14 Common Pinterest Mistakes You Must Stop making today!

14 Pinterest Mistakes you Must Avoid, I made them all. How to Fix or Avoid Them!

Are you making these rookie common Pinterest mistakes? Its time to fix that and create an asset on Pinterest that pays you. 

Are you a new Pinterest user, then you could be making these mistakes? Why?

Because I made them all as a newbie pinner and still see lots of them. I am not proud of some of the mistakes, but I know they have shaped my pinterest marketing journey somehow! You too probably started off without a clear plan or you did have a target and you have been at it for a while, still you don’t see the desired results?

Don’t worry. We all start somewhere and we all make mistakes. Good News; Pinterest mistakes are not fatal; they’re easily corrected…

In this post, I am going to share with you how to correct or avoid said mistakes, if you haven’t made them yet! I must say most of these are quite different from the Instagram mistakes I made as a newbie, but the effect was the same…Nil point’

By the way if you didn’t catch our last post on how to improve your Pinterest reach in the New Layout, go right ahead and do so now. Most internet marketers are making mistakes inadvertently because they don’t know how to leverage the new layout to their advantage!

As it turns out, there is a Formula for Pinterest and Network Marketing success. And you’re going to learn it, one step and a time, starting with the 14 things I Wish I Understood as a New Pinterest User. It’s important that you understand how to use Pinterest for internet marketing so you can create the Income you desire. So without further ado…

The 14 Pinterest Mistakes I made and How to Avoid or fix them!

1. Are You a One Trick Pony?

So you hit publish and you got your blog feature image or even an optimized image and you click that “Save” button. Then you pin/save the next image and another…(Can’t get over the new thingie…are we pinning or saving? Whatever…RANT OVER”) Thing is you are pinning/saving them all to one board! If you are making this Pinterest mistake, you will most definitely annoy your followers and chances of getting numerous re-shares are next to nil.

SOLUTION: Create 3 Pinnable images per blog post. It literally takes me 5 mins via Buffer’s Pablo tool. Then go schedule your pins, I highly recommend you use a Pinterest scheduling tool. We use Tailwind, and set them at 30-40 minute intervals. Add some suggested pins, Tailwind does that for you, and ensure you pin to various boards, esp. to the relevant category board!

Then make sure to re-pin said post on Group Boards 3-4 days later or the week after. In between share a shed load of other people’s content. Never on Group boards though, another Pinterest mistake most Newbies’s make!

In my article on Pinterest on using pinterest to drive traffic, I shared when is it best to Pin on average.

You need to pin at least 5 days a week. And not just your content, give others some exposure, you will benefit from it. Offer value. Interact with those that comment, like and Share your content. Like, and PARTICIPATE. If you don’t, neither Pinterest nor any other platform will ever do anything for you!

At this point you’re probably thinking: Julie us cray cray, she actually expects me to spend all my time on Pinterest Pinning some other person’s stuff? Yes & No…Yes you must pin other people’s stuff, it’s what attracts others to your content. And No you don’t have to be on all day. 

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 WATCH THE PINTEREST MARKETING FAILS IN VIDEO BELOW. INCLUDES SOME SUPER TIPS! 

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2. NOT LEVERAGING GROUP BOARDS PROPERLY

Lots of people are making this Pinterest mistake both new and seasoned pinners. Predominantly because they don’t know any better. Is this you?

You have watched some old YouTube videos that say leverage Pinterest Group boards and you do. Only you have not realised that due to the February changes, group boards took a hit. So most of them don’t really drive much traffic for anybody anymore.

But that’s not the mistake. The mistake I am talking about is Pinning other people’s content to the Group Boards you are collaborating on. So what’s the biggie here, you may ask? Well let’s look at the…

SOLUTION: The idea of Group Boards is to share YOUR CONTENT so you can get more pin shares and of course blog traffic and subscribers. So it makes sense to only share your content to Niche group boards. Whether you chose the board or you were invited, it’s in your interest to only share Your content to group boards. It’s a Strategy trust me on this!

“I share a lot more on why this could suck for you, big time or skew your analytics in my new book. It’s coming out this month: The Art Of Pinterest Profits! If you want a Copy for next to nothing, in return for a review, Send me a quick email at: hello[at]Juleskalpauli.info”

3. LISTENING TO EVERYONE.

Here is the deal, lots of people don’t know their worth and value. The trend just carries on VIA Pinterest. I see so many give-aways, promo codes etc. Who are you listening to? I will say this again, why do you Give away the whole shop? The why, what and how, in a bid to get an email…forgetting the sale! Why don’t you claim what is rightfully yours?

