There are a lot of moving parts that make up a good Pinterest strategy. Before anything else, though, you need a strong foundation… and that’s all in your account strategy.
However, it’s easy to get things wrong as a beginner. You can’t know what you don’t know. Even something as small as your account display name can impact your visibility.
So for Part 2 of my Pinterest Marketing Mistakes series, I’m focusing on common account strategy mistakes and how to avoid them. From choosing the right account type to optimizing your profile and boards, these insights will help you create a more effective presence on Pinterest that drives engagement and help you reach your target audience.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Learn: Essential Pinterest Account Strategy Tips
In this part of the guide, we’ll explore common Pinterest account setup mistakes that will affect your reach and engagement. You’ll learn how to optimize your Pinterest presence and set your account up to maximize your reach and visibility.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Why you need a Pinterest Business account and the extra features it gives
- How to create an optimized profile that attracts your target audience and drives engagement
- How to create Pinterest boards that improve your reach and searchability
- The importance of implementing keywords throughout your Pinterest content
- Actionable tips for building and maintaining engaging pin boards that convert
The Pinterest Marketing Mistakes 6-Part Series
Hey, there! Welcome to the Pinterest Marketing Mistakes series here on Soft Digital Era!
I don’t know if you can tell, but I can be a bit of a yapper so I’m trying to do my best to keep this informative, but short and sweet. That said, I’ve still had to break this guide down into 6 parts to cover everything without being too overwhelming.
Check out the other posts when you’re ready!
- The 4 Biggest Reasons Why Pinterest Marketing Isn’t Working for You | Pinterest Marketing Mistakes Part 1
- 6 Pinterest Account Strategy Mistakes Killing Your Reach | Pinterest Marketing Mistakes Part 2
- 6 Reasons Why Your Pinterest Pin Designs Don’t Convert to Clicks | Pinterest Marketing Mistakes Part 3
- 7 Pinterest Content Creation Mistakes Ruining Your Views & Clicks | Pinterest Marketing Mistakes Part 4
- 7 Ways Your Website is Costing You Pinterest Engagement | Pinterest Marketing Mistakes Part 5
- 8 Pinterest Strategy Mistakes That Limit Reach & Cost Clicks | Pinterest Marketing Mistakes Part 6
6 Pinterest Account Strategy Mistakes
I know I just went on and on about how Pinterest is different in Part 1, but this is the one place where Pinterest is mostly like other social media. However, you have a lot more to work with than other platforms, so there are plenty more opportunities to attract your target audience.
Setting up your profile and pin boards correctly are vital for helping Pinterest understand your content and recommend it to the right people. Let’s take a look at the things most people get wrong and how to get them right instead.
Using a Personal account
You may be tempted to use an account you already have or you’ve created a new account that you haven’t activated business features on yet. Personal accounts lack analytics, advertising options, and branding features that Business accounts provide. You also miss out on Rich Pins and other business-focused tools.
The fix:
If you haven’t already, create a brand new account that you’ll only use for your business. This way you can train the algorithm to promote your content to the right people.
Switch this account to a business account so you have access to features like in-depth analytics, ad campaigns, and Rich Pins, which help you optimize and grow your presence on Pinterest.
Leaving your profile blank
A blank or incomplete profile makes it harder for people to understand what you’re about and what you offer. It will also limit your ability to be found via relevant search queries.
The fix:
Fill out your profile with a clear, keyword-rich description. Use a professional or brand-appropriate image or logo.
Make sure it’s obvious who you are, what you do, who you help and and how you help them. You’ll also want to include a call to action for the next step a viewer can take to either work with you or get acquainted with your product offerings.
Quick Action List:
- Create a clear, keyword-rich description
- Add a professional or brand-appropriate image/logo
- Make sure to clearly state:
- Who you are
- What you do
- Who you help
- How you help them
- Include a call-to-action for the next step viewers can take
Pro Tip:
If you’re struggling with this, here’s a simple way to phrase this to get started:
“I help [target audience] to [keyword-rich action]. Grab my free guide to [solution for problem].”
“I help busy moms find time to work on their content business while managing the household. Grab my free guide to securing brand deals as a mom blogger.”
Feel free to switch up the wording once you have this basic format figured out.
Leaving Pin boards empty
Where you save your Pins tells Pinterest (and people) what to expect from your content. They’re one of the first signs to the Pinterest algorithm on how to categorize your Pins. However, brand new boards have no context outside of the name and description.
Pinterest works off of search results and recommendations. Without any existing Pins already in the board, you’ll miss out on the opportunity to associate your Pins with other high performing content for reach through recommendations.
The fix:
When you create a new board, make sure you mix in some high ranking third party content to help increase your board’s SEO value. Aim for a minimum of 15-25 Pins in each board.
