Do you ever feel like you’re missing something with Pinterest? When I started looking for ways to boost my blog traffic, I kept hearing about Pinterest. Every top blogger, blogging course, and Facebook group discussion pointed to one solution: Get on Pinterest! It’s fantastic for blog traffic!
I followed all the advice. I created a Pinterest business account for my blog, set up rich pins, made pinnable images for every post, joined numerous group boards, and scheduled posts to over 20 boards using Tailwind. But despite doing everything right, I wasn’t seeing the amazing traffic others were bragging about. It felt like there was a big secret I just wasn’t getting.
A few weeks ago, I finally cracked the code. It was simple and made perfect sense! Here’s how you can do it too:
**The Pinterest Game Changer**
The big game changer for me was manual pinning. Instead of using schedulers, I logged into Pinterest and pinned everything myself. This manual effort caused a massive jump in my traffic. When you think about it, it makes sense. Pinterest wants users to actively engage with their platform because they make more money from advertisers when people are logged in, scrolling, and clicking.
The ebook that revealed this secret to me is “Pinteresting Strategies” by Carly Campbell from the blog Mommy on Purpose. But manual pinning is just part of the strategy. You also need to know how to create effective pins, which pins to repin, when to pin, and how to approach Pinterest efficiently to drive maximum traffic. Carly’s ebook covers all of this.
(Note from October 2018: “Pinteresting Strategies” has been updated to an e-course format, which is great because Carly can update it more easily. I’ll review the new course once I’ve had time to test it out!)
**Pinteresting Strategies Review**
Reading this book was a turning point for my blog. Here are some other Pinterest secrets I learned:
– Why you shouldn’t use free stock photos and what to do instead.
– How to find which specific pin is sending traffic to a post and why it matters.
– Why not all group boards are equal and how to pick good ones.
– How to know the best time of day to pin for maximum impact.
Carly also offers suggestions for keeping track of your manual pinning, but I found them a bit confusing and hard to stick to if I wasn’t at my desk. This was the only downside for me. Luckily, I found a spreadsheet to organize pins and group boards and create a pinning schedule to save time. Although the pre-made spreadsheet I used is no longer available, you can create your own with some effort. Using Google Sheets is handy because you can access it from your phone, making it easier to keep track of your pins, especially when traveling.
**Manual Pinning Results on My Blog**
Does manual pinning work? Absolutely! I started my manual pinning routine on March 12, 2018. Since then, I’ve stopped using schedulers and spent time pinning manually every day, even if it was just for five minutes from my phone. Before this strategy, a good day meant 50 visits from Pinterest. Now, I average around 300 clicks a day, with some days exceeding 1,000 clicks from Pinterest alone. I even had a viral pin that brought in 852 visitors in a single day.
According to Google Analytics, the month before I started this strategy, I had 10,876 page views. In the first month after starting, I had 38,128 page views. The dip at the beginning of April happened while I was traveling and could only do minimal pinning. If I’d been consistent, I believe the upward trend would have continued.
Thanks to the increased Pinterest traffic, I achieved my goal of getting accepted into an advertising network that requires a minimum of 25,000 sessions a month. My advertising revenue has increased twentyfold, and I’m also making more from affiliate sales due to the higher traffic. As of October 2018, I make a full-time income from blogging and have quit my job, thanks largely to Carly’s course.
**What About Pinterest Changes?**
Pinterest is always changing, with major updates several times a year causing glitches. Despite these changes, the manual pinning strategy from “Pinteresting Strategies” still works for me. I manage three Pinterest accounts and consistently see better results with manual pinning than with schedulers.
While we should always test and tweak our strategies, the core principles of manual pinning make sense from Pinterest’s perspective. They want engaged users. Carly’s tips on choosing pictures and keywords are also logical and likely to remain relevant. The only thing that changes often is the recommended image size. Currently, long pins are cut off at about 1,250 pixels, but this might change. Check Pinterest for the best image size before creating pins.
Have you tried manual pinning? What results did you see? Do you agree with my review of “Pinteresting Strategies”?