If you haven’t created a Pinterest account, not only are you missing out on a site that will help you generate ideas, you are also selling yourself short when it comes to connecting with new readers. This social media site is fun, easy to use and the perfect place to expand your audience.

Not sure where to get started or how to use the site? Keep reading for 51 simple tips that will help you use Pinterest to increase your blog traffic. We will start with the basics and walk you through all the functionalities you will need to be familiar with in order to make the most of your profile.

1. What is Pinterest?

The basic idea is that you “pin” or bookmark you favorite images and videos from the web. It works just like a virtual bulletin board where you can collect inspiration. The best part is that users can view each other’s boards.

2. How does it work?

It is actually very simple. When you come across an image or video that you like, you can “pin” it to one of your boards. This will help you keep track of the information and allow you to share it with other users.

3. Where can I find Pinterest?

Visit Pinterest.com

4. How to add the “Pin It” button to your toolbar.

Visit the Goodies page on Pinterest and simply drag the button to your bookmarks bar. This will allow you to quickly pin items as you are surfing the web.

5. How to use the “Pin It” bookmarklet.

When you come across an image that you want to save to one of your boards, simply click the bookmarklet button in your bookmarks toolbar and the image will be instantly posted.

6. Be sure to use keyword in your descriptions.

When you pin an image, you will be prompted to add a description. This helps search for and find boards they are interest in viewing. The more details and keywords you include, the easier it will be for people with similar interests to find your pins and vice versa.

7. Take the time to write your own summary description.

If you copy and paste the entire post, you will be adding too much clutter and violating copyright laws. Take a few seconds to write a unique summary in your own words.

8. Edit your pins.

You can quickly edit older and more recent pins to keep your boards clean and uncluttered. When you hover over a pin, the edit button will appear. If you need to search for a pin first, hover over your name, then click on the “Pins” link in the dropdown menu. All of your pins will be listed in order, starting with the most recent.

9. Don’t pin homepages.

Make sure that you only pin individual links and not entire sites. Click on the title of links and if you still are sure you are in the right place, scroll to the bottom and look for a comments section. Most individual posts end with place for readers to leave their thoughts and comments.

10. Follow the rules.

Pinterest is a free site that was created with the user experience in mind. Take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the friendly guidelines so that you can help preserve the integrity of the website.

11. Make note of prices.

Add a $ in your description so that other users can know at a glance how much that item costs.

12. Space out your pins.

When you flood a board with new pins, your followers will find that their stream is full of one topic. Space out your pins and your followers will be more likely to pay attention to your pins.

13. Monitor your time.

It can be all too easy to end up spending hours sifting through Pinterest. If you find yourself neglecting other important duties, set a timer. Allow yourself an allotted time on Pinterest and when the timer goes off, move onto something else.

14. Organize your boards.

Create specific titles and keep your boards logically organized. This will attract more visitors.

15. Make sure a pin is “good” before you re-pin.

Sometime when you actually click on a pin, you will end up at a dead end. Take the time to verify pins before you share them so that you aren’t sending other people to the same disappointing link.

16. Save time with likes.

If you are strapped for time and can’t verify every pin, simply use the “like” button. When you have a spare minute, you can go through your likes and shares the ones that are legitimate.

17. Follow boards, not people.

Instead of following individual people and subscribing to all their boards, you can simply opt to follow boards. This will make sure that your own stream stays on topic.

18. Do some investigating to find more boards.

When you find a pin you like, click on the person who shared the pin. They might have some great boards that are worth following.

19. Categorize your pins.

Again, the more organized and specific you are about pins and boards, the more followers you will accumulate.

20. Go beyond repining.

Add fresh pins to your boards instead of simply repining old material that just ends up being recycled again and again. Be a leader when it comes to finding new information that will get people interested in following you.

21. Take advantage of Pinterest apps.

Use Pinterest when you are on the go with the iPhone app. You can find it on the goodies page or in your app store.

22. Create a board for your kids.

Entertain you kids by creating a board just for them. They can look through the links you have found for them and add their own finds.

23.Automatically create a pin description.

Add a direct quote or snippet from the original site by highlighting a portion of relevant text before clicking the “Pin It” bookmarklet. This will create a teaser and encourage readers to visit the full site for more information.

24. Using Pinterest to Drive Traffic.

Now that you have a basic idea of how the website works, it is time to start thinking about how you can use it to drive traffic to your blog.

25. Pin your own posts.

Pinterest is similar to other social media website like Facebook and Twitter because it provides a public platform for you to share your own images and posts.

26. Don’t only pin your own images and videos.

Sure, you should be pinning your own stuff, but you also need to be an active member of the community and work to share and pin other people’s links. Set a goal and try to pin a certain number of outside links for every one of your own posts.

