Pinterest for the Soul

I’ve been meaning to write about Pinterest for a while, so here goes…

Looking for inspiration? Looking to share inspiration? If you’re anything like me, you have been known to collect shoeboxes of your favorite magazine images and even some printed artwork from online. These are images that touch your inner being or simply dazzle your imagination. Love creative original craft, art and writing ideas?

If the above describes you, then pinning is in your future. I sound like a sales-person, but I won’t get any financial gain out of this post. The truth is, I avoided pinning for a long time. Why did I avoid pinning? To be honest, I didn’t know if I could handle another social media platform. It was a matter of time management. In retrospect, it has been completely worth my time. Here is a quick list of what I’ve gotten out of Pinterest.

Why use Pinterest:

1. A new way to connect with friends based on shared interest.
2. Inspiration at your fingertips, but in an organized manner.
3. Sharing ideas with others.
4. Excellent resource from a promotional standpoint, be it personal branding or business marketing.
5. Rejuvenation for the soul.
6. Really easy to use social media platform.
7. Great way to support and spread the word about your favorite brands, authors, musicians, etc.

Now that I’ve embraced the Pinterest world, I’m an active pinner in my personal life and at my job for my company. So if you’re interested but unsure where to start, I would love to share what I’ve learned so far.

Pinterest Tips for Beginners:

1. Sign up and explore other profiles to get a feel for how it all works.
2. Follow your friends. After you’ve logged in, click your profile picture/name tab in the upper right hand corner. Select “find friends” in the drop down menu. You can follow friends from Facebook and Twitter as well as invite friends to join Pinterest.
3. Don’t expect a giant following over night. Gaining followers in return can be a slow process. Remember your pinning for the joy of it as a creative soul, any followers are an additional perk.
4. Be strategic with your pinning. If you are pinning for your personal brand or business, create some unique boards that speak to your mission. When creating names for your boards, think of key words people might use in searching for pins. Examples might include Leadership, Skill Building, Organization, Holidays, Harry Potter, Rock Music, etc.
5. Pay attention to your board invitation notifications. From your home pinning feed (which you access by clicking Pinterest in the top middle of your screen), find your board invitations in the top left corner. Be selective and investigate what material is being pinned to the boards. This is a great way to pin to a larger audience via the group board.
6. Some people wonder when the best time to pin might be. This can vary based on your pinning crowd. I’ve found in my situations that the best time is between 4:00pm and 9:00pm. However, around lunch time and before work can also be effective. That being said, I love pinning at night before I go to bed, even though there don’t seem to be that many other people on. It is just a convenient time for me. At work I pin 50 times a week. I probably average about 30-40 pins on my personal profile.
7. The most followed pinners are typically those who pin frequently. Pin from your blog, your website, and your favorite sites. Make sure to repin other content. A healthy balance of original pins and repins is best.

There are so many more reasons to love Pinterest and there are definitely more tricks. I’m always excited to learn more, so please share what you’ve learned about Pinterest. Feel free to ask questions if you’ve got them.

I leave you with some of my favorite Pinterest finds below. Connect with me on Pinterest here. Have a great day everyone 🙂

Cute DIY (Do it yourself) Magazine Strip Basket