Pinterest: 6 Steps to Going Viral
You’ve been on Pinterest for awhile now, pinning like a crazy person. Your pins, or those for your new startup, get liked and occasionally repinned, but nothing has ever gotten very popular, or achieved the success you’d really like. What can you do to increase your odds of a pin going viral, being repinned, liked, and commented upon? As an example, I’d like to use a pin from my Tiny Homes board. (If you click on the picture above, you’ll see the original article).
Disclaimer: Nothing can ensure a pin going viral. Sometimes the dumbest things catch on, while your carefully crafted posts die a sad, lonely death with nary a like. This article may only increase your chances. If you really want to go viral, send $10 million in unmarked bills and I’ll see what I can do.
Click Through
If you’re repinning from someone else’s account, make sure that the pin goes somewhere. That is to say, click enough times to see where the pin leads. Make sure that the pin does not lead to a Google search, or a website where there’s no more information, or **gasp** a 404 page. My pin goes to a fabulous site with an article about downsizing for a tiny home.
Read the Article at the Pin’s Origin
For pins that include an article, read the article all the way through before you repin it. Take note of a few things about the article. The point of this is so that you have something interesting to put in the caption. For instance, is the article funny? Is it thorough? Is it peculiar? Do you like the writing style?
Recap What You Liked
In my tiny homes pin, the writer uses an example of a clown car which cracks me up. So in my caption, under the pin, I write my own mini-review of the article, telling people why they might want to read the article. And be sure to give credit where credit is due–to the original author.
Post At a Good Time
Now that’s a tiny house!
If you find an extremely good item to pin, save it for a good time. According to Social Media Examiner, pinning at different times of the night and day will help your pins be seen by local and global audiences. I like to pin on Sundays because that’s a very popular time in the U.S.; pinning at various times I’ve noticed that different people are online depending upon when I pin.
Comment on Your Own Pin and Respond to Comments
People love comments! And few people comment. So you can add comments to your own pin. And be sure to respond to any comments about the pin to keep the conversation going! This raises the popularity of the pin.
Repin Later
If your pin doesn’t catch on, you can repin the pin to the top of the board or even make it the cover pin. If there are no “likes” or repins at all, you could delete it completely and repin it at a later time. You can add more text to the caption, too (think about how you might search for such a pin yourself). You want people to be able to find your pin!
Have Your Pins Gone Viral?
Do you have any “pins gone wild,” which been repinned hundreds or thousands of times? Was that a complete surprise, or were you sure that they would be popular? One of my pins has been repinned 25 billion times! Ok, one of the previous sentences might be a slight exaggeration. Can you guess which one? As usual, leave your comments below!
Happy New Year Carol ,
Wishing you the best for you and your family for 2014 !
yes I have had a pin gone viral a quote , I have had some others as well but I don’t understand how to get the analytics .http://www.pinterest.com/pin/112378953173936367/… I never expected it to get so many repins .
Sincerely
Natalie
Hello Natalie,
Happy New Year to you, too!
What kind of analytics are you looking for, Natalie? Here is a general article about analytics that you might find useful: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/pinterest-analytics/
Congrats on having your pin go viral!
Sincerely,
Carol
None of my pins have gotten that much, admittedly, I don’t care about Pinterest as much as I should. I use it on occasion.
HOWEVER, I think the idea of commenting is always good (blogs, linkedin, youtube, et al). So few people actually comment (and then receive a reply) that it’s a great strategy.
Hi Bridget,
Yes, merely leaving a comment is a great and simple strategy for those who don’t use Pinterest too much. On blogs and YouTube, too! They really do stand out. Thanks for all the comments on my blogposts. I truly appreciate all that you do.
Sincerely,
Carol
I love it when I see my pins repinned.
You will surely stand out if you leave comment on pins because only a few people do that!
Great tips Carol.
Isn’t it great to see pins repinned, Ruby? And comments really do stand out–so few leave comments. Thanks for commenting here, too!
I appreciate that. :D
Carol
Hi Carol
thank you , I have switched to business , and now have to add that tool or meta tag to my website to verify it ! Thanks a lot , I really enjoy your blog .
Hi Carol,
I’ve got a men’s style board and a food board that I love curating, and they’ve recent started getting a lot more repins over recent months. The difference between before and now? Exactly what you’ve described here. The Tailwind analytics on both boards are crystal clear. Thanks for sharing this!
Hi Jordan,
That’s exciting that your pins are getting more repins! Pinning consistently can make the difference in being noticed or not being noticed.
Thanks for the comment!
Carol
I think I have a pin that has gone viral….but I’m not sure! It has been repined 3,330 times! Does that qualify? It seems like it would to me…it has hundreds of hearts and 3 comments lol! Help me know where I stand please! :)
Hi Rachel,
I’d say that’s viral! Congratulations to you.
Carol