Pinterest is one of the top referral sources of traffic for many top crafting blogs. As a paper crafts designers, are you leveraging Pinterest to its fullest potential? Here are a few tips & resources pulled together specifically for you. This list will grow & change over time so be sure to check back 
Curate Your Creations
When Pinterest first hit the scene, there was a lot of buzz amongst crafters saying that you “weren’t allowed” to pin your own projects or that it was against the Pinterest Rules of Etiquette. Well, I checked and I don’t see that on the rules of etiquette today. So Pin-Away!
Of course, no one will want to “follow” you if all you do is pin your own stuff all day. So be wise in your pinning.
You probably have a gallery at Two Peas and a gallery at Scrapbook.com — but all they show are images, a few comments and a materials list. Why not create a gallery on Pinterest so that you have a gallery that provides MORE? Having worked with several manufacturers through their design team selection processes, I can tell you that manufacturers want to see not only your work, but also a little context for the work. By pinning your project images and making sure they link back to your original blog post sharing that project, it makes the manufacturer’s job so much easier to check out your work, learn about your project approach, and learn about YOU all at once!
You are in charge of your own PR! While hopefully your fans are pinning some of your projects, YOU are responsible for creating your own portfolio.
Create Info-Graphics
Do you rock the photo step-out tutorial or the video tutorial? Then be sure to create an “info graphic” that makes it easy for people to pin and spread the word about your ‘tutes.’ Simply include an infographic as part of your blog post. That way when fans & followers pin your tutorial for future reference, their followers will have enough info to entice them to repin or click over & check you out!
Example Info Graphics for Paper Crafters
I’m no graphic designer but even I can overlay some text onto a ‘glamor shot’ photo for pinning purposes
Watermark your Photos
I love Pinterest but one thing that drives me INSANE is when people “pin” a photo but don’t do it correctly. They pin from the home page of the blog they are visiting (which may or may not be the blog that originated the photo.) Or worse, they pin from a Flickr gallery. So when I click on the photo to learn more about the project, I am led to a wild goose chase — and no info on the project I was interested in.
So … while YOU will pin your own photos correctly (by using the link to the specific blog post that showcases your project), you can’t rely on your fans to do so! So help manufacturers and new fans find you by watermarking your photos. Add a subtle name or URL along the edges of your photos. Don’t obscure or detract from the project image. Just add the watermark along the edges.
Example watermarked project images ….
Make it Easy to PIN You
Pinterest gives you several “goodies” to make it easy for people to follow you. They also have created a “bookmarklet” took that not only encourages your readers to PIN your images …. but it lets you tell them what to say in the image description! Of course, your pinner has the option to rephrase what you write, but you get to influence that pin!
Here’s what the tool looks like …
Pinterest Bookmarklet Tool
So as you can see, you get to “influence” the pinner. Maybe instead of saying “cool project” you might pre-populate it to say “Copic Coloring Photo Tutorial – from Mary Jones” or something along those lines.
Use Key Words
Speaking of descriptions …. here’s another thought. Do you ever go to Pinterest to search for an idea that you have in mind? What do you do? You type in a logical keyword or phrase but then you only get back 2 boards and 7 pins using that keyword. BUMMER!
Make sure your pin descriptions contain “key words” that people would actually search for! This is especially important when you are pinning your own images (or prepopulating the pin-it tool). How many people are going to search for “cool project?” Now, how many people are going to search for “Twine Card” or “Misting Technique?”
And More
I’ll be adding to this list as I discover more resources & tips to share with you! So be sure to check back — and I”ll do my best to notify members when I update this resource page.
