Do Followers Matter on Pinterest?
How do you know which metrics really matter when it comes to your Pinterest marketing strategy??
One of my favorite things about Pinterest is it’s NOT traditional social media. Followers, likes, comments, etc. haven’t really mattered since 2014 and it’s truly the “introvert’s platform”.
Pinterest is a visual search engine that’s designed to get casual browsers to click through to your website - how refreshing is that??
Last year, Pinterest introduced (or I should say, re-introduced) a Following feed as part of its interface.
Does that mean followers now matter on Pinterest?
And what other metrics should I be paying attention to as an online entrepreneur?
A PINTEREST HISTORY LESSON
Before 2014, Pinterest’s home feed was purely based on who you followed in chronological order.
In 2014 they introduced the Smart Feed, which is an algorithm-based feed determined by keywords and what you’ve pinned (or saved).
In the last few years, Pinterest has also introduced an Explore/Trending feed, and a Hashtag Feed.
Now Pinterest has Following Feed, which is essentially the original feed you would have seen way back pre-2014.
Watch the 5-minute video below to hear my breakdown of each feed and what you need to know.
SO DO FOLLOWERS REALLY MATTER NOW?
Yes and no!
The number 1 way to gain traction and traffic on Pinterest is STILL KEYWORDS.
On Pinterest, keywords get you found and graphics get you clicked.
That being said, now that there is a Following feed, followers do matter a bit in how your content gets distributed on Pinterest.
When you create a new or “fresh” pin on Pinterest, Pinterest will show it on your Follower’s feed first. How well that pin does with your Followers partially determines how much Pinterest will show it in the Smart Feed to everyone.
This means it’s important to build Followers that are interested in what your business is about (what your teaching, selling, etc) so they’re more likely to interact with your pins.
Ways to gain more followers on Pinterest:
There are few easy, common-sense ways to gain more followers on Pinterest:
Put a link to your Pinterest profile everywhere - email signature, website, etc.
Cross-promote - mention your Pinterest profile on other socials like Instagram.
Enable the “pin it” button on your site’s images.
Use the Milotree Popup.
A word of caution:
I do not recommend any follow/unfollow tactics. With Milotree, it’s just an offer for visitors to your site to follow your Pinterest account.
You have probably seen the “monthly viewers” number on all Pinterest profiles…
…it is the biggest vanity-metric load of crap out there.
This number is a hodgepodge of your pins, repins to others’ content, impressions, and every other possible number Pinterest can track to inflate this view.
It has nothing to do with the success of your content strategy that you are using Pinterest to market.
👆 READ THAT AGAIN. 👆
If you come across a Pinterest marketing “expert” who is using their clients’ “monthly viewers” number to show you how successful they are - RUN.
SO WHAT ARE THE PINTEREST METRICS THAT MATTER?
At the end of the day, the only stat I care about to gauge the success of my Pinterest marketing strategy is how many clicks I’m getting to my website.
There are lots of other stats about engagement rates, impressions, and repins that are useful for inspiration and ideas - but only a link click to your website is going to convert to a customer.
