board of my book's genre with jokey reviews and my book casually slipped in among the famous titles. I have another board with reviews of other genres. I have one board for every one of my Works in Progress. These have 'followers' which, one hopes, will eventually become readers. The main thrust of my marketing on Pinterest for my current book consists of pinning pictures that illustrate a line or setting in the book, a novel line beneath it and then Tweeting these regularly. If anyone would like to have a look at what I do, here's the link for all my boards: http://pinterest.com/lindabahnan/

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