Learn how to structure your blog post so you can create lots of Idea pins for Pinterest

Why Pinterest?

Pinterest is a visual search engine that generates millions of clicks every day to blog posts around the world. People on Pinterest are there to find something, they are in action mode, and know if they click on pins it takes them off Pinterest and onto someone’s website where they can learn more. This is where blogging comes in. Just to get it out of the way, blogging, by no means, is dead. It’s very much so alive and works beautifully with Pinterest and its newest feature, Idea Pins. If you want to succeed with Pinterest marketing, you have to be creating idea pins.

 

Blogging is a fantastic way to share your thoughts, ideas, and insights with the world. As an online coach or service provider, blogging gives you the opportunity to share your knowledge with your audience, allow them to get to know you, feel your energy, and learn something from you. By providing value in the form of blog posts you are able to draw your audience in, serve them in a way that helps them do better, and bridge that know-like-trust factor. Plus by writing weekly blog posts you are able to create so many pins for Pinterest thus driving way more traffic to your website.
Put blogging and Pinterest together and you will see the magic of organic traffic and conversion. Not only does Pinterest have a large international user base that’s growing by leaps and bounds every single day, but the pins also have the potential to show up in search engine results pages (SERPs) like Google and Bing. That means the pins you are creating and publishing for your blog posts show up in Google search results. That’s pretty darn cool. By crafting blog posts that are optimized for Pinterest and idea pins you are also optimizing your website for Google, both being fantastic organic search engines.
  • https://www.pinterest.com/britniwige/rest
two candles and a white vase with a white flower on a wooden table
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  • https://www.pinterest.com/britniwige/rest

What is an idea pin?

An idea pin is a vertical pin that is longer in size than standard pins and includes 1-20 slides. Idea pins are meant to teach your audience something, to answer their question, help them with a problem, or show them how they can achieve the desired goal, feeling, or project. Pinterest rolled out idea pins in 2020 and has been very open about how they want content creators and business owners to use idea pins to connect with their audience but not necessarily have them leave the platform. You want to give the full story, no cliffhangers or telling them to go to your website to see more or purchase something to get the rest. That’s spammy and goes against their Creator Code and community guidelines. Don’t do that.

Instead, check out the following ways to use Ideas pins for your business and to promote your blog posts.

Ways to use Idea Pins to promote your blog posts:

1. Create a step-by-step guide for a DIY project, a recipe, or a process in your business

2. Upload several videos with text overlay where you are explaining, teaching, or showing your audience something

3. Create slides with bullet points you outline in your blog post

4. Showcase a mockup of your product in a series of slides to show your audience how it’s relatable to them

5. Tell your story or a story of one of your clients, or share testimonials in a new way

Blogging and Idea Pins
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How to write blog posts to easily create Idea Pins

Now that you know all the different ways to use Ideas pins, think of how you can write your blog posts so you can easily copy and paste content from your post to your slides for the idea pin. Notice how I have this blog post organized? I have lots of lists, how-tos, and pro tips. All of these are going to be idea pins. Can you count how many different idea pins I can get from just this one blog post? At least 5 and I create 20 standard pins per blog post every 3 months. That’s how you get lots of pins out there circulating on Pinterest for weeks, months, and years to come by writing one blog post. Plus, by writing your blog post with lots of lists, bullet points, and step-by-steps, you make your post highly readable. This is because most people don’t read the full blog post from top to bottom. Hello, recipe blogs! People scan and scroll until they find what they are looking for. If you have lots of strategically placed lists and bullet points you are stopping the scroll, engaging your reader, helping your bounce rate and your authority with Google by keeping the reader on your page and website longer, and you are helping yourself by creating one piece of content and getting so much more from it to share on Pinterest. Then don’t forget to sprinkle in your freebies and opt-ins to capture emails addresses and stay in touch with your audience.

A simple blog post template that churns out great idea pins and leads to conversion is:

Introduction
Header 2
Paragraph
Opt-in
Header 2
Paragraph
Vertical Image (Pinterest optimized)
Header 2
List
Vertical Image (Pinterest optimized)
Header 2
Bullet points
Conclusion

How do I create idea pins?

Creating an idea pin is easy. All you need is a great image or video, keyworded text overlay, and a pin title.
Here’s my STEP-BY-STEP process for creating click-worthy idea pins:

1. I use Canva to create slides with lots of text overlay. The dimensions are 1080×1920 px.

2. Create a cover side with animated text, and a relevant and good-quality image, use your brand colors and fonts and make sure the words are keywords. Videos do amazing as the cover slide and you can still add text overlay. Canva has hundreds of ready-to-use videos for you to choose from.

