What NOT To Do on Pinterest

Have you ever clicked on a pin to find out the link didn't work, or it didn't take you to the page you were expecting?

Do pinners you follow fill your Pinterest feed with too many pins?

Are you tired of seeing the same pins over and over again?

We all love Pinterest.  Who doesn't?  But when people don't use it correctly, it can cause some problems for the rest of us. 

Pinterest is quickly growing as the most popular social sharing site.   Whether you are new to Pinterest or a seasoned pinner, find out if you are making these common pinning mistakes. 

1.   Pinning or re-pinning pins with bad links. 

When pinning an image, don't pin from Google images or from a blog's home page.  Instead, pin an image from the actual blog post or permalink.  This ensures that when you click on a pin, it takes you directly to the source of the recipe or tutorial.  When repinning an image, check that the pin links to the correct source.  If a pin doesn't have the correct link, it's easy to fix by editing the pin.

To edit a pin's link, click the little pencil under the image.

Copy and paste or type the correct link here and save.

2.  Ignoring pin descriptions.

When you repin an image, you're also pinning someone else's description of the image.  If the description isn't meaningful to you, go ahead and change it.  It also doesn't hurt to write a detailed description because it will be more likely to show up when someone does a search.  For example, if I leave the description blank or just write "yum!" on a pin for chocolate banana bread, that pin won't show up in any searches when someone does a search for chocolate banana bread because those important key words are missing.

3.  Failing to pin original content

What I love about Pinterest is the huge collection of ideas and creativity all in one place and I visit Pinterest to be inspired by these ideas.  I'm assuming that's what everybody else loves about Pinterest too.  So people don't want to see the same pins and the same ideas over and over again in their feeds.  Sometimes a particular pin becomes really popular and is pinned frequently.  Sometimes a particular trend is really popular and you'll see a lot of different pins with the same theme.  It's important to pin original content to make your pins fresh and unique and to make your boards distinct.  Don't pin the same pins that everyone else is pinning.  Pin what you like and pin the stuff you find while visiting your favorite websites.  Your boards will reflect your personality and will be more likely to stand out from the rest.

4.  Forgetting to save your favorites

Web pages aren't forever.  Sometimes a link can get broken and content gets moved or removed.  Don't run the risk of losing your favorite ideas and be sure to save them in another place other than Pinterest.  For example, I print out all my favorite recipes that I've found on Pinterest and put them in a binder.

5.   Going on a pinning spree

I know how easy it is to spend hours on Pinterest.  It's a good idea to set a time limit and stick to it.  Pinning too much at one time will flood your followers' feeds with your pins, which they won't appreciate.  Also pinning too many items to one board isn't a good idea either.  Maybe you're planning a birthday party and you pinned a whole bunch of great birthday party ideas to that board.  Your followers just got 50 pins dumped in their feeds and they're not interested in planning a birthday party.  It's best to pin a few pins at a time.  If you're pinning a lot, consider "liking" a pin first.  Then go back through your likes and pin only the things you really love.  Or consider pinning to secret boards.  Pins that are "liked" or pinned to secret boards don't show up in your feeds or your followers' feeds. 

6.  Not organizing your Pinterest boards

Keeping your Pinterest boards organized is not only helpful to you when you want to find something, but it will also encourage people to follow you or follow certain boards that appeal to their interests.  Having boards with clear titles in an easily searchable format such as alphabetical or by season or holiday makes it easy for potential followers to find a board they're interested in and follow it.  Here are some great tips for keeping Pinterest boards organized.

7.  Pinning gift ideas to public pages

Don't give away any big secrets by what you're pinning.  Pin ideas for births, potential gifts, and upcoming parties to secret boards.  Pin all you want to on these boards!  No one can see these boards (unless you invite them) and none of the images that get pinned to these boards will be visible in your feed.  Pinterest now has unlimited secret boards too!  

8.  Pinning too much on group boards

If you are a member of one or more group boards on Pinterest, the fastest way to get dropped from the board is to over pin or pin things that aren't relevant to the board.  The number of  pins you can pin to a group depends on the board.  Sometimes a board administrator will let you know the pin limit in the board description.  If it's a large board with a lot of activity, you can probably pin more often whereas on a smaller board with less activity, you would probably want to pin less frequently.  Pinning one a two things at a time is best because you won't flood the board with your pins.  Be sure to pin only items that are relevant to that board.  If you pin something by mistake, delete it immediately.