Looking for simple ways to grow traffic from Pinterest without paying for ads? Pinterest is more than just an inspiration board—it’s a powerful platform to drive visitors to your blog. With the right strategy, you can turn pins into a steady stream of readers and boost your blog’s growth. In this guide, we’ll cover 10 practical tips to help you make the most of Pinterest and get more clicks, more engagement, and more results—organically.
1. Switch to a Pinterest Business Account and Optimize Your Profile
Start by creating a free Pinterest Business account (or converting your personal account). A business profile gives you access to Pinterest Analytics and lets you claim your website, which adds credibility. Fill out your profile About section with a clear description of what you blog about, and include a couple of relevant keywords (without overstuffing). For example, if your blog is about healthy recipes, mention that along with keywords like easy healthy recipes. Use a friendly profile photo or logo and make sure your profile name reflects your brand (you can even add a keyword to it). A complete, keyword-optimized profile helps Pinterest understand who you are and can improve your visibility in searches.
2. Claim Your Website and Enable Rich Pins
Claiming your website on Pinterest is a must-do step. It allows Pinterest to track all pins that come from your site and displays your website URL on your profile. Even better, it lets you enable Rich Pins for your blog. Rich Pins are special pins that automatically pull in extra information from your website, like the blog post title, meta description, or author name. This means your pins will stand out more in the feed with that additional info, helping Pinners know what they’ll get when they click through. Setting up Rich Pins is free – you just need to add some meta tags to your site (or use a plugin if you have WordPress) and then validate it via Pinterest’s developer tools. Once that’s done, all your future pins from your blog will show those extra details automatically, giving viewers more reason to click!
3. Create Boards That Match Your Niche (and Use Keywords)
Pinterest boards are like categories or folders for your content, so use them wisely. Create several boards (around 5–10 to start) focused on the main topics or themes of your blog. For instance, if you run a travel blog, you might have boards for “Budget Travel Tips”, “European Destinations”, “Travel Gear”, etc. Keep board titles short, clear, and descriptive – these titles act as keywords too. Write brief board descriptions that explain what the board is about and include a couple of relevant keywords naturally. This helps Pinterest’s algorithm understand your content and show your boards (and pins) to people searching for those topics. Organizing your pins into targeted boards not only makes your profile visitor-friendly, but also boosts your content’s chances of appearing in Pinterest search results.
4. Do Some Basic Keyword Research for Pinterest SEO
Pinterest is essentially a search engine for ideas, so Pinterest SEO is all about using the right keywords. The good news: it’s easier than traditional SEO. Start by typing a topic related to your blog into the Pinterest search bar and see the suggested auto-complete phrases – these hints are popular searches. For example, typing “DIY crafts” might show suggestions like “DIY crafts for kids” or “DIY crafts home decor”. Jot down a few of these relevant phrases. You can also explore the Pinterest Trends tool or the Explore page to spot what’s popular in your niche. Once you have a handful of keywords, sprinkle them thoughtfully in your profile description, board names, board descriptions, and especially your pin titles and pin descriptions. Bold Tip: Focus on long-tail keywords (specific phrases) that match what your ideal reader might search. By aligning your content with what people are looking for, you increase the chances that your pins will surface when those keywords are searched, bringing you organic traffic.
5. Design Eye-Catching, Vertical Pin Images
Pinterest is a visual platform, so looks matter! Create tall, vertical images (Pinterest’s feed favors a 2:3 aspect ratio, like 1000 x 1500 pixels). You don’t need to be a graphic designer – free tools like Canva have ready-made Pinterest templates you can customize. Use bright, high-quality photos or graphics that relate to your blog post. Include a clear, bold text overlay on the image, such as the title or a teaser of your blog post (e.g., “10 Easy Dinner Recipes” or “How to Save Money Traveling”). Choose easy-to-read fonts and make sure the text stands out against the background. Attractive pins stop scrollers in their tracks, and a descriptive text overlay lets people know why they should click. Remember, your pin image is essentially a visual ad for your blog content – make it count!
6. Write Compelling Pin Titles and Descriptions
Along with a great image, your pin’s title and description play a big role in driving clicks. Write a pin title that is concise, descriptive, and enticing. A good formula is often a clear statement of benefit or a how-to. For example, instead of a bland title like “Blog Traffic Tips”, say “10 Ways to Boost Your Blog Traffic with Pinterest” – it’s specific and promises value. In the pin description, you have up to 500 characters to give more context, so expand on what the reader will learn or gain by clicking through. Include a call-to-action phrase like “click to read the full guide” or “find out how” to encourage action. Naturally incorporate 1-2 of your target keywords in the description for SEO, but make sure it still reads like a real, helpful sentence (avoid keyword stuffing). The more relevant and compelling your title and description, the higher the chance that Pinterest’s algorithm will show your pin to the right people, and that those people will feel compelled to click to your blog.