3. Create additional slides to complete your idea or what it is you are teaching your audience.

4. Save each one individually as PNG files or you can save them as one file so long as it’s under 60 seconds long. Pro Tip: It takes longer to download them individually to your computer but idea pins with multiple slides get better engagement and if you ever sign up for the Creator Rewards, a requirement is multiple slides. Just something to think about.

5. After I download them to my computer, I upload them to a folder in Google Drive so I can transfer them to my phone and use the Pinterest app to upload them. Why the app and not the desktop? You have both as an option but a huge benefit to using the Pinterest app to publish your idea pins is you can add extras to the slides, like music, stickers, product mentions, and affiliate links. 

6. Once uploaded to Google Drive then I open the Drive app on my phone, save each one and then head to the Pinterest app.

7. Once inside the Pinterest app, you click the “+” button then click idea pin. It defaults to your camera. Simply click on your photos and select the slides you just saved. You can select them all at once. 

8. If you want to add music or additional elements, now is the time. You can add music to the first slide and then it carries through to the others or you can add different music to different slides. It all depends on what your idea pin is about and the feeling and experience you are going for.

9. Click Next and enter the idea pin information. If you have an animated cover, make sure you click “edit cover” to select the best view. 

10. Enter a keyworded pin title, and pin details (You have all the space in the world to enter even more details about the pin, the topic, and your business, and to provide more keywords. I highly recommend you type it out like you are talking to your friend. Don’t be salesy, be of service. I also recommend adding several call to actions like Follow Me and Link in the comments. Check out #14 for bonus info on the comments section.

11. Pick the most relevant board for the idea pin to publish to and pick up to 10 tags that your pin topic fits into. You might have to think a bit out of the box. These tags tend to be pretty broad. 

12. Under Advanced settings make sure you toggle to allow comments.

13. Click Publish

14. BONUS: Be the first to comment on your Idea pin by adding an applicable link. You can even tell your audience to check the comments by putting a CTA on the pin like Check the comments or Link in comments

I highly recommend a good portion of the idea pins you create be videos of you. Pinterest users love seeing you as a real person, not just a business or a brand. And video is the best way to feel your energy, get to know you, and resonate with you on Pinterest. The easiest way to do this is by creating everything using the Pinterest app. You can record your video, edit and add elements and music, then publish it all in one spot.

It’s pretty straightforward:

1. Open the Pinterest app and click the “+”

2. Click Idea Pin

3. It opens to your camera automatically. Simply start recording. Keep the recording under 60 seconds per slide.

4. Add text to the video. Make sure they are keyworded to grab the person’s attention. You can customize the text with different fonts, colors, and even highlight the text. You can adjust the time it’s onscreen and even add different text to appear on the screen at different times.

5. Once you have finished editing the slides, repeat steps 9-14 from above.

Don’t forget to share your idea pins!
PRO TIP: Enable social sharing in your settings. Go to Settings > Social permissions > Idea Pin downloads
You can share your Idea Pins as Facebook Stories. Make sure you let your email list know what you are up to on Pinterest, and share them with your Facebook Group, too.
9 tips for creating scroll stopping Idea Pins
  • https://www.pinterest.com/britniwige/rest

What are some tips for creating successful idea pins?

Blogging and Pinterest are two great ways to drive traffic to your website for free. But, if you’re not using Pinterest effectively, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to bring in more visitors. Here are some tips for creating successful pins:

1. Make sure your pins are interesting and relevant to your audience.

2. Use high-quality images that represent your brand well.

3. Write catchy headlines that will entice people to click through to your blog post.

4. Create pins that are evergreen so they continue to generate traffic long after they’re published.

5. Use keywords in your pins so they show up in search engine results pages.

6. Use video. Share your energy, allow your audience to feel your flow and resonate with you.

7. Use the Pinterest app to publish your pins.

8. Create idea pins that are save-worthy, meaning give them something they think they might forget and they just have to save.

9. Be of service. Tips are a wonderful thing for idea pins. Don’t always be selling your product. Share your knowledge so they can’t wait to see what else you have to offer and will be searching for ways to work with you.

Get started creating your own idea pins!

Pinterest can be a powerful marketing tool for your blog and website. The key to success on Pinterest is creating pins that people will want to share and save. You can create pins using free tools like Canva and the Pinterest app.
When creating pins, be sure to use attractive images and interesting headlines. You should also include a link to your blog or website in the comments section.
I would love to see what you create! Feel free to leave a comment below with a link to your idea pin and get some feedback from me!

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