Though the Pinterest phenomenon first burst on the scene in March 2010, it didn’t take long for the visual discovery tool to sweep the country. Now more than four years old, the website is already valued at a reported $5 billion, rendering it the quickest site to gain more than 10 million unique monthly visitors in history. As addictive as it is creative, the heralded site allows for a robust level of creative freedom and acts as a personalized media platform, allowing you to upload and pin various interests to a themed board to create virtual bookmarks and content collections. The sheer amount of content is staggering, yet gaining followers remains a seemingly-daunting task even if you know what you’re doing. Like the social media behemoth Twitter, Pinterest uses the term followers when referring to the number of people who continually view your pinned content. Not only does obtaining more followers further your reach across the World Wide Web, but it also likely increases your networking opportunities — and let’s be honest — makes you feel like you’re actually pinning something worthwhile.
Here’s our quick-hit guide on how to gain more followers and become Pinterest famous. Success will vary from one user to the next, as expected, but the tips below still serve as a great start for new users looking to increase the popularity of their boards. Additionally, take a look at our guides detailing how to become famous on Twitter and Instagram.
Tip #1: Get creative
Creativity can’t always be forced, but a slew of boring boards will surely turn people away rather than attract them. If possible, creatively name your boards and attempt to keep titles fairly search-friendly — the shorter the better — allowing Pinterest users to find you easier. Tailor your boards to your strengths and your image, whether it be adorable rodents or inspiring home decor, so as to allow first-time followers will better know what expect whenever they visit your page. It should go without saying offering unique and interesting content will likely land you more followers than if you were running a standard, run-of-the-mill board.
Tip #2: Harness the power of social media
Pinterest allows for Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ integration in case you’d like to increase your reach beyond the initial site. Try to post your best and most enticing boards to various social networks to coax followers, friends, and circle members to join your Pinterest. If you have a loyal following elsewhere, there’s a high probability the same people will support you on Pinterest. Still, remember the aforementioned tip to give your followers a good reason to continue viewing your content.
Tip #3: #Hashtageverything
Don’t underestimate the power of the hashtag, regardless of how annoying and synonymous with our culture the pound symbol has become. Hashtags make it easy for other users to find your content and start following your boards. When suitable, use a hashtag to better designate the type of content or ethos you’d like to associate with a particular pin. However, refrain from hashtagging everything and save your tags for your best possible content to avoid over saturating your profile and turning people away. Even using the “@” symbol to tag members opens up conversations and helps build your following.
Tip #4: Cater to the masses
Though not always applicable to your profile, it’s often a good idea to check Pinterest’s popular page to get a better sense of what trends and interests are proving attractive across the site. If what you find meshes well with your interests, start stocking your boards with content in a similar vein, while trying to maintain your initial identity and purpose. Doing so will likely increase the traffic to your boards and subsequently garner you new followers in the process.
Tip #5: Be a good friend
If you want to attract followers, then you’ll have to dish out some love in return. Finding and following other users with similar interests and boards often results in said individuals following you in return. If it doesn’t, simply find pins you like and leave comments on them for other members to see. The more you comment, the more exposure your own profile gets, so frequently commenting on popular pages increases your visibility and attracts a wider audience. Honing the social media component of Pinterest is crucial for increasing your following.
Next page: Five more ways to achieve Pinterest fame
Tip #6: Take advantage of your website
Pinterest makes it easy to direct followers from other sites or blogs you might possess using the embedded Pinterest button. Moreover, most sites even allow you to run plugins which directly link to your Pinterest page from any post you publish. If you have a devoted following elsewhere, then it makes perfect sense to invite them to your Pinterest page. That said, adding the profile widget to your other sites proves even more enticing, displaying up to 30 of your latest pins in lieu of a simple link button. The widget provides potential followers with a quick glance at your profile and what they’ll routinely see if they hit the follow button.
Tip #7: Boost your popular pages
Many members prefer following specific boards rather than actual users to avoid flooding their feed with unwanted material. With this in mind, promoting your best boards to the sea of users will help you gain recognition and thus increases your follower count. Try visiting your brand page to view your most popular boards.
Tip #8: Quality over quantity.
Followers want visual stimulation and wow-factor when they view a page. Keeping your boards fresh–with quality images–increases visibility and helps ensure your followers stay interested. Taking time to create original images, whether it be via a dedicated digital camera or merely a smartphone, is even more beneficial, considering pins you create on your own will list your profile as the content origin no matter how often others pin or share it.
Tip #9: Quantity isn’t terrible either.
While pinning too many images tends to make your page look out of sorts, thus deterring potential followers, a sparse page essentially does the same thing. Keeping a keen eye on the number of pins on your boards while simultaneously keeping your content flush helps drive traffic. Each time you pin an image, Pinterest recommends a slew of boards which share similar interests and pins. Vice versa, if you post often, Pinterest starts to recommend your personal boards to users pinning similar images. Recommendations equal followers; simple as that.
Tip #10: Leverage holidays and special events
If a big holiday is approaching — for instance July 4th — use it to your advantage and tailor your content to the holiday. Posting fun ideas relevant to an upcoming holiday attracts users looking to spice up the event. The more members you attract to your holiday-themed boards, the more members you’ll likely get to peruse your other content boards. Like the broad-reaching strategy of reacting to what’s popular, holidays prove a worthwhile resource when looking to expand your fan base.
