How To Market You Self Published Book With Pinterest

Maybe it started with the steep decline of Facebook referral traffic. Maybe it was just the evolution of social media.

At some point in time, mood board social network Pinterest became known as an excellent marketing platform for authors looking to promote their books.

This is why there are so many Pinterest boards that focus on book promotion.

It’s also why modern writers shouldn’t gloss over this promising source of website traffic and brand awareness.

In case you haven’t been paying attention to Pinterest, this article will show you why it’s relevant and how you can benefit from using it:

• You will learn it can be a very effective marketing tool that you can use to sell your books as well as funnel traffic into your website, and you’ll realize the best way to use Pinterest is also the most effortless and natural approach.
• You will find that not only is Pinterest a great resource to help draw attention to your writing as well as your personal brand, but it’s also a useful tool to help you organize the ideas that will eventually evolve into your work.
• When you finish reading the following sections, you may find yourself wondering what took you so long to catch up with Pinterest.

This social network will likely become a valuable weapon in your author’s arsenal, once you realize how useful and valuable it can be. Are you ready?

[Table of Contents]

How can you start using Pinterest effectively to draw attention to your work?

Things that make your Pinterest book marketing look bad

This is how you can effortlessly make Pinterest work for you

The deductive approach to promoting your self-published book on Pinterest

The inductive approach to promoting your self-published book on Pinterest

Chase the Pinterest long tail before you try shooting for the top

Schedulers and Bulk Pinners are useful, but you don’t really need them

Pinterest ads are not oversaturated, which makes it easier to get ROI

All the good reasons to get involved in Pinterest right now

Pinterest Book Marketing for Self-Publishing Authors: Forget Everyone Else, Here’s a Better Plan

Pinterest is superficially regarded as a collaborative mood board / virtual scrapbooking website. It has been touted by its creators as a “catalog of inspirational ideas”.

The truth is somewhere between these mundane and poetic conceptions.

Simply put, Pinterest aims to provide users with a simple and efficient way to organize and share visual information.

You should care about it because a) it’s genuinely useful for research purposes and b) it can be a very respectable traffic source when you use it correctly.

Did you know there are over 3 billion Pinterest boards out there, diligently curated by over 250 million users?

The available statistics clearly attest to the popularity of this website, but it is only when you start using it and understanding the mindset of its users that you realize how why it’s a very appealing marketing tool for anyone in the publishing business.

Did you know there are over 3 billion Pinterest boards out there, diligently curated by over 250 million users?

Surely enough, Pinterest traffic volume is not quite in the same league as that of hyper-behemoths Google and Facebook.

But Pinterest is nonetheless one of the leading social media websites, with very respectable activity levels; and it’s actually when you start looking at the traffic quality as well as the relatively weaker competition and lower saturation across niches… then you start realizing there is more to this visually-oriented website than meets the eye.

How can you start using Pinterest effectively to draw attention to your work?

You won’t manage to draw the attention of Pinterest users until you are familiar with their lingo.

To develop this understanding, you must commit to actually using Pinterest (both the desktop version as well as the app) and observing how other people actually use it.

As you perceptively start looking through the most popular Pinterest boards, you will soon have interesting insights on how to best use this website to advance your cause.

There are two main aspects to keep in mind while doing this exercise: you should get familiar with the top Pinterest categories that are relevant to your work, and you should pay attention to how to best format your pins, boards, and source pictures since that will be the opening of a potential traffic funnel leading to your website.

You should look through the most popular topics on Pinterest right now, so you can begin to understand what appeals to most pinners. The meta title on the Pinterest homepage dispenses a valuable hint: “Discover recipes, home ideas, style inspiration, and other ideas to try.”

While it’s always great to try and innovate, it’s always smart to replicate what already works – a mixed approach will bring better results in the long-term.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t succeed in exploring any other topics. It means that you should find it easier to strike the interest of Pinterest users with your content, by aligning your strategy accordingly.

While it’s always great to try and innovate, it’s always smart to replicate what already works – a mixed approach will bring better results in the long-term.

Asides from knowing which topics to focus on, you also have to understand the Pinterest mindset.

