Thursday Press #98: is your Pinterest account wolf-proof?
[21 SEPT 2023] Week 2 of Pinterest 101: building a strong foundation
Hey, what's your favorite little kid's story?
You know, one you can recite from memory when your kid is begging for another story to help them fall asleep?
I don't have kids, but my cousin was always a story kid, and any time I was trying to put him down for a nap, I would always hear his sweet little Southern accent asking "puh-leaaaase just one more story???"
I have to admit, my memory for stories and fables isn't the best. I can't tell you how many times I tried to get Goldilocks and the 3 Bears right and always managed to forget something.
One tale I do remember pretty well is that of the 3 little pigs and their houses of straw, sticks, and bricks 🐷🐷🐷
Wanna know why?
Because it makes for a GREAT teaching analogy 😎
Once upon a time, a big bad wolf was trying to eat three little piggies. The first two built houses out of flimsy straw and sticks, so they fell quickly when the wolf huffed and puffed.
But the third little piggie? Her house was built of bricks, giving it a strong, solid foundation that protected it from the big bad wolf, and the piggies were saved!
The third pig in this story had a really, really good foundation
Which just so happens to be the focus of this week's Pinterest 101 lesson!
Just joined the class? Here's a recap:
Last week, we imagined your Pinterest profile like a house. Today, I'm going to teach you how to give that house a solid, wolf-proof foundation. 🚫🐺
BELOW THE FOLD
A strong Pinterest foundation means you've created an SEO-optimized profile and established a system to stay consistent on the platform.
That means you'll be able to grow much more quickly and creating Pinterest content will take less time in the long run, which means you can rely less on time-consuming marketing tactics and more on actual business development and your personal life. 🎉
The key to all of this starts with one simple step: keyword research
Okay, so it's not exactly "simple," but it's also not as hard as it sounds, pinky promise
I've got a whole blog post about how to do keyword research, or you can take my favorite course for a more in-depth Pinterest SEO education, so I won't waste precious inbox space doing that here
But as a basic refresher, keywords are the words and phrases your audience uses to look for content on Pinterest.
Your goal in doing keyword research is to learn what those phrases are so you can use those keywords throughout your profile and Pinterest content.
That way, when Pinterest users search for those keywords, Pinterest is able to match your content to their needs and BOOM you're reaching your ideal clients.
Once you've done your keyword research, these are the steps you'll take to build your Pinterest foundation:
1. Create a Pinterest Business account
A Pinterest Business account is necessary to claim your website and track analytics, two very important steps. You can either convert your personal Pinterest account into a business account, or start a new business account.
(I personally recommend starting fresh!)
2. Claim your website domain
If you have a website (if not, start here), you need to "claim" it. This is essentially telling Pinterest "Hey, this is my site, and I want to know if someone saves something from it!" If anyone saves a pin from your website, you'll be able to see those details in your analytics.
Pinterest will always prefer pins that link to your own claimed domain because they know it's your own fresh content that you're pinning.
3. Fill in your profile details
When optimizing your Pinterest profile, it's important that you're being mindful of SEO and that you're clearly communicating what you do, what kind of content users can expect to find, and what you're all about.
Your profile is the first impression you're giving to users who land on it, so this info should be communicated quickly and clearly!
Here's a checklist you can follow:
✅ Your name (or your brand name) & a high-level keyword in your profile title
✅ Keyword-rich bio that describes what you do & why users should follow you
✅ Visual representation of your content in the header image & a branded profile pic
4. Create your boards
As we know, boards are like the "rooms" of your Pinterest house. They're the categories you'll be saving your pins to and are an important part of Pinterest SEO.
To figure out what boards you need to create, first think of all the content you want to post on Pinterest — blogs, podcast episodes, lead magnets, client work, etc.
Then, see which keywords from your keyword research encompass those overarching topics. Start with at least 5-10.
Make sure to add a keyword-rich description to each board!
5. Set up a system for success
An optimized Pinterest profile isn't going to do much if you aren't pinning to it consistently.
Take an honest look at your current capacity and schedule, then see where you can fit some Pinterest time into it.
I recommend batching your work weekly or monthly so you can stay on top of it.
One of the greatest things about Pinterest is that you can schedule pins out for weeks and months at a time, without worrying about having to be active or "engage" whenever you pin something new. Just let the platform work its magic!
If you want an in-depth tutorial on each of these steps, you can download your free Pinterest Roadmap, where I share even more tips and steps to set up your solid Pinterest foundation!
Optimized Pinterest Profile Roadmap
The final step in building your Pinterest foundation is to actually get pinning, but before you do, I want to share exactly how to craft effective pins that stop the scroll and convert to clicks & clients
That's what next week's virtual class is all about!
If you have any specific questions you'd like me to cover, drop me a line & let me know! My inbox is always open 🫶
YOU'RE HALFWAY DONE!
P.S. If you've already set up your Pinterest account but want me to check your work, book an account audit today and get a custom pinning plan to follow!