10 Powerful Ways To Attract New Readers Using Pinterest
If you haven’t tapped into Pinterest to connect with readers, you might be missing out on a huge opportunity! Granted, Pinterest isn’t for everyone and you need to determine if your ideal reader is on Pinterest. But if your readers do fall into the Pinterest category, hold on to your hats!
There is a right and a wrong way to use Pinterest for book marketing. If you haven’t checked out our blog post on how to best use Pinterest, I’d highly encourage you to check that out first. Today we are going to focus on how you can take your Pinterest account to the next level and create genuine and authentic connections with your readers and grow your audience.
Here are 10 ways to attract new readers using Pinterest:
1) Use The Smart Search
There are several types of connections that authors can make using Pinterest. The top three are connecting with readers, other writers, and promotional opportunities (like book bloggers). To really focus in on who you’re trying to connect with, the Pinterest Smart Search bar is a great tool. One way I like to connect to readers is by searching “reading lists”. This is one of the best ways to find readers of a particular genre. Type in “reading lists” and a few things will happen - a dropdown will show up with additional suggestions (which is very helpful)….
…as well as a list of other words that people commonly search for when they search for your original term.
You can get even more specific by including the genre that you write for - like “historical fiction reading lists” to narrow down your search.
Next, select “boards” - this will show you users boards that they have created with their reading lists. You can start following those particular boards OR you can follow their profile.
This is a fantastic way to initiate the connection between you and your ideal reader.
2) Use Keywords
Keywords are the words that your ideal readers uses to search for topics they are interested in. And keywords are important to use in your bio and in your pin descriptions. So let’s break this down…
For your bio, use something like "Jenn dePaula - Historical Romance Writer" or "Jenn dePaula - Science Fiction Author." It will not only help people perusing Pinterest see what you do what you have to offer, but when someone does a search with those keywords, your name will pop up.
For your pin descriptions, you want to make sure that you include information with the original pins that you post (like to your blog posts) so when your ideal reader is looking for a specific pin with those keywords, yours will pop up.
3) Think Of Your Ideal Reader
I know this might be pretty obvious, but I see so many author Pinterest accounts that are only focused on one thing: promoting their book. Remember, people aren’t on Pinterest to be marketed to - they are typically looking for ways to enhance their lifestyle. So create boards and find ways to engage your ideal reader using the lifestyle topics and interests they are looking for, instead of just focusing on your book.
To learn more about identifying your ideal reader, sign up for our download, the Book Marketing Blueprint.
4) Group Boards
A group board is just like any other board on Pinterest, but they are pinned by more than one person, not just the board creator. So you could create a group board and invite some of your writing friends to join in and share pins related to a specific topic. This helps you find new readers in several ways:
When you have more contributors you’ll have more content
The additional content will generate more activity on your board
This boost in activity will bring in a bigger (and new) following
5) Comment On and Share Others' Pins
Again, this might seem obvious, but you don't want to just share your own pins. To see the growth you are looking for you need to share other people’s pins as well as your own. And leaving comments on other pins is important in both engaging with your ideal readers and also reaching new people.
6) Pin Consistently
You can’t just tap into Pinterest when you need it and then expect it to work like gangbusters on the few occasions you use it. You have to be consistent. Set aside a few minutes every day to go through your Pinterest feed and repin items that speak to your ideal reader. If you're afraid of getting caught in a time suck, set a timer for yourself for 10 minutes.
7) Share Your Pins Multiple Times
There’s a mentality that once we share a particular pin we don't need to share it again. This is not true. Remember, not everyone saw the pin the first time you shared it. So feel free to share pins multiple times, maybe a few days or weeks apart. This way you’ll still be sharing relevant content, but it will get in front of more and more people.
8) Create A Bio that is Descriptive and Full of Personality
You don't have a lot of room for your personal information on your Pinterest page, so it’s time to get creative! Use this space to share what you do, what your interests are, and what is unique about your personality. Whatever you do, don’t leave it blank! When people are looking over profiles, they need to know why they should connect with you or what interests you share with them. This is the place to do that!
9) Create Boards That Are Search Friendly
I know it’s really easy to get cutesy with the titles of our boards, but think about this: when people search for “food” they don’t use the search term “nom noms.” Think of Pinterest as a big search engine - how do search engines work? They index keywords! Keep that in mind when you name your boards. Using pertinent keywords in your board titles and pin descriptions will help get your boards and profile in front of the right people searching for those specific topics.
10) Use High Quality Vertical Images
Sharing the best, most compelling images possible is obviously the key to success on Pinterest. And one way to really stand out and attract new readers is to use tall, high quality images. I strongly suggest you tap into a service called Canva for this. It’s a great way o create amazing images very easily for Pinterest (and all your other social media accounts as well).
The key to seeing success on Pinterest is to always be thinking about your ideal reader, what they are interested in, what you're interested in, and where your interests overlap. You share many similarities with your ideal reader, so tap into them and connect with your readers in a new way!
If you want to go a step further and get all of the tools, resources, and help that you need to market your book, grow on social media, and sell more books - join The Author Circle membership!
