10 min read
17 Simple Ways To Hike Your Pinterest Following
Pinterest is not just another social media platform. It is a visual search engine where people actively seek ideas, products, and solutions. That distinction matters enormously for bloggers, WordPress site owners, and online businesses because Pinterest users arrive with intent. They are planning purchases, researching solutions, and saving ideas for future action. A strong Pinterest following translates directly into website traffic, email subscribers, and revenue.
With over 450 million monthly active users and a content lifespan that dwarfs every other social platform (a pin can drive traffic for months or years, compared to a tweet’s 15-minute window), Pinterest is a long-term traffic engine that rewards consistent effort. Here are 17 proven strategies to grow your Pinterest following and turn that audience into a meaningful driver for your WordPress site or online business.
Why Building a Pinterest Following Matters
Before diving into tactics, it is worth understanding what a larger Pinterest following actually does for your business:
- Amplified reach - When followers engage with your pins, Pinterest distributes that content to a wider audience through the Smart Feed algorithm.
- Sustained website traffic - Pinterest drives consistent referral traffic over time, unlike platforms where content visibility drops within hours.
- Brand authority - A substantial following signals credibility and expertise in your niche.
- Email list growth - Pins linking to lead magnets and opt-in pages convert Pinterest traffic into subscribers.
- Revenue generation - Pinterest users are buyers. Research shows that Pinterest shoppers spend more per order than users from any other social platform.
17 Ways To Grow Your Pinterest Following
1. Be Consistently Active on the Platform
Pinterest’s Smart Feed algorithm rewards consistent activity. Showing up regularly, both through scheduled pins and manual engagement, signals to the algorithm that you are a trustworthy content creator deserving of wider distribution.
A sustainable daily Pinterest routine includes:
- Pinning 15 to 25 pins per day (a mix of your own content and repins from others in your niche).
- Manually browsing the “Today” and “Explore” tabs to discover and repin trending content.
- Following relevant boards that appear in your feed.
- Engaging with pins from accounts in your niche through saves and comments.
Use a scheduling tool like Tailwind to maintain consistent pinning volume, but supplement it with manual activity. Pinterest recognizes the difference and rewards accounts that show genuine platform engagement.
2. Follow Your Competitors’ Followers
Your competitors have already done the work of attracting an audience interested in your niche. Their followers are pre-qualified prospects for your own account. Strategically following these users puts your profile and content in front of people who have already demonstrated interest in content like yours.
To find competitor followers, search for keywords related to your niche in the Pinterest search bar, click “People,” and browse the profiles that appear. Follow their followers selectively, focusing on active accounts that regularly pin and save content. A significant percentage will follow you back, especially if your profile and pins are well-optimized.
3. Master Pinterest SEO with Keywords
Pinterest is a search engine first, social platform second. Keywords determine whether your content appears when users search for topics in your niche. Optimizing every element of your Pinterest presence for search is the single most impactful thing you can do for growth.
Where to use keywords on Pinterest:
- Profile name - Include your primary niche keyword alongside your name (e.g., “Sarah | WordPress Design Tips”).
- Profile bio - Naturally incorporate two to three keywords that describe what you offer.
- Board titles - Name boards using exact-match keywords people search for.
- Board descriptions - Write keyword-rich descriptions for every board.
- Pin titles and descriptions - Use relevant keywords naturally in every pin you create.
Use the Pinterest search bar as your keyword research tool. Type a seed keyword and note the autocomplete suggestions and the colored keyword chips that appear below the search bar. These represent what real users are actively searching for. Integrate these keywords into your content strategy, both on Pinterest and your WordPress blog content.
4. Organize Boards with Sections
Pinterest board sections allow you to create subcategories within a board, making your content more organized and easier for followers to browse. Well-organized boards improve the user experience and encourage visitors to follow your boards and profile rather than just saving a single pin.
