Promoting Your Shop With Pinterest

Ah, Pinterest. Pins and boards and Pinning! It can be an overwhelming platform to jump into, but we're here to help. Use these tips to make your Pinterest page shine in no time.

Before we dig in, a couple bits of Pinterest lingo you should know. Think of Pins like bookmarks, with images and text attached. You save Pins to boards, which are a collection of Pins around a particular theme.

Simple enough, right? Now let's get to it.

Develop board ideas. What boards make sense for your brand? What boards would your audience connect with and be interested in? Draft up a dozen board ideas you could curate, but only pick 5-6 to focus on at the start. A few basic starter boards could include: Design Inspiration, Lookbooks, or Brands I Like. If you make apparel, it might make sense to create a board showcasing how people have styled your clothing or how you might style pieces throughout the different seasons.

Pro-tip: While you're just starting out, save your boards as "secret" until you get them just right. Make sure the cover Pin is engaging and relevant to the title and that the boards feels full. Once you have those bases covered and it looks good to you - make it public!

Photos first. This should go without saying for all social media, but specifically Pinterest since it is one of the more visually engaging platforms - pick clear, crisp photos to share. Choose only photos that accurately represent the aesthetic you wish to convey. Pinterest is all about curation, so have high standards and only share the best of the best.

Words matter. While images are the main focus, descriptions are important, too. Keep your writing for both Pins and boards as descriptive and concise as possible. Short and sweet should do the trick. And be sure to pick specific, eye-catching titles for your boards.

Share clear links. Make it easy for visitors to see exactly where they can find a product, and you'll get more accurate referral traffic. Win-win.

Tell a story. This is what social media is all about - telling your story in a way only you can! Keep this in mind as you Pin. What do you want to convey to your audience with each board? How can each board help you grow your community?

Get engaged. It's important to be consistent, so post daily. This keeps your Pins in the mix and near the tops of people's feeds. Don't be shy about sharing photos from other makers and creators in your community. It's a great way to connect with others and make your boards more interesting.

Keep it simple. Start small. Curate boards that make sense for you, and tweak things as you go along. You don't need to have dozens of boards, each with hundreds of Pins, to be effective.

As you get more involved, download the Pinterest extension for your web browser so it's super easy to Pin as you go about your workday. Once you build out more boards, you can start adding the same Pin across a few boards, at different times, so people have more opportunities to discover it. Take a few minutes each day to respond to comments, like people's Pins, and add some new Pins yourself and you'll be growing a following in no time!

For more tips, check out Pinterest's Best Practices Guide.