{This post may contain affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure for details.} 

2018 was a big year for Pinterest. Not only because they rolled out tons of new features but because they are set to hit over 700 million dollars in ad revenue. Which shows us how many businesses are killing it on the platform! 

Since starting my blog in 2015, and managing hundreds of Pinterest accounts, working with hundreds of bloggers and business owners on their Pinterest strategies, I have learned a lot when it comes to what works and what doesn’t. 

Here are some tips to help you start 2019 with a bang! 

First and foremost you NEED to know that Pinterest is a HUGE experiment. I wish this was a disclaimer they sent to all users when they sign up for a Pinterest for Business account. 

If I had a dollar for every person I saw post something along the lines of, “Pinterest isn’t working for me.” “None of my pins are converting.” “My monthly viewers are so low.” I would have a million dollars. 

So what do I mean by, “experiment?

You will not start on this platform and be a success from day 1. It just doesn’t work that way. It took me MONTHS to gain traction and start actually seeing consistent traffic from Pinterest. MONTHS. 

It takes a decent amount of time to figure out what works. While pinning 100 times a day works for one pinner, 25 pins a day may be your perfect number. 

And those 25 pins a day may get you a good amount of traction for 3 weeks but then your stats tank and you have to try something new. 

All in all, you need to keep an open mind, be willing to WORK and try new things! Be okay with stepping outside of your comfort zone because that is what will help you the most. 

Things you want to focus on

Your Pin images! Yes, SEO will expand your pins reach (we will get to that in a min) but your pin image is EVERYTHING. That is what will get users to click through to your website. 

You may have a set look in mind, and that look may work! But, if it’s not getting you that click through, you may want to consider completely changing up your look. 

Keep in mind users scroll through the smart feed at a pretty decent pace. So what can you do to make YOUR pin stand out in a feed full of pins? 

Focus on emphasizing certain words that will encourage a click through such as; simple, easy, 20-minute, can’t live without. There are certain words that subconsiously trigger curiosity. 

For example: “Delicious, Christmas Cookie Recipe.” Instead, you could say, “Simple and Delicious, five-ingredient Christmas cookie recipe.” Most likely a mother or a woman would be on Pinterest searching for a Christmas cookie recipe. And because she is a lady, she is probably busy! So she is more likely to click on a pin that is telling her; “hey, this is a simple, delicious and quick recipe!” She is busy! So try and put yourself in your target audiences shoes, what do they want from you and how can you word your pin to let them know you are offering what they want! 

SEO! Pinterest is a search engine. Let me say that one more time, Pinterest is a SEARCH ENGINE. How does Pinterest know which pins to showcase when certain words are searched for? The SEO of your pin’s description and your rich pin description! 

Keyword research is going to help you immensely. 

Are you willing to invest in learning? 

I am a HUGE believer of courses and education. Not just because I sell them either.  I mean think about it, how did you learn your profession? Nurse? You went to school! Lawyer? School. Teacher? School! 

How did I get a degree in Marketing and Communications? School! 

How did I learn the ins and out of Pinterest? Courses, conferences, podcasts,  seminars, and webinars! 

I took the time (and still take the time) to really educate myself and learn how the platform works. While there is a ton of information out there on Pinterest that you can get for free, nothing will teach you as a course can. I promise! 

So even if you don’t invest in my Pinterest course or services, I encourage you to do your research and invest in some sort of Pinterest eduction. Especially if you are really looking to take the next step and kill it on Pinterest in 2019! 

Happy Pinning! 

xo Megan