Social Media Monday—Learn How to Pin Your Blog Posts

by Edie Melson

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.

It’s also a great way to generate interest for your blog. Today I want to concentrate on that aspect of Pinterest, with step-by-step instructions on how to pin a blog post.

First, you’ll want to create a board to place your pins. 

To do this, go to your Pinterest home page (hover over your name and click BOARDS) From here, either click on the square that says, CREATE a BOARD, or click on the + sign to the left of your profile picture. A dropdown menu appears and you want to choose CREATE a BOARD.

first, create a board for your blog pins (screenshot above)

Name your board and describe it (screenshot above)

I recommend you name this board after the topic your blog covers, rather than your blog title. Pinterest is just like EVERY other social media network, you don’t ever want it to become all about you. If you choose a topic, you can also pin other valuable blog posts and that will keep it from becoming Me, Me, Me looking.

Not sure what I mean about choosing a topic? I actually chose two for my blogging boards—writing tips and social networking tips—because my blog has more than one topic.

Once you have your board ready, click ADD a PIN. To pin a blog post, choose THE WEB.

To pin a blogpost, choose The Web (screenshot above)

Copy and paste the URL from your blog post (not just your general blog) into the window and click NEXT.

Now choose the image you want to represent that specific blog post. (The image options are ones from your blog site)

Use the URL that links to your blog psot, NOT just your blog

Click PIN IT.

Pinterest will automatically link it to your blog post.

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 your conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Tweetables

Learn How to Pin Your Blog Posts on Pinterest (Click to Tweet)

Pinning your blog posts to increase your traffic is easier than you think (Click to Tweet)