So, I recently joined Pinterest, a few months ago to be exact. I know it's kind of lame because everyone seems to have been playing with it since million years ago. At first it didn't attract me, as other social media sites. I didn't really understand what pinning is or why people even bother doing it (hey, there's Google, why would you need Pinterest?). I thought it was a pointless site.
But one day I came across Etsy forums. Many sellers swear by it. The say Pinterest is a good traffic source for their business. Now, come to think of it, I might as well have a Pinterest account. There's nothing to lose, it's free, if I don't like it, I'd just stop using it. No harm done.
The day I signed up for my Pinterest account changed my (blogging) life forever.
That darn site is an eye opener and it really is a gem. If you are serious about blogging, Pinterest ia superb resource for your blogging journey. Be it tips, blog post ideas, images, anything. Now here are a couple of things I find very helpful after browsing Pinterest.
Running a good blog needs planning
Yup, even when you blog for fun! This is tried and tested by me and it is indeed true. In the past I'd just throw a few post here and there the hope for the best. If you're serious about blogging, you should runaway from this method. It's just won't work, period. Regular posting is important to get love from search engine before it starts bringing you traffic. It's very hard to do, especially if you have full time job and kids to take care of and that's why you need a plan.
How do I know it's important? Well, there are tons of free printable blog planners there on Pinterest. I never thought they'd be so handy, especially during blogging slump. Those blog planners aren't just pretty papers with fancy graphic, they're a great tool to help you organize.
Write down any ideas before they disappear from your mind
Have you ever have a cool idea suddenly appears in your mind only to forget about it half a second later? It happened to me often and it's not cool! I read from a very helpful tip is that you need a pen and a notebook with you wherever you go. Since ideas often comes when you least expect it, you'll want to be prepared. Write them down where it strikes your mind before it goes back straight into the abyss. Just a title idea would be fine, you can write the headlines later.
Well, don't want the heavy notebook on your bag? Psst ... I don't either. What I do is to utilize the "memo" app on my phone. I would write any ideas for blog posts there. I know it's such a simple thing to do, but it does help.
Always have a pinnable image
This is on my blogging to-do list. I need to include a pinnable image on my non review posts. I learn this the hard way actually. I came across a very interesting post I wanted to share on Pinterest but couldn't because there's no image on that post. Only texts. Pinterest requires an image along with the post and since it's a very visual site, it only make sense to make your image as interesting as possible. If you don't use this method yet, I strongly recommend it to you. You don't want your readers to fail in pinning your content just because there's no pinnable image in it.
Don't know where to find good free images to use on your blog? Worry not, they are some that are very good. My favorite is pixabay.com and picjumbo.com. There are many other free stock photo sites, but these are the ones I use frequently. Add a some text into it (blog post title, perhaps) and your post is ready for pinning.
Don't limit yourself to a narrow niche
You'll run out of ideas sooner rather than later. A niche is important to make yourself "predictable" by your readers. They should know what your blog is about and if you think they already do, it's enough. If you blog about food, for example, don't limit yourself into posting recipes only. Write other stuffs on restaurant reviews or maybe your favorite street food. If you blog about books, don't limit yourself into posting reviews only. Why not write about movies that are based on books, your favorite library, or some tips on how to buy books on budget. See, there are actually tons of ideas out there, the only thing you should do is to open your mind and write those ideas down.
Those are things I find helpful from Pinterest. It's more than just a site with pretty pictures. Truth to be told, it's a good resource for ANY interest you have in mind. It's like a second Google for me, with visual attractiveness. So, what do you think about Pinterest? Do you like it too?
Running a good blog needs planning
Yup, even when you blog for fun! This is tried and tested by me and it is indeed true. In the past I'd just throw a few post here and there the hope for the best. If you're serious about blogging, you should runaway from this method. It's just won't work, period. Regular posting is important to get love from search engine before it starts bringing you traffic. It's very hard to do, especially if you have full time job and kids to take care of and that's why you need a plan.
How do I know it's important? Well, there are tons of free printable blog planners there on Pinterest. I never thought they'd be so handy, especially during blogging slump. Those blog planners aren't just pretty papers with fancy graphic, they're a great tool to help you organize.
Write down any ideas before they disappear from your mind
Have you ever have a cool idea suddenly appears in your mind only to forget about it half a second later? It happened to me often and it's not cool! I read from a very helpful tip is that you need a pen and a notebook with you wherever you go. Since ideas often comes when you least expect it, you'll want to be prepared. Write them down where it strikes your mind before it goes back straight into the abyss. Just a title idea would be fine, you can write the headlines later.
Well, don't want the heavy notebook on your bag? Psst ... I don't either. What I do is to utilize the "memo" app on my phone. I would write any ideas for blog posts there. I know it's such a simple thing to do, but it does help.
Always have a pinnable image
This is on my blogging to-do list. I need to include a pinnable image on my non review posts. I learn this the hard way actually. I came across a very interesting post I wanted to share on Pinterest but couldn't because there's no image on that post. Only texts. Pinterest requires an image along with the post and since it's a very visual site, it only make sense to make your image as interesting as possible. If you don't use this method yet, I strongly recommend it to you. You don't want your readers to fail in pinning your content just because there's no pinnable image in it.
Don't know where to find good free images to use on your blog? Worry not, they are some that are very good. My favorite is pixabay.com and picjumbo.com. There are many other free stock photo sites, but these are the ones I use frequently. Add a some text into it (blog post title, perhaps) and your post is ready for pinning.
Don't limit yourself to a narrow niche
You'll run out of ideas sooner rather than later. A niche is important to make yourself "predictable" by your readers. They should know what your blog is about and if you think they already do, it's enough. If you blog about food, for example, don't limit yourself into posting recipes only. Write other stuffs on restaurant reviews or maybe your favorite street food. If you blog about books, don't limit yourself into posting reviews only. Why not write about movies that are based on books, your favorite library, or some tips on how to buy books on budget. See, there are actually tons of ideas out there, the only thing you should do is to open your mind and write those ideas down.
Those are things I find helpful from Pinterest. It's more than just a site with pretty pictures. Truth to be told, it's a good resource for ANY interest you have in mind. It's like a second Google for me, with visual attractiveness. So, what do you think about Pinterest? Do you like it too?
