Blog

4 Ways Authors Can Reach Readers on Pinterest


By Jody Hedlund, @JodyHedlund

If you haven't figured out by now, I'm a HUGE Pinterest fan! I love the visual appeal of all the pictures. I love the organizational structure of the site. I love all of my various collections of pins (especially my chocolate recipes!).

Most of all, I love the venue it provides for interacting with readers.

As I've studied and experimented with Pinterest over the past couple of years, I've realized that there are many ways for authors to relate to readers on the site. Here are four simple ways:

1. Share the love of reading. 


One of the best ways to connect with readers is to promote books. There are LOTS of different ways to do that. Some users have boards that showcase their favorite books which can draw like-minded readers (via searches).

Others (like myself), have boards that relate to reading in general. For example I have boards for pins that have Reading Humor, Fascinating Book Art, Stuff for a Book Geek, and more. Such boards attract others who have the same interest. When they visit one board, they're likely to browse some of my other boards that promote reading. And while visiting, they're bound to see my Novel Boards, which leads to the next simple way to connect with readers . . .

2. Develop Novel Boards for your books. 
 

Whenever I have a new book release, I also create a Pinterest board that gives a visual summary of the book. I showcase characters, setting, historical events, etc. And within the description of the picture, I share a little bit about the story (without giving too much away). For an example of how I set up a Novel Board, check out the board for my latest release: Captured by Love.

3. Make Pinterest-worthy pins for your website or blog. 

I try to make a pin to go with every blog that I post. I also make pins for book releases, giveaways, or anything else worth mentioning. I use PicMonkey to doctor pictures I've taken or pictures that are "free" for doctoring.

Of course, I make sure to add my website address to each pin so that no matter where the pin ends up on Pinterest (even if the link back to my site is lost somewhere along the way), at least my web address is still visible. Ultimately, I want to draw people back to my website or blog to find out more about me and my books.

4. Develop topical boards that showcase elements in your books.


For example, if your book is set in World War II, consider having boards that have various pins from that era. Or if you write about lighthouses (like I am with my upcoming series), then develop a board devoted to lighthouses.

When other Pinterest users search for World War II or lighthouse pictures, they could end up being directed to your board and thus your site where of course then they'll see that you write novels about that particular topic as well.

My Summary: Pinterest is a visually stimulating way to connect with others. But I offer a word of caution: Make sure that you don't over-promote your books. As with any social media site, your followers will feel spammed if they see you pinning pictures of your books over and over and over.

Readers can sense when we're using social media with ulterior motives and they tend to run far away from pushy authors. Instead we need to join in the fun of creating interesting boards that not only will bring us pleasure, but will also be attractive to others.

Do you use Pinterest? What are some other ways you try to connect with readers there?

17 comments:

  1. Great tips! I already have a mighty presence on Pinterest, but as I delve into the world of authorship I'm contemplating how to translate that platform as an author... thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're very welcome! Hope that the post sparks some ideas as you think about making some Boards that reflect being an author! :-)

      Delete
  2. Great tips here. I get the sense Pinterest is more useful for marketing rather than simply for fun if you write for the demographic that frequents the site (adult women). The stats I've seen show men prefer Twitter and teens, Instagram.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Laurel, I have a lot of fun with Pinterest. I actually think writers should make sure they're having fun with it and not just aiming at marketing with it. It's interesting how different demographics prefer different things! I've noticed that teens are now gravitating toward Instagram too. My daughters got me started on it and I really like it too, but again, I'm using it more for fun and not promotion.

      Delete
  3. Those all sound really great! I don't promote any books of my own seeing as I'm not a writer, but if I get really into a series that I have read I will make a board for it using pins of: Actors or actresses, setting pictures, pins I make, quotes that remind me of the characters, etc... For example, I have boards for books by Julie Lessman and Lisa Bergren.

    I also will make boards if authors ask me to, to help spread the word about their new work. I am just a huge fan of pinterest, and I've only had mine for a little over a year now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Salyna, I LOVE hearing that you make boards for authors!! That's so awesome! I will have to tuck that away for the future! ;-) I'm super excited about making a board for my new YA series releasing next March. Can't wait. I already have a secret board with a collection of pictures started.

      Delete
  4. I don't use Pinterest. I limit my time on social media to 45 minutes a day, which doesn't leave much time for anything...but I get the important stuff done, like my household business, meals, and my word count! My hat is off to those who manage to do it all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good for you for limiting your time on social media! My writing time always gets top priority too. It's the main thing and we have to keep it that way! :-)

      Delete
  5. What great ideas! When my YA novel came out, I enjoyed pinning photos of people holding my book. It was a fun way for them to connect to the release.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Julie,

      Yes, I love having a board devoted to my readers too. I actually had a Pinterest photo contest for one of my books where readers could win a prize for the most creative photo of them with my book. That was a lot of fun!

      Delete
  6. I look at Pinterest in kind of the same way I do Goodreads: fun for me, with any marketing benefits a bonus on the side. :) But I actually do some of the things you mention here—I have a couple book-themed boards, a Western-themed one and another on the Edwardian era (since I've written in both those settings), and one where I collect pictures of various historical settings that might come in handy for future stories. It took me a while to get used to book-related storyboards, since I have a hard time using visual aids to write (I visualize things rather vaguely, but still have a hard time finding pictures that suit my mental image!), but I've started enjoying them lately.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I look at Pinterest and Goodreads as being very similar in approach. I like to have a presence on both, but I also like to use them both for fun just as a regular user!

      Delete
  7. What a great post, Jody. Thanks for the tips. I keep hearing about picmonkey and then I forget to try it. Love Captured by Love btw. I finished it this morning. Your surprises are fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for reading my new book, Catherine! You've been such a dear to read each of my books. I appreciate it more than words can express! :-)

      Delete
  8. I'm tempted by Pinterest - but very leary about the whole copyright of images thing. I've heard so many bad things about it. How do you manage that?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks so much for sharing your tips of how authors can use Pinterest. I am just learning. So far others have pinned my books on there as I don't know how. I also don't know how to pin my blogs on there.

    I guess as time goes on I will learn how. Right now I do have boards on show casing books and have also pinned donkeys and farm animals to my Edmund Pickle Chin board for my book by that name. I'm glad to learn I'm doing something right. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Really nice post.
    I use Pinterest a lot, I like it more than other social, but at the moment I'm still trying to figure out how to use it to promote my blog (since I don't ahve any published book yet). Your tips are very valuable :-)

    Can I ask something? How do you get those nice snapshots of your boards?

    ReplyDelete

© All the articles in this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without prior written consent from the author. You may quote without permission if you give proper credit and links. Thank you!