Pinterest is an awesome tool for attracting new readers to your blog. It’s essentially a visual search engine; people search for keywords, and those keywords are tied to photos you pin to the platform. Getting started with Pinterest isn’t too scary, we promise! But there are a few things you need to take care of before you can start pinning like a Pinterest queen.

Over the next few months, we’ll be sharing tips and tricks from Style Collective members to get you started with this amazing traffic generating platform!

So, how do you get started with Pinterest? First thing’s first: you need to set up your account. Now, you don’t want just any run-of-the-mill Pinterest account. You’re a #girlboss, so a Pinterest business account is probably the best choice for you.

There are lots of perks to having a Pinterest business account, including increased traffic, access to analytics, and a library of marketing tips and strategies for you to reference. Laura, a #SCSister and #bossbabe, made the switch: “I have had a ton of traffic since switching from ‘regular’ Pinterest to business Pinterest.”

Never heard of a Pinterest business account? Don’t worry – we’ll talk you through it! Follow the four easy steps below, and you’ll be pinning like an expert in no time.

Create a Pinterest business account.

Or, if you already have a personal account you’d like to use for business, convert your account to a business account.

Everything you need to know about the set up and conversion process can be found here: https://business.pinterest.com/en

Confirm your website.

Once you confirm your website, your blog’s logo will be added to any pin that originates from your website, which is a great traffic booster for your blog. You’ll also be allowed to access those handy Pinterest analytics, so you’ll be able to see what content’s working, and what content’s falling flat. With your newfound analytic knowledge, you’ll be able to fine-tune your content to give your followers exactly what they’re looking for.

Everything you need to know about confirming your website can be found here: https://business.pinterest.com/en/confirm-your-website 

Setup rich pins.

Rich pins will link directly to your website and display the title and description of your posts right on the pin. Rich pins also pull meta-data from your blog post into the pin description. You can add meta-data to your blog post using the Yoast SEO plugin.

Everything you need to know about setting up rich pins can be found here.

SC member, Leanne, also wrote a really great tutorial on her blog, so make sure to check it out!

Rich Pin Post vs. Non-Rich Pin Post

Setup your profile.

Add a profile photo, name, and short bio to get your profile up and running. Make sure the profile photo you upload matches the photo you use across your other social platforms. People should be able to recognize you on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and any other social media platform you use with just a glance at your profile picture. Your name and bio should be optimized for search keywords, such as “fashion blogger.” For example, our SC profile is designed to target the keywords “blogging community,” so we can draw traffic from all the blogging babes browsing Pinterest.

Now, your Pinterest business account is set up, and you’re ready to get started. See how easy that was? Tune in to future Pinterest 101 posts for more tips and tricks from our SC members, and soon you’ll be pinning like the #bossbabe you are.