Pinterest | COW PASTURE CHRONICLES

Hello again! Thanks Sheila, for giving me at http://kimberleycooperblog.wordpress.com the chance to chat with the folks that visit your blog. Nice to meet you all. I’m based in the UK, so please excuse any spellings and expressions you might not be familiar with.

With a bit of writing under my belt now, I’m spending some time looking at different ideas to promote it. You’ve probably come across Pinterest. But you may not have thought of using it to promote your writing. There’s a lot of guidance out there on ideas to do this, so rather than re-invent the wheel, I’ve listed below a couple of sites you might find helpful.

But what I can offer is my experience of what went well, and what made me tear my hair out, in the hope that it helps you.

Converting my private Pinterest account to a business one was easy. There are new terms and conditions to accept, but I couldn’t see any problems for me, or cost involved. A business account gives you analytics, so you can see which of your Pins is getting interest, where those Pinners are from and what else they are interested in. These articles were helpful https://help.pinterest.com/en/articles/set-your-business-account and http://www.thesocialcraft.com/social-media-marketing/how-to-convert-your-personal-pinterest-account-to-a-business-account/

Verifying my website on Pinterest gave me a headache. It took about a week of puzzling over this to see what I’d done wrong. One tip – if the website that you want to be verified is on WordPress.com, then the format of this to put into Pinterest is http://yourwebsitename.wordpress.com (eg don’t put www in there). There’s really useful guidance at https://en.support.wordpress.com/webmaster-tools/

I created more Boards to hopefully get my work in front of a broader range of people. Eg although I have a Writing board that gets quite a lot of interest, some of my newer boards like “10 free things to do on a cruise” which showcases the pictures I’ve taken on holiday, has been reaching (probably) different people. Who knows, they may be interested in paranormal/urban fantasy or sci-fi romance too!

That’s just a quick run-down on how Pinterest is helping me. I’ve only just scratched the surface and it’s already looking promising. If you have any experience of using Pinterest to promote a business (any business), why not mention it in the comments below. And for no other reason than it’s cold and grey in the UK today, here’s a picture of a warmer day, to enjoy.

Day 16: #atozchallenge

If you’re like me, keeping up with all the social media sites is a daunting task, and it’s difficult to know where to spread the time and effort.

One website worth paying a bit more attention to is Pinterest. When I began checking out this site, it was more about finding design tips, funny quotes, or recipes. I had no idea it was something I could utilize as a writer. Setting up an account is easy, and it’s free.

Here are a few pointers:

Use the same name for you account and user name. The URL will look like this – https://www.pinterest.com/sheilamgood/
Use the same photo you use on other sites; this helps with reader recognition.
Create a short bio. Link other social networks to Pinterest.
Download the Pinterest browser extension – when you see something Pin it.
Add a Pinterest widget to your blog. Go to settings and click widget.
Create boards:
- Your interest
- Tips for writers
- Services you may offer – freelance writing, editing, reviews
- Your products: Books, etc.

Advantages of Using Pinterest

It’s another avenue for bringing recognition to your blog or writing.
Provides the opportunity to promote your books.
A place to showcase your area of expertise.
Opens doors for paid writing gigs.

I have some reorganizing to do on my own, but what about you? Are you on Pinterest? Has it been beneficial to you as a writer? Want to know more about Pinterest? Check it out here.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, and Contently.