I’m not the biggest fan of scheduled social media posting — it often feels forced and time-consuming. Those hours spent planning posts are hours I could use finishing a DIY project at home. Still, one platform I’ve found genuinely valuable is Pinterest. I resisted it at first, but after attending a blogging conference and learning how to design effective pins, I started to see consistent referral traffic to my site.
That night I followed the advice and created pins for my ten most popular posts, then made new pins for subsequent posts. The change wasn’t instant, but within a few months Pinterest drove an extra 1,000 visits to my site, becoming one of my top referral sources.
IF YOU LOOK AFTER YOUR PINTEREST ACCOUNT, IT WILL LOOK AFTER YOU
You may remember Pinterest changed its algorithm around April 2018. I noticed a drop in traffic after that shift, and my blog income fell as a result. On my food blog the difference in Pinterest referrals between July 2017 and July 2018 was significant — roughly a 50% decline — so I took action to adapt my strategy.
I rely on ad revenue from my sites, so traffic fluctuations matter. I didn’t panic because other channels, like YouTube, were compensating at the time. Still, I made time to attend a free online seminar hosted by Food Blogger Pro and took notes. Below I’ve collected the most useful tips I learned for optimizing a Pinterest account — especially helpful if you’re a blogger or DIY creator looking to increase referral traffic and earn a little extra income.
Full disclosure: I was lazy with Pinterest. I didn’t pin constantly or keep boards neatly organized — I lumped most pins into one broad board. Even so, applying a few focused changes made a measurable difference in traffic.
My new pin format.
KEY THINGS I LEARNT IN A NUTSHELL
- Be patient — this is a long-term channel.
Pinterest rarely rewards overnight effort. If you consistently apply the right practices, you’ll see growth over time. - Create focused boards, not overly broad ones.
Specific boards like “noodle bowls” or “weeknight chicken dinners” help your content appear in niche searches and make it easier for users to discover you. - Name boards with popular, natural phrases.
Use Pinterest’s search suggestions to find common board titles, then adopt those phrases so your boards match how people search. - Write natural descriptions that include keywords.
You have space for longer descriptions, but it’s better to weave keywords naturally into two or three clear sentences rather than stuffing keywords unnaturally. - Use hashtags sparingly.
Avoid replacing useful keywords with hashtags. Two hashtags are often enough, and five should be an upper limit. - Pin to the most relevant boards.
Keeping pins in the right category helps Pinterest understand and surface your content for the proper audiences. - Use vertical images at a 2:3 aspect ratio.
Long “giraffe” pins used to dominate feeds but are now penalized. Aim for a 2:3 ratio and avoid pins longer than 1,260 pixels. A good size to target is 600 x 900 px. - Ensure blog images are also 2:3 when possible.
Users can pin any image from a post, so having multiple images at the recommended size increases the likelihood your content will display correctly and be discovered. - Don’t delete older pins.
Old pins can regain popularity, and Pinterest doesn’t penalize duplicate pins, so keep them in place. - Update very large older pins promptly.
If your most popular pins are oversized or in older formats, refresh them to current size and design standards to recover visibility. - Add concise, complementary text to each pin.
Text overlays or short titles help users instantly understand what the pin represents. - Brand your pins consistently.
A subtle logo or website text in the bottom corner helps people recognize your content. Keep the branding consistent with your blog design. - Use your best images — sometimes collages work well.
If your content benefits from step-by-step or process shots (great for food and DIY), consider a collage that shows progression and encourages users to try it. - Consistency matters more than timing.
There’s no single perfect time to pin; regular, steady pinning and daily sharing of blog content will build momentum. - Great content is still the foundation.
No amount of pin optimization compensates for weak content. Pins multiply the reach of strong, useful posts. - Use scheduling and helper tools wisely.
Tools like Tailwind can save time through scheduling. Consider plugins that improve pinning from your site; also cross-check Pinterest analytics with Google Analytics (Acquisition > Referrals) for more accurate referral numbers. - Watch for spam warnings and act quickly if flagged.
If Pinterest flags your account, follow their support steps and respond to automated messages to resolve issues. Keep records of your communications and persist until the issue is cleared.
That’s the summary. There’s homework here if you want to make Pinterest a meaningful source of traffic. My next priority is updating my most popular posts and refreshing top-performing pins to the recommended format.
If you have tips or experiences with Pinterest optimization, please leave them in the comments — I’d love to learn what worked for you.