[bctt tweet=”You can Choose your clients you know! It’s called ATTRACTION MARKETING. #pinterestfails” username=”Juleskalpauli”]

You can Choose your clients you know! It’s called ATTRACTION MARKETING. Your images are meant to ATTRACT your ideal customer and Pinterest is meant to create the CONNECTION.  The middle man so to speak.

You should create images that connect to messages that say “This is it, grab this, take it or leave it, either way it doesn’t matter.”

Truth of the matter is we all have an opinion and we believe its precious! Yet, what works for the goose, may not be so good for the gander. So do your research and find your voice and place in the market place. Experiment, with images, split test. Don’t spend hours following thousands of people daily in a bid to grow your follower base because John told you to. Simply follow people who you admire, have something in common, would love to learn from or would love to work with!

If your “Pinterest Expert” is telling you that just pinning daily with no clear strategy will make you a 6-figure income, shut them out. There’s lots of Pinterest advice, most of it outdated due to the multitude of algorithm changes this year.  You would serve your goals better by looking for and join a group of other niche pinners like Simple Pin Pinterest Strategy Group. Or my private Facebook Pinterest Mastermind for Pinterest lovers.

SOLUTION: Research you’re a**e off. Take small steps at a time. Pick a strategy that works and stick to it. Pick a pin schedule that works for you and stick to it. Invest in some training so you know what you are doing. Lots of stuff online if you want freemium. But if you are eager to get those sales flowing in, but have no clue what’s working, allow me to help you map out a strategy. Cut that journey short by joining our Ultimate Pinterest Road-map wait-list.

[bctt tweet=”Pick a pin schedule that works for you and stick to it #socialmediamarketing #bloggingtips” username=”Juleskalpauli”]

4. EMPTY BOARDS FOR ALL TO SEE

Okay you are on Pinterest to share your content at the very least. You went right ahead and created your Pin Boards and then left most empty, no pin nada…really? Big Mistake. In fact, it could be the reason your pinterest assets aren’t growing!

You aren’t lazy, no, you are busy, I get it, but it looks unprofessional and it’s just not you right!

Your boards are your Store Window displays or Your Filing Cabinets. If you need a file in an office and you found the cabinets empty what would you think of the admin? Or if you walked past a store with a display window with empty shelves…Would you walk in to see more?

SOLUTION: Put some merchandise in your Shop window, attract the right customers i.e. add some optimized pins to your boards. Or worst case scenario, use the Secret Board Feature so you are the only one that sees the empty board till you Pin some stuff. In fact, I keep a new board Private until I have pinned at least 20 images on there! OR DELETE the Board, I doubt it will have any followers!

5. THINKING PINTEREST IS USELESS UNTIL YOU HAVE THOUSANDS OF FANS

Let’s get this straight, even Antony Robbins started at zero followers…We all do! Waiting until you build an audience is simply impractical and just silly. It’s the other way around. You have to start to build an audience. As Elayna Fernandez said in Your Power Echoes Interview,

“You have got to start to be great!”

So don’t lie to yourself or anybody else for that matter. You spend an inordinate amount of time on Facebook. How about you set aside 30 mins of your day to fix your Pinterest Assets and correct the mistakes you may be making today!

You can build a solid side income via Pinterest, ask the numerous Etsy, Clickbank, Amazon and eBay sellers, and other affiliates crushing it. So why not you? DON’T expect sales to happen just because you spend hours on Social. Your business on there is to get social, and build that follower/fan base.  

With Pinterest you simply have to optimize your content and you can be very strategic with that. Get the edge with our Complimentary Pinterest Domination tips! Grab Them Below!

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SOLUTION: If you intend to avoid making Pinterest mistakes, Work on it and devote yourself to doing small actions daily that lead to bigger results! Learn the ins and outs, dive deep into my free training both on this blog and on YouTube. Get those techniques down pat and you will attract an audience that will follow you to other platforms including your blog!

I spent over 90 days building up my Pinterest Assets. Same for any social media platform. Only when you put out value and share solutions to your growing audience will you start to see results! ??

Here’s an example: Our followers usually subscribe to our weekly webinars, and they pop on to our blog and learn some new stuff. They then share with their mates; I see this in the social shares we get.

