Tony Hill
Tony Hill is a digital marketer with nearly 20 years of experience. He recently shared how he gets over 1 million page views per month from Pinterest. This success came after his Google search traffic dropped significantly. Tony turned to Pinterest as an alternative traffic source and developed strategies that now bring him a large number of visitors.
In the past, Tony focused on creating content for Google. However, recent changes to Google's algorithm hurt his traffic. This led him to explore other ways to get visitors to his websites. He found that Pinterest could be a valuable source of traffic.
Tony's approach to Pinterest is similar to SEO for Google. He studies how the platform works and creates content that does well on it. His methods include understanding Pinterest's interests, creating the right kind of pins, and posting regularly.
This article digs into Tony's Pinterest strategies. We'll look at how he uses the platform, what kind of content he makes, and how he designs his pins. Tony also shares how long it usually takes to see results, which is helpful if you're just starting out. He points out some common mistakes too, so you can avoid them. By the time you finish reading, you should have a good grasp on how to use Pinterest to improve your website traffic.
Why he started using Pinterest
Tony Hill didn't always focus on Pinterest. For years, he relied mainly on Google for traffic to his websites. He was good at optimizing content for Google's search engine and saw great results. However, things changed when Google updated its algorithms. Many website owners, including Tony, saw their traffic drop sharply.
This sudden drop in visitors was a wake-up call for Tony. He realized he couldn't depend on just one source of traffic. That's when he started looking for other ways to get people to visit his sites. He tried different platforms, but Pinterest caught his attention. He saw that many people were using Pinterest to find information and ideas. This made him think it could be a good fit for his content.
Tony decided to learn everything he could about Pinterest. He studied how the platform works, what kind of content does well on it, and how people use it. As he experimented with Pinterest, he found that it could bring in a lot of visitors. More importantly, these visitors were often interested in the topics he wrote about. This encouraged him to focus more on Pinterest and develop strategies to use it effectively.
Pinterest vs. other platforms
Tony found that Pinterest is quite different from other social media platforms. For example, on Facebook, you often need to build a large following or pay for ads to get your content seen. But on Pinterest, you can get traffic even if you don't have any followers. This makes it easier for new creators to get started.
Another difference is how long content lasts on the platform. On Twitter or Facebook, posts often disappear from people's feeds quickly. But on Pinterest, pins can continue to be found and shared for months or even years. This means the work you put into creating pins can pay off for a long time.
Tony also noticed that Pinterest users often come to the platform with different intentions. While people might go to Facebook to chat with friends or share personal updates, Pinterest users are often looking for ideas or information. This makes Pinterest a good fit for content that teaches, inspires, or solves problems.
Compared to Google, Pinterest requires less technical optimization. With Google, Tony used to spend a lot of time worrying about things like keyword density and sentence structure. But with Pinterest, he found he could focus more on creating visually appealing content that people want to save and share.
His current Pinterest stats
Tony's efforts on Pinterest have paid off in a big way. He currently gets just under a million clicks per month from the platform. This is a huge number of visitors coming to his websites through Pinterest alone.
It's worth noting that this number has fluctuated over time. Tony mentioned that he used to get over a million clicks a month, but it dropped slightly. This was partly because his Google traffic decreased, which had a knock-on effect on his Pinterest traffic. He explained that when people came to his site from Google, they would often pin his images to Pinterest. This created a cycle where Google traffic led to more Pinterest traffic. When his Google traffic dropped, it also impacted his Pinterest numbers.
Despite this slight decrease, Tony's Pinterest traffic remains impressive. Getting close to a million clicks a month from a single platform is a significant achievement. It shows that his strategies for creating and sharing content on Pinterest are working well.
Pinterest SEO
Pinterest SEO, or Search Engine Optimization for Pinterest, is a key part of Tony's strategy. While many people think of Pinterest as just a place for pretty pictures, Tony explains that it works a lot like a search engine.
Just as Google uses words to understand and categorize web pages, Pinterest uses text to make sense of the images and pins on its platform. This means that the words you use in your pin titles, descriptions, and even the text on your images matter a lot.
