Think TikTok, but with Pinterest’s somewhat unique spin to their story pins version.

In this article, I’ll be telling you all about them and teaching you how to use idea pins.

As mentioned earlier, Idea pins are a video-first rebranded/story pins feature that is aimed at video content creators on Pinterest.

Just as was the case with Pinterest story pins, users can publish up to 20 pages of video content.

Idea pins come with additional features & tools that weren’t available in story pins such as the ability to add a voice over and a music library.

Much like TikTok, idea pins downloaded from Pinterest now have a Pinterest watermark that also shows the creators username.

Many elements and unique features of what made up story pins have been replicated on idea pins.

Idea pins on Pinterest:

1) Are searchable/discoverable.

2) Show up on peoples feeds, following streams and on your profile.

3) Can be saved to boards.

4) Feature topic tags which boost discoverability and let you target specific audiences.

5) Don’t expire after 24 hours.

What can I use idea pins for?

When Pinterest first rolled out story pins, they made it known that story pins would be different than they were on other platforms.

Traditionally, stories are used to show snapshots of people’s day to day lives. On Pinterest, story pins, now idea pins are meant to show step by step tutorials or tips & tricks for different things.

You can use idea pins to show step by step tutorials of how to cook a certain dish, or give travel and styling tips.

How to make idea pins on Pinterest

1) Start with an idea of what you want to create.

2) Tap the + sign on Pinterest and choose idea pin.

3) Upload your content.

PS. remember to toggle the create a new page for each one button if you want to have different pages.

4) Edit your idea pin(s).

Edit your clips and make use of features such as ghost mode to showcase easy before and after transitions.

5) Tap audio to record a voice over if you’d like to add one.

6) Tap music to add your desired sound.

7) Add a sticker or mention someone to credit them for video/content usage.

8) Tag any products you’ve shown in your idea pin to allow people to shop them directly from Pinterest. This is a great way of boosting your affiliate income if you’re a creator or sales if you’re a business owner or brand.

Start by adding your affiliate link and click on search.

After Pinterest recognises the link (not all links work as of now), add the link as seen on the retailer’s site.

Choose the image you want people to see when they click on the product tag. Click create and you’re good to go.

9) Final touches.

Here you can add a title (if you hadn’t already added one as a text on the pin).

You can also assign your idea pin to your desired board, add a list and pick upto 10 topic tags.

I have been A/B testing using different keyword variations in the title on both my accounts and client accounts and I’ve definitely seen an improvement in the numbers.

This is an optional step but make sure that your title is keyword optimized.

10) Hit publish.

Once you’re contented with how everything looks, hit publish.

The post How to Use Idea Pins on Pinterest, Formely Know as Story Pins appeared first on S The Marketer.

With features and perks such as the ability to reach millions of people with the click of a button at the top of the list, having a social media presence for your business is no longer just a matter of choice.

Every year, different social media platforms that promise you great ROI’s (returns on investment) pop up. From Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter and Snapchat, it can be hard to keep up. 

Now while many of them have the same structure and general offerings, Pinterest is one of the few platforms that not enough Businesses are utilizing. So, exactly what is so special about Pinterest?

How does Pinterest work?

Unlike many other social media platforms, Pinterest works like a Search Engine. A visual Search Engine. What this means is that:

1. The number of followers you have don’t matter. Yes, you read that right. A pin on Pinterest can still show up on people’s feeds even at 0 followers. All you need to do is properly search engine optimize your pin. 
   With many platforms being centered around the number of followers one has, this makes Pinterest a platform that favors both new/small and established/big brands.
2. A properly optimized pin can rank on both Google and Pinterest. For many keywords, 2 in 8 of search results on the first page of Google are results from Pinterest. With proper SEO (search engine optimization) practices in place, your products can rank in 2 places for FREE.
3. Users on Pinterest are looking for inspiration and solutions to their problems. 89% of US pinners go on Pinterest to make purchase decisions and up to 47% of pinners log on to the site specifically to shop. This makes Pinterest more effective at generating sales by up to 4 times than other platforms.
4.  A pin linked back to your website can bring you sales throughout the years. A post on Pinterest has a longer lifespan than many other social media platforms, where a user would have to go to your profile to interact with your content again.