To keep your account engagement high, leave any boards with less than 10 Pins as secret boards. Once you finish setting it up, you can unhide the board. (Don’t count any Pins to secret boards in your daily pinning plan.)
Pro Tip:
If you only have a few of your own links, you’ll want to make sure you save third party content regularly so you’re able to hit those 3-5 daily Pins more easily. As you build up your own content, you can slowly stop doing this.
Not using strategic keywords
Many new pinners neglect to properly fill out their profile with targeted keyword phrases This includes your profile’s “About” section, board descriptions, and even your display name. If you don’t, you’re missing out on opportunities to be found in search results on Pinterest.
The fix:
Identify the main topics or categories your brand focuses on and incorporate them throughout your profile. Think about the exact words or phrases your audience might type into the search bar when they’re looking for solutions you can provide.
Place these keywords in your display name, your board titles, your “About” section, and of course on your Pins (we’ll talk more about the rest of these later). This ensures consistency and helps the Pinterest algorithm serve your content to the right users when they need it most.
This consistent approach helps Pinterest’s algorithm show your content to the right users when they need it most.
Quick Action List:
- Identify your brand’s main topics and categories
- Type them in the search bar to find the best keyword ideas
- Add your keywords throughout your profile:
- Display name
- Board titles
- “About” section
- Pins
Pro Tip:
Use the Pinterest search bar to find suggestions to see what keywords and long-tail phrases come up for your niche. Tools like Pinterest Trends or the Pinterest Ads Keyword Planner can also help you find popular search terms that are relevant to your audience.
Creating boards without intent
Randomly created boards or boards with vague themes can confuse potential followers and dilute your brand focus. This is part of the reason why creating a specific account for your business is an absolute must.
On your personal account, you likely have all your own personal inspiration boards that have nothing to do with your niche. This isn’t going to help your bottom line.
The fix:
Create your boards around specific, relevant topics that align with your brand’s content and audience’s interests. Keep board titles descriptive and keyword-friendly to help with discoverability.
Pro Tip:
Pinterest SEO really clicked for me when I realized that you should think of your boards as “tags” for your content. You’re using the board names to tag your content with popular keywords.
Using aesthetic board names
While eye-catching or witty board names might seem appealing, they make it hard for users and the Pinterest algorithm to understand your board’s content. Witty, aesthetic sounding names are not what people are typing in when they’re looking for specific solutions.
The fix:
Save the cutesy stuff for your personal account and instead focus on keywords (notice a theme here?). Give your boards clear, descriptive titles that people would type into the search bar to help users instantly know what they’ll find on each board.
“Easy Keto Recipes” tells people more than “Diet Inspo” does. It’s also something people are more likely to search for.
Pro Tip:
Actually start typing into the Pinterest search bar to find a list of ideas for phrases people are really using for searches. The more popular the term, the higher it is on the list.
Update Your Account for Better Pinterest Performance
Now that you understand these crucial Pinterest account strategy mistakes, it’s time to take action. Here’s what you should focus on first:
- Audit your Pinterest account. Review your account against the mistakes mentioned above and identify areas needing improvement.
- Optimize your business profile. Switch to a business account if you haven’t already, and complete your profile with keyword-rich descriptions.
- Review your board strategy. Analyze existing boards, rename them with SEO-friendly titles, and ensure each has at least 15-25 relevant pins.
- Create a keyword database. Research and list relevant keywords for your niche using Pinterest’s search suggestions and trends. Save them in a Google Doc or Airtable Base.
Remember, implementing these changes isn’t a one-time task. You’ll want to check over these rules each time you create a new board on your account. Regular maintenance and optimization of your Pinterest account will help ensure continued growth and engagement as you create new content as well.
The Pinterest Marketing Mistakes 6-Part Series
Check out the rest of the posts in this series for my full mistake-fixing plan and turn your Pinterest account into a traffic driving machine!
- The 4 Biggest Reasons Why Pinterest Marketing Isn’t Working for You | Pinterest Marketing Mistakes Part 1
- 6 Pinterest Account Strategy Mistakes Killing Your Reach | Pinterest Marketing Mistakes Part 2
- 6 Reasons Why Your Pinterest Pin Designs Don’t Convert to Clicks | Pinterest Marketing Mistakes Part 3
- 7 Pinterest Content Creation Mistakes Ruining Your Views & Clicks | Pinterest Marketing Mistakes Part 4
- 7 Ways Your Website is Costing You Pinterest Engagement | Pinterest Marketing Mistakes Part 5
- 8 Pinterest Strategy Mistakes That Limit Reach & Cost Clicks | Pinterest Marketing Mistakes Part 6