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Pinterest is our top choice for creators who want to drive consistent traffic to their websites. It really is a game-changer when it comes to finding a new audience and creating super fans who come back again and again for your content. If you are posting amazing new content regularly on Pinterest, but you still aren’t seeing an increase in traffic, it might be time to look at when you’re posting. We have shared before how different Pinterest is from other types of social media. There are a couple of ways it’s the same though and the biggest one is the importance of when you post. So when is the right time to post to Pinterest? Let’s get into some of the things you should consider when trying to create the perfect posting schedule on Pinterest. Finding the best time to post on Pinterest will help you increase traffic and grow your audience!
There are 3 main things to keep in mind when developing your posting schedule. Here are the most important things to know.
When we talk about how Pinterest is different than other social media, one of the big reasons for this is the functionality. Pinterest is a visual search engine. That means that, unlike Instagram, people search for a topic or idea and get Pins that relate. The close equivalent of this on Instagram would be a hashtag. But a hashtag’s purpose on Instagram is usually to help you find people to follow. This isn’t usually why people are using Pinterest.
One thing we know about search engines like the Pinterest algorithm is that they require time. They need time to understand what topics and queries the Pin is related to. When someone searches for something on Pinterest, Pinterest wants to make sure the Pinner is getting what they’re looking for. The Pinterest algorithm looks at a Pin and analyzes it for content and meaning before allowing it to be accessed via search.
What does that mean as a creator? Your Pin might not be found through a search for up to 30 days while it’s being indexed. That means if you wait until the last minute to Pin a time-sensitive blog post, your audience might not see it in time.
Consider the reasons why people log on to Pinterest. The most common reasons? To be inspired, to solve a problem, or to plan. Understanding the motivation behind Pinners to use the platform can be helpful when determining when to Pin. If you are in a seasonal industry, such as a food blogger or a wedding planner, you have to be offering solutions before the person looking for them has even begun to PLAN.
Let’s look at this a little more closely. If someone gets engaged in December, they might be ready to start planning for their summer wedding. That means that as a wedding planner, your audience is going to want summer wedding ideas in winter. So if you haven’t already posted planning timelines, summer wedding ideas, seasonal events leading up to the wedding, etc. you’ve now lost the ability to inspire a huge group of your ideal customer.
Knowing your audience and knowing their why is crucial to Pinning at the right time.
The importance of understanding your current and ideal customer can’t be overstated. It’s never more important than when planning content for Pinterest. While an overall understanding of Pinner activity is helpful, knowing your particular audience is crucial. Do you know when your current audience is online? What time zone they’re in? Which days and times they log in to the platform? Do you know why?
Certainly, Pinterest is different than Instagram in that you don’t have to worry as much about your content getting lost in a feed if you don’t post at the right times. That being said, knowing when your current audience is most likely to see your new content is helpful!
Why is considering your current audience important on Pinterest? The Pinners who follow you are more likely to see your new Pins on their Home page. That gives your Pin an extra boost of reach before it has the time to be indexed.
Additionally, the algorithm does favor newer content, so even though your content might not be indexed properly to be viewable through search, people will still see it. By looking for signals of user engagement, they rank pins accordingly, meaning they get seen by people just scrolling through their home feed. Your audience is more likely to see them if you’ve pinned them at an optimal time.
Now that we’ve gone over the basic considerations, let’s get into the content!
Pinterest prioritizes pushing content to home feeds in this order:
What does that tell us? You’re more likely to get new eyes on your content if you are prioritizing new content and new Pins. If you’re a content creator who is only repinning other content, you likely won’t build your audience very quickly.
Additionally, you should pin content that is related to your niche or business from other creators as well. Repinning really is the heart of Pinterest, so this is absolutely a feature you should be taking advantage of.
If you’re looking for ideas for what your audience might be interested in, Pinterest has a great tool for that! Head to Pinterest Analytics and click on Audience Insights. This will tell you your audience size and give you some topics that your audience is interested in. This is great information for thinking about new content your audience might enjoy too.
Most importantly, daily Pinning is what will get you results. Sharing new content every day will maximize your growth through Pinterest. That doesn’t mean you have to share a new product or write a new blog post every day. You can make new Pins for previously posted content too! Consistently posting each and every day for 3 months is going to get you the best results.
Keep in mind, this doesn’t have to be brand new content every day! You can make new pins for old content or you can repin other’s work as well! Using a scheduler will really help with automating this process.
Pinterest will always prioritize new content over previously posted content. A brand new URL with a brand new Pin is more likely to be widely distributed. For this reason, creating new content with fresh Pins should be your biggest priority. We recommend that this type of content take up the largest percentage of your schedule.
