How to use Pinterest to grow your Instagram Followers

In the era of building an online presence, algorithms seem to be making it harder and harder to grow that desired large following most of us want to achieve online. 

And after 2020 rolled around, many business owners turned to online marketing more than ever, with a 17% increase in online (social media) advertising from 2020-to 2021. And that number is expected to double by the end of 2023. 

The Instagram algorithm (like every other algorithm) is a set of rules that determine which content gets seen.

“We use a variety of algorithms, classifiers, and processes, each with its own purpose,” wrote Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri in 2021 in a blog post entitled “Shedding More Light on How Instagram Works.”

Many Instagram users are facing significant challenges now more than ever, not only when it comes to growing followers but when it comes to getting their content seen. 

That is where Pinterest comes in. In this post, I will discuss how you can use Pinterest to increase your followers and boost engagement. 

First things first, start a Pinterest for business account.

Not a blogger? That’s fine; you don’t need to be. You’re an influencer. Or maybe a business owner, either way, you are using Instagram to make money being an influencer or to help bring awareness to a product you sell.

That’s why you are reading this post, right?

Pinterest is a HUGE and very popular visual search engine. With users being attracted to the same aesthetic you are putting out on Instagram. And now more than ever, with over 433 million users active on Pinterest each month, it’s a great way to get eyes and traffic on your brand.

Pinterest works on an algorithm like Instagram, so using it the right way is crucial to success on the platform. Making sure your business account is set up and optimized PROPERLY with current best practices is extremely important for your content to be seen. So even if you already have a Pinterest for business account, you want to make sure you are current on account optimization and best practices and pinning strategies.

You can learn more about properly setting up and optimizing a Pinterest account HERE.

Make your website on Pinterest your Instagram profile link. 

While many Pinterest for business users link to a website or blog, some do use their Instagram links! 

Samantha Hammack is a GREAT example of this. With over 10 million monthly views, she has her Instagram account linked at the top, where a website would typically go. If you look at her account, you will see she has boards set up to reflect the content she creates and shares on Instagram. 

You do not need to have a website or blog on Pinterest to see results.

Even more so, as Pinterest shifts its focus toward Creators and Influencers, it has made it very clear that you don’t need to have a website to see success, and that you can use Pinterest to bring awareness to other Social accounts. 

You can even see on Pinterest’s website they say this: 

Create pins for your Instagram posts.

Yes, I know this seems like a pretty obvious step. Back in the day, you used to be able to claim your Instagram account on Pinterest (here is to hoping they bring that back), but you can still link content to Instagram.

I have heard mixed opinions on this topic, but after chatting with my contact at Pinterest last week, she said it’s perfectly fine to link pins to Instagram directly.

Pinterest says: “Going forward, if new content is saved to Pinterest boards from your previously claimed social accounts, your Pinterest profile information will not appear next to it.”

However, it will still send users to whatever you link your pin to.

Keep in mind Pinterest best practices and pinning relevant images to relevant boards. So if your Instagram is all about Motherhood, you can create various boards using trending keyword sentences on Motherhood and send the pins to the appropriate boards.

You have two options with this:

ONE: You can either pin right from Instagram following the below instructions. The only downfall with this option is you can’t correctly optimize the pin. It will pull the wording right from Instagram, which most likely won’t be using proper Pinterest SEO and best practices for optimizing pins.

 

 

Or two: You can save the Instagram image to your phone or computer and manually upload and pin it that way. This is the best option as you will be able to properly optimize your pin this way. Giving it a much better chance of reaching a larger audience.

Use a call to action on pins you create for Pinterest.

For example, if you make an idea pin (idea pin linking is still in the beta testing phase so not everyone has access to linking just yet) you can create an idea pin using your content from Instagram and add a call to action on your pin image AND in the note section of your idea pin as well! 

Let’s say you are a beauty blogger; you can create a helpful and informative idea pin and add text like this to the last image of your idea pin: 

• Find exclusive tips on my Instagram highlights @yourusername 
• For more in-depth content like this, check out my Instagram, @yourusername. 

Many Instagram users re-purpose their IG stories or reels and make them into Pinterest video pins or Idea pins! I do this for MANY of my clients! PLUS, Pinterest has started paying creators for idea pins via Pinterest’s creator rewards. 

Overall, Pinterest can be a HUGE help in growing brand and business awareness, just like any other social media platform!

The key to success comes down to using the platform correctly. Pinning with outdated strategies can get you into trouble, and all your hard work will be for nothing!

To learn more about current best practices and how to use the Pinterest platform properly, you can click here!

 

Happy Pinning!

xo Megan