If you follow my blog regularly, you already know I never get too excited over the latest social media crazes.
However, it’s really hard to ignore a website site that generated notable traffic even before I joined.
That’s what happened with my Flat Stomach Exercises site and Pinterest — one of the fastest growing social media sites around today.
For the last three months, it has been one of my top 10 traffic sources for my Site Build It! site (see screenshot on the right), and I only became a member just a few weeks ago.
What is Pinterest?
In case you haven’t heard, Pinterest is a social media site for images that allows you to “pin” (share) photos you find on the Web.
And what’s really awesome about it is you don’t have to become a member to reap the benefits.
If someone likes your article or a photo on your site, they can simply “Pin” it using the Pinterest toolbar. The image will be posted to their board and will link back to your website.
So even if you have no intention of getting involved with yet another social media network, at least make sure you use high quality images that are free for commercial use on your pages.
You don’t want to miss out on traffic from any of the 10 million+ monthly (and growing) Pinterest users who may decide to pin/share your content.
Why I’m Sold (For Now, Anyway)
Here’s what excites me the most about Pinterest. I’m a busy gal and I don’t have time to devote to another social media site. I’m sure you can relate.
However, the exposure my sites have received from the minimal amount of time and effort I’ve spent seems to be worth it so far. Plus, it’s kind of fun to use and very relevant to my hair website since it’s a visual topic.
And what’s cool about the network is people pin all kinds of content — even YouTube videos!
Watch the video below to hear my thoughts on the growing network, and check out my Pinterest SEO strategy for my latest site.
And if you don’t want to hear me ramble, I wrote a more detailed article about Pinterest here. 🙂
Also, discover how I got one image to go semi-viral on Pinterest.
I think I am like you Lisa, I have yet to see the relevancy to pinterest, but I would not laugh at free traffic.
I think this one is going to stay and get more exposure in 2012 just as you have predicted. Nobody has pinned any of my pics yet but I am sure it will happen soon, I try and use good photos for my blog posts.
In my opinion, the most overlooked FREE traffic source on the Web is reddit. Reddit is a social bookmarking site with many, many niche communities. I’ve been getting thousands of visits to my site through reddit for months now and I’m lovin’ it.
Also, being a part of blogging communities is an awesome way to build a readership for bloggers who are still relatively new bloggers like myself. The only obstacle to this is that not all blogging communities are free to join, but few are worth the money.
Yes,Pinterest was one of the top social network for getting traffic.As of I remember,it was started after Facebook & Twitter but he had make his place in all over web & stand along with Facebook,Twitter & G Plus too.I like Pinterest,but I never use it for traffic exchange.Will try it.
Thanks for this interesting post!
Hi Lisa,
i have not used pinterest till now but now i will use it as i m following your advice seriously….as u liked it and recommended it….therefore i will use it….
My wife does a lot of work on Zazzle and has gotten a tremendous amount of traffic from Pinterest. It makes me quite jealous!
Seems like every day I see more and more people ‘pinning’ something on Facebook. I guess you need to strike while the iron is hot, right?
Every where I look more and more people are talking about Pinterest it really is going viral at the moment.
Something I am definitely going to look into.
I have just started a new blog, and it is the first blog in which I am using pinterest. Hoping to attract some traffic from it, will try some of the tips. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Lisa,
Seen Pinterest a lot recently and after reading your post, think it’s time I utilized it and stop putting it off, lol
Thanks
Joe
Lisa, Lisa, Lisa…
I know what you mean: if it works, we need to be there – love it or not.
Thanks for the kick in the rear.
Oh yea I have to check this site out.. Im surprised I never heard about this.. I’m already cooking up some ideas to get my pics shared….
You can pretty much get the same thing from Tumblr depending on the niche.. It’s mostly a younger crowd.. Get a pic that everyone likes and it will get shared (just like retweeting) all across tumblr.. You can even put a link source so people click it and come back to your site..
Thanks lisa for not holding out on us.. 😉
I just saw Christine’s comment above right after I posted mine. I’m glad there are other people that are aware of this potential landmine. (Think Napster and the kids/families who ended up sued over music downloads)
Image theft is a huge problem much the same as the music theft issue was back in the day. Like I said, it’s a hot topic and one where claiming ignorance of the law will not matter in a court of law.
We owe it to ourselves to stay informed and to inform others that are not as internet savvy as others…
Lisa, I’m very glad that you pointed out in this post about using images that are free for commercial use. A lot of people are not addressing this issues and frankly a lot of people do not understand anything about image licensing. Not understanding the rules is going to cause problems down the road for those that grab images at random online and use them. Pinterest is protecting their butt by putting in the TOS that the USER is responsible for such issues.
I posted this comment on another blog post about Pinterest, but thought it would be relevant here as well.
“I had not heard of Pinterest until last week and have been “googling” it and researching a bit.
