10 Surefire Tactics to Boost Pinterest Engagement

Pinterest is one of those a bit under-appreciated social networks. A network that really has lots of room for creativity and expression, also proved itself to be effective to those businesses that use it.
Statistics show that Pinterest users are more likely to buy more and spend more than users of any other social network.  found that, the average order value of sales coming from Pinterest is $50 — higher than any other major social platform.
So how do you increase engagement on Pinterest and show off your beautiful pins for the whole world to see?

1. Curate lots of great boards.
Pinterest is great in that you don’t have to have lots of original content to start. You can curate other people’s content; if you’re just starting out, make sure you have at least five boards with 20 pins each at a minimum. You have to repin other people’s pins, because this will create more visibility for your profile as well as you can start seeing right away what works and what doesn’t.
Also, don’t just focus on selling and pinning your own products. While you can have a few boards of your products, they should not be a majority of your boards on Pinterest. If you’re running out of ideas, think of related and relevant interests your customers might have. For example, Whole Foods Market not only has tons of quality boards related to food and cooking, they also curate boards on beautiful home decorations, natural remedies, fitness and environment.
2. Employ beautiful imagery.
While I feel like it has to be required, let’s be honest, not every single pin on Pinterest is beautiful. Yes, a majority of them is stunning but some are still pretty tacky, low-res images. Make sure you’re not one of those people, because you’re immediately putting yourself at a disadvantage. This will not only make you look careless and clueless about this network’s etiquette, it also decreases your chances of getting your next sale, because  use the platform to plan purchases.
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Pinterest is also a network about aspirations, inspirations and goals. Create enticing inspirational presence that will knock your audience’s socks off.
3. Add contributors.
Pinterest lets you add contributors to your boards. If you have a relationship with a blogger or a thought leader in your industry who has accumulated thousands of followers on Pinterest, let them help you with your boards and get in front of their audience.
You can even let your most dedicated followers join the fun. This is a great way to gain insight into your audience’s tastes and preferences and create a sense of community around your brand.
4. Follow other boards.
Following other relevant boards will help you gain insight in what’s popular, but it will also start a trend of reciprocity. After all, you probably share the same interests if you curate similar boards.
Once you’ve built relationships with other similar bloggers or companies in your niche, you can go back to previous tactic and curate some boards jointly. Once again, this will increase exposure for all parties involved, which is a win-win scenario.
5. Have great descriptions.
Descriptions are important, because this is how Pinterest engines know what your pins are about. So be as descriptive as possible. Do not just put “furniture from ABC company,” because, most likely, people are not searching for that phrase. Try “yellow modern chair” or “beautiful patterned cotton curtains” instead. Bottom line, make sure your pins are discoverable by employing a useful description. Yet, don’t stuff your pins with keywords; this only irritates your potential followers.
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6. Run specials.
Quite a few companies found a way of increasing engagement on Pinterest by specifically asking their followers to repin or like their pins. You can offer discounts that grow with the number of repins. For example, for every 50 likes, you will reduce the price of an item by $10. Or, you’ll give an item for free to the top pinner with the most repins. Get creative with it; craft your own fun challenge.
7. Analyze what gets the best traction.
Examine what pins get the most engagement and what’ so special about them. Are they useful, inspirational, or beautiful? All of the above? Is it an infographic, or an image, or maybe even a video? Does it have a price tag, or a really cool description?
Once you determine what gets traction with your followers, examine other relevant popular pins. What do people in your target market like the most and find the most engaging? Do more of that.
8. Create infographics, how-tos and lists.
There is a myth that if your industry or company is not very visual or service-based, it is hard to rock at Pinterest marketing. This is simply not true because, besides beautiful pictures, Pinterest is famous for a wealth of infographics, tutorials, how-tos and checklists. Plus, Pinterest has a huge DIY community.
In fact, these are some of the most repinnable content types, because, oftentimes, Pinterest is used for planning purposes; so, this is one of surefire ways to increase engagement. Besides, everyone loves an easy-to-follow tutorial or a checklist that makes a specific task easier and/or doable.
9. Watch trending pins.
See what’s trending. If this is relevant to you, repin it for some extra visibility. Plus, don’t forget to examine it to uncover what makes this pin trending. Do you have anything similar that has a chance of become a trending pin?
10. Explore rich pins.
It’s shown that rich pins (pins that have price or location information, or have ingredient lists for recipes) enjoy higher rates of engagement. In fact, brands that employ Rich Pins see an 82 percent increase in their repin/pin ratio.
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Pinterest is one of — if not — the most visual, inspirational network out there, so be up to par with your content. It is fun and engaging, so make sure your images are high-quality, descriptions are — well — descriptive, and if there is anything else you can include to make it a Rich Pin, do it.