With Pinterest, if your pin gets 200+ Saves/Re-pins, this is where it gets Crazy useful for your Affiliate Products. So Let me say this and excuse my French:

“Stop pinning your shit once and expecting life changing results. Share it over and over. Loop it by using an auto scheduler like this one. Then Pinterest will automatically share your Pin on the Smart feed. You get more eyeballs, Saves, Shares, Likes and Bob’s your uncle! With consistency you will soon make a sale a week, or even daily depending on the products you promote!  Don’t spend hours repining your content on same board…Like I did in the beginning Lol)”

RECOMMENDED: How to Make Money on Pinterest

6. USING SHITTY IMAGES

I know, I am hard core today, I guess some Paul did rub off…Touché! He did squeal on me! 😉  Yet the point has to be made!

Okay, here is the deal: Good is NOT good enough on Pinterest. Heck I used to use shitty images too. Been there done that,

Pinners are looking for unique, one-of-a-kind HD images that tell a story. Your images must look BATSHIT AMAZING. Use Canva to give your images that boutique look, You will thank yourself later. DON’T PIN Any old blog image, you won’t be getting any results so why continue that way?

Here is my litmus test: If you don’t go; Holy Smokes this image is Freaking Awesome! Then don’t pin it.

With our phones being super gadgets, you can take awesome images for your pins. Upload them to Canva and go to town optimizing them.

RESOURCE & SOLUTION: Use this resource to remove unwanted backgrounds from your images e.g. that crazy photo bomber. ? Add shadows and create killer images for your Pins, Blogs, Info products, Amazon store etc.  You can also use the PowerPoint Image Format tool if you don’t wish to spend $4. So you got no excuse producing crappy images, nor do you need a PhD in Photography!

When I first started blogging I used PowerPoint, because it wasn’t practical investing in pro-images without a budget. So if you are at that stage, you can do the same.

SUPER TIP: As an affiliate for tangible products e.g. health vitamins, skin products, Fitness suppliments, amazon products etc. You can use product mock-ups. Add your brand logo via Canva.com and you are good to go. What would we all do without Canva?

7. Don’t be the #Hashtag Queen!

Seriously are you making this rookie pinterest mistake? I still see pins with like 10+ hashtags. This isn’t Instagram!

I used to add 3-4 hashtags to my pins. Today I just add the 1-2 max and its usually my keyword!

When I find a pin with too many hashtags I know I am looking at someone with no training on how to leverage pinterest. I normally lose interest. How about you use the keyword as your pin hashtag and or your own branded hashtag. One of a kind, unique, a brand identifier.

SOLUTION: I would stay away from common overused hashtags, why? Because a hashtag is an actual clickable link and could take your audience away from your content, that’s not what you want right?

While they are great for Twitter and Instagram, they have no real added advantage on Pinterest according to the powers that be! So focus on optimizing your description, great images and use keywords. That’s what will attract the audience/traffic and results you seek!

8. FORGETTING THAT QUALITY CONTENT IS KING

Funny thing is this is by; focusing on growing your follower numbers than sharing quality content. This Pinterest mistake is the opposite of #5.

Recently someone posted a comment in a Pinterest Group I am part of to the effect that:

“if someone has less than 5k followers, they have no business giving advice or claiming expertise on Pinterest?”

I felt sorry for her, but more so for the over 50 likers and commenters, all agreeing with her. It’s this kind of thinking that has got some people stressing every day on social media!  On Pinterest, Followers matter much less. Quality Content Matters more! TWIT

[bctt tweet=”On Pinterest, Followers matter much less. Quality Content Matters more! #pinterestsecrets #pinteresttips” username=”Juleskalpauli”]

Mostly because people don’t go on Pinterest to Socialise. They go on there to SEARCH, COMPARE or even SHOP for stuff!

Targeted followers are great to have of course they are, for social proof, a feel good factor. Esp. for brands that wish to partner with us. But they shouldn’t be our focal point! 

Did you know that pinners can follow other pinners on Pinterest OR follow individual boards? They can also be part of a collaboration aka Group Board? Thus, people to focus on just the stuff they want from you without being overwhelmed by the all your other category boards! (Say travel trivia lol.) It’s freaking cool.

All the above points, skew Pinterest follow numbers to the extent they don’t really matter. Seriously!!! If someone has 1 very active Group Board that has over 30,000 followers, on paper they will appear to have over 30k followers. Yet, most of those are only focused on the One board and don’t really care much about anything else!

[bctt tweet=”Did you know that pinners can follow other pinners on Pinterest OR follow individual boards?” username=”Juleskalpauli”]

Does this make sense to you? Is it sinking in now why Pinterest follower numbers shouldn’t be your focus?

