The Final Piece of Your Pinterest Content Puzzle

This is a newsletter I sent to my subscribers last week. I publish the newsletters on my website; however, I edit out some information from the public versions.

If you’d like to receive these updates in your Inbox in unedited form, sign up for my newsletter:

Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored how to use Pinterest as an alternative traffic source to Google.

Today, I’m wrapping up this fun series by:

Revealing the common Pinterest traps that kill traffic (including mistakes I’ve made)
Bringing together everything we’ve learned into one comprehensive strategy

Let’s make sure your Pinterest efforts actually result in website visitors, not just pretty pins 😅

⚠️ Pinterest Traffic Traps to Avoid

After managing multiple Pinterest accounts and making plenty of mistakes, I’ve identified these critical traffic-killing traps:

1. The “Pure Visual” Trap

Creating pins that satisfy users without requiring further action is my biggest mistake with my first Pinterest site (which I’m now looking to sell).

Users see everything they need in the image, save it, and never visit your website. This was a painful lesson!
Here are a few examples of such pins:

***images edited out***

☝☝☝ I left out some details from my original newsletter. If you’d like to receive these updates in your Inbox in unedited form, sign up:

2. Over-Optimizing for Saves Rather Than Clicks

Still, saves are an important signal for Pinterest’s algorithm and help boost your account visibility. But they don’t directly translate to traffic.

Pure visual pins can produce impressive save counts but they need to be balanced with traffic-driving pins. The ratio depends on your niche.

3. Visual Promise vs. Webpage Delivery Misalignment

If your pin promises something your page doesn’t deliver or match, Pinterest can literally remove the “Visit Site” button from your pin, making it impossible for users to reach your website.

For example, if your pin shows “15 Stunning Patio Designs” with beautiful images, but your webpage page the pin points to talks about loans, that’s misalignment. Users feel deceived, bounce quickly, and Pinterest notices this behavior.

Pinterest takes user experience seriously, and bait-and-switch tactics will get you penalized.

4. Poor Quality Images

Pins with poor quality images – especially those with AI-generated oddities like malformed hands or multiple limbs – can trigger Pinterest to reduce your account’s reach or remove visit buttons.

Quality control is essential, especially if you’re using AI to generate imagery.

📸 Examples of Effective Traffic-Driving Pins

Here are examples of pins for listicles that effectively encourage click-through:

***images edited out***

☝☝☝ I left out some details from my original newsletter. If you’d like to receive these updates in your Inbox in unedited form, sign up:

Notice how these pins:

Show enough to inspire but not enough to satisfy completely
Include multiple elements that suggest more content is available
Have clear text that promises additional value

And if I click on one of them, I get exactly what I was promised:

🗺️ The Complete Pinterest Content Blueprint

Let’s bring together everything we’ve learned into one comprehensive strategy:

Phase 1: Evaluate Pinterest Potential

From our first discussion, remember to:

Define your website’s main topic pillars – identify the core themes of your site
Research Pinterest search volume using tools like PinClicks (affiliate link – use a 5-day trial to look around and then use my coupon Loc25OFF to take 25% off) to find high-volume Pinterest interests
Focus on interests, not just keywords – remember that Pinterest categorizes content differently than Google

A website with strong Pinterest potential will have topics with significant search volume (like our example with 664,873 potential monthly visitors across three topics).

Phase 2: Understand Pinterest Search Intent

Unlike Google, Pinterest users are primarily seeking:

Visual inspiration
Ideas and possibilities
Planning resources
Creative concepts

The Pinterest marketing funnel is top-heavy, with inspirational, awareness-stage content performing best.

Avoid the two extremes:

Pure visual searches that satisfy without clicks
Product searches dominated by retailers and ads

Phase 3: Assess Your Content’s Pinterest Potential

Not all content types work equally well.

Lower Pinterest Potential:

“Best X for Y” roundups (middle-funnel)
Product reviews (bottom-funnel)
Single-solution content

Higher Pinterest Potential:

Comprehensive listicles
Detailed how-to guides
Printables and templates

Those old-school posts that used to do well on Google before E-E-A-T? They’re Pinterest gold!

Phase 4: Create Pins That Drive Traffic

Balance these elements:

Visual appeal (to