10 Rules of Pinterest Etiquette
- Jul 5, 2013 10:17 AM
Since its launch in 2010 Pinterest has grown at a rapid rate: 50 million users viewing 2.5 billion pages per month! These kinds of numbers are making Pinterest an increasingly valuable tool for individuals and brand managers to share themed photos.
Like any popular social media channel (ie. Twitter, LinkedIn) there is some etiquette involved in order to get the most out of Pinterest:
1. Match the link to the expectation. For example, if you're clicking on a pin of delicious-looking chocolate chip cookies, you’re expecting to click through to the recipe. Don’t make your audience dig through a website or blog to find what you originally pinned.
2. Pin only the things you have permission to pin. Although major legal action hasn't been taken against a brand over something it has pinned, you absolutely do not want to set that precedent.
3. Avoid over-repinning. Only repin things that you find truly valuable and worthy of sharing.
4. Pinterest is a social network-so be social. We often like or repin something, but rarely do users take the time to leave a comment. Especially if you're repinning something from the original pinner, it's good etiquette to reach out to that person with an encouraging comment.
5. Avoid pinning low-res photos. It annoys other users, and does nothing positive for your brand.
6. Limit the self-promoting posts. Links to your own work (blog posts, etc.) are fine, but those shouldn't be the only things you're pinning.
7. Double-check your links. It's especially unprofessional when brands pin something with a broken link, which could lead to unfollows.
8. Link to sources, or credit them. If you repin something, make sure you're repinning it with the original URL and it's a good idea to name the source in the pin description.
9. Respect your fellow pinners and keep it positive. Even if you don’t like a particular item of clothing or dinner idea, simply move one; there are plenty of other pins in the Pinterest sea.
10. Make your contests foolproof in order to expand your Pinterest community and increase engagement, but this goal will be lost if you make your contests too confusing or invasive. Companies such as Curalate are simplifying the process and making contests easier on Pinterest. Their job is to turn your pins, likes, followers and hashtags into revenue; brands would be wise to take advantage of such services.
Do you think etiquette is important when using social media? Are there any guidelines missing from this list?
Source Article: http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/10_essentials_of_Pinterest_etiquette_14758.aspx#
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2 Responses
Great tips Lauren. Ettiquette is important in all forms of business and personal practises... marketing - social, even Aunt Betty's dinner table! So yes, I agree that it should be used in social media as well.
I didn't see anything on here about pinning original pins. For a business, it is much more productive to create original pins (with a few, relevant re-pins tossed in for good measure).
Pinterest is also becoming one of the number 1 sources of people reseaching new products & services they want to buy.
Companies selling products should not only post pics of the products but of people USING Them. SHOW THE EXPERIENCE!!
For services based organizations, Infographics are an excellent tool to graphically illustrate your services on visual sites like Pinterest. Be sure to brand them with a QR code and your website on the bottom. As they are shared around, you will likely see an increase in your web traffic.
Cheers
Hi Sally,
"Pinning original pins" is a great addition to the Pinterest ettiquette list. Also, thanks for posting some of the different ways that companies can use Pinterest to promote their products & services. It's easy for people to view Pinterest as a simple image-sharing tool, but it's so much more than that! Thanks for the comment!