Personally I follow more Boards than people. And this means I place more importance on the content rather than the Pinner!  Content is KING on Pinterest!

Plus, pins have a completely different shelf life than say tweets or Facebook updates.

I used to literally stalk influencers in the beginning. I followed everyone to almost 10,000! Because I was doing it all wrong, I didn’t get many follow back, plus I was probably following dud accounts too lol.  Thank goodness for Pin4Ever I was able to cleanse our account. 

I literally dumped all but just over 200 followers and Following and went from there. You can take advantage of the Strategy that I used to not only create an asset but one that drives Traffic to my blogs without thousands of Followers!  

SOLUTION: This particular mistake’s solution is to know that: Pinterest system ranks your pins based on:

• Interests you chose and also based on what you pin/save.
• The best/most popular pins from people you follow
• Related pins – i.e. similar to what you pin
• Picked for you from other Pinterest Filters and algorithm

Remember that like any other search engine, your content/pins can be found and seen by anyone, even if they don’t follow you. And it can be months after you pinned.

When was the last time you found an old tweet picking up momentum months later? TWIT Maybe you posted a Facebook update and it went viral a year later? Neither have we… (Videos being he exception)

Well good news from Pinterest…Your well optimized Pin can pick up traffic and go viral months/years after you pinned it…This was the kicker and decider for me!

 So don’t make the pinterest rookie mistake of focusing on followers or judging the success of anyone based on that criteria, you couldn’t be further from the truth in most cases!

9. OVER PINNING OWN CONTENT

Okay I did this and I no proud of it. I used to Pin only my content and to every board. So if you visited my boards you would see the same stuff over and over. I used to over pin as well. This was in the mistaken belief that I would get more pinterest traffic that way! Selfish yes, Ostrich syndrome? Ditto…

Allow me to just say this doesn’t work. You expose your neediness doing this, you also lose posture and your perceived value drops way down! This in turn creates resistance to the very thing you are looking for i.e. the sale! We can smell the desperation!

SOLUTION: You are way worth more. So stop Undervaluing ad undermining your efforts. Gain some posture for you may get the fast buck and lose the long term growth and brand longevity! You started this online marketing and blog to jack in that shitty job right? Then do this right or you could end up quitting ad right back in that box…! (Did I mention the crappy knock off whisky in your office drawer?) Learn how to Do it right, outsource it or don’t do it at all! #Justsaying! 

10. OVER GENERALIZING

What do I mean by this? Well when I first started, I pinned anything and everything. I wasn’t focused or intentional. I wasn’t definitive and I wasn’t looking at the future. Pinterest is Futuristic. This I have learnt from the horse’s mouth:

“Your most coveted audiences are planning the future.”

How’s that? Because they save stuff for a deeper look, for repeat purchases and orders, to share with others…fir tomorrow. So if your Boards are all over the show then you won’t be getting much of the coveted Pinterest traffic. You must cast a tighter net on Pinterest. Zone in, use popular long tailed keywords, articulate your Boards and clean up in traffic!

ACTION STEP: I have said it before, It’s time to do it right now. This is absolutely essential for your SEO as well. You want your Blog to Rank faster in search?

• Hop on over to your blog, log in and click on Categories right under Posts! Note them all down on a Spreadsheet. If you don’t have any head on to your Google Keyword Tool and Search for your Niche Ranking Keywords. Create Blog categories with said keywords!

• Hop on to your Pinterest and Create Boards corresponding to your blog categories.

• Populate them with some of the most popular Pins in your niche or interests. At least 20 pins per board.

• Sprinkle your related posts/content in between these pins preferably at the top. Grab those Pin URLs and save them in a google doc.

• Head over to Tailwind and set your URLs/pins on a schedule to post twice a week between other Shares!

• Track your actions over 90 days, via both your Pinterest analytics and Tailwind!

• Yes, you are most welcome. ?

RECOMMENDED: HOW TO INCREASE YOUR TRAFFIC BY OVER 180%

11. POOR BOARD & PIN SEO

I see so many pins with no description at all, no relevant keyword just some random words or even numbers. There is a space below your pin that’s PREMIUM Online Real Estate! That space is for your pin description. This is beyond a rookie pinterest mistake; this is sheer laziness! If you purpose to do something, do it well!