This involves having a working knowledge of how to create compelling pins that are properly formatted:

• using tall vertical pictures is highly recommended (around 800px wide and between 1100-2500px tall), as well as making sure to add a watermark with your website domain or brand name
• adding copy directly in the images you pin can be very effective, especially you craft an appealing title suggesting a solution that will be elaborated on a linked article; many bloggers are using this technique to great effect
• taking the time to optimize keywords on your pins is essential; make sure to write relevant, concise, and meaningful titles, descriptions, image file names, and alt text, as well as doing preliminary keyword research
• activating the “rich pins” feature is advisable (this essentially fetches a text snippet from your website, as well as adding additional branding elements)
• upgrading your account to business is free of charge yet enables useful tools, including Pinterest ads (which you should experiment with – more on that further down)

These are the essentials that you must keep in mind. Now, before we elaborate on the best practices of Pinterest marketing, let us start by looking at the worst practices that you should mindfully avoid.

Things that make your Pinterest book marketing look bad

If you’re looking for ways to get more people reading your content, Pinterest can be a valuable ally…but only when you understand its workings.

Many tactics and procedures that work great in other social networks will simply not work here.

There’s a key consideration to keep in mind as you approach Pinterest: you may want to check your ego at the door.

You won’t get far in your Pinterest marketing if keep tooting your own horn and make it all about yourself.

Anyone who is looking to play that game might be best suited for exploring the likes of Instagram.

In direct contrast, Pinterest users don’t really seem to care much about the author’s persona; the focus here is all about adding value by creating relevant mood boards.

You will get much from Pinterest if you simply get it the habit of using it as intended – to organize your visual research in a way that may be useful for other people.

If you take the time to create well-organized boards around topics that people care about, it will naturally drive traffic to your website… especially if you do proper optimization backed up with actual Pinterest keyword research.

People will find you through your Pinterest boards while they’re researching topics that interest them, and if your boards are useful and engaging, visitors will follow the crumbs leading to your website. It’s as simple as that, really!

You will get much from Pinterest if you simply get it the habit of using it as intended – to organize your visual research in a way that may be useful for other people.

It’s quite alright if your Pinterest account is a mish-mash of your personal interests; however, each individual board you create should be laser-focused, fully keyword optimized and aligned with the popular topics – if you’re looking to enjoy some extra referral traffic from Pinterest to your website, of course.

Pinterest is not a do-or-die game of instant gratification like Facebook or Twitter, where you have a chance at having sudden traffic bursts if your posts go viral.

It’s about long-term planning and continuous growth, with quality being just as important as quantity and relevance.

Unlike other social networks where posts are mostly ephemeral, the most popular Pinterest content is evergreen and your pinboards do stand a chance of securing good search engine rankings over time.

This is why you hear about so many webmasters claiming they get a nice bit of Pinterest traffic that often builds up slowly but steadily over time.

If so many people seem to achieve this without even trying… just imagine what could be possible when you approach Pinterest strategically and effectively.

This is how you can effortlessly make Pinterest work for you

Let’s imagine you have written a mystery novel about the on-the-road adventures of a Hawaiian detective monk whose sidekick pet has a penchant for savory desserts.

This unusual premise may seem too offbeat at first glance… excessively so for comfortable digestion. How could you go about promoting this book on Pinterest?

If you were to create a board mixing all of these concepts along with random snippets of your writing, along with pictures of yourself signing autographs, maybe add a few pictures of presumably happy customers holding your book… you’d be following the run-on-the-mill advice available on most articles out there aiming to teach you about Pinterest marketing for self-publishing authors.

But would this approach be effective? Chances are it wouldn’t… not unless you already have a readership who already cares about your work.

Self-promoting content does not make for appealing pinboards since it doesn’t really convey any worthwhile ideas that directly resonates with the typical Pinterest users.

You will need to break it down. Create multiple boards on specific topics that come together to illustrate your premise.

Glamorous self-promotion would be the kind of approach that might be effective when you’re trying to build an Instagram account (whose users are more concerned about status), but it’s just not the kind of content that typically does well on Pinterest (where users are actively looking for ideas).

There’s a slightly different angle that will likely work better, and it’s an approach that you can carry out quite effortlessly… in fact, it’s something best done right when you’re still in the process researching a book, rather than just dabbling with marketing-related afterthoughts:

You will need to break it down. Create multiple boards on specific topics that come together to illustrate your premise.

Here’s the harsh truth: unless you’re writing about topics in demand, no one cares about the specific combination of elements that make your book unique… yet.

It’s up to the authors and publishers to make readers care about their work, and that is – literally – book marketing in a nutshell.

So how do you bridge the gap between what you need and what Pinterest users want?

