Pinterest has done it AGAIN! It’s now easier to find what interests you…

Between “Live! pinning” for the first time ever and the super cool “New notifications for Android enthusiasts”, Pinterest has been making life in the pinnable world more fun! Yesterday, they just unveiled their latest update. It’s incredible, and it should have marketers excited in a big way. It’s simple really, and when you think about it there should be a little light bulb that goes off: “Yes!” But, you may be asking yourself: “How do I take advantage of this for my business right away?” You’re in luck, because that’s what we are going to talk about today!

New Update Explained

Pinterest is calling it, “Follow Whatever Looks Interesting”. What they have done is made the paths that you would normally take and made it possible to dive into those interests deeper via more search specific routes. For instance, if you will notice in the image above, you’ll see that the pinner has started exploring Hiking pins for his or her boards. Then right above the recent pins in that category, there are related interests tabs like Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, etc., but they all remain in the Hiking category – just more specific!

The pinner can now just keep going, keep pinning, find more like-minded pinners, and discover more pins than they ever would have before. Look out, ladies and gents, if you were addicted before, this might push you over the edge! Lastly, if pinners find a category or topic that they enjoy more than others, they can now Click or Tap the Follow button. They will now get an endless and steady stream of new and interesting pins right in their home feed until they choose to unfollow.  Like I said before, this should excite marketers very much. That said, let me explain why and how to take advantage of this new update from Pinterest.

How to take advantage of the new Interests Update from Pinterest

It’s all about optimization when it comes to this update. I have been telling my clients for years that it’s better to have 100 boards with 5 pins than it is to have 5 boards with 100 pins because it’s easier to optimize. Here’s a breakdown of that advice that should allow you and your business to take advantage of this update:

  • Cleaning It Up. When followers land on your board’s page, it can overwhelm them to see boards with hundreds of pins on it. The first and most important reason why you should pin fewer pins to more boards is to better the user experience. It will make them happy to find what they like more readily, and they will be more likely to pin your content.
  • How To Do It. Say you have a board that is titled Great Smoky Mountains. While that sounds like a fun board to peruse, the topic is very broad. Break that board up into smaller boards like Waterfalls in the Smoky Mountains, Hiking Trails in the Smoky Mountains, Camping in the Smoky Mountains, and Wildlife in the Smoky Mountains. What you have essentially done is allow pinners to find what interests them more quickly. They will love you for this.
  • Your New Boards. If you optimize as you go, more power to you and you’re more awesome than me. However, if you’re like me and you forget because you have a mountain of other things to do or just don’t have the time, it’s important to go back in and optimize afterwards. Make sure that your boards have the essentials: Excellent copy (recommend: 90-250 characters), links to its relevant place on your website, the board has been appropriately categorized, and you’ve placed a few subject hashtags at the end of your copy.
    • Excellent Copy. Subject matter — stay on topic for the photo! Don’t be one of those who lures someone in with an awesome photo, only to be saying something else entirely and obviously trying to sell them something. Just explain the photo and why it’s relevant for the pinner and your company. They will pin it if you do this. MOST IMPORTANTLY, include keywords and phrases that will lead pinners to your photo when they search for related terms on Pinterest.
    • Pretty Pictures. This is pretty self-explanatory. Use photos that are high-definition, clear and precise.
    • Photo Links. You can add links after you pin them in the edit function of the pin. It will be at the bottom and is labeled Source. Just copy and paste the appropriate link into the field.
    • Categories. This function is under “Edit Board” in the broad view of your pins for that board. There will be a drop down box that will enable you to select an appropriate category for that board.

With these tips, you should be able to take advantage of Pinterest’s “Follow Whatever Looks Interesting” update. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great day of pinning!