I’ll tell it to you straight: If you’re not using Pinterest for your business, you’re missing out on a massive chance to drive results to your work. You may have heard me talk about how Pinterest is the number one traffic driver to my website, which also means it’s a top contributor to leads and conversions. But one of the most confusing parts of getting set up on Pinterest for your business is figuring out HOW to use the platform to find and attract your ideal clients to your content and website. The answer? You want to be using keywords on Pinterest in a smart and strategic way so that the people who would most likely be interested in your stuff can easily find you. Every word shared on the platform is searchable, so how can we optimize your content so that when someone’s searching for what you’ve got, it’s you they find? Here’s how in 3 easy steps.
#1: Identify exactly who your client is.
It doesn’t matter whether your business revolves around products, service/s, or online subject matter (like bloggers or influencers)—you have clients hanging out on Pinterest. According to Sprout Social, here are some of the main demographics of Pinterest users:
- 31% of adults in the U.S. claim to use Pinterest
- 38% of Pinterest users are between ages 50 and 64 (the largest age demographic on the platform, followed closely by Millennials)
- 21 million Pinterest users are Gen Z-ers
- 60% of Pinterest users are women
- 45% of users have an annual household income above $100K
Based on these numbers, your business’s client/customer demographic very likely hangs out on the platform—which is great news for YOU!
Beyond just their demographics, though, you want to be intimately familiar with who your ideal client is on a personal level… their likes, dislikes, hobbies, wants + desires, shopping habits, family lives, and beyond.
Look at your past clients and customers, and create an overview of what they’re like, how they spend their time, and the types of content they’re most interested in consuming. This research and analysis will help you get really specific in targeting your Pinterest content and allow you to use the keywords in your content that your target audience is most likely seeking out.
#2: Do your (keyword) research.
Once you have an intimate understanding of WHO your client is, I want you to dig a lil’ deeper. Think about where your target audience’s interests and your content intersect. Or, in other words, what are the pillars of your content that your ideal clients would be MOST interested in searching for in a platform like Pinterest?
Try to come up with 3 to 5 pillars or overarching categories that you can use for your research. For example, for an interior designer who shares design, family + lifestyle content, those pillars might be: motherhood, interior design, homeschooling, and budget-friendly decor.
You’ll want to take each pillar/category and type them one by one into the Pinterest search bar. See what phrases and words auto-populate as you enter the category word/s, and keep track of them somewhere. (I suggest creating a Pinterest Keyword Google Doc or Google Sheet and organize the keywords to go with their corresponding pillar.) Then, actually click search and jot down any repeating words or phrases that you see in pin graphics, titles, and descriptions.
(You can also search for some of the sub-categories within a pillar to really round out a robust list of keywords for each pillar!)
Repeat for each category pillar for your brand—and there you have it! You’ve built out keyword lists to then use and infuse into all of your content. And we’re talking ALLLL of it, as you’ll see in the next step!
RELATED: 5 Creative Ways to Use Pinterest for Your Business
#3: Use Pinterest keywords everywhere you can.
Remember, every word shared on the platform from your bio to pin descriptions to metatags is: searchable. Once you have your master list of brand pillars + a list for each of their corresponding keywords, you’re ready to infuse those keywords into your content—both on Pinterest and beyond! I recommend choosing one STRONG keyword per piece of content (like a blog post) and then using it in as many places as possible.
(Hint: A strong keyword is a word/phrase that your target audience is most likely to seek out and search for on Pinterest… which is why it’s SO vital to know who your ideal client is!)
For the blog post (or other pieces of content), make sure you use the keyword in:
- The headline
- The slug/URL
- The first paragraph
- At least one heading
- At least 2 to 3 times in the body copy
- Extra credit for using it in the meta description and image description/title
For the pin, make sure you use the keyword in:
- The graphic
- The pin title
- The pin description
You also want to infuse a few of your MAIN brand keywords into your Pinterest profile bio so that your page pulls up when people search for your specific type of content! Load up every aspect of your Pinterest with strong keywords that will serve as connectors.
With these keyword tips, you’ll begin attracting more of your ideal clients to your pins—which then leads them to your website and other content! This process is slightly more time-intensive upfront as you dig into your ideal client and your brand pillars, but I promise it pays off tenfold when you have a master list of keywords to easily plug into your content. Happy pinning!
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