New Features Bring Us Closer to Advertising on Pinterest OSP Episode 068

Have you taken a close look at your Pinterest feed in the past couple of days? There have been some big changes to what is appearing in the Pinterest feed. Each of the changes could be in preparation for the launch of the long anticipated promoted pins or paid advertising on Pinterest. Yes!!!!

In this week’s episode

I talk about each of the changes that are happing on both the mobile and web versions of Pinterest. I also share a discovery made by fellow Pinterest fan and social media pro, Jody Murphy of Visual Pop.

Jody discovered something with Pinterest’s new follow button that could actually hurt our follower number. Being the super cool lady that she is, Jody wrote about the potential Pitfalls of the new Pinterest follow button for me to share with you here. Thanks Jody!

Pinterest Feed Changes

Take a look at these screenshots of the recent changes in the Pinterest feed…

Related pins have been seen off and on on Pinterest over the past year but now, it seems like there’s more than ever in my feed. Giving the pin a thumbs up will increase that type of content being shown in your feed. A thumbs down, will result in the opposite effect.

Along with more related pins in my feed from boards I don’t follow, I’m also seeing related pins from Pinners that I follow only some of their boards. This could lead to more followers and who doesn’t like that?

One of the biggest changes in the pinterest feed is the appearance of the phrase ‘Found in…” beneath a pin’s description. At first, I though it was another related pin. Boy, was I wrong! 

 

Remember a few months ago when Pinterest launched Explore Interests? This is where these pins come from! Interests are customized supplement to the standard categories that Pinterest offers. Pinterest detects the topics you most frequently pin and gives you a grid to explore those interest further without using the search box. 

 

 

One of the pins in my feed was an image of a beautiful beach and beneath it said “Found in Sandy Beaches” when I clicked the “Found in” box, it opened up the screen below.

 

WOW!

Notice the number and the time? It seems like there are 13 other people with an interest in sandy beaches. Maybe I should follow them? The time on the screen seems to indicate when that particular pin was added to that interest.

***Pinterest Pro tip***  Take a peek at the titles of the related interests. This can be a great resource for keywords to use in your board titles and pin descriptions.

One of the many things that caught my eye on this screen was the Remove button. Remove from where?

Hold on to your seats folks, Pinterest has changed your Following tab!

Give that puppy a click and this appears….

Whaaatttt? I can now see Interests, Pinners, and Boards that I follow! This not only works on your own account but also when you click the following tab of other accounts. This is HUGE for businesses using Pinterest for market research and it can also be a quick and easy easy way to find additional boards or interests to follow.

All of these changes to Pinterest are clues that we are closer to seeing promoted pins on Pinterest. I also received an email this morning notifying me that I had been selected to Participate in Pinterest’s promoted pin beta program.

Pinterest is great for driving traffic to websites and the ability to advertise on Pinterest could be a game changer for businesses looking for traffic. Who knows what the potential could be? Will you be advertising on Pinterest?

 

Potential Pitfalls of Pinterest’s Follow Button

Big thanks to Jody Murphy for the following 🙂

First, let me say this:

If I could, I would marry Pinterest.

But their recent announcement about how the new Pinterest “Follow” button behaves has me concerned.

After doing some testing, I’m not recommending that any of my clients use it. Granted, in the big scheme of things, this is a small matter. In fact, even the button in question is tiny.

On the Pinterest Widget Builder page, you’ll find plenty of options for widgets you can customize. This post has one purpose — to spotlight how the new “Follow” button script behaves so you can determine whether it works to your advantage in growing a happy following.

Scenerio 1: You Haven’t Already Followed Any of the Person’s Boards

When you click the new “Follow Button” from a person’s blog or website, a†pop up window opens. It’s visually stunning, but presents only one option — to FOLLOW all boards.

I don’t know about you, but it’s been years since I blindly followed ALL of anyone’s boards – even dear friends. If I can’t cherry pick which boards to follow, I won’t play.

It only takes one or two times for your feed to get junked up with content you have zero interest in to learn the mistake of hitting the “Follow All” button.

I did test it, hoping that when I clicked the big red “FOLLOW” button it would take me to the account landing page where I could cherry pick.

But it doesn’t. With one click, I’m automatically following ALL of that account’s boards except group boards.

Lesson Learned: Never click the Follow button.

Scenerio 2: I Forgot That I’m Already Following a Person’s Boards

If you are already following (and perhaps forgot that you were) and you click the “Follow” button on the website or blog, the page that presents gives you one option – to UNFOLLOW all boards.

With some of the people I asked to test this, they actually didn’t notice that they had already followed the person and clicked the UNfollow button thinking they were FOLLOWING.

Personally, I think It would seem much friendlier and more inviting to say something like this when presented with that page:

“It looks like you’re already following some of the boards here. Want to see if there are some new boards you’d like to follow? Click here.”

Think about it: If someone has clicked on the “Follow” button from a website or blog, it’s not because they have an intention to UNfollow anything.

Scenerio 3: You Previously Installed the Follow Button on Your Website or Blog

In the announcement, Pinterest explains that if you are already using the old Follow button code, it will automatically update to behave in the new way.

If that’s not what you want anymore, just replace the Follow button code with another one on that Widget Builder page that acts as you would like it to. Here’s the one I use on client sites.

It’s eye-catching and when someone click the “See on Pinterest” button, they land on the main account page where it is easy to cherry-pick just the boards desired. It also opens in a new window, so they don’t lose their site visitor for good.

I’ve shared my wish list of fixes with Pinterest via the support portal.  Here’s hoping they’ll make a few tweaks and this article becomes moot.

Just curious:  Do you ever blindly “Follow All” boards any more?

Jody Murphy, M.S.
Trainer & Social Media Consultant at Visual Pop

I’m a Pinterest and blog marketing specialist. All day, every day, I teach owners of locally-owned businesses and independent professionals how to use visual marketing to expand reach and generate more business. Personalized training and done-for-you services are my sweet spots.

 

Have a Pinterest question or some feedback about the show? I’d love to hear from you. Leave me a message at 773-669-7461

I’ll be speaking a few more times this year around the country It would be great to catch up with you at BlogHer, Podcast Movement, Doable Social Summit (Online Conference) or at The Agents of Change Conference.