[bctt tweet=”That space below your pin, that’s PREMIUM Online Real Estate! #pinteresttutorial” username=”Juleskalpauli”]

I know that you know that Pinterest is way more than just a space to save your pretty DIY images, mouth-watering recipes, cute pets, make up etc.! It’s a Search Engine, Yes I keep saying so…lol! ?

In order for your images to rank on Pinterest and in other Search engines, Including Google, you must ensure your Pin description is Keyword rich! Tell us about your Pin and linked content in rich keywords! How about you give me a reason to “Save” your healthy shake pin and share in with my Auntie May? What’s in it for her? Do ensure your description reflects what your target audience needs and or solution to those needs.

On the other board lots of pinners have Boards with no Category, As in Uncategorized. You do know that nobody is searching for “Uncategorised.” Si this is another reason your blog may not be getting search traffic.

When you add a category to your board, they could appear among search results on pinterest and in search! So you can also increase your content reach that way! Go figure…!

SOLUTION: I use my Meta Description as my Pins Description. That way I am 100% my Keyword is included for sure! Remember the 80/20 Rule works even in your Pin efforts. All my boards have categories apart from my Secret boards!

80% of your results will come from 20% of your pins, Question is, do you think this 20% is worth your efforts? Have you got those 20% pins working for ya already, generating traffic and leads for you?

What’s holding you back, you definitely may find it here! 

12. TOO TRUSTING – NOT VERIFYING PIN SOURCE

You don’t support the slaughter of baby seals do you? Well then why are you pinning that image that supports it?

I know this is excessive but you get the picture?  Don’t pin anything without checking out the link source! The attached content may be malware, spammy or simply against your brand values and moral code!

What some unscrupulous people are doing is, they spot a popular pin, copy the image and add their unsavoury link. There you are you’re browsing and land on said image. It’s just what you love. You save/re-pin. Other people who trust your choice style do the same and you inadvertently help the crank spread their unsavoury spam and malware.

SOLUTION: ALWAYS VERIFY THE LINK that the pin you are sharing points to. It takes only a click. Make sure the content is value and is what you too would love to consume. Then you can click that save button. #nuffsaid

13. NOT MEASURING ACTIONS & RESULTS!

In order to track and get stats on your Pinterest efforts, you must verify your website. So you do need a website for this. Take it a step further and apply for rich pins. To do this, you have to have a pinterest business account ALL THESE ARE FREE to get!

It’s important to verify your site so that even if you forget to add a link, your pins will at least point to your site. Obviously it’s important to check that your pin links to the right content, esp. if you upload an image direct to Pinterest. Then you must make sure you edit and add your post, capture page or offer affiliate link!

Tracking is simply a must. Every month check your analytics and see what’s working for you. This is an important step that shouldn’t be missed. As an entrepreneur you must measure whether your actions are producing results! Are you hitting your goals? 

Whatever works, Rinse and repeat. Whatever isn’t working tweak the strategy or bin it and save time and/or cash! Use your Pinterest Analytics, hand in hand with Tailwind backed by Google Analytics to round it off nicely on how much blog traffic you are getting from Pinterest!

14. YOU ARE A DIE HARD DIYer!

I get it I love to create my own stuff. But, it’s time to act like an entrepreneur. Half the new pinners I meet are hesitating to invest in new training courses on Pinterest Marketing (or courses) because they have bought too may or they can’t afford it…!

Yet for a course that costs a one off $197 if you believe that’s too expensive, then you are not running a business! You are running a hobby. Business has costs and as an entrepreneur/blogger/internet marketer you must have a budget for self-development and marketing! Treat your business like a business. You won’t go bankrupt over $97 or even 200. Choose a training course that you can do on the hop. Apply the lessons, track your results and Make the changes you need.

Trust your instincts and support your business to growth and profit!

If you’re willing to get the elbow grease out and do some work…Put on your delayed gratification garment,…You’ll avoid the newbie pinterest mistakes I made, create a steady income via the steady flow of traffic to your content! That job will be retired sooner rather than later!

MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU:

Pinterest Domination – Free Download here

The Art Of Pinterest Profits, eBook coming soon on amazon! Ask for Copy via hello[at]juleskalpauli.info 

Free Social Media Training – Register Here

How to Make More Money via Pinterest – Learn More

Get a Pinterest Makeover – Learn More

So, Avoid the Pinterest mistakes mentioned above and you will positively impact your brand via Pinterest! If you git value please do go ahead and Let us know in comments  below, Like, Pin this Post, and Share on Social media… 

As always You deserve more

Learn. Love. Live

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