While there are some niches that tend to receive more love on Pinterest such as Crafts & DIY, Pinterest being home to well over 400 million monthly active users,means that the exact kind of audience your business or product is looking to help already exists on the platform. With more than 200 billion pins already on the platform, it is possible for virtually any brand to have success on Pinterest.

In 2020, Pinterest recorded a growth of 100 million users. Meaning your brand will get exposure on both a local and international scale to an audience of 459 million monthly ACTIVE users in 2024 and beyond.

Still not convinced? Let’s get into some stats and figures that show you the power of Pinterest.

Why your Business needs to be on Pinterest

• 71% of global users on Pinterest are female. These women make up to 80% of the buying decisions in most US households. Key among these buying decisions fall under places to travel to, homes they’d love to buy and general items needed in their homes.
• Millennials make up 52% of Pinterest’s monthly users. Many millennials are known to browse different products on social media before making a purchase.
• 97% of searches on Pinterest are unbranded. This shows that many users on Pinterest tend to keep an open mind and are on the lookout for brands that they’ve never heard of before.
• Users on Pinterest are reported to have found ads on the platform 1.4 times more useful and relevant. 1 in every 2 people on Pinterest have made a purchase through promoted pins.
• Many brands are enjoying the benefit of having pinners create user-generated content for them. This is proven by up to 95% of images on Pinterest being pinned or re-pinned from the web
• Pinterest statistics show that a user spends 14.2 minutes on average per session on the platform. This gives you enough time to capture your ideal audience’s attention using visually engaging content.
• Pinners are open to your marketing. Up to two-thirds of the content saved on Pinterest comes from Businesses.

Perhaps the one thing that sets Pinterest apart from the many other platforms that would make a great home for your brand or business, is its link back to every post system. You get to avoid the ‘link in bio’ and its alternate forms and lead people back to the exact product or service you are offering.

Pinterest tips for your Business

1. Invest in an Expert Pinterest Marketer & Manager.
2. Equip yourself with all the necessary knowledge and strategies that will help you succeed on Pinterest.
3. Define your target audience.
4. Create visually appealing content.

It is reported that 28% of marketers are already using Pinterest to grow and make conversions. These numbers are set to grow as more and more businesses and brands wake up to the benefits and possibilities that lie in having a Pinterest presence.  You’re leaving a lot of money on the table by not being on Pinterest. So, exactly why isn’t your business on Pinterest?

Struggling with figuring out the What, Why, Where and How of everything Pinterest Marketing? Get Pin you Way to Conversions. A comprehensive conversions focused Pinterest Marketing course created with businesses like yours in mind.

The post Your Business is Losing Money By not Being on Pinterest. Here’s How appeared first on S The Marketer.

With more than 15 billion food related pins on the platform, the audience that you as a food blogger are looking to target already exists on the platform.

This also means that you can’t just go into it blindly without a defined strategy in place. 

Let’s get into some tips and actionable steps food bloggers can incorporate into their Pinterest Marketing strategy.

Pinterest strategies for food bloggers

1. Proper Pinterest Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Pinterest works like a Search Engine, a Visual Search Engine.
On Pinterest for every keyword, three things have the probability of ranking:

• A profile/account with the keyword .
• A board that has the keyword.
• The keyword itself – different pins that contain the keyword.

Properly search engine optimizing your content will enable you to rank in one of these places.

2) Optimize your profile 

While using only your blog name might seem like a good idea, this won’t help you rank for keywords you’re targeting.

Let’s say you run a vegan food blog called Fahari. 

A properly optimized profile would look like this-

Fahari | Vegan recipes 

Or Fahari | Vegan blog

You can also use Fahari | Easy vegan recipes 

Include the keywords for whichever niche you’re in in your profile.

The keyword(s) you’re targeting should also be included in your boards and profile description.

