9 Secrets on How to Go Viral on Pinterest

Hey there, savvy bloggers! Let me guess – you’d love to see your website traffic skyrocket, right? Of course you would.

Well, buckle up, because I’m about to share some juicy secrets for going viral on Pinterest and getting an avalanche of eyeballs on your content.

If you’re not familiar, Pinterest is a visual bookmarking site that’s captured the hearts (and screen time) of millions. More importantly, many bloggers have found it to be an incredible source of referral traffic. We’re talking numbers that’ll make your head spin.

But it’s not as simple as just pinning random stuff and hoping the visitors will pour in. To really crush it on Pinterest, you need a smart strategy.

Lucky for you, I did all the heavy lifting and uncovered the most effective tactics top bloggers are using to win big.

Here are 9 secrets to Pinterest domination…

Create Irresistible Photo Badges

You know those eye-catching graphics you see around Pinterest with the snappy post title overlaid on an attractive image?

Those are photo badges, and they work like magic for reeling in the clicks.

Take Nester Smith, an uber-popular home decor blogger. For her most tantalizing posts, she whips up a beautiful photo badge featuring the post title on a high-quality, evocative photo (often one of her own gorgeous shots).

Then she pins that sucker to one of her boards. The result? Her “How to Paint Furniture Like a Pro” badge scored over 90,000 views and 55,000 repins. Wowza!

The keys to a winning photo badge:

• Use a real, high-quality photo as the background, not just plain text
• Opt for light, appealing colors like soft blue or yellow
• Keep the height under 5000 pixels for easy repinning
• Craft a snappy, emotionally compelling title (check out Jon’s Headline Hacks for help)

Get Your Timing Down

Pinning is all about striking while the iron is hot. Once you add a pin, it hits your followers’ feeds, but you only have a small window before it gets buried under fresher pins. We’re talking 20-30 minutes to capture that precious attention.

Now, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost if your pin doesn’t instantly blow up. It’ll still be visible on your board, and followers may stumble on it later. But the potential exposure pales in comparison to when it’s brand spankin’ new.

So what’s a blogger to do? Post your pins strategically during peak hours when your audience is most likely to be browsing Pinterest.

For most niches, that’s weekdays between 6 AM and 6 PM Eastern time. But ultimately, you’ll want to dive into your own blog’s traffic stats to pinpoint when your specific peeps are online and primed for pinning.

Unfortunately, until the Pinterest API opens up, there’s no easy way to automate posting at certain times.

You’ll just have to carve out a few minutes during peak hours to unleash your pinning prowess.

Spice Things up With New Stuff

Fun fact: Pinners go bananas for new and original content. Sure, it’s fine to repin cool stuff now and then. But if you really want to get noticed, aim to pin fresh, attention-grabbing material that hasn’t made the rounds yet.

Unleash your inner curator and scour the web for unique images that’ll appeal to your audience.

Don’t be afraid to get a little edgy or think outside the box. People crave novelty in their feed, and you’ll quickly build a loyal following if you deliver.

Aim to pin at least one new gem a day, and watch as your numbers tick up and up.

The more awesome content you share, the more rabid fans you’ll attract, and the more they’ll pounce on your own blog posts when you pin ’em. It’s the virtual circle of Pinterest life.

Become a Curation Sensation

Okay, so we just talked about pinning new stuff. But the flip side of that coin is showcasing your mad curation skills.

Yup, your job is to handpick the cream of the crop on Pinterest and package it up in a way that knocks your followers’ socks off.

Think of yourself as the museum curator of your niche, meticulously choosing and organizing the most drool-worthy content out there.

It’s all about wowing people with your exceptional taste and making your boards the go-to spot for eye candy on your topic.

When you consistently deliver top-notch pins, your grateful followers will anoint you the ultimate tastemaker in your niche.

And here’s where the magic happens: They’ll keep coming back to gobble up everything you dish out, including your own blog posts!

So don’t settle for pinning any old thing. Carefully select stuff that’ll make your target audience swoon, and take pride in serving up the best darn collection around.

Trust me, your follower count will be singing your praises in no time.

Spread the Love

Alright, I know the temptation is strong to make your Pinterest presence all about Y-O-U.

Plastering your boards exclusively with your own blog posts and products seems like a smart traffic play, right?

I’m gonna give it to you straight: RESIST THAT URGE! If your boards are one big ME-fest, you can kiss your pinning success goodbye.

People will peace out faster than you can say “spammy”, and your chances of going viral will wither up and die.

Some pinning pros even say you should limit your self-promotion to just one pin per day.

