The Manual Pinning Strategy that Works

2020 was a super confusing year for Pinterest users. With all the new updates and fuss around the pinning method; we were forced to try out different pinning strategies.

We cannot deny the fact that most of the bloggers get their traffic from Pinterest and hence it’s necessary to stay up to date with all the changes that Pinterest brings in.

According to the new algorithm, Pinterest made it clear that they will be favoring the fresh pins over the re-pins. However, there was also a buzz about manual pinning getting a higher reach than the scheduled pins. After seeing so much discussion about manual pinning in blogging groups, I thought of giving it a try.

Now, remember, manual pinning takes more time than scheduled pins but it indeed is worth all your time.

The Manual Pinning Strategy that Works

What exactly is manual pinning?

Manual pinning means you’re directly pinning blogger’s pins from their blogs using the social sharing options or pinning your own content through the Pinterest app either from your phone or computer.

Pinterest loves it when the users are active on the app and manual pinning enables users to be live on the app.

Now that we’re clear about manual pinning; let’s learn more about schedule pinning.

What is scheduled pinning?

Scheduled pinning is when you use a third-party service or another platform

to schedule your Pinterest pins. The Pinterest scheduler allows you to pin content at a specific time without you being always online on the platform.

You can schedule your pins through various schedulers like Tailwind, Buffer, or Hootsuite. However, Tailwind is an approved Pinterest partner so it’s better to schedule your pins via Tailwind scheduler.

The theory behind manual pinning:

You might have heard many success stories about manual pinning and it indeed gives an algorithm boost. However, different people experience the effect of manual pinning in a different way.

The best thing about manual pinning is that it lets you spend more time on the app which Pinterest loves and thus it boosts your engagement.

However, you should also be very particular about your pinning times. Check your Google Analytics to know when your users are most active and pin accordingly. It’s literally a waste of time if you’re pinning at odd hours. Further, make sure that you’re pinning to the relevant board only.

Is manual pinning worth your time?

You would be shocked if I told you that manual pinning actually takes less time than using a third-party scheduler.

I highly suggest having a Google spreadsheet or use Airtable to have easy access to all the pinning data. Write your pin titles and description using keywords and you can just copy, paste them for later use. This actually saves so much of your time.

Some bloggers prefer doing both, they maintain a balance of

manual pinning as well as of the scheduled one. However, this will not only cost you more but will also end up eating your time.

Will manual pinning strategy work for you?

To be brutally honest, you can never know which strategy works best for you without implementing it in the first place. Besides, you also need to be consistent with your pinning strategy for it takes time for Pinterest to rank your pins.

However, if you’re following all the mentioned tips and pinning at peak time; I’m sure you will get more traction using manual pinning.

In the end, Pinterest can totally skyrocket your blog traffic if used with the proper strategy. I hope that this piece helped you decide whether manual pinning is worth all the buzz. If you’re implementing this strategy, I would love to know the end results.