There are two complementary approaches that you should use: deductive and inductive.

The deductive approach to promoting your self-published book on Pinterest

This is the approach you should consider using only when you have a finished product.

However, it will be dramatically more effective if your book hinges on problem-solving or if your premise has a powerful hook that is aligned with the popular Pinterest topics.

The deductive approach simply involves looking at what is working and doing more of the same.

Here’s a popular Pinterest board on self-publishing; note how all the popular pins there featured invariably revolve around proposing to solve a problem of the target readers.

The deductive approach simply involves looking at what is working and doing more of the same.

Also, note how most of the pins that are self-serving get few interactions… and usually only from the author’s followers.

If you’re writing a fiction book, you will probably do better focusing on the inductive approach detailed below.

Regardless, you may still want to create a few boards to experiment with different deductive angles, as you aim to spike the curiosity of potential readers and make them want to learn more about the premise of your book.

The inductive approach to promoting your self-published book on Pinterest

Most self-publishing authors you’ll come across who are making an impact on Pinterest are using the deductive approach, but what can you do if your book is not yet finished or otherwise doesn’t really hinge on solving a problem?

With a little creative thinking, you can turn the table around and induce readers into caring about your book by relating your story to things they already care about.

Here’s how to go about doing this:

You break down your premise into very specific elements and craft a board around each element.

This way you will manage to connect with people out there who are actively looking for each specific element, and this is your entry point into their heart, which is a stepping stone into the reader’s mind.

Once you connect with potential readers through a shared interest, you’ll find it much easier to make them care about your work.

You can make Pinterest work for you by focusing on the specifics and using them to place bread crumbs leading to your general vision.

Always keep this in mind: most users are either looking for digestible ideas or solutions to problems when they browse Pinterest. Everything else will likely fly by their radars.

Here’s how you could effectively go about promoting the hypothetically unusual mystery novel we mentioned above:

Create a board with pictures of famous detectives; a board where you collect pictures of Hawaii; another for collecting on-the-road adventures; another to compile pictures of monks and monastery life.

Does your protagonist have a corgi sidekick? Then go right ahead and start a board compiling pictures of this popular dog breed.

Does the corgi have a weird preference for munching on DIY goat soap? Perfect! That is actually one of the trending Pinterest topics right now.

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By following this inductive reasoning, you will first and foremost help yourself – since those boards will help you organize valuable references that will provide you with ideas and inspiration, as you’re going through the process of researching your book.

When you’re done writing your book, you will have several finished boards that will attract users who are already interested in elements of your book.

Not only that, but you’ll also have a network of pin boards (which are effectively keyword-optimized pages) funneling the attention of visitors towards your website, where you can take further actions to make them want to buy your book.

You should start growing your Pinterest audience by following the path of least resistance, which involves finding common ground between the ideas in your work and the ideas in user’s minds.

To this effect, you should convert your account to business, since this will unlock the crucial analytics feature (changing your account to business is free, instant and gives you access to some interesting tools including the ability to set up Pinterest adverts).

Chase the Pinterest long tail before you try shooting for the top

It’s a great start to keep your sight set on the most popular categories, as well as familiarizing yourself with the type of content that performs well on Pinterest.

But how can you possibly compete with established pinners that already have dozens of boards, each having amassed many thousands of followers and achieved enviable search engine rankings?

You can’t. Not until your Pinterest account has gained some traction will you be in a position that allows you to reach a wider exposure. But you can’t reasonably start building a house from the roof down, can you?

You will have a much easier time if you aim for the low-hanging fruit first and foremost, in order to get some fast results that you can progressively build upon.

Those who are familiar with classic keyword research for SEO might recognize this approach as “chasing the long tail”.

It’s a tactic that is somewhat deprecated in the modern SEO landscape, but it actually remains very suitable to modern-day Pinterest.

Even though Pinterest looks very much like a social media website, it actually works more like search engines used to early in this decade – and you should optimize accordingly.

So how do you find which are the most effective long-tail keywords that you should use to optimize your Pinterest content?

Even though Pinterest looks very much like a social media website, it actually works more like search engines used to early in this decade – and you should optimize accordingly.

Wherever you see a text field or image filename, you have an opportunity for optimization and should make sure to take it by adding concise, relevant, and strategic keyword-optimized copy.