Despite what you might have heard, a quality Pinning strategy does include repinning other creator’s content! Yes, you should be repinning content that doesn’t link back to your website. Why? It positions you as an expert in your niche by sharing high-quality content that compliments your own. And honestly, it’s what the platform is for! Take advantage of it and help your fellow creators grow.
The best ratio of how much to repin is the question here. Unfortunately, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. It’s dependent on your audience, your niche, and the amount of content you have to share.
Analyzing an exact ratio can be tricky. We recommend consulting with a Pinterest Manager to help you create the perfect balance as well as find some of the perfect high-quality complementary content to share with your audience.
The best time to Pin is when it will be useful to your audience. This means understanding when your audience is online, what your audience is looking for, and the indexing timeline on Pinterest. Knowing your audience is once again key!
That means the best time to Pin is a little different for everyone.
Take notes about holidays or seasons that will be most important for your niche. Do you have a time of year that’s slower than others? Do you make content around certain holidays? Does your content have seasonality, when you are posting about certain topics for a specific part of the year (for example, back to school)? Even if your niche is relevant throughout the year, using certain keywords during seasonal times can help you be found by a new audience.
Finally, consider the location of your audience. Are you an American creator who makes content that is most often viewed in Europe? It wouldn’t make sense to post on an American posting schedule in that case. Are you making content that is most often viewed by parents? Posting during school pick-up wouldn’t make much sense. To find this, you can once again head to Pinterest Analytics to see your Audience Insights. There it will show you the countries of origin from users that are engaging the most with your content.
There are a few ways to figure out the ideal time to post. Looking at your top pins and the time/date/day/month that you posted them can be helpful, but time-consuming. Google Analytics has some great ways to view this if that’s set up on your website. You can also use Pinterest Analytics to get some additional information, as long as you have a Business account.
To find the best schedule to post for our clients, we use Tailwind. Tailwind can analyze when your audience is engaging with your content the most. It can also create a Smart Schedule at the click of a button, ensuring that your content is posted at times when your people are most likely to be online. You can even input the number of times you want to Pin daily and the schedule will adjust.
The Smart Schedule is created using timeslots based on when your audience is most likely to be engaged. This helps increase the reach of your content. You get this schedule by sharing how often you’d like to post daily. It considers your SmartLoops as well.
Once you’ve set your optimized schedule based on your personal preferences, you have the option of adding more timeslots with a single click. The recommended timeslots are additional times where your audience is likely to be online.
You can add additional slots outside of the optimized times if you’d like! Tailwind makes it easy to do this.
By inputting your Timezone, Tailwind helps you see when your Pins will be posted based on your location. This is helpful for creators who have a large audience in a timezone different from their own.
Knowing as much about your target audience as possible is invaluable as a content creator. If you’re making content, but your audience isn’t interested, even posting at the most optimal time will get you nowhere. If you aren’t sure, try asking them! Reach out to people, ask your contacts if you can interview them, send surveys. There are a million ways to test your offers.
Don’t forget that Pins can take up to 30 days to index. Envision the time of year that your audience is most likely to be seeking your content and make sure you are prepared. This isn’t necessary for all creators (such as those who make content that is evergreen, meaning always sought after). If your niche does have seasonality, we recommend a 60-day timeline. That’s from the beginning of creating content to posting. This also means that content that is only helpful for a short window, like a sale or a deal, isn’t ideal for Pinterest Pins.
Again, remember indexing! Any time there is a holiday or a season change, don’t wait until the last minute to make Pins or write content. If you want to post about Back to School, better get that blog post ready by July! We recommend making a content calendar for the entire quarter at once to help you with this!
Reducing time spent on doing things outside of creating content is important when that’s your job! Using a scheduler for Pinterest means you can automate a lot of the work you’d be doing manually. By setting up a scheduler like Tailwind, you can reduce the amount of time you spend Pinning without sacrificing the daily content that will get you the best results. Tailwind offers a Free Forever plan, so you can get started today without paying a dime.
When determining the best times to post on Pinterest, don’t forget to think about your audience and the algorithm. Plan ahead and use all of the available tools to learn more about your audience preferences. If you’ve been posting on Pinterest consistently, but you’re still struggling to see traffic, reach out to an expert! We would love to help you with your content plan or create a custom social media strategy for your business. Contact us here!
👋 whitney + allie, wave co-founders
https://open.spotify.com/episode/06IxsPXvm1Pk4rTZrD0hrX?si=e0b72f3021a9486a
disclosure: wave social is part of the affiliate network for some of these online tools and products, so we may receive a small commission if you purchase through any of our links.