27. Research how many times something has been pinned.

Use the Get Your Site’s Pinterest Pin Count tool to make sure that you are not pinning something that has already been way over-pinned. If you find that thousands of people have already pinned that link, it is a good sign that you need to search for something more original and up-to-date. This tool can also be sure to see how often your own blog links are being pinned.

28. What if you come across your own image, but it doesn’t link back to your site?

Contact the Pinterest user directly and ask them to edit the pin for accuracy. Provide a link to make things even easier.

29.Create a board just for your blog.

Help promote your blog by creating a “My Stuff” board or use another clear method to indicate which pins were originally created by you.

30. Include Pinterest follow counts in public relations materials.

Publicizing these numbers will provide potential clients and advertisers with an idea of how much influence you have.

31. Go outside your blog topic.

Don’t feel like you have to strictly adhere to pins that relate to your blog topic. Show readers that you have diverse set of interests.

32. Discover what of yours has been pinned.

Type https://pinterest.com/source/yourdomain.com into your browser.

33. Use keywords in board titles and descriptions.

Avoid the vague and cutesy title that doesn’t provide any information. For better searching, include plenty of relevant keywords whenever you get the chance. Don’t hesitate to go back and edit boards to improve search results.

34. Add your domain to your profile.

While it won’t create a clickable link, you can still provide followers with a reference that they can easily copy and paste into their browser.

35. Link your website and your Pinterest profile.

Create a linked icon in your profile by including your website address in your profile settings. A globe icon will appear directly beneath your biography.

36. Use images.

Unlike other sites, Pinterest is all about visual images. If you don’t include images in your post, it will make it much less likely that users will pin your posts.

37. Edit posts and add better images.

If you have been a little lazy about adding images in the past, it is a good time to go through old blog posts and add images and improve existing images.

38. Don’t steal Pinterest images.

It is best to assume that all the images you see on Pinterest are copyrighted. This doesn’t mean that they are totally off limits, but you will want to contact the owner and ask for permission before using their image. Who knows? You might just make a great professional connection.

39. Use images that include text.

It turns out that images that have text in them perform much better on Pinterest. Use this information to your advantage.

40. Link your social media accounts.

Visit the Settings section of your account and link you Pinterest account to your Facebook and Twitter for a more comprehensive approach to social media.

41. Use Pinterest for inspiration.

Looking for a great topic for your next post? Take a moment to browse through Pinterest and see what topics are trending. Which pins are performing well and receiving lots of comments? See if you can take that hot topic and put your own spin on it.

42. Seasonal pins work.

Stay ahead of seasonal holidays and events with a publishing calendar so that you can create timely posts. Be sure to post ahead of time so that you are leading the seasonal trend and allowing your posts to gain momentum across social media.

43. Capitalize on popular posts.

You might find that one post in particular is generating a lot of traffic from Pinterest. Take advantage of this by branching out from the topic and offering additional information pertaining to that post. It will encourage people to stay on your site longer.

44. Don’t be too proud to ask for followers.

Be direct. Ask for followers. Include a “Follow me on Pinterest” button to the sidebar of your website. You can find the button in the goodies section of Pinterest.

45. Invite followers in your posts.

Use this code to ask for followers directly in each one of your posts:

<a href=”https://pinterest.com/amylynnandrews/”>Follow me on Pinterest!</a>

46. Pin coupons.

Everyone loves a good deal! Do you have a product or service that people want? Offer an exclusive coupon to your Pinterest followers.

47. Make certain boards exclusive.

This means that your followers can have access to information and articles that can’t be found anywhere else on the internet. This is a great way to drive interest and increase followers.

48. Connect with other companies.

Larger companies may not be using Pinterest to its full potential. That is where you come in. Reach out to other brands and build relationships and develop Pinterest collaboration strategies that allow you both to reap benefits.

49. Feature your readers.

This is especially great if you provide tutorials or other instructional materials. Create a board that will highlight the success of your students and followers. Use it to celebrate their accomplishments and build your own reputation.

50. Work with contributors.

With Pinterest, you can create boards that allow other people to collaborate and add their own contributions. When you edit your board, be sure to select the “Me + Contributors” option to get started.

51. Be creative.

You don’t have to be limited by the ways people have used Pinterest thus far. There are all sorts of uses and possibilities yet to be discovered and implemented. Once you get used to navigating the website, start brainstorming different ways you can use Pinterest to accomplish a variety of goals.

Your extra tip for the day:

Be aware of copyright infringement issues. Maybe you don’t care if people use your images, but if you want to make sure that your intellectual property and images are protected, you are going to need to take some concrete steps towards safeguarding your materials. You can start by watermarking your photos and adding your full domain name to any images.

For more information about how to protect your content and avoid infringing on copyright laws, check out these links:

Avoiding Copyright Pitfalls on Pinterest

Photographer Suing Pinterest in Federal Court Over Repeated Copyright Infringement

Is Pinterest a Haven for Copyright Violations?

Copyright Rule Directly from Pinterest