While you can (and should) also get social by interacting with other pinners and trying to build a following as part of your strategy, simply uploading lots of properly optimized content will help you spin a web that will naturally funnel traffic to your website, where you can proceed to seduce potential readers into buying your book.

As you’re getting started, you may want to focus on optimizing for long-tail keywords that have lower traffic volume associated, but also less competition.

By consistently and strategically building up on your pinboards in a way that adds value to the Pinterest network, your results will also keep building up.

As your account gains authority, you’ll start picking up followers, getting your content repinned, and generally growing a stronger presence that will make it easier to stand out in competitive topics.

Does it mean there is no other way to benefit from Pinterest that by investing a lot of time and energy into it? Not necessarily so. There are several productivity tools that will make things much easier for you to manage.

Schedulers and Bulk Pinners are useful, but you don’t really need them

Make no mistake: the most effective way to use Pinterest is to be natural, and simply start using this tool regularly for its usefulness in researching and compiling visual information.

You just have to be mindful to keyword optimize your Board names, Pin titles, descriptions as well as the actual image names – which can be managed easily by doing some preliminary research to compile a list of relevant keywords to draw from as you keep adding content.

The reason why this is the ideal approach is that, like most social media websites, Pinterest seems to favor accounts with regular, on-going activity – over accounts that get sporadic, irregular bursts.

So rather than trying to cheat the system, you may find it more effective to just embrace it, enjoy it and get the most of it as a user before you hope to get anything out of it as a self-publisher or content marketer.

Granted, you may additionally want to lean on automation tools to keep your account fresh and active during your absent periods.

You can really build up a presence on Pinterest simply by using the website as intended while keeping your content strategy in sight.

While Pinterest scheduling and automation is not inherently wrong and Pinterest doesn’t seem to frown at such tools, keep in mind you will really be better off using your account as a real human with genuine interests, who interacts with other users, and engages with content on the network by repinning and commenting pins regularly.

To learn about other useful tools for Pinterest marketing and learn some interesting automatization strategies, see this useful article by one of the leading specialists in the field.

You may also want to check on Tailwind; this is the most popular, longest-running Pinterest automation service out there.

Even if you don’t care to try using Pinterest automatization, there is a very simple tool in particular that can be a massive time-saver whenever you want to upload batches of pictures from your computer into separate Pinterest boards: a bulk pinner.

You can really build up a presence on Pinterest simply by using the website as intended while keeping your content strategy in sight.

You can make things a lot easier for you to manage by using the right Pinterest marketing tools. You can also consider buying Pinterest ads to add an edge to your efforts, and it could be a wise thing to do.

In fact, why choose if you can do all of the above?

Pinterest ads are not oversaturated, which makes it easier to get ROI

The good thing about Pinterest ads is how this is a relatively new feature,
meaning the marketplace is not yet too saturated with advertisers, so there are more opportunities for striking a positive ROI.

You may want to experiment with Pinterest ads sooner than later since at this point the marketplace is not yet saturated, meaning you will find it easier to create successful campaigns.

Another reason why you may find it feasible to get a return of investment on your campaigns is that a majority of Pinterest users have advanced education, good incomes and often they also have a strong buying intent.

These aren’t your everyday passive mouse potatoes; Pinterest is mostly used by people who searching actively for something and can afford to pay for something they like.

You may want to experiment with Pinterest ads sooner than later since at this point the markeplace is not yet saturated, meaning you will find it easier to create successful campaigns.

Since pinners are often looking for stylistic inspiration or a solution to an everyday problem, you may find it easier to achieve a positive ROI with Pinterest ads comparatively to Facebook ads (where typical users are just relaxing and have low buying intent) or Google Ads (where the network is much too saturated in just about every niche, at this point).

Why not try running a test campaign right now with just a modest amount, to get a feel for the system?

All the good reasons to get involved in Pinterest right now

It doesn’t matter if you’re a blogger looking for website traffic and exposure, or a self-publishing author looking to sell books; there are many ways that you can benefit from embracing Pinterest as part of your marketing mix:

• Excellent tool for doing visual research for your content creation efforts

• Respectable traffic volume that you can tap into in different ways

• Active user base comprised of educated users with buying power

• Competition is relatively weak compared to other social media sites

• Potential to benefit from natural organic traffic over the long-term

• Inspirational content everywhere that will spark your creativity

Just remember that Pinterest marketing is a marathon rather than a sprint.

Get active, make sure to enjoy the time you spend there… and good things will happen in time.