We’re so excited about our Pinterest Keyword Planning Guide — our free gift to you!
If you’ve been around these parts for a while now, you know that every year we give our Simple Pin audience a special gift: our Simple Pin Pinterest Planner.
Our yearly Planner has been in circulation for five years! Can you believe it?
We update it every year so you get the most relevant content and pinning strategies, as well as new ideas and tips for the upcoming year.
But now, we wanted to give you a gift that could help you level up your game on Pinterest even more. A gift that takes into account the most critical part of any Pinterest strategy.
Pinterest is a search and discovery tool. People use the platform to get ideas for future projects and to dream about how they can improve their homes, appearance, business, and life.
What do you need the most to reach those people who could be helped by the content you provide? We thought about it and we came up with what we think is the perfect answer — a Pinterest Keyword Planning Guide.
But before we talk about where you can get your copy and how to use it, I want to cover some information about Pinterest keywords so that we’re all on the same page.
A Pinterest Keyword Primer
What Are Keywords on Pinterest?
Whether you’ve been using Pinterest for years or you’re brand new to using the platform for marketing, it’s important to understand Pinterest keywords and why we use them.
Keyword targeting allows you to reach certain people as they search for specific ideas on Pinterest.
Now don’t confuse keywording on Pinterest with keywording on other platforms. There is no spreadsheet of keywords or a list of hyper-specific keywords. That’s not how Pinterest works.
When a user is looking for something specific on Pinterest, they type a word or phrase into the Search bar at the top of the page. Pinterest will predict what the user is going to type and then offer up suggestions. Users can also use the Pinterest Trends feature to find what they’re looking for.
Every year, Pinterest releases the keywords that are the most popular for that year. You can sort keywords by country using the Trends tool.
Where Should Pinterest Keywords Be Used?
One of the most common questions I get asked is where keywords should be used on Pinterest. If you’re going to take the time to use the right keywords, you want to make sure you’re using them correctly.
The first place you want to use keywords is in the pin description itself. The pin description is used to clarify what your pin is about. You can use up to 500 characters in this description.
The next place to include Pinterest keywords is in your board names. Pinterest board names need to be specific enough for both the user and Pinterest to understand what the board is about. The board name communicates the types of pins contained within that board. Keep names to 3 to 4 words and stay away from cute or trendy phrases. Your board names should be very specific to what the board is about.
The third place to put keywords is in the board description. Aim for board descriptions to be around four sentences in length. Be sure to write naturally when creating your descriptions. Avoid sounding like a keyword robot. If you write naturally, you will attract your ideal reader AND appease the Pinterest algorithm.
What Is the Pinterest Keyword Planning Guide?
So, let’s dive into the Pinterest Keyword Planning Guide and let me tell you a little bit about it.
The Guide is filled with keywords that are a mixture of trending search terms, along with classic search terms for each season. If we’ve learned anything from the last few years, it’s that new terms and concepts are always emerging. We wanted our Guide to offer up a great mix of old and new terms.
The keywords in the Guide are meant to be combined with more niche-specific keywords within your unique brand focus.
Using a combination of classic and trending keywords with your unique niche keywords will allow you to hone in on the perfect combination of keywords to get your content or products in front of your ideal audience.
The Pinterest Keyword Planning Guide is meant to help you get maximum exposure for your products and content.
How Seasonality Plays a Role
If you’re fairly new to Pinterest marketing, you may not know that Pinterest is a seasonal platform and that you have to work ahead of the seasons in order to get your seasonal content seen.
So, if it’s August, you will want to flip ahead in the guide to late Fall and possibly even Christmas to see what seasonal keywords you want to use. You always need to be working 30-45 days ahead of time. Keep in mind that users search Pinterest for Christmas ideas months ahead of time, so don’t wait until 45 days out to begin using those Christmas keywords.
Once you have the keyword combination you want to use, see which content you have that works with it (or create that content) and start pinning it.
How NOT to Use the Pinterest Keyword Planning Guide
Here’s what I know- it can be very tempting to use a tool like our Guide to try and stuff as many keywords as you can into every pin description.
Resist that temptation!
Using all of those keywords is like casting a wide net. You won’t find your ideal person on Pinterest if you try to use such a vast array of keywords. You want to drill down to the keywords and keyword combinations that work best for your niche.
If you engage in keyword stuffing tactics, Pinterest won’t favor your content and they won’t show it to their users. Keyword stuffing only hurts you, so avoid it at all costs.
Take Action!
We’ve talked about what keywords are, how to use them, how not to use them, and where to put them. Now, let me give you some action items to take after you download the Guide.
- Write out a list of 10 pillar keywords for your content or products.
- Write a list of secondary keywords that describe each specific type of pin.
- Consider the terms your ideal reader would search for during a particular season or event. Write a list of the top 20 and use them in your pin descriptions.
- Adjust your board names to be more search-friendly.
Are you ready to dive into your Pinterest keyword strategy for this year? If so, go grab your free Pinterest Planning Keyword Guide download.
We hope this helps you to have your very best year of Pinterest Marketing yet!
For Additional Listening/Reading:
Very interesting guide on keyword planning! Pinterest is actually a very underrated tool when it comes to SEO and the greater picture of digital marketing, so it’s good to see ways that one can leverage this platform.
I wholeheartedly agree Rob 🙂