For example, a board called “WordPress Tips” could have sections for “Speed Optimization,” “Plugin Recommendations,” “Theme Customization,” and “Security.” This structure helps visitors quickly find exactly what they need and positions your profile as a comprehensive resource in your niche.
5. Use Promoted Pins Strategically
Promoted Pins are Pinterest’s paid advertising option, and they can accelerate follower growth significantly when used strategically. Unlike ads on other platforms that stop working the moment you stop paying, Promoted Pins often continue generating organic saves and clicks after the campaign ends because the content remains in the Pinterest ecosystem.
To use Promoted Pins for follower growth:
- Promote your highest-performing organic pins to amplify what is already working.
- Target interest-based audiences rather than broad demographics.
- Use keyword targeting to appear in search results for high-value terms.
- Create pins that deliver standalone value (tips, infographics, tutorials) rather than pure sales messages, as these generate more saves and follows.
6. Leverage Hashtags Thoughtfully
Pinterest hashtags function differently from Instagram or Twitter hashtags. On Pinterest, hashtags work as a discovery mechanism for fresh content, helping new pins surface in hashtag feeds sorted chronologically. Use two to five relevant hashtags per pin description, focusing on specific rather than generic terms.
Effective hashtag strategy: use a mix of broad niche hashtags (#WordPressTips) and specific topic hashtags (#WooCommerceCheckout). Avoid overly generic hashtags like #business or #tips that are too competitive to provide visibility.
7. Convert to a Business Account
If you are still using a personal Pinterest account, switch to a business account immediately. Business accounts unlock analytics, Promoted Pins, Rich Pins, and other features essential for growth. The switch is free and takes minutes.
If you have an old personal account with existing pins and followers, convert it rather than creating a new business account. Pinterest’s algorithm values account age, and an established account with history receives better distribution than a brand new one.
8. Create and Join Group Boards
Group boards allow multiple contributors to pin to a shared board. When you pin to a group board, your content reaches the followers of every contributor, not just your own followers. This makes group boards a powerful amplification tool.
To maximize group board value:
- Start your own group board and invite contributors in your niche. Require that joiners follow your profile as a condition of participation.
- Join existing group boards by searching directories like PinGroupie or reaching out directly to board owners.
- Prioritize quality over quantity. A few active, well-curated group boards outperform dozens of dormant or spammy ones.
- Follow each group board’s rules about pin frequency and content type.
9. Create Compelling Infographics
Infographics are among the most saved and shared content types on Pinterest. They deliver substantial value in a single, visually engaging format that users want to reference later. Research shows infographics receive 30 times more engagement than standard blog posts when shared on visual platforms.
Create infographics that:
- Summarize key data points or statistics relevant to your niche.
- Present step-by-step processes in a visual format.
- Compare products, tools, or approaches side by side.
- Use your brand colors and fonts for consistent recognition.
Tools like Canva and Venngage offer Pinterest-optimized infographic templates that simplify the design process. Link each infographic pin to a related blog post on your WordPress site for maximum traffic value.
10. Pin to the Most Relevant Board First
When you create a new pin, the first board you save it to gives Pinterest the strongest signal about what the pin is about. This initial categorization influences how Pinterest distributes the pin in search results and the Smart Feed.
Always pin new content to your most relevant, niche-specific board before repinning to other boards or group boards. For example, if your new pin is about WordPress on-page SEO, pin it to your “WordPress SEO” board first, then to broader boards like “Blogging Tips” afterward.
11. Optimize Your Profile Name for Search
Your Pinterest profile name is searchable, and most users waste this prime real estate. Instead of using just your name or brand name, append your primary keywords to make your profile discoverable when people search for topics you cover.
Examples:
- “WBcom Designs | WordPress Themes and Plugins”
- “Digital Marketing Hub | SEO, Content, and Social Media Tips”
- “Sarah Creates | WordPress Design and Development”
Keep it natural and readable. Keyword stuffing in your profile name looks spammy and can deter potential followers.
