When diving into the Pinterest world there always seem to be mixed opinions and findings on particular topics. Last time I shared with you my thoughts on the topic “Do Promoted Pins Work?” (spoiler alert — yes!). In this post, I’m discussing another age-old question, “Do followers matter on Pinterest?”. Read more on how to analyze and build your following with my tips and tricks. This post contains affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.
Let me just cut to the chase. Ready for my opinion?
Yes! Followers DO matter on Pinterest!
But…I want to share a disclaimer. While I do believe that followers matter, I do not think it’s a number you should stress about when analyzing your Pinterest marketing efforts.
So you might be wondering, if this number is important, why wouldn’t I stress about this number?
Well, it’s simple, there are other numbers that are more important.
The Pinterest Analytics I look at First
The other numbers that I first look at before the follower count monthly are:
So why do I look at impressions, saves, and outbound clicks before followers?
Because they indicate your Pin performance. Ultimately they also show engagement for your account and traffic going to your website. Here are what each of these analytics represents:
Impressions: the number of times your Pin was on a screen
Saves: the number of times your Pin was saved (aka repinned)
Outbound Clicks: the total number of outbound clicks associated with your destination URL for the Pin
Because Pinterest is a platform that drives traffic, outbound clicks and saves become two of the most important numbers I look at on my client’s (and my own) account!
So Why Do Followers Matter?
For the accounts I have managed, those with higher following counts have higher impressions, saves, and outbound clicks.
I’ve done the research and read from other reliable sources that they did not always find this to be the case. Remember, it’s important that the database analyzing this information is large enough to see trends and not just look at a handful of accounts.
I do not have the bandwidth to do this type of research, because I just don’t have that many clients! However, Tailwind DOES have the bandwidth to do this type of research.
Tailwind said the following on their blog from last winter:
This blog post from Tailwind is super interesting and filled with great content. You can read the entire post here.
How to Increase Your Followers on Pinterest
If we know engagement is important on Pinterest, and if the more followers you have the more engagement you’re receiving, then how do we go about building our following on Pinterest?
I’m glad you asked! 🙂
I want to quickly outline a few ways you can build your Pinterest following.
Tip #1: Ask people within your community that already know, like, and trust you to follow you!
These would be the people on your email list, people who follow you on social media, etc. You can always share your Pinterest link, but I recommend sharing relevant Pins and boards!
Tip #2: Use a plugin like Milo Tree to build your following.
This is basically a pop-up on your website and the prompt can be for people to follow you on Pinterest! I’m not an affiliate for MiloTree, but I have used it and I know many content creators use it to build their Pinterest following!
Tip #3: Creating Idea Pins!
This is my favorite strategy but also something you need to be integrating into your Pinterest strategy anyway. Pinterest wants you to be creating Idea Pins (they’ve told us)!
Now, despite them not being linkable, the main CTA at the end of all Idea Pins is to follow the creator’s Pinterest account of that specific Idea Pin.
If you are creating Idea Pins, I would absolutely check analytics for your Idea Pins and see which ones are gaining traction, resonating with your audience, and building your following.
Want to learn more about analyzing your Idea Pin stats? Read this blog post where I break down all things Idea Pin analytics!
Tip #4: Follow best practices on Pinterest.
If your audience is on Pinterest, use keywords to drive your strategy and connect with your audience. Don’t forget to share scroll-stopping Pins and consistently Pin fresh content.
Let’s Build Your Pinterest Following!
Well, my friend, a following and community should naturally and organically be built over time.
However, I definitely recommend trying some of the above tips because they will help build your following faster.
Keep in mind, I said at the beginning of this blog post that while followers matter, I do not want you to stress about it on Pinterest! I do want you to look at your followers once a month when you analyze your Pinterest stats and see that it’s growing over time.
In my personal experience, the biggest contributor to skyrocketing my following on Pinterest has been creating 1-2 Idea Pins on a weekly basis.
I want this to be super easy for you, so today I’m sharing my Idea Pin Starter Kit! This mini-course is your one-stop-shop for creating, implementing, and analyzing your Idea Pins.
Okay, here is my “exit slip” challenge for you. Apply one of the tips I mentioned above.
I know you’ve got a lot on your plate, so just try one of them. Then, be sure to comment below and let me know which tip you chose!
