Pinterest is an amazing platform for creative businesses. It’s a place where your work can truly shine and attract your ideal audience. But the thing is, Pinterest only works if you know how to use it. In my time as a Pinterest manager, I’ve seen many businesses making these common Pinterest mistakes that hold them back from getting the traffic they should be getting. Let’s dive into the five mistakes and explore my advice for how you can avoid them to get your content in front of the right eyes.

1. Posting Inconsistently

Consistency on Pinterest is so important. I’ve noticed that businesses often pin sporadically, which can lead to lower engagement. Pinterest rewards daily pinning; inconsistent posting can actually hurt your visibility and audience engagement. 

MY ADVICE:

Set up a regular posting schedule and schedule out your content. Aim for at least 1 pin per day. (5+ pins often gets you the best results, but 1 per day is absolutely okay too!) Spreading out your content is going to get you more returns, as compared to uploading 30 pins at once.

Use Pinterest’s native scheduling tool to schedule a month’s worth of pins at a time. This way, you can maintain consistency without having to log in daily.

If you don’t have time to do this, a Pinterest manager can help you out!

2. Neglecting Pinterest SEO

Skipping keywords in your boards and descriptions is one of the most common Pinterest mistakes that limits how often your content is found. Pinterest works like a visual search engine, so SEO (search engine optimization) is crucial. Your board titles, board descriptions, and even your profile name all play a big role in how Pinterest understands your content.

When your boards don’t have clear, keyword-rich titles or descriptions, Pinterest has no idea what your account is about. That means your pins are less likely to show up in searches. The same goes for skipping keywords in your pin titles or graphics. You might be creating beautiful content, but if Pinterest can’t categorize it properly, it won’t reach the right audience.

MY ADVICE:

Start with keyword research. Use the Pinterest search bar to see what phrases your ideal audience is actually typing in, then use those keywords naturally into your pin titles, descriptions, and board details. Each board should be organized around a clear topic or theme, with a descriptive title and a keyword-loaded description.

3. Ignoring Analytics

Pinterest gives you the tools to understand your account, but many business owners either skip this step or don’t know what to look for. Ignoring analytics is one of the most common Pinterest mistakes because it just keeps you guessing instead of improving. Without tracking what performs best, you risk wasting your time on pins or topics that don’t actually drive traffic.

MY ADVICE:

Check Pinterest Analytics once or twice a month and focus on metrics like impressions, saves, clicks, and engagement rate.

• If a pin gets saves but few clicks, adjust your call to action.
• If impressions are high but engagement is low, adjust your keywords or content.

Don’t worry if growth feels slow in the beginning. Pinterest rewards consistency over time. Use your analytics to help you make tweaks to refine your strategy over time.

4. Reusing the Same Pins

Reusing the same pin over and over on Pinterest isn’t going to cut it. Pinterest’s algorithm loves fresh content (gotta keep those robots happy…), so it’s important to regularly create both new pins and new blogs.

MY ADVICE:

Create a variety of pins for each piece of content. Try different designs, overlays, headlines, and formats. Once you see what kind of content does well with your audience, create more pins like that!

Try to write 1-2 new blog posts per month. I use ChatGPT to generate and outline blog ideas. Make sure they’re valuable blog posts, too. Pinterest users want solutions and inspiration. If your pins get people to your website but your blog posts stink, they’re probably not going to engage with you further. Give them a reason to stick around.

5. Pinning to Your Homepage

This last mistake is one I see all the time: businesses linking their pins directly to their homepage instead of linking to a specific blog post or product. It might seem like a good way to drive general traffic, but it’s actually not great for user experience.

Imagine this: when someone clicks on your pin, they expect to land on the exact content they saw in the image or title. If they’re taken to your homepage instead, they have to dig around to find what they came for (and most won’t bother). That disconnect hurts your click-through rate and can make users less likely to trust or engage with your content in the future.

MY ADVICE:

Always link each pin to the specific page it represents. If your pin promotes a blog post, link directly to that blog. If it showcases a product, link to that exact product page. This small step makes your audience’s experience better, which tells Pinterest that your content is worthwhile.

Making Pinterest work for your business takes time, patience, and strategy. I’ve seen so many business owners making these Pinterest mistakes and missing out on traffic as a result. Start putting this advice into practice and watch how quickly avoiding these common mistakes helps your reach grow.

If this all sounds a bit overwhelming, don’t worry! I’m here to help. As a Pinterest manager, I can guide you through these steps and ensure your work gets in front of the right eyes. Let’s chat and see how we can make Pinterest work for you and your business!