Pinterest is one of the greatest tools available to grow your business. A lot of people think of Pinterest as a social network. Instead, think of it as a search engine for visual content. A visual search engine lends itself to introducing others to your content in a fun and easily searchable format.
Think of Pinterest as a search engine for visual content rather than as a social network. Share on X
Using Collaborative Pinning
An often underutilized feature on Pinterest is collaborative, or group, boards. Collaborative boards are exactly what they sound like – rather than hosting pins from a single user, a collaborative board hosts pins from multiple users. It’s a highly effective marketing tool.
To tell if a board is collaborative, open the board and look at the top right section. A collaborative board will display multiple users’ avatars. Some collaborative boards have so many guest pinners contributing that only three avatars will show, and you will need to open a drop-down menu to see the full list of contributors. You may find examples of collaborative boards on my Pinterest profile.
What are the benefits of hosting or participating in a collaborative board?
- Convenience – Collaborative boards show up on the user profile of each person pinning to that board. For example, if you have a collaborative board for your team or colleagues, whatever you pin to that board will automatically show up on each member’s user profile AND in their feed unless you have marked the board as private. That’s a great way to disseminate visual information to your team and their followers.
- Growth – When someone elects to follow you and all of your boards, this person will now be following the group board too. Your pins will be seen by more people who may opt to view your personal pins as well.
- Content Activity – Collaborative boards make it easy to share content more frequently. Pinterest profiles thrive when their contributors post new pins daily. When you have a group of people regularly posting content to a board, it’s a lot easier to post every day throughout the day. Your profile becomes more robust, and thus, more enticing to those who follow you.
- Increase Your Reach – Group boards increase the number of likes, comments and repins you get because the content is exposed to more people. This can translate to more traffic to your site, which has the potential to lead to more customers. For example, let’s say you have 200 followers and there are 9 more contributors to the board who have 200 followers each. If all of those people follow the collaborative board, your pins may show up in as many as 2,000 people’s feeds.
How do you create a collaborative board?
The good news is, it’s really easy. Here are the steps you need to do so:
- Go to your Pinterest user profile and either select or create a board you would like to use as a group board.
- On the board’s top right, you will see a plus (+) sign. Click the plus sign.
- You will then be prompted to select or search for someone’s username or to add their email address.
- The people you invited will receive the invitation via direct message in their Pinterest messages (and possibly an email depending on how they have configured their settings). They will be able to opt-in to participate in the group board. It’s that simple.
You should ask permission to add people to a collaborative board prior to issuing the invitation. They may not know what it is and ignore the invitation, or they may not be interested in participating.
What are some ways to use a collaborative board on Pinterest to boost your business?
- Team communication.
- Sharing user-generated content for product launches and amplification.
- Seasonal gift ideas.
- Customer education.
- Connect with different sellers to promote multiple shopping opportunities.
- Establish yourself as an authority on your subject.
- Growing your site’s reach and page views.
How to participate in a collaborative board
Most collaborative boards have rules for participation. If you are participating in someone else’s board, you can typically find the board’s rules in the board’s description.
If you are creating your own group board, you will want to establish rules or guidelines for the collaborative boards you create. For example, I would suggest that you only allow pins that are: vertical (square and horizontal posts do not perform as well), visually stunning, images you have created yourself or have permission to use, in focus, and on brand.
Most collaborative boards also limit the number of pins someone can add per day. Sharing three pins per contributor per day is a great practice. Most board owners require that you repin two pins from the board for each pin you add to it in order to keep the board healthy. If a pin doesn’t fit in with the spirit of the board, the board owner can easily delete it.
Have a great time pinning on collaborative boards on Pinterest. Be sure to let us know how your boards are growing!
Guest Posted by:
Jennifer Quisenberry of The Awesome Muse
I love the idea of collaborative boards! I have Pinterest on my list for the new year – I definitely need to start using it effectively – actually using it at all! 🙂 Thanks for the great tips!
Thanks Mindy, I am the same way… I have been trying to do more of it… be sure to get with Jennifer as she has set up a Board for STL… much needed.
They are a lot of fun! You’ll love the traffic you’ll see from Pinterest when you build a robust and active profile. It’s a really great way to promote your business. In the new year, I’ll be spending some time in the STL group talking about how to best use Pinterest and Instagram to build your business….
A great article on Pinterest and reall gives value to the how to pin and share the pins which is something I am in the midst of doing. I love the way this article lays out the tips ..I have pins that I am going to repost and Pinterest doesn’t have an aglorytimin.