I finally realized that people would be pinning images not content.
Most of my posts on my sites do not have images and if they do, they are Flickr Creative Commons Attribution photos or Clip Art that I paid a licensing fee to use on my sites only. Visitors of my sites should not be pinning any of these photos.
I have seen at least half a dozen news articles online, maybe more, that were written just in the last 2-3 days about Copyright issues that are arising or can arise from people pinning photos from other sites.
I’m not sure if I should add links in this post to these articles. I found them just by googling Pinterest. I will add a couple here though and let me know if you disapprove. I figure it is best to be well informed, especially with any new “toy” online. Pictures are a VERY hot topic on the internet in regards to copyright violations. There have been countless discussions on writer’s boards over the years, etc. about image usage rights, etc.
http://www.thespec.com/news/business/article/678480–how-pinning-a-pinterest-picture-may-lead-to-tears-or-even-a-lawsuit
http://www.thespec.com/news/business/article/678533–pinterest-s-copyright-concern-or-how-pinning-a-favourite-photo-can-lead-to-lawsuits
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2012/02/pinterests-copyright-strategy-puts-burden-users/49265/
http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/pinterest-users-blocked-from-sharing-flickr-photos-63408
I do love pinterest but I wonder how long the fun will last with all of the copyright concerns it has currently.
The online world seems like going gaga over Pinterest! 🙂 But I’m not wondering because Pinterest is really awesome1 Thanks for sharing this.. Good job!
It’s actually a great and helpful piece of information. Pinterest is really growing and as you said is now becomeing a fantastic way of getting backlinks/traffic to your site it really is something any website owner should now use.I am happy that you shared this helpful information with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
Pinterest is REALLY growing in popularity. Awesome opportunity to learn how to best use it. Thanks!
Well, I’ve just joined to Pinterest, as a beginner, I think this post really impressive to me because now, I really want to get more traffic for my new site. Hmm.. I hope you share more your experience on using Pinterest to increase traffic. Thanks for nice post. P/S: Lisa, Can you connect me on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/trungpro/
I love your hair!
Anyway, I agree that you do not really need to be a member to reap benefits. I think the key to “exploiting” pinterest is still content generation.
Lisa, I’ve been following your lead for several years now. You definitely stay in the forefront of what is happening on the Internet. I’m going find the Pinterest site now. Thanks!
Thanks Lisa, I will give it a try.
All is well,
but people are getting exhausted for the invite.
invite takes more than 2 months for a person.
Even though a ton of people are using it still not an open site.
All is well,
but people are getting exhausted for the invite.
invite takes more than 2 months for a person.
Even though a ton of people are using it still needs a invitation.
I don’t really understand the site that much. I joined a few weeks ago and started pinning. I must be doing something wrong, because I’m only getting a trickle of traffic from them. I’ll have another look.
I think Pinterest is a great addition to social media networks. It is more visual and opens up the possibilities for people who want to or need to express in a more visual way. Thanks for sharing.
Lisa, I was sceptical at the the start, but the potential is huge for anyone with a site and certain topic to drive excellent traffic. With my Ranting Beast site, I just posted a few pictures and already it has brought great traffic.
I am going to open accounts for my fitness sites and IM site and see what happens with these, but I agree, keep it focused and you will reap the benefits.
Hi Lisa! I have been a long time reader of your webiste but have never commented before today. So hi!
Pinterest is most definetly a HUGE traffic source. Just this month it beat out facebook and became my number #2 source for traffic to my website. And it is inching up on beating my #1 which currently is google.
I am a member of Pinterest but not activly involved as much as others. Most of the traffic comes from my readers and others pinning the posts they are interested in…then it just snowballs from there.
I have a food blog so having pictures is natural. My reccomendation is to have a picture even if it is not “necessary” so people can easily “pin” it. Pinterest is visual so it is important to have some so sort of picture. I saw a reccomendation (for non photo posts) to actually create a quick graphic with the title of the post for people to pin. That could take some time but if it is post you know would be popular then it might be a good idea.
Thanks for all your hard work Lisa!
Hi Tammy
Agree! On some of my articles I don’t have pictures but I’m definitely going back to add them. Yes, it’s definitely worth creating something quick just to make the article “pinnable”! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
I heard so many great things about Pinterest.. It is kinda trendy this days.. I really love to try it out..
This is spreading rapidly. Pinterest is really growing and as you said is now becomeing a fantastic way of getting backlinks/traffic to your site it really is something any website owner should now use.
I was getting rather excited and just about to sign up when I read the bit about them being a social media site for images. I rarely use imageso on my blogs so I don’t think I would get any significant traffic from them. 🙁
Hooray! I’m in. I got the invite yesterday and started pinning. Just on the first day I pinned a pic from one of my sites and it was repinned three times. Cool stuff.
Pinterest is an amazing site!
