Monday, September 4, 2017

Pinterest for Writers—Blogging Tools

by Cynthia Owens @EfficencyAdict

Don't miss this important info for bloggers!
Over the past few months I’ve focused on various aspects of how writers can use Pinterest. We looked at how to do research, collaborate with other authors, and market your writing. Today we’re going to see why Pinterest is such a valuable tool for bloggers.

First, there are the obvious benefits of Pinterest:
  • connecting with your audience,
  • growing your followers,
  • having posts from your blog shared for months and years.

Many bloggers recognize these, but there is a lesser known benefit I want to share with you—Pinterest Analytics. This fabulous tool can give you insight to your audience.
  • What are their interests?
  • Where are they located?
  • Which of your posts resonated with them? And continue to resonate?

Using Pinterest Analytics for Blogging
Pinterest Analytics come with a Pinterest business account. (If you don’t have one of these free accounts, get started here.)

Below are two examples of what this data can teach you about your Pinterest audience:


Follower Interests – This shows the general interest topics of your Pinterest followers. These are the top areas they search, follow, click, and pin.


Most Saves 
You can see which of your pins have been the most popular for a specific time period or for the entire time you’ve had your account. This data includes any Pinterest user who has saved your pin, not just the people following you.

Are you starting to see how this data could help with your blogging?
  • Need an idea for your next blog post? Check the analytics.
  • Need to know what areas have captured your followers’ attention? Check the analytics.

Your Top Performers
Once you have a Pinterest business account, be sure to review your All Time top performers page. To find it select Analytics in the upper left corner of your screen. Then select Profile from the drop-down menu and click on the All-Time page.


The three sections on this page include:

Most Saves (Your Most Shared Pins)
These pins are being seen and saved. Pins in this section are what people want from you, so pay attention. The topics and photos listed here have a high connection with Pinterest users.

Best in Search (Pins that Rank Higher in Searches)
Your pins are being listed in search results. That means you got your SEO right. You included words in your descriptions that coincide with what users are seeking. Way to go!

Power Pins (Pins with a High Mix of Saves, Clicks, and More)
This means you hit the sweet spot. Viewers came, saw, clicked, saved, and even read your post on your website.

You can glean valuable information about what your audience wants from each of these sections. Study these pins. See what sets them apart from your lower performing ones and make adjustments. The information found in Pinterest Analytics can help you improve your blogging content, grow your audience, and reach the people who are earnestly seeking your insights.

How do you use Pinterest to help with your blogging efforts? What insights have you gathered? Please share your tips in the comments section below.

Learn More
5 Steps to Make Your Photos Pinterest & SEO Friendly – This article by the Clever Pink Pirate (love that name) gives step-by-step instructions with pictures for making your photos Pinnable and searchable.

Using Pinterest for MinistryThis is an article I wrote for Almost An Author. Check it out if you’re blogging for ministry.

TWEETABLES


Cynthia Owens is The Efficiency Addict, a technical trainer helping writers, speakers and small business owners work more effectively. She runs www.TheEfficiencyAddict.com, which specializes in computer training, business organization, career development and event coordination. 

Connect with Cynthia on Twitter and Pinterest.


2 comments:

  1. I have a Pinterest account and have a few pics on there. Beyond that, I'm clueless. Can you use pics from Pinterest, or are they copyrighted? If the answer is "it depends", how do you know which is which?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ellen, you can't use pictures found on Pinterest without the owner's permission.

      Delete