3) Use high quality images

Investing in high quality images will largely contribute to how well your food blog does- not just on Pinterest.

Pinterest is a visual platform. The more high quality, appealing/aesthetically pleasing an image is the higher the chances of people clicking on it will be.

Play around with different flat lays and take different variations of your image.

This could be different backgrounds, cutlery or food styling.

The new Pinterest algorithm prioritizes fresh pins.

Fresh pins put in a simple way are images or graphics that shows users a different perspective of the same thing. 

The more images you take/have, the easier it will be for you to post new content everyday.

4) Pin graphics 

Using high quality and well designed pin graphics will go a long way in helping you get more saves and link clicks back to your blog. 

Images with text overlays often get higher click through rates. These shouldn’t be any type of text overlays. The text on your pin graphics should also be keyword optimized.

Is your banana bread recipe gluten free? Let people know that in your pin graphics. 

Notice how I left out impressions? Impressions don’t mean much unless people take action and either save or click to visit your blog which is our goal here.

5) Keyword optimization

This will factor in in 3 places, the board you’re pinning to, the title of your pin and the description. 

The board you’re pinning to should be a relevant and keyword optimized board.

Your title should also be keyword optimized. Is your gluten free banana bread recipe a 20 minute recipe? Let your title reflect that.

Your description should also be keyword optimized and include a CTA (call to action) that reflects the action you want them to take.

Do you want people to click through and go to your website? Or maybe you want them to post pictures and let you know how it went. Let them know that.

Pro tip: The more people engage with your pin, the higher the Pinterest algorithm will rank it. 

Do a quick search for a pin that ranks at the top. 9 times out of 10 you’ll notice that it has a lot of picture comments/comments in general.

6) Utilize video pins

Video pins are one of the most underutilized type of pins on Pinterest and the easiest to grow an account with/get conversions on.

This is largely due to a couple of reasons:

1. They autoplay as the user scrolls down on their timeline unless the user turns them off on their own. Few people do this.
2. Pinterest let’s you target specific and different keywords for every video pin you upload. 
3. Video pins allow users to engage with your content in real time.

Create video pins for your recipes and optimize them properly. 

7) A/B testing 

Pinterest are always making changes to their algorithm and best practices.

Your best shot at continuously getting high traffic will be testing different strategies and methods.

Test;

1. Different pin graphics- Play around with different colors, fonts and overlays.
2. Different titles- Try ones that include your USP and ones that feature keywords. I.e 20 minute healthy banana bread recipe / easy and quick vegan banana bread recipe.
3. Different pin images- Try using before and after photos in your pin graphics with the first featuring some ingredients/your cooking setup flatlay and the latter being the final product.
4. Different pin descriptions- Why should the users click on your pin to check out your recipe? Does it save them time? Does the recipe only feature 3 ingredients? Will they only need one pot? Include what would appeal to them the most.
5. Different types of video pins- Experiment with fast paced preparation/cooking videos and include a CTA in your last slide.
   

People love food video pins. Don’t get discouraged by Pinterest hiding the click button. A simple tap the 3 dots and click visit website to try this recipe goes a long way.

There are so many other strategies and key things you need to implement to have a successful food blog.

Key among these things are:

1. Utilizing the today section.
2. Trending content.
3. Leveraging season relevant content.
4. Story pins.
5. Rich pins.
6. Creating a customized pinning strategy.

I cover these and many money strategies in a very detailed and expansive manner in my Pinterest E-book.  Pin your Way to Conversions is a comprehensive Pinterest Marketing E-book that teaches you how to fast track your growth and conversion process to a destination off Pinterest with ZERO ad spend such as:

1. An email list.
2. Your blog.
3. Affiliate links.
4. An E-commerce brand.
5. A business.

And even a drop shipping store! Use the code foodblog to get 20% off or get the code directly applied by clicking on the image below.

Have any other questions about Pinterest Marketing for Food Bloggers? Leave a comment down below.

The post How to Grow a Food Blog Using Pinterest: Marketing Tips & Strategies appeared first on S The Marketer.