At the beginning, when I heard about Pinterest, I said to myself “ok.one more social media website”. I had no intention to use it, but it seems that it can leads more traffic to my just launched blog. Thank you Lisa for making that clear to me 🙂
We don’t think that images will help too much for the site promotion. Unique content and best are the main part. Well it takes time for the for the new sites.Social media is the best but not every time. Even when ,most of the people they don’t what is web hosting. Few traffic can you generate only.Ok Lisa
Just activated my account after reading this. I pinned a couple of my blog articles and one from another site. One of my was already re-pinned. Too bad it was by someone who only has 4 followers : )
Hope I can get the hang of it. Have learned quite a bit here through your article and the comments.
I look forward to some traffic and will come back and let you know how it has gone.
Pinterest can be shared to other mobile users.Very similar to an organiser people using Pinterest can capture their interest for the day whether it is wedding gown views or party venues they have captured.
I finally got in on the Pinterest craze and set up my account yesterday – so what timing that is with your post!
I like it for personal use too, so what I’m going to do is put my business-related pin boards at the top right hand side and the rest of my personal boards after that.
I just discovered pinterest this week. It is especially working well for my photography website.
Oh, yes! I can imagine it would go over well for a site in that niche.
Hi Lisa,
Thank you for this post and the video! I started my online business in September of 2011 and I definitely feel pressured to keep up with all the social media stuff and it’s (like you say) “too much” – especially as I’m new to building a business and there is a big learning curve. I really appreciate your perspective. It makes me realize that I can build a strong business even if I don’t jump on every new social media platform. 🙂
I’ve got quite a few images on my blog so I’m planning to give pinterest a go to see if I can generate some more traffic. I already have a personal pinterest account and find it very easy to use.
I’ve really been enjoying Pinterest, too Lisa! I have found that a blog post with a good graphic that represents the post – preferably one with words on it – get’s re-pinned a lot. I’ve taken to making my own graphics for blog posts. I’ve also been using pictures I own and adding a quote from the blog post.
Yes! This site definitely makes you pay more attention to the kinds of images you put on your site. 🙂
Loved the post and video Lisa!
Pinterest is ADDICTIVE- as that’s what it’s for me! It’s real tough to get away from it, especially the awesome pictures that attract you instantly.
I like what you are doing about targeting your interest and limiting it to hair only presently, as it does get confusing when you visit other peoples profiles only to find tons and tons of boards- leaves you rather confused. But I guess being new, people are just trying out some great things on it as well.
I also got my invitation through the main website within 2-3 days time of my submitting a request, so I guess you don’t really need an invitee for it.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Harleena,
Thanks for stopping by. Yes, it is rather addictive, which surprised me. 🙂
Hi Lisa, ironically there’s a guest post on my blog today about Pinterest and Brian gives similar advice about making sure to have eye catching images so that your pics get pinned. I use Pinterest for work and play and I think it’s really cool. I wanted to add the Pin it button to the ShareBar but for some reason I couldn’t get it to work properly. Are you thinking about adding it to your Share Bar?
Thanks for the post and the video Lisa!
Hey Ileane, haven’t tried to add it yet. Will let you know if I have success!
Being that natural hair trend is so hot right now. People will be repinning left and right on your images.
So true! I think Pinterest is perfect for my hair website.
yes you can make so many pins & board in there.
I’ve also noticed traffic from Pinterest just from others repinning and liking. It really is a simple source for gaining traffic.
very coincidental post Lisa. a programmer friend of mine just mentioned it to me yesterday. he described it as a ‘scrap booking’ site with mostly female users.
i understand it much better after your explanation. i can definitely see this taking off. Ana from TGC also mentioned Zuckerer recently, which also appears promising from a “business” perspective. any thoughts on that one?
thanks for a good summary on Pinterest…
I read that post on TGC but haven’t checked it out yet.
Lisa, been reading a lot of your stuff, like this idea, will check out pintrest, to see if it is good for some free traffic for me. Thanks for the info as always, you give gooooooooooood info.
Lisa,
thanks for sharing your thoughts on Pinterest. I’ve never heard of this site before. I’m going to have to check it out. I’m getting ready to start a blog soon and this information is great to know.
Thanks for the info Lisa. I think I’ll be checking into Pinterest
never heard of Pinterest before, but sounds impressive that it is a social media site for images that allows you to “pin” (share) photos you find on the Web……a really handy tool to have
pininterest is very innovative and great for info-graphics but i haven’t tried it as a traffic source
Pinterest sounds awesome!I had no idea that you could pin YouTube videos too! Actually, haven’t understood Pinterest so much until now…I know, I rolled my eyes too until know…. 🙂
Hey Lisa,
The other teachers at my school have been talking about this. One of them is about to get married, and she has an account for her wedding plans. I actually applied yesterday, and low and behold, you posted this article right on time! 🙂