12. Use the Right Tools to Scale Your Efforts
Growing a Pinterest following manually is possible but inefficient. The right tools automate repetitive tasks and provide data-driven insights that accelerate growth.
Essential Pinterest growth tools:
- Tailwind - Schedule pins, identify optimal posting times, and access Tailwind Communities (formerly Tribes) for content sharing with like-minded creators.
- Canva - Design professional pin graphics using Pinterest-optimized templates.
- Social sharing plugins - Add Pinterest-specific sharing buttons and optimized pin descriptions to your WordPress posts to make it easy for visitors to pin your content.
- Pinterest Analytics - Study which pins, boards, and topics drive the most engagement and traffic.
13. Remove Underperforming Pins
Not every pin will succeed, and keeping low-performing pins on your profile can drag down your overall account performance. Pinterest evaluates account quality holistically, so pins with very low engagement can signal that your content is not resonating.
Periodically audit your pins using Pinterest Analytics or Tailwind’s Pin Inspector. Delete pins that have zero or near-zero engagement after several months, duplicate pins where one version clearly outperforms the other, and old pins that no longer align with your brand or content direction.
14. Pin Exclusively for Your Target Audience
Every pin on your profile should serve your target audience. If you find interesting content outside your niche, save it to secret boards instead of public ones. Your public profile should present a focused, cohesive collection that tells visitors exactly what you are about and gives them a clear reason to follow.
Ask yourself before every pin: “Would my ideal follower find this valuable?” If the answer is no, it does not belong on your public boards.
15. Invest in Strong Visual Branding
Pinterest is a visual platform, and your brand recognition depends on creating a consistent visual identity across all your pins. When users see your pins in their feed, they should recognize them instantly as yours, even before reading the text.
Visual branding best practices for Pinterest:
- Use tall, vertical images (2:3 ratio, ideally 1000×1500 pixels).
- Maintain consistent brand colors, fonts, and styling across all pins.
- Include your website URL or logo on every pin for attribution.
- Use white space generously for a clean, professional appearance.
- Create multiple pin designs per blog post for testing and broader reach.
16. Revive Your Best Evergreen Content
One of Pinterest’s greatest advantages is that content has an extraordinarily long lifespan. A pin created months or even years ago can suddenly gain traction and drive significant traffic. Actively promoting your best-performing evergreen content ensures it continues working for you.
Regularly repin your top-performing pins to relevant boards and group boards. Create fresh pin designs for your most popular blog posts to give them new life in the feed. Update pin descriptions with current keywords and trends to maintain search relevance.
17. A/B Test Your Pin Designs
Assumptions about what works on Pinterest are often wrong. The only reliable way to know what resonates with your audience is systematic testing. Create two to four different pin designs for the same blog post, varying elements like headline text, background colors, imagery, and font choices.
After giving each variant at least a week of distribution, check Pinterest Analytics to see which version generates more saves, clicks, and follows. Use these insights to refine your design approach and apply winning patterns to future pins. Over time, this testing discipline builds a pin creation system that reliably produces high-performing content.
A/B testing on Pinterest follows the same principles as landing page A/B testing on your WordPress site. Let data guide your creative decisions rather than guesswork.
Summary
Growing your Pinterest following is a long-term investment that compounds over time. Unlike platforms where content disappears within hours, every pin you create, every board you optimize, and every follower you gain continues to generate value for months and years ahead.
Start by implementing three to five of these strategies consistently, measure results through Pinterest Analytics, and expand your approach as you see what works for your specific niche and audience. The publishers who succeed on Pinterest are not those who try everything at once but those who execute the fundamentals consistently and let the platform’s unique longevity work in their favor.
Combined with a well-optimized WordPress site that converts Pinterest traffic into subscribers and customers, a strong Pinterest following becomes one of the most reliable and cost-effective growth channels available to online businesses today.
How to Increase Organic Traffic to Your WordPress Site
Related reading