Unleashing the full potential of Pinterest can be a game-changer for any blogger, yet it often feels overwhelming. This detailed guide reveals my journey to finally mastering Pinterest, all thanks to the intelligent scheduling power of Tailwind. I’ll walk you through my proven methods, share actionable tips for utilizing Tailwind effectively, and highlight the astounding growth I witnessed in a mere four weeks. Spoiler alert: It’s proven to be the best investment of $10 a month for my business!
Hello fellow creators! Today, I’m thrilled to pull back the curtain on a tool that has truly transformed my approach to Pinterest: Tailwind. For many bloggers, Pinterest can feel like a vast, enigmatic landscape – a platform with immense potential that’s notoriously difficult to tame. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the need to maintain an active Pinterest presence, constantly struggling to increase repins and grow your follower count, then this post is specifically for you. While my regular readers are usually here for delicious recipes (and if you are, feel free to indulge in these lemon poppy seed cookies and check back next week for more culinary delights!), today’s focus is on an essential blogging strategy. Let’s dive deep into how you can conquer Pinterest, just as I did!
The Indispensable Power of Pinterest for Bloggers
In the digital landscape, Pinterest stands out as more than just another social media platform; it functions as a powerful visual search engine. For my blog, Tastes Lovely, Pinterest is an absolute powerhouse, consistently driving nearly 60% of all incoming traffic. Despite this undeniable impact, it was, for a long time, the social channel I allocated the least amount of attention to. This oversight meant I was leaving a significant amount of potential traffic and audience growth on the table. Once I truly recognized Pinterest as the valuable “gold mine” it is, I committed to taking it seriously and cultivating a much stronger, more strategic presence. After all, if I’m dedicating countless hours and boundless energy to developing and perfecting wonderful recipes, my primary goal is for those recipes to be discovered, shared, and enjoyed by as many people as possible.
My initial approach to Pinterest was, in retrospect, entirely flawed. Whenever I published a new post, my strategy was simple: pin the recipe to all relevant boards simultaneously, and then consider my Pinterest duties done for the day. This method, while seemingly efficient at the time, is a critical misstep. Pinning the same image to multiple boards in rapid succession flags your activity as spammy in Pinterest’s algorithm. The consequence? Your content gets suppressed, failing to appear in your followers’ feeds, and effectively nullifying your effort. This is precisely where Tailwind steps in to revolutionize your strategy.
What is Tailwind and Why is it a Game-Changer?
Tailwind is an indispensable platform designed to streamline and optimize your Pinterest pinning strategy. At its core, Tailwind allows you to schedule your pins, ensuring consistent activity without the need for constant manual intervention. Upon logging into your Tailwind account, you’re greeted with an intuitive virtual calendar. This calendar serves as your command center, where you can meticulously create and customize time slots throughout the day, dictating precisely when your pins will be published to your Pinterest account. Once these slots are set, you can effortlessly populate them with your chosen pins, and Tailwind takes over, automatically posting them at the scheduled times. This automated process offers two primary, incredibly powerful benefits for any content creator:
1. Cultivating a Constant, Engaging Pinterest Presence
Consistency is paramount on Pinterest. My current Tailwind schedule is strategically set to publish approximately one to two pins per hour, spanning from 5 AM to 11 PM. This means that even if I’m not actively logged into Pinterest all day, Tailwind ensures my content is continuously being shared. This consistent flow dramatically increases the likelihood that my followers will encounter my pins in their feeds, regardless of when they choose to log on. It ensures that my profile remains active, vibrant, and continually providing value to my audience, fostering greater engagement and visibility. This consistent presence signals to Pinterest that your account is active and valuable, positively impacting your content’s reach.
2. Smart Pin Distribution to Avoid Spam and Boost Reach
Before Tailwind, I faced a dilemma: either mass-pin all my recipes at once (a definite no-no, as discussed) or manually remember to pin my recipes to different boards at staggered intervals throughout the week. The latter was a logistical nightmare, demanding constant vigilance and often leading to missed opportunities. Tailwind completely eradicates this problem. By spreading out your pins strategically across different boards and over time, your activity appears natural and organic to Pinterest’s algorithm. This intelligent distribution prevents your pins from being flagged as spam, ensuring they reach your followers’ feeds and maximizing their potential for engagement, repins, and ultimately, traffic to your blog.
