Guest post by Rhiannon Slee-Jones
Hey, Beauties!!
I was approached by Emma after she saw my post on twitter about how my Pinterest views had grown into thousands over just a few short weeks. She asked if I'd be willing to share how I did it. And obviously, I said YES! Anything to help out others, right?
I was so stuck when it came to Pinterest in the beginning.
1. Learn How to Pin from The Pros—It’s FREE
I binge watched loads of videos on YouTube about Pinterest tips for bloggers. YouTube is an amazing platform for FREE tips and tricks!
My most successful searches on YouTube:
Pinterest for bloggers
How to use Pinterest as a blogger
Creating pins on Pinterest
The internet is a great FREE way to learn before investing in any platform. I have not yet invested in Pinterest as I'm doing well right now, although I wouldn't rule it out in the future.
2. Simplify Images
The first thing I did was change my images. In Canva, I chose sample templates that caught my eye. I played around with images, fonts and words to suit the post.
I found that simple designs attracted more attention over designs that were too busy. Also, they took me less than three minutes to make!
I made more than one design per post, sometimes going back a few days or even a week later, and creating even more designs for that post. Once happy with the design, I uploaded it onto Pinterest.
3. Use the Right Hashtags and Post Heading
Now here's where the main game-changer came for me. I needed to find the best hashtags that would boost my posts.
When I created a post about anxiety, I typed anxiety in the Pinterest search bar to see what the top three or four trending searches for anxiety were. For example: if a result was 'tips to deal with anxiety' my hashtag became, #TipsToDealWithAnxiety. It really was that simple!
I recommend not using more than three hashtags with the same word (e.g. anxiety) as you don't want Pinterest to think it's a spam pin.
So, after choosing the best hashtags for anxiety, I then searched mental health, and life tips—and created more hashtags based on the trending searches.
I wanted to reach as wide an audience as possible. I thought about my post’s message. Who it was aimed at. Who it could help. Yes, I wrote on how to cope with anxiety, but I realised I could aim it at parents to help their child who might have anxiety. So, I added the hashtag #ParentingTips.
Be creative and don't stick to only one audience.
When it came to choosing a post title, I kept it simple but engaging. If someone was looking for pins related to anxiety, and my post gave tips (even if it was only two tips at the end of the post), my titles were: TIPS TO FIGHT ANXIETY or HOW TO BEAT ANXIETY.
Same went for the post’s bio. I didn't give too much away about the post. Nobody would click the link if all the info was in the bio. I kept it simple, briefly describing what the post entailed, but leaving readers wanting more.
4. Decide How Many Posts to Pin
I know a lot of people say to use apps that schedule pins, and to post at least fifty pins a day, but let's be real—not everyone has the money to spend on scheduling apps. And who in their right mind has time to create hundreds of pins a week and post them daily? NOT ME! I created three to four pins for a post, then I pinned them to topic-related boards throughout the week. I tried to do this with three posts each week. But in all honesty, life got in the way and some weeks I only uploaded once or twice.
This strategy caused my views to go sky high!
At the beginning of March 2020, I had 10k unique monthly views; by the end of the month, I had over 30k! Simplifying really does make a big difference.
Much Love — Mrs Slee-Jones xx
Rhiannon is a welsh blogger from South Wales. She created her blog to help spread awareness of different illnesses and give her readers an inside view of her chronic life. She lives with her husband and two children who she often mentions in her posts. Keeping things fun, she also reviews different products by brands from all over the world and enjoys experimenting with makeup. Come and join the Beauty Family over on her blog!
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