By: Stephanie Burkhart
Social media sites are a great way to attract new readers
and Pinterest is one of the fastest growing sites today.
What is Pinterest? Is it free?
Yes, Pinterest is free. While Twitter and Facebook focus on
words, Pinterest attracts your attention by using pictures and graphics.
Pinterest is mainly about collecting and sharing. Think of it as an online
scrapbook.
What can you collect on Pinterest?
Anything. There are two ways to do it. Upload a picture from
your computer, or re-pin a picture using the "pin it" button that you
can add onto your tool bar.
Boards
You can have multiple "scrapbooking" boards, and
name them whatever you want after your own interests.
How can Pinterest work for me as an author?
You can create a board named after your book and those
pictures that have inspired the setting – a landscape, an actor, or an item
featured in the story. You can pin the book's trailer or anything else that is relevant
to the novel. Don't limit
yourself. Say you like to cook, too. Pin up your recipes on your board, too. By
pinning a new recipe every week, you'll keep your followers checking in.
Sharing recipes is very popular, but you can also share jewelry, candles, soap,
and baby ideas.
Some Interesting Stats:
Pinterest is popular because of the simplicity of its design.
80% of its users are women.
There are 11 million unique visitors a month.
In the US, people are 70% more likely to buy a product if
they find it through Pinterest.
I've got no time. How do I fit Pinterest in?
Set up a social media "plan. Say you can only fit an
hour in for marketing. What's a necessity? Emails? Blogging? Facebook? Twitter?
Triberr? Pinterest? Budget your time and stick to it. A little pays off. Plan
15 minutes for emails, blogging, Facebook, and Pinterest. The next day: Emails, Triberr/Twitter,
Pinterest, and Facebook. A
constant, active presence attracts followers.
Question: Are you on Pinterest? Share your Pinterest link.
What do you like about the site? Any misc. thoughts to share?
Author Bio: Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD.
She lives in Castaic, CA and has two young sons. She adores chocolate and is addicted
to coffee. Her books with 4RV Publishing include: The Giving Meadow and 1st
Flag of NH.
First Flag of New Hampshire:
Can Alyssa and Miguel find the first flag of New Hampshire
before time is up?
My Pinterest Link:
Links for 1st Flag of New Hampshire:
Amazon:
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http://amzn.com/0983801835
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Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/first-flag-of-new-hampshire-stephanie-burkhart/1109218791?ean=9780983801832
I love Pinterest, Stephanie! I'm at http://pinterest.com/sarahgrimmauthr/
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Sarah!
DeleteSmiles
Steph
Being a visual person, I like the idea of pinterst. I have resisted it so far mostly out of time constraint but maybe I'll look into it now. One question: how do you entice viewers to see your pins among the other millions?
ReplyDeleteI have not found that Pinterest lends itself to 'enticing' views other than the beauty of the individual photo or piece of art. Pinterest does make suggestions of other boards everytime you repin something, and I've found a lot of interesting boards that way. I tweet my pins, so that my followers can see it. But I'm not sure how to 'promote' yourself on Pinterest. It's not a medium like twitter. I do think its powerful though.
DeleteKim, it's hard to find time to balance social media. Claudia, is right - Pinterest makes suggestions to you on a weekly basis and you can find a lot of interesting boards that way. Tweeting a board or a pin is a good idea, too.
DeleteSmiles
Steph
I'm doing children's books. I pin up the art as it comes in from all the artists. Each post has links back to my website, and discuss its role in the book. These are floating out there, gaining followers and interest. Also, to my surprise, I can see which of the pieces are really popular -- which are a draw to certain people. So that helps me figure out a compelling way to illustrate the books. Here's my account: http://pinterest.com/RedPhoenixBooks/
ReplyDeleteClaudia, I see I liked you already! hehe. I think you've got some great suggestions and ideas.
DeleteSmiles
Steph
Thanks for this. I think my first line of attack is not to join Pinterest, but to set up a spreadsheet for the Social Media I am *supposed* to be using, get back into those and then add to them! But it is bookmarked for the future.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stef, for your input!
Linda,
DeleteI agree - there's a lot of social media out there. You really have to be picky and choosy and budge your time wisely. I can see where a spreadsheet would help.
Smiles
Steph
Hey Steph,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your informative post about Pinterest. I haven't jumped in that social media pool yet, but I might get to it yet. I figure by the time I establish a presence over there, something else will have come along. I always seem to be at least one social media platform behind the masses.
Maggie
http://mudpiesandmagnolias.blogspot.com
Maggie, I know the feeling. i feel like I'm always one social media platform behind the masses, too. When you have a time, give it a try. What I like about Pinterest is that it's fun where at times Facebook and Twitter can feel like work.
DeleteSmiles
Steph
Great post Steph.....I am in the midst of trying to get to know Goodreads and then I'm planning on tackling Pinterest
ReplyDeleteThumbs up, Penny! Social media can be a bear, but once you're used it it's helpful.
DeleteSmiles
Steph
The challenge for me with Pinterest, is that it is more addicting than other social media sites. I tend not to use it as muc, because I find myself using my time to pin and re-pin pictures too long. My account is also tied into my blog, The Busy Mom's Daily, so it's not always one I think to use to promote my book. You can check it out at http://pinterest.com/busymomsdaily/
ReplyDeleteI like the idea behind using it for promotion, though. I'm always willing to try anything once.
Thanks for the great article.
Cheryl,
DeleteThanks for popping in. I agree - it can be addicating.
Smiles
Steph
I'm on Pinterest and although I don't visit regularly, I have a number of my own things pinned and have re-pinned other boards. I've got a board for my novel (photos of locations that inspired it, my cover and trailer), cover images for novels by other authors in two online groups I belong to. I can see where it could be extremely addicting. It took some time to get everything set up but now that it is, I have to say, I'm hardly ever there. Not sure if that's a good thing or not.
ReplyDeleteMelanie,
DeleteMy only suggestion to you would be to try to find a little bit time a day just to hang out and explore other boards and repin.
Smiles
Steph
Great advice. Thanks for the helpful tips.
ReplyDeleteI love Pinterest! I've found many helpful recipes and craft ideas there and I also use it to share behind the scenes information and other fun things with my fans and friends. You can find me here: http://pinterest.com/caridadpineiro/
ReplyDeleteI adore Pinterest--too much :-) I have boards for both of my books and one for my upcoming novella. I also have my travel pics there, one for my favorites foods, etc. I'm at http://pinterest.com/virginiagkelly
ReplyDeleteI'm not convinced it does anything for me as far as marketing, but I feel the same way about Facebook and Twitter, which are a struggle for me.
I've read a good bit about the copyright issues, and only pin from the web if the site has a Pinit button. Otherwise I upload my own picture, or I Repin, hoping Pinterest is too big for all the repinners to get entangled in legal problems. What is your take on the copyright issue?
(I just followed several of your boards)
I've been curious about Pinterest, so thank you for this blog post. I'd also like to know what your take is on the copyright issues...
ReplyDeleteI'm on Pinterest. I have a group board for Western Historical Romance, so let me know if you're a WHR author and want to pin your book on that board. I'll include you. http://pinterest.com/jacquierogers/
ReplyDeletejacquierogers @ gmail.com
Truly, Pinterest can be of great use to authors like you. These days, people are becoming more impatient due to exposure to prompt technologies. For instance, allowing a read of a page or two of the book wouldn't gather as much attention as teasers comprised of pictures and graphics can. No offense meant with that. But graphics is favored over texts in marketing now.
ReplyDelete