My Transformative Results: A Pinterest Success Story
The impact of scheduling pins with Tailwind has been nothing short of phenomenal, and I saw significant results in just four weeks. Before I embraced Tailwind’s capabilities, my Pinterest follower count hovered at less than 900. Fast forward a month, and that number had skyrocketed to almost 2,500! And the growth continues every single day. This rapid expansion in followers isn’t just a vanity metric; it signifies a broader reach for my content and a growing community around my brand. Tailwind’s robust dashboard makes tracking this progress effortless, providing clear, concise reports on your Pinterest stats. Here’s a snapshot of my follower activity from just a single week:
While followers are important, repins are arguably even more crucial for driving traffic and expanding your content’s virality. When I first joined Tailwind, my total repin count was under 3,000. Just four weeks later, that number soared to nearly 14,000! This exponential increase in repins directly translates to a massive boost in traffic to my blog over the past few weeks. Every repin is a new opportunity for someone to discover my content, leading them directly to my site. My only regret is not having started this sooner!
These tangible results underscore the profound impact that a well-executed, consistent Pinterest strategy, powered by a tool like Tailwind, can have on a blog’s growth and visibility. It’s not just about pinning; it’s about smart, strategic pinning.
Mastering Your Pinterest Foundation: Organize Your Boards
Before you even begin scheduling with Tailwind, optimizing your Pinterest boards is a critical first step. A well-organized profile not only enhances user experience but also signals clarity and relevance to Pinterest’s algorithm. Here’s how to get your boards in prime shape:
1. Enhance Your Board Categories for Maximum Reach
The more specific and comprehensive your board categories, the more opportunities you create for your pins to be discovered by highly relevant audiences. I conducted a thorough audit of my existing boards and was surprised to find glaring omissions – basic categories like “Soup Recipes” or “Vegan Meals” were missing. My advice: go through all your recipe categories or blog topics and create corresponding, detailed boards. Think about seasonal boards (e.g., “Summer Grilling Recipes”), dietary needs (e.g., “Gluten-Free Desserts”), or specific ingredients (e.g., “Chicken Dinners”). You can explore all the organized boards I’ve created by visiting my Pinterest profile for inspiration.
2. Strategically Organize Your Board Order
The arrangement of your boards on your profile matters. When visitors land on your page, you want them to immediately see your most relevant and popular content. Rearrange your boards so that your primary niche or most sought-after categories are prominently displayed at the top. For example, since my blog features a significant number of dinner recipes, all my “Dinner” and “Side Dish” boards are positioned in the first row. This strategic placement ensures that my target audience sees the content they are most likely interested in first, improving engagement and discovery.
3. Optimize Your Board Cover Photos for Visual Appeal
This might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many boards feature a generic or irrelevant image as their cover. A professional, appealing cover photo enhances your brand image and makes your profile more inviting. Ensure each board’s cover photo is a high-quality image of one of your own recipes or a representative image of the board’s content. To change a cover: first, pin the desired image from your website directly to the board. Then, log into Pinterest, navigate to that board, click ‘Edit Board,’ then ‘Change Cover.’ The image you just pinned should be readily available for selection. This simple step elevates the aesthetic of your entire profile.
4. Leverage Group Boards: A Collaborative Growth Strategy
Group boards are powerful collaborative tools that can dramatically extend the reach of your pins to new audiences. Each group board typically has its own set of rules and an invitation process. When you find a board you wish to join, always look for joining instructions in its description. If no instructions are visible, don’t despair! I’ve discovered a clever trick to track down the board owner: when you click on a group board, the username of the person who created it is often embedded within the URL. It will typically look something like “pinterest.com/theirusername/board-name.”
Once you have their username, navigate to their personal Pinterest profile by typing pinterest.com/theirusername into your browser. From their profile, you can often find a link to their website, and frequently, their contact email address. Before reaching out, make sure to follow the person on Pinterest and perhaps a few of their boards. Then, craft a concise and polite email expressing your interest:
“Hi [Board Creator’s Name],
I’m Natalie from Tastes Lovely, and I’m a huge admirer of your ‘XXX Pinterest Group Board’! I have a growing collection of [mention your niche, e.g., healthy dinner recipes] that I believe would be a perfect fit and highly valuable for your followers. I’m currently following your boards on Pinterest and would be honored to contribute.
I’m excited to see what you share next!
Thanks,
Natalie
www.tasteslovely.com
pinterest.com/tasteslovely”
This method has yielded an impressive success rate of approximately 75% for me! Remember to always follow the group board rules once you’re accepted, and contribute high-quality, relevant pins to ensure a positive collaborative experience.
Signing Up for Tailwind: Your Investment in Pinterest Success
With your Pinterest boards expertly organized and optimized, the next crucial step is to sign up for Tailwind. This platform offers flexible membership options designed to cater to various needs and budgets:
- Monthly Membership: Priced at $15 per month, this option offers flexibility with monthly deductions and a limit of 400 pins per month. It’s an excellent choice for those who prefer not to commit long-term or are testing the waters. You can cancel this membership at any time.
- Annual Membership: For a more cost-effective solution, the Annual membership is $115, which translates to an incredible value of just $9.99 per month. This plan is billed once a year and provides you with unlimited pins each month, making it ideal for high-volume pinners and serious bloggers.
I personally opted for the annual membership, and I can confidently say it has been the best $10 a month investment I’ve ever made for my blog. The unlimited pinning capability, coupled with the robust features, provides unparalleled value and peace of mind.
Setting Up Your Optimized Tailwind Schedule Calendar
Once you’ve successfully signed up for Tailwind, your first order of business is to establish your personalized Schedule Calendar. This is where the magic of consistent, strategic pinning begins. To access this feature, simply navigate to Publish > Your Schedule within your Tailwind dashboard.
Upon your initial setup, Tailwind will present a few default time slots based on general best practices. However, to truly maximize your reach, I recommend customizing this schedule extensively. I’ve populated my calendar with approximately one to two pinning times per hour, stretching from 5 AM to 11 PM. This extensive schedule ensures constant visibility and engagement throughout the day. Here’s a glimpse of what my current weekly schedule calendar looks like:
With around 25-30 time slots per day, my content is always circulating. Adding new time slots is incredibly straightforward: click the blue ‘ADD TIME SLOT’ button, drag the slider to your desired time, and click ‘ADD TIME SLOT’ again. It’s that easy!
One of Tailwind’s most intelligent features is its ability to analyze your audience’s activity and recommend optimal pinning times. After a few days of using the platform, you’ll notice light green time slots appearing on your schedule calendar. These are data-driven suggestions from Tailwind, indicating when your followers are most active and engaged, leading to the highest repin rates. Always add these recommended slots! Simply click on them, and they are automatically integrated into your schedule, further optimizing your strategy. This feature looks like this:
Your Daily Pinning Workflow: Scheduling Pins with Tailwind
Now that your customized schedule calendar is perfectly set up, it’s time to populate it with pins! This is where you transform your content strategy from reactive to proactive.
My initial comprehensive task was to go through every single recipe on my site and schedule it to all appropriate, newly organized boards. This was a significant undertaking, taking approximately eight dedicated hours, but it was an invaluable investment. It also offered a nostalgic, sometimes cringeworthy, look back at some of my older recipes! The effort ensured that all my content, especially with the addition of new categories and group boards, was strategically placed for maximum visibility and discoverability.
Scheduling Your Own Content from Your Website
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how I schedule pins directly from my website, using my Blackened Cajun Mahi Mahi recipe as an example:
- When I’m viewing a recipe on my site that I want to pin, I simply click the “Pin It” button, just as I normally would.
- A pop-up window will appear. Within this window, I select the dedicated “Tailwind Schedule” button.
- This action redirects me to a new Tailwind scheduling interface. Here, I can conveniently select all the relevant boards where I want this pin to be published. Additionally, if needed, I have the option to refine or optimize the pin’s description – though most bloggers are proficient at crafting compelling pin descriptions, so this step is rarely necessary for my own content.
- After meticulously selecting all the appropriate boards, I simply click the “Add to Queue Now” button.
That’s it! The pin is now queued within Tailwind, ready to be automatically scheduled and published according to my predetermined calendar. This is the streamlined process I employ for all my own content, as well as for supporting fellow blogging friends whose blogs I regularly visit and comment on.
Curating Content: Scheduling Pins from Other Blogs (Feedly Method)
The vastness of the blogosphere means there are countless excellent blogs and inspiring recipes out there. While I strive to engage with as many as possible, I simply don’t have endless time to visit every single one. However, I still want to support my favorite bloggers, share their fantastic content, and save their recipes for my personal use. Thankfully, Tailwind, in conjunction with Feedly, offers a brilliant solution for efficient content curation.
I organize my Feedly feeds into three distinct sections: “Comment | Read” (blogs I deeply engage with), “Photo | Video” (for staying updated with other photographers and videographers), and “Pin Only.” The “Pin Only” feeds are dedicated to blogs I enjoy and wish to keep up with, even if I don’t have the time to leave comments. But crucially, I still want to pin their valuable content using Tailwind. Here’s how I do it, using Lindsay from Pinch of Yum as an illustrative example:
- When I scroll over an image within my Feedly feed, a convenient “Pin It” button materializes in the top-left corner of the photo.
- Clicking this “Pin It” button triggers the familiar Pinterest scheduling window. From here, I can utilize the same method I outlined above to schedule the pin to my Tailwind queue.
This integration is wonderfully seamless! Feedly intelligently populates the correct recipe URL and automatically uses the recipe title as the pin name. This makes pinning high-quality, relevant content from other sources an incredibly fast and efficient process, enriching my Pinterest boards and providing diverse value to my followers.
The Power of the Shuffle Queue: Diversifying Your Feed
After you’ve diligently scheduled all your pins, there’s one crucial final step to ensure optimal performance and avoid a monotonous feed. When you schedule multiple pins, they initially stack up sequentially in your Tailwind calendar in the exact order you added them. This isn’t ideal; for example, you wouldn’t want all your Blackened Cajun Mahi Mahi pins appearing back-to-back in your followers’ feeds. The solution is to introduce variety and mix them up. The easiest and most effective way to achieve this is by utilizing Tailwind’s “Shuffle Queue” button.
Here’s how I integrate this essential step into my workflow:
- Upon logging into Tailwind, navigate to Publish > Scheduled Pins. This section serves as your central hub for reviewing all the pins you’ve scheduled.
Here, you’ll see a robust queue of pins, all patiently waiting to go live and drive repins, followers, and valuable traffic to your site.
- If you scroll all the way to the bottom of the “Your Schedule” section on the right, you’ll notice that your most recently added pins are clustered together, appearing in the order they were initially added. This is the sequential arrangement we want to avoid.
- While you technically could manually drag and drop each pin into your preferred order and time slot, this is an incredibly time-consuming and tedious process. My preference, and recommendation, is to simply click the “Shuffle Queue” button. This brilliant feature instantly randomizes the order of your queued pins, effortlessly filling up all your available time slots with a diverse mix of content.
And just like that, you’re done! At this point, I often have a substantial backlog of pins built up, frequently enough to last me through the end of the next month. This level of organization provides immense peace of mind and ensures a consistent, varied flow of content to my audience.
Advanced Scheduling Techniques: Targeting Specific Dates with Tailwind
Beyond general content distribution, Tailwind offers a powerful feature for scheduling pins for specific dates and times, which is particularly useful for seasonal content, holiday recipes, or evergreen posts that you want to resurface strategically. Let me share one more invaluable Tailwind tip for this purpose.
Many recipes are inherently seasonal. For example, I created a delicious Slow Cooker Irish Guinness Beef Stew for St. Patrick’s Day. Naturally, I want to ensure that this recipe is promoted again around St. Patrick’s Day next year to capitalize on seasonal interest and drive renewed traffic to an older, relevant post.
Here’s how to schedule a pin for a future specific date:
- Begin by scheduling the pin to all appropriate boards as you normally would, following the steps outlined above.
- Once these new pins are in your queue, navigate to your “Scheduled Pins” section in Tailwind. You’ll typically need to go to the last page to locate these newly added pins.
- Once you’ve identified the specific pin you wish to schedule for a future date, click on the time displayed in the top right corner of that pin.
- This action will bring up a pop-up window, allowing you to easily select a precise future date and time for this pin to be published. For my Guinness Beef Stew, I scheduled it to post one week before St. Patrick’s Day next year. This is an incredibly effective strategy for breathing new life into older blog posts and capturing timely audience interest.
A key advantage of this feature is that when a pin is manually scheduled for a specific date and time, it becomes “locked.” This means it will not be affected or shuffled if you later use the “Shuffle Queue” button. It will permanently remain scheduled for your designated time, unless you manually go in and change it again. This level of control ensures your most important, time-sensitive content goes out exactly when you need it to.
Cheers to Your Pinterest Mastery!
Congratulations! By following these steps and leveraging the power of Tailwind, you are now equipped to take complete control of your Pinterest strategy and transform into a true Pinterest Champion. The days of struggling with inconsistent pinning, limited reach, and stagnant growth are behind you. With Tailwind, you can achieve remarkable results in follower growth, repins, and ultimately, traffic to your blog, just as I have. Don’t delay in harnessing this incredible tool for your own success!
Ready to revolutionize your Pinterest presence? Sign up for Tailwind today! If you choose to sign up by clicking on any of the Tailwind links provided throughout this post, I will receive a small affiliate commission. This support helps fund my grocery bills, allowing me to continue bringing you all the lovely recipes you enjoy.
I am eager to hear about your experiences and answer any questions you might have. Please feel free to leave your queries in the comments section below, and I’ll do my best to provide helpful responses. Furthermore, if you have any additional Tailwind tips or strategies that have worked wonders for you, please share them! I’m always looking to learn and would be happy to update this post with valuable insights from our community.
Image credits: 1st image via Classy Clutter, 2nd image of champagne via Goutaste. This post contains affiliate links, and I genuinely appreciate your support!