We all know that Pinterest is the latest and greatest in the social media world. Which one of us hasn’t been sucked into half an hour of gazing and repining? But have you ever had a blog post go viral based on Pinterest traffic? It can happen if your image is stunning enough and speaks to a need or desire in a large audience.
The first step to going viral is simply getting pinned. Are your blog photos being bookmarked at Pinterest? (To find out, use the link http://pinterest.com/source/
Here are some pointers for tapping into the power of Pinterest on your homeschool blog by getting more photos pinned.
Use images
It should go without saying, but I am often surprised at the otherwise great posts I find that have no image to pin. So I’ll say the obvious — you need some type of image to get pinned at Pinterest.
Big, bold, colorful, and bright images are best. Fill the main column on your blog with your photo instead of using a small photo or thumbnail.
Dark, blurry photos that look like they were taken in a dungeon are not as attractive as ones taken in natural light. So try to reserve your blog photography times for daylight hours. If your photos still turn out a bit dark, learn how to use photo enhancement software to improve the photos you take. Most computers come with basic photo software already installed. It is very easy to adjust the brightness and contrast to make your photo pop a bit more.
Make a Graphic
If your topic doesn’t have a fitting image, make one. Remember that sayings and titles are pinned at Pinterest, too. You can often use the title of your post to make a cute graphic by experimenting with pretty fonts, colors, and borders.
When I make blog graphics, I use Gimp which is free software with loads of online tutorials. Yes, it is an investment of your time to learn how to use a new program, but if you blog, learning how to make graphics can only help you in the long run.
Add Words to Your Image
This is the best of both worlds – a photo you took plus some descriptive text. This word plus visual combination is magic at Pinterest. Again, you can use something basic such as Paint or use a more advanced (free) program such as Gimp.
Include a Pin It Button
Some bloggers do not want their material pinned at Pinterest, and there is actually a way you can prevent your material from showing up there. However, if you do want your readers to pin, let them know it by installing a Pin It button on each post or at least linking to your Pinterest account in your sidebar. Those signals let readers know you welcome a pin or repin.
Offer the Big Picture
I don’t just mean use a big picture; I already said that. Here I mean give them the big picture – the visual overview– before you give the details. If your post is a step by step tutorial or a big project, begin the post with a photo of the completed project instead of step one. First of all, this entices the reader to scroll down and see how you made your masterpiece. Secondly, that first image will be one of the first choices a Pinterest user sees when she tries to pin your post.
If you can make a photo collage of several steps together, that’s great, too. But if your aim is for new readers to visit your blog, be sure that your collage doesn’t tell the whole story. Leave some things to be explained in the post so that curious viewers come looking for the nitty gritty.
With a dose of deliberate attention, you can find your photos getting pinned more frequently at Pinterest. Maybe you will even have a viral pin that sends waves of traffic your way. The most you have to lose is a bit of time. And even if your posts don’t go viral, you will have a much prettier blog by implementing these suggestions.
Jimmie is mom to one creative daughter. Jimmie’s Collage is where she blogs about their Charlotte Mason styled homeschool. Her second blog, The Notebooking Fairy, features free notebooking printables and how-tos.