Now, I’m not a fan of hard-and-fast rules, but the point is not to go overboard. Use your best judgment, and trust your gut. If you’re feeling icky about the amount of “me-me-me” pins you’re posting, dial it back a notch.

Instead, aim for a healthy mix of other people’s awesome content with a sprinkling of your own.

This’ll boost your credibility, foster warm fuzzy feelings about your brand, and ultimately get a lot more traction than being a one-trick pony. Pinky promise.

Double Down on Your Winners

Pssst…want to know which content YOUR audience can’t get enough of?

I’ll let you in on a little secret: Pinterest has a handy-dandy source page that shows you exactly which images are getting the most action from your site.

Here’s how you find it: Pop on over to pinterest.com/source/yoursitehere.com, swapping in your URL. Voilà! A treasure trove of intel on what’s hot and what’s not.

Once you’ve identified your top performers, it’s time to give the people what they want! Find ways to create similar content that hits all the same sweet spots.

If a certain style of image or subject matter is resonating, run with it and watch your repins rack up.

Flex Your Social Media Muscles

If you wanna swim in a sea of Pinterest traffic, you need one thing above all else: followers, and plenty of ’em. More followers = more eyeballs on every single thing you pin.

Now, building a hefty following doesn’t happen by accident.

To get the goods, you gotta roll up your sleeves and put in the work. Here are some proven ways to get your follower count popping:

• Pin something daily, especially during peak times
• Follow other pinners in your niche by checking out the “Popular” and “Everything” feeds
• Install the Pinterest widget on your site to make it stupid easy for blog readers to follow you
• Cross-pollinate your pins on Twitter and Facebook using Pinterest’s auto-post feature
• Infuse your boards with your sparkling personality! Don’t be afraid to pin stuff a little outside your niche. (Check out travel blogger Jodi Ettenberg’s boards for inspo.)

Ignite Scintillating Discussions

You know what takes your Pinterest game to the next level? Getting your followers talking! When you turn your pins into a two-way conversation, amazing things happen.

Engagement goes through the roof, your pins get way more exposure, and you foster an excited community of raving fans.

Best of all, every comment serves as powerful social proof, convincing more people to check out the action.

Luckily, a lot of the comment-boosting tactics that work on blogs translate perfectly to Pinterest. Don’t be shy about ending your pin descriptions with a friendly question. Respond to every comment with warmth and enthusiasm. And give shout-outs to your most chatty followers.

Pediatric staffing agency Pediastaff is a master at this.

They’ve built a thriving Pinterest presence largely through weekly discussion boards that get followers amped up.

Scope ’em out and see what ideas you can steal–er, I mean borrow.

Run Contests with Pizazz

I know, I know. Contests can feel a little gimmicky. And nobody likes the icky feeling of essentially buying followers.

But hear me out: When done right, contests can generate major buzz, attract hordes of new fans, AND create a fun experience your followers will love.

The trick is to avoid generic, forgettable contests that just feel like a cheap ploy. Instead, dream up something creative that ties into your brand and gets people excited to participate.

For instance, Harrods department store ran a contest inviting their followers to design fantasy storefronts to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

How cool is that? They tapped into their audience’s imagination and passion, while aligning perfectly with a timely event.

Your contest might challenge followers to style an outfit from your spring lookbook, plan their dream trip, or create a vision board depicting their ultimate kitchen renovation.

The more your contest sparks their creativity and enthusiasm, the more they’ll want to get involved.

Just remember to keep it simple (no 20-step entry requirements, please) and promote the heck outta your winners. Shining the spotlight on your champs afterwards will get people pumped for next time.

And above all, use contests sparingly.

Once or twice a year, max. You want them to feel really special and not like an endless follower-grubbing slog.

Conclusion

There you have it–9 not-so-secret secrets to ruling Pinterest like a boss and driving hordes of eager traffic to your site. No magic wands or voodoo required!

But here’s the thing: You can’t just sit on your hands and hope the Pinterest gods will shower you with viral gold.

You’ve gotta put on your big kid pants and take action. Start small if you want–maybe whip up a photo badge for your next post or commit to pinning one amazing new image per day.

Once you get the hang of it, keep stepping up your game with more advanced strategies.

Before you know it, you’ll be the hottest pinner in your niche, with a tidal wave of visitors knocking down your blog’s door.

So whataya say? You ready to go after your piece of the Pinterest pie? Trust me, it tastes goooood.

Now get out there and start pinning like you mean it! And be sure to gimme a holler when you hit the big time–I’ll be expecting an invite to your swanky “I went viral on Pinterest” party.