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Nine Ways to Use Pinterest to Promote Your Writing
By Columnist Marcia Meier
November 2012
"I can see how it [Pinterest] could be a very powerful and useful tool . . ." —MEIER
Pinterest is the hottest new social media network, so it’s worth examining as a tool for promotion. As I mentioned in my last column, I’ve had a hard time getting my head around it, mostly because the sheer number of visual images makes my eyes glaze over.
But, after playing with it and doing some research, I can see how it [Pinterest] could be a very powerful and useful tool to have in your social media toolbox.
There are plenty of Internet articles about Pinterest, so I’m not going to delve into the specifics of setting up an account or how the boards and pins work. (For an excellent primer on Pinterest, check out Penny Sansevieri’s new ebook, Powerful Pinterest: How to Sell Your Stuff and Make Money on Pinterest.) I do, however, want to offer some ideas of how you can use Pinterest to promote your books and other writing.
"Post everything you pin on Facebook and Twitter . . ." —MEIER
Pin your blog posts – As with all social networks, the 80-20 rule applies here: 80 percent information/ 20 percent self-promotion. But you should pin all your blog posts that have a photo with them (and I recommend you add a photo whenever possible). I created a board called My Willow Rock Writers Blog to hold all my posts.
Post everything you pin on Facebook and Twitter at the same time you pin it. It will show up on those sites as well as in the Pinterest feed.
Pin images of your book covers, and add a catchy description as well as the link to Amazon or wherever people can buy it.
Be creative in how you describe your boards and pins. Have a little fun, but also make sure they are descriptive enough for the search engines to be able to categorize them.
Make sure you tag and categorize each pin, again so the search engines can find it.
"Create a board for your favorite books. . ." —MEIER
Create a board for your favorite books, and write mini book reviews for each.
Pin resources you think might be helpful for other writers.
Use the @tag to send pins to specific followers. Build community. Comment on other peoples’ pins, and re-pin as much as you pin original material.
Upload videos – This is a growing feature. People love videos. Do you have book trailers? Video of you doing a book signing or a reading? Pin them.
There are many other resources on the Internet with great ideas for using Pinterest. Here are a few I found particularly helpful:
Marcia Meier is an author, award-winning journalist, writing coach and developmental book editor. Her book, Navigating the Rough Waters of Today’s Publishing World: Critical Advice for Writers from Industry Insiders (Quill Driver Books, 2010), was named one of “10 Great Books on Writing from 2010” by The Writer magazine. Learn more about Marcia on her web site.