7. Pin Consistently (Make it a Habit)
Consistency is key on Pinterest. Instead of pinning a bunch one day and then going silent for a week, aim for a steady cadence of pinning. Many successful pinners find that adding new pins daily drives the best results. You don’t need to spend hours every day – just a few minutes to add a couple of fresh pins. Experts often recommend pinning at least 1–3 times per day for steady growth. This regular activity keeps your content circulating in the Pinterest feed. You can pin your own blog post pins as well as a few relevant pins from others (to keep your boards active and provide extra value to your followers). To make life easier, you can use Pinterest’s native scheduler (free on business accounts) to schedule your pins in advance. For example, you might schedule a week’s worth of pins in one sitting, and Pinterest will post them at the set times. The bottom line: consistent pinning helps build momentum. When Pinterest sees you actively contributing quality content, it’s more likely to distribute your pins to a wider audience.
8. Prioritize Fresh Content (New Pins over Re-Pins)
Pinterest loves fresh content. In fact, the Pinterest algorithm “places a strong emphasis on distributing fresh, relevant content”, according to experts. What does “fresh” mean? It generally means new images or new pin graphics that haven’t been seen before on Pinterest. So, even if you’re linking to an older blog post, you can make a new pin image for it and it counts as fresh content. Try to create multiple pins for each blog post over time – for example, if you have a great article, make a couple of different pin designs for it (change up the images or the text overlay). Each of those pins is a new opportunity to reach people. Focus more on creating and sharing your own fresh pins rather than just re-pinning others’ content. If you upload just 1-2 fresh pins per day consistently, you can reach thousands of viewers (or even more) every month on Pinterest. Plus, fresh pins tend to get priority in the home feed and search, since Pinterest wants to show users new ideas. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever save others’ pins – you can, in moderation – but the majority of your effort should go into bringing new content onto Pinterest. It keeps your profile lively and attracts more clicks to your blog.
9. Make Your Blog Pinterest-Friendly
Don’t forget to optimize your blog itself for Pinterest traffic. You want to make it effortless for people to save your content to Pinterest, because every time someone pins from your site, it can attract new visitors. Here are a few quick wins:
- Add a Pinterest “Save” Button: Enable a Pinterest save button on your blog images (many website platforms or plugins offer this). This way, when readers hover over an image, they can easily pin it to their boards in one click.
- Include Pinnable Images in Posts: For each blog post, include at least one Pinterest-optimized image (vertical, with text overlay) that readers can share. Even if you don’t directly embed that image in the post content, you can add it at the end or in a hidden way just for Pinterest sharing. This ensures that when someone clicks the save button, a beautiful pin-ready image is there to choose.
- Craft Descriptive Alt Text: When you upload images to your blog, fill in the alt text with a short description of the image and the post. Pinterest often pulls the image’s alt text as the default pin description. For example, alt text like “Chocolate chip banana bread – easy recipe from MyFoodBlog.com” will help create a useful description when pinned.
By making your site Pinterest-friendly, you encourage visitors (and even yourself) to share your content on Pinterest, which in turn can bring more people back to your blog.
10. Track Your Pinterest Analytics and Adapt
Lastly, take advantage of Pinterest’s free analytics (available with a business account) to learn what’s working. It might sound technical, but it’s actually fun and useful! Check which of your pins are getting the most impressions, saves, and (most importantly) clicks to your website. This data can reveal the types of content your Pinterest audience loves. For example, you might discover that your pin about “budget travel tips” is getting tons of saves – that’s a sign to create more content (and pins) on that topic or in that style. If certain pins get very little traction, try tweaking your approach: maybe try a new image design or a more compelling title on the pin. Also, watch your follower growth and which boards people engage with most. Adapt your strategy based on these insights. Pinterest trends can change with seasons and audience interests, so a pin that didn’t take off in winter might become popular in summer, etc. By staying attuned to your analytics, you can double down on strategies that grow your traffic and gently pivot away from things that aren’t resonating. Remember, even without diving too deep into numbers, the simple act of noticing what gets results and doing more of it will help you continually grow your Pinterest traffic over time.
Conclusion & CTA on How To Grow Traffic from Pinterest
Growing your blog traffic with Pinterest is totally doable with these organic strategies. Start by applying one or two tips today – whether it’s creating a new pin or tweaking your profile – and build from there. Stay consistent and patient, because Pinterest traffic often snowballs once you gain some momentum. You’ve got this! Now go ahead and put these tips into action. Happy pinning, and may your blog see a surge of new readers from Pinterest. Let’s get those pins rolling and watch your blog traffic grow! 🚀