help | Helen Glynn Jones

Even though I’ve been blogging for three years now, I’m still finding my way around some of the other social media platforms. There are so many it can be difficult to find time to work across all of them, especially if you want to, you know, actually get some writing done.

One platform I’d been hearing a lot about, especially from other bloggers, was Pinterest. I’d heard of it years ago, via a designer friend, but hadn’t ever bothered to look into it. It wasn’t until my soon to be sister-in–law was pinning wedding ideas and invited me to take a look, that I decided to set up an account.

Once set up I pinned a few blog posts, set up a couple of boards, followed some people and left it at that. I didn’t really get any blog views from the site, and I just didn’t have any time to put into it. That was, until a few months ago, when I had a lovely catch up with some blogger friends, including Suzie from Suzie Speaks. Pinterest came up again and the exchange went something like this:

Suzie: ‘How’s your Pinterest page going?’

Me: ‘Well, let’s put it this way – I have three followers, and two of them are sitting on this couch.’

Needless to say, Suzie soon set me straight as to how important Pinterest could be to my blog (well, once she stopped laughing she did). I took her comments on board and started to spend a little more time there, sharing posts and making my images look more enticing (or at least, attempting to). But I still wasn’t really getting anywhere.

Suzie, in the meantime, had been very helpful with suggestions and, taking a look at her own successful Pinterest account, I wondered whether I might benefit from some more targeted assistance. As it turned out, Suzie offered a Pinterest management program where she would, for a monthly fee, work with me to update my Pinterest page. So I signed on.

Suzie and I discussed my likes and dislikes, and the sort of things I’d like to pin. I wandered around Pinterest, losing myself down the occasional wormhole of vintage fashion or travel. Suzie recommended the types of boards to create that would attract new followers, as well as other ways to maximise the account, and I began to make connections. With her help and expert eye my boards were optimised and organised, with shiny new pins created using the Canva app. Suzie also set me up with a group blogging board, as well as joining other blogging boards (something I didn’t even know I could do on Pinterest!).

And the proof, it seems, is in the numbers. We started in January, when my total blog Pinterest views for the month were zero. In February they went up to 75 views, in March 182, then in April 266. The trend continued upward – in May I had 378 views, June 422, and in July they hit an all-time high of 597 views from Pinterest alone! My followers on Pinterest have gone from 3 to 721, which is pretty amazing, plus I’ve met some great new bloggers, which has been a nice bonus.

In summary, if you’re thinking of adding another social media account to your blogging arsenal, consider Pinterest. And if, like me, you’re not quite sure how to get started, look at getting some help. I’ve certainly found it to be worthwhile!

For more information about Suzie, her blogging tips and social media management options, head over to her blog at suzie81speaks.com. Make sure you say hi; she’s lovely!