Here’s how & WHY you should drive traffic to your MEDIUM blog using Pinterest

We all know that there’s no better feeling than being able to share your passion and interests online with a wide audience, and watch the rewards rolling in for your hard work and efforts. But, as we both know, this is not often the case. The scenario that the majority of us are more familiar with is, well — no one really reads your stories and, the rewards? — they haven’t showed up yet either.

You might be asking yourself if writing is really for you? You might be telling yourself that, well, it’s probably not meant to be. As writers, we are delicate, creative souls, pouring our hearts into producing good content that help others — at the same time, we are often guilty of forgetting about this ONE thing. Your writing journey doesn’t stop after publishing your blog post online. In fact, at that point, it has barely began.

So, where do you go from here?

You might be aware that I posted a story 5 day ago about how I earned $22.00 during my first 10 days here on Medium, and my plan to triple this in the next 10 days. If you haven’t read it yet, you can find it here. As I’ve just mentioned, I gave myself 10 days to earn somewhere around $66.00, or so. Well, as you can probably tell, and as I’ve just been going on about it, it’s only been 5 day, BUT I’m pleased to say, I’ve done it.

I will share more insights with you in the follow up post shortly.

So, if you’ve read my blog mentioned above, you’ll know that one of my plans for reaching this milestone was going to be — utilising Pinterest to help me boost visitors to my posts. As many of you kindly spent time studying my plans; I’ve had a few curious minds wondering, why and how they could make the most out of Pinterest too?

So without further ado, let’s dive right into it.

The first thing you need to know is that I’ve been a blogger for about 4 years. During these four years, I’ve had a blog that ‘failed’, and another one that reached a hundred thousand subscribers in less than a year. (You can read more about my blogging journey here.) The second thing you need to know, is that I used Pinterest to turn my second blog into a successful endeavour, and that to date, I use Pinterest to drive traffic to all my books and courses online. I don’t use social media as I don’t like most of the platforms. (but this is just a personal choice)

So why Pinterest? Pinterest is a FREE platform and I love free stuff. It also has around 450 million monthly users worldwide. That’s not bad, is it? Yet, I know that many of you are thinking, you need followers in order to get anywhere on the platform. So, I’d like to bust the first misconception about this unique opportunity. Pinterest is NOT a social media platform, and you should not treat it like one either. What does this mean? Well, it just means that it doesn’t really matter if you have 0 followers or a million, as long as you post ‘visually appealing’ pins, videos, links or whatever you want, and add some tags/ keywords to it — then let Pinterest’s algorithm do the magic and put your content in front of potential interests. Which, as you probably guessed it, could be millions.

But let’s not get too carried away, and get back to basics.

Let’s face it, we live in a digital age, where content creation and sharing have become ubiquitous, and getting your blog noticed can be a challenging task. You put your heart and soul into creating valuable content, for little or no return :(. And while I’m all up for pursuing your passion, seeing no significant results, can be disheartening. However, as I already mentioned, there’s this hidden gem in the realm of social media platforms that can significantly boost your blog’s visibility: Yes! Pinterest. While many bloggers flock to platforms like Facebook and X, Pinterest offers unique advantages that can help drive substantial traffic to your blog. Even better, it can drive traffic to your Medium blog. And so, let’s now delve even deeper into why you should consider using Pinterest to supercharge your blog’s reach here on Medium.

The basics of Pinterest

• Visual Appeal: Pinterest is primarily a visual platform, focusing on the sharing of images and infographics. If your Medium blog contains captivating visuals, such as illustrations, photographs, or data-driven graphics, Pinterest is the ideal place to showcase them. Eye-catching visuals tend to grab users’ attention and entice them to click through to your blog.
• Longevity of Pins: Unlike other social media platforms where content quickly disappears into the abyss of endless scrolling, Pinterest content has a more extended lifespan. A well-pinned image or infographic can continue driving traffic to your blog for months or even years after you initially share it.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Pinterest is essentially a search engine for visuals. When users search for specific topics or keywords related to your blog, your pins can appear in the search results. This not only increases the discoverability of your blog but also helps in improving your blog’s overall SEO.
• Targeted Audience: Pinterest allows you to target specific niches and demographics through boards and keywords. By creating boards related to your blog’s topics and using relevant keywords, you can connect with an audience genuinely interested in your content. This targeted approach can lead to higher-quality traffic and engaged readers.
• Drive Traffic with Linking: Every pin on Pinterest can include a link back to your Medium blog. When users click on your pin, they are directed straight to your blog post. This direct linking means that Pinterest can be a significant source of traffic, especially if your pins are appealing and relevant to your target audience.
• Community Engagement: Whilst you can still drive traffic to your blog without first establishing a community, Pinterest users are known for their engagement with content. They often comment on pins, ask questions, and even re-pin your content, which can create a sense of community around your blog. This engagement can lead to more shares, more traffic, and loyal readers.
• Analytics and Insights: Pinterest provides valuable analytics tools that allow you to track the performance of your pins. You can see which pins are driving the most traffic, which demographics are engaging with your content, and more. These insights can help you refine your Pinterest strategy for better results.
• Integration with Medium: Pinterest and Medium can complement each other seamlessly. You can share your Medium blog posts on Pinterest by creating custom pins for each article. This is the most important and basic strategy for driving traffic to your blog posts. Linking your Medium blog not only increases your blog’s visibility but also enhances your overall online presence.
• Inspiration and Content Ideas: Pinterest is a treasure trove of ideas and inspiration. By exploring the platform, you can discover trending topics, popular visuals, and content formats that resonate with your target audience. This can help you generate fresh ideas for your Medium blog.
• Cost-Effective Marketing: Using Pinterest to drive traffic to your Medium blog is a cost-effective strategy. It doesn’t require a substantial advertising budget, and organic growth is entirely possible with a well-thought-out Pinterest strategy.

So, now that you are aware of this little golden nugget, what next step should you take?

1. Create a business account on Pinterest — it’s free and all you need is some basic information.
2. Go over to Canva and search for Pinterest Pin Templates. Don’t worry about using Canva Pro. There are plenty of free templates you can chose from, or you can create some from scratch. Pick your 2 most recent stories and create 5–10 visually attractive pins for each of them.
3. Head back over to Pinterest and upload your new pins. There is an option for Alt text, which you should make the most of, as well as here’s your opportunity to add a link to your Medium blog. USE IT!
4. Don’t forget about titles and headlines. You have one sentence to grab someones attention. This could however convert to a returning customer or loyal reader.
5. Repeat this process, ideally daily. You can create 5 pins daily for your new Medium story, or you can just create pins for some of your most precious Medium stories.
6. The key is consistency — I know, you’ve heard this before, and I’m sorry to say, but you are going to hear it again. Pinterest is no different from other social media platforms. The more active you are, the more you post, the more the algorithm will work in your favour.
7. If you are feeling adventurous, spice up your Pinterest boards with Idea Pins. Idea pins are basically short video clips of an ‘idea’ that you can add a link to. Idea pins do a lot better on Pinterest than just ordinary pins, and from my experience, it is one of the fastest ways to attract more eyeballs to your blog.

If you’ve made it this far, let me show you an example pin I’m about to post on Pinterest to promote this blog post.

Image by author using Canva

Thank you for reading. Please, don’t forget to reach out and share you experience with me.

Happy blogging.

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