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How Writers can Use Pinterest

Have you wondered how writers can use Pinterest?

Hey, fabulous authors! Let’s dive into the colorful world of Pinterest and discover how it can be a dazzling tool in your author’s toolkit. My journey with Pinterest started when it was in beta, and I contributed a delightful chapter called “How to Pin your Way to Success” to APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur—How to Publish a Book. Pinterest has been my go-to platform for sharing the stories behind my book and connecting with readers.

First, your Pinterest profile is your virtual handshake with your audience. It’s where you give that first impression that says, “I’m an author you’ll love getting to know.” Choose a profile picture that represents you and your writing style – something warm, welcoming, and unmistakably ‘you.’ Your bio should be a snapshot of your author identity sprinkled with charisma and charm. And don’t forget to include a link to your website or blog; it’s like an open invitation for readers to enter your world.

Now, let’s talk about your boards. Think of them as the chapters of your author’s story. Create a board for each of your books. These boards can be a collage of everything that inspired your writing – from character sketches to the places that set the scene. But it’s not all about the books; add boards that show off your hobbies, travels, or what you enjoy reading. These personal glimpses make your readers feel connected to you beyond just the pages of your books.

Pins are where the real magic happens. They’re like mini conversations with your readers. Use captivating images that relate to your writing—quotes from your books, behind-the-scenes glimpses, maybe even teasers of your upcoming projects. I’ve found that pins that touch the heart or tickle the imagination tend to linger longer in readers’ minds. They’re not just scrolling past; they’re stopping, smiling, and saving.

Don’t underestimate the power of video content. In a world where we’re bombarded with text, a video can be a breath of fresh air. Whether it’s a snippet of you reading a chapter, a quick hello from your writing desk, or a peek into your daily life, these videos add layers to your author persona. And when Pinterest rolls out new features, be the first to try them. Polls, Q&As, anything that lets you interact directly with your audience is gold.

Collaborative boards can be a wonderful way to network. Think of them as virtual book clubs where you can meet fellow authors and readers. This diversifies your content and introduces your work to new audiences. And here’s a little secret—always watch your Pinterest analytics. Like a wise old editor, these insights guide you on what your audience loves and what you might need to tweak.

A word on SEO—it’s not just for Google. Sprinkling relevant keywords in your pin descriptions and board titles helps your content get discovered by the right readers. Consistency is key. Regular posting keeps your story alive in your audience’s minds. Think of it as keeping the pages turning in the grand book of your author’s journey.

 Some Pinterest basics:

1. Build a foundation for your platform by creating a good profile with your avatar.

2. Create your Pinterest account in your name and add boards for your book and website.

3. Let Pinterest showcase unique things about you. Your readers will love to learn about the person behind the writing.

boards
trey

Write original descriptions when you re-pin things to your board to put your stamp of creativity. This is the description for a pin by photographer and Pinterest superstar Trey Ratcliff for this pinTrey has an impressive Pinterest following of almost five million Pinners. Trey adds the following to every pin:

  • Description with the location of the photo
  • His name with and without a hashtag
  • A link to his website Stuck in Customs
  • The photo also links back to his website

Create at least ten unique boards with your original names and themes. You want each board to have at least ten pins before you make the board public. Some suggested boards:

#1: About me (pins things you like that share your personality)

#2: Links to your social media accounts and website

#3: Your book/books

#4: Your blog/website articles

#5: Books you like

#6: Writing inspirations

#7-10: Choose four topics that you wish to create boards. Use the focus of your boards to help establish your brand and area of expertise.

6. Create quote graphics from your book or other quotes that inspire you. This is a graphic I created for APE that has done well.

Quotes for writers
Do not write to impress others. Remain true to yourself. #writing #writers

If you’re looking for Pinterest resources, I’ve created a Pinterest board called APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur, and All Things Pinterest to help you out.

Using Pinterest as an author is not just about pinning – it’s about creating a world where your readers can see, feel, and interact with your storytelling in vivid color. Every pin and every board is a page in your ongoing story as an author. So, tell me, how are you planning to use Pinterest to make your author’s journey even more enchanting? I can’t wait to hear your stories or see how you’ve been using this vibrant platform. Let’s keep inspiring each other and painting our stories on this beautiful canvas.

How do you like to use Pinterest with your writing? What types of Pinterest pins have worked for you? I’ve love to hear your Pinterest success stories or questions in the comments below!

11 Comments

  1. I haven’t used Pinterest for any writing yet, but I have been doing a couple of experiments to see what seems to raise the visibility of my boards.
    The greatest lesson is trying different cover images for my boards. My biggest success was when I changed the cover image of an infographics board. Within a week I went from 110 followers to more than 400 followers (it has taken just over 10 months to amass that initial 110 followers). I’m now going into my 5th week since that change and I went over 1,000 follower for that board as of yesterday: http://pinterest.com/mherman31/infographics-data-visualization/

    1. scottsdalepaleale Experimenting is great! I switch my covers on my boards to keep it fresh too. Do you share pins on other social channels?

      1. @PegFitzpatrick @scottsdalepaleale I pulled back on sharing posts during the experiment. Any growth would be purely driven by the 1 change

  2. Good stuff Peg. I just posted about how to market your home via Pinterest.  We are considering expanding our branded social portfolio to include it.  What are your thoughts?  Thank you,
    “The Social Guy”

  3. Though I know they aren’t as popular, but I believe it’s a good idea to be able to post quotes from a book over different Pinterest boards. I find that a good gripping quote can drive some traffic back to the original site where the book is sold. One of the best things you can do, is to upload you own image and then have it redirected to the URL where the book is being sold. Sephora does this really well where they customize a pin that shows a product in its best form and gives it a little jazz, but then redirects them to the official product page.

    1. vincentng1 I agree that quotes are very popular. I’ll check out Sephora’s pin but I’m holding you responsible for all makeup purchases. 🙂
      Thanks for your thoughts!

  4. I’m still new on Pinterest, but I’ve done a fair bit of research on it. Like everywhere else, my visibility seems to be restricted mostly to Mr. Magoo. Aside from my “woe is me”, if you’re looking for  different idea, I’ve built a board around my novel – each pin on that board has some kind of relevance to something in one of the book’s chapters.
    I reference the specific chapter under each Pin; each chapter has a title. It’s actually a lot of fun putting this board together, though not as easy as it may appear. Some of the references are very subtle, so they may be a little misleading. On the other hand, I’m also trying not to spoil the story. One benefit of all of this is that my story is kind of playful mystery, though at times very serious. I hope I’m creating that gestalt with this board, and I’ll continue to work on integrating it with my other sites, such as my blog and my home site . . . I’m also an artist, so that’s where my art is sold.
    So here’s a link to that Pin board – I’d love to give some feedback on it – and hopefully it will give y’all a few ideas of your own. I do believe Pinterest has a lot of untapped potential for both writers and authors, and that’s partly based on research. Pinterest seems to need some fresh material, even though the wedding season is just beginning!
    http://pinterest.com/lgrodecki/dancing-with-tulips/

  5. Thanks for this; I’m gradually working towards making my pinterest work better for my blog and I’ll be pinning your post for my blogging road.

    I stumbled on your post from a twitter RT. Have a lovely day 🙂

  6. Oh how I LOVE Pinterest! It’s probably my favorite social media platform after Instagram. I’ve had tremendous success in increasing my traffic using group boards and creating pins using Canva.

  7. I know this is an older post, but thanks. You have a lot of good tips. I’m a writer and I’ve been putting off Pinterest for a while. But I’m finally taking the plunge. Thanks for the tips.

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