Tony discovered that Pinterest has its own version of keywords, which it calls "interests" or "annotations". These are topics that Pinterest has identified as important to its users. There are over 11 million of these interests in Pinterest's database. When you create a pin, Pinterest tries to match it with relevant interests. The more closely your pin matches these interests, the more likely it is to show up in searches or be recommended to users.
To take advantage of this, Tony researches which interests are relevant to his content. He uses tools he's developed, like Pin Clicks, to search through Pinterest's interest database. This helps him understand what topics are popular and how Pinterest categorizes different types of content. He then makes sure to use these interests in his pin titles, descriptions, and the content of his blog posts.
Another important aspect of Pinterest SEO is understanding how the platform ranks content. Just like Google, Pinterest considers factors like relevance and engagement when deciding which pins to show. This means creating pins that not only match what people are searching for, but also encourage people to save and click on them.
By applying these SEO principles to Pinterest, Tony has been able to increase the visibility of his content massively. This approach helps his pins show up more often in search results and get recommended to more users, driving more traffic to his websites.
Effective Pinterest strategies
Tony has developed several strategies to make the most of Pinterest. One key approach is to create content that appeals to Pinterest's audience. He notes that Pinterest users are often looking for ideas or solutions to problems. This means that "how-to" guides, tips, and inspirational content tend to do well.
Another strategy Tony uses is to create multiple pins for each piece of content on his website. For example, if he has a blog post about "10 Easy Dinner Recipes," he might create several different pins, each highlighting a different recipe from the post. This increases the chances of one of the pins catching someone's attention.
Tony also pays close attention to visual design. He studies pins that perform well in his niche and tries to understand what makes them attractive. This might include things like the color scheme, the font used, or the layout of the image. By creating visually appealing pins, he increases the likelihood that people will save and click on them.
How often to pin on Pinterest
The frequency of pinning is an important factor in Tony's Pinterest strategy. He has found that pinning consistently is more effective than pinning a lot at once and then not pinning for a while.
Tony himself aims to pin about 48 times per day. This is the maximum number of pins you can schedule using Pinterest's built-in scheduling tool. However, he notes that this number might not be right for everyone. Some accounts do well with just a couple of pins per day, while others pin up to 200 times daily (which is Pinterest's maximum limit).
For those just starting out, Tony suggests aiming for 5-10 pins per day. This is enough to maintain a consistent presence on the platform without being overwhelming. As you get more comfortable with creating pins and see how your audience responds, you can adjust this number.
Tony also talks about how often to pin content from a single blog post. If it's a topic where people might save multiple pins (like a recipe collection), you can pin several times in a short period. But for content where people are likely to save only one pin (like a single piece of advice), it's better to spread out your pins over time, maybe pinning once a week or once a month.
The importance of new content and URLs
While Pinterest allows you to pin the same content multiple times, Tony has found that the platform seems to favor new content and new URLs (web addresses). This means that creating fresh content regularly can help boost your Pinterest performance.
Tony noticed a shift in Pinterest's behavior over the past few months. The platform seems to be giving more visibility to new pins, new accounts, and new websites. In the past, it was harder for new content to outperform established pins with high engagement. Now, Tony has seen new pins rank well within just a couple of weeks.
This change has influenced Tony's content strategy. While he continues to create new pins for existing content, he also focuses on regularly publishing new blog posts and pages on his websites. Each new page provides an opportunity to create a set of new pins, which Pinterest seems to treat favorably.
Tony also experiments with creating multiple pages on his websites that cover similar topics. While this approach might not work well for Google SEO, it can be effective on Pinterest. Each new URL gives him a fresh opportunity to create pins and potentially rank in Pinterest's search results.
However, Tony cautions that it's important to ensure your website stays reliable if you're pursuing this strategy. He shared an experience where one of his new sites went down for 12 hours, which led to a significant drop in Pinterest traffic that didn't fully recover. This clearly shows the importance of having a stable, well-hosted website to support your Pinterest efforts.
How to create content that goes viral on Pinterest
While some marketers focus on creating "viral" content, Tony takes a different approach. He believes that success on Pinterest is more about consistency and volume than trying to make a single pin go viral.
Instead of chasing viral hits, Tony focuses on creating a large number of high-quality pins. He casts a wide net, covering both popular keywords and more niche, long-tail topics. This strategy increases the chances that some of his pins will perform exceptionally well.
Tony also pays attention to seasonal trends and major events. He regularly checks Pinterest Trends to understand what topics are currently popular. This allows him to create timely content that's more likely to be shared widely.
Another aspect of creating shareable content is understanding Pinterest's home feed. While search results are important, Tony notes that the home feed (similar to Google Discover) can also drive significant traffic. To appear in the home feed, he focuses on using the right interests and annotations in his pins and content.
Writing blog posts that work well on Pinterest
When creating blog posts for Pinterest, Tony follows a few key principles. First, he includes plenty of high-quality images throughout the post. This gives users more opportunities to pin content from his site.
Tony often uses a carousel format for his images, which he's found increases user engagement. This format allows users to swipe through multiple images, keeping them on the page longer.
In terms of writing style, Tony focuses on creating content that's easy to read and engaging. He incorporates relevant Pinterest interests naturally into the text, which helps Pinterest understand what the content is about.
Tony also emphasizes the importance of providing value beyond what's shown in the pin. If users click through to your site and find exactly the same information they saw in the pin, they're likely to leave quickly. Instead, Tony ensures his blog posts offer additional insights, details, or related information that keeps users on the page.
Adapting your content for Pinterest's audience
One of Tony's key insights is the importance of tailoring content for Pinterest's audience. Pinterest users are predominantly female, which can require a shift in approach for some content creators.
For example, Tony explains how even traditionally male-oriented topics can be adapted for Pinterest. If you write about a topic like dirt bikes, you might create content aimed at women shopping for the men in their lives who are interested in dirt bikes. A post titled "Top 25 Father's Day Gifts for Men Who Love Riding Dirt Bikes" could perform well on Pinterest.
Tony also suggests thinking about how your content can provide inspiration or solve problems. Pinterest users often come to the platform looking for ideas, whether it's for home decor, recipes, fashion, or DIY projects. By framing your content in a way that offers solutions or inspiration, you're more likely to capture the interest of Pinterest users.
Another aspect of tailoring content is understanding the visual nature of Pinterest. Even if your main content is text-based, Tony recommends creating visually appealing pins to represent that content. This might mean designing pins with eye-catching graphics or text overlays that summarize the key points of your article.
Common mistakes to avoid on Pinterest
Tony shared some mistakes he made while learning to use Pinterest effectively. One significant error was not paying enough attention to server uptime. He recounted an instance where his server went down for 12 hours, causing a significant drop in Pinterest traffic that never fully recovered. This taught him the importance of using services like Cloudflare to keep his sites accessible even if the main server goes down.
Another mistake Tony observed, both in his early efforts and in others new to Pinterest, is not researching before creating pins. Many users design pins based on personal preference or using random templates, without studying what performs well in their niche. Tony emphasizes the need to analyze successful pins in your field, paying attention to colors, fonts, and overall design elements.
Tony also mentioned the mistake of not adapting content for Pinterest's audience. Initially, he tried to use the same content that worked well on Google, without considering the unique characteristics of Pinterest users. He learned that tailoring content to Pinterest's predominantly female audience and focusing on inspirational or problem-solving content yielded better results.
Conclusion
Tony Hill's strategies for Pinterest success can be applied by other content creators. To start, focus on understanding Pinterest's interest system and use it to guide your content creation. Consistently post pins, aiming for at least 5-10 per day. Design pins based on what performs well in your niche, not personal preference. Tailor your content to Pinterest's audience, even if it means adapting your usual topics. Use Pinterest's native scheduling tool and pay attention to trends on the platform. Be prepared to invest at least six months before expecting significant results. By following these steps and avoiding common mistakes like neglecting server uptime, you can work towards building a good traffic source from Pinterest.