Lori English
Thanks Lori! I’m glad you found it helpful and can use the action items.
Thanks Lori.. and glad it makes sense to you and you see the value.
Jennifer–great idea! We should form a collaborative board with all of our blogging friends!
We have one for STL. Since we only do Pinterest twice a month, it may have gotten lost in the shuffle. I’m on vacation now, but in the new year, I’ll be spending some time in STL discussing Pinterest and Instagram, so we’ll make sure that you’re in on the group’s board. But there’s not reason you can’t form a group board with your blogging friends too! It’s a great tool for growth.
We have one Susan… Jennifer posted in our STL group about a month ago. Contact her to get in it.
Great tips! I am a big fan of collaborative boards. I am part of many and have several that I created. It’s really nice to be able to share your content with other audiences. I do watch how often I pin to these boards though. It can get flooded with your pins if other’s aren’t contributing.
Indeed. That’s why it’s a good idea to have a good number of people participating who use Pinterest regularly. Otherwise it can turn into a one person show.
Oh wow.. that’s awesome Sabrina… glad you are already doing it.. visuals are key.. and they are like evergreen content.
I love Pinterest and participate in a few group boards. I’ve joined the STL board but so far have only managed to share a few of the STL posts to my own boards. I think I should be pinning more regularly and am trying to decide on a scheduler to help do this.
You may like Tailwind or Board Booster for Pinterest scheduling. Buffer does it too, but Tailwind and Board Booster are Pinterest specific.
OH that is a great idea Tami… yes, please do participate. Jennifer and I were the first ones in there.. so ran out of stuff to repin too! lol
I guess I am the dinosaur in the group, as I have not ventured onto Pinterest yet, although I see how much fun and how collaborative it sounds like it can be. As a visual person and someone who loves to share visuals, I know it would be a great platform for me. It just seems like one more platform to participate in, isn’t on my radar right now. Thanks for explaining more about how great it is to use for sharing and creating boards with others. Thanks Kristen and Jennifer!
I can understand the hesitancy Beverley… but keep in mind the amount of time spent. I spend more of my time on STL stuff and doing FB, T or my blog… but a few minutes here and there on IG and Pinterest. Just don’t give up on it quite yet.
Sounds like a great idea, I haven’t tried it much yet, as I do not use Pinterest that consistently.
Depends upon what you mean as far as “consistency” Kata, but it might be worth looking at again and upping your consistency. 😉
Love all the cool ways and reasons to use group Pinterest boards! You’ve provided a bunch of useful information on the why and how, thank you. Admittedly, I don’t use Pinterest often (usually once a week). I know Pinterest works for some businesses, especially products, hobbies, and food, and I love looking at those things on the platform. One day I’ll get around to a Pinterest strategy for my business, and I will include group boards!
Great points Meghan and I’m like you a few times a week.. so my time isn’t a lot there.. but I’ve made a presence. We have to divide and conquer our time.. so glad you haven’t ruled it out.
I have a few boards on Pinterest, fun ones and business. However, I don’t go there often or enough – but I want to!! 🙂
There ya go Teresa… most of mine are personal.. but I have a few biz ones
I think I have been neglecting my Pinterest boards. This is a great step-by-step way to get more involved. Thanks!
It sure is Candess… don’t think of it as neglect… but focusing in different areas.. hope you can dust off it off and get back soon
Pinterest is on 2017 list of ‘t o do better’ at. I haven’t even considered collaborative boards, maybe our group should create on in the new year?
Awesome Sonya, and we already do have a Collaborative Board, which is why I asked Jennifer to do this guest post.
Collaborative boards are new to me and I really appreciated your ‘tour’ through how they work. Thank you!
Awesome Reba.. glad you enjoyed it
I have used Pinterest Collaborative boards and still use a few. I was not seeing enough value, but . . you have given me new insight as to how they can improve my reach. Your last point about reach really resonated with me. I will dive deeper again into this, and appreciate the post.
I hope you do Robin.. your products are visually drawn and hope you’ll reconsider. 😉
I know, I know I need to start utilizing Pinterest!! Thanks so much Jennifer and Kristen for sharing this awesome information on how to use Pinterest in your business 🙂 Great tips!
Awesome, glad you are reconsidering Joan.
A great article on Pinterest and reall gives value to the how to pin and share the pins which is something I am in the midst of doing. I love the way this article lays out the tips ..I have pins that I am going to repost and Pinterest doesn’t have an aglorytimin.
Thanks
So true.. and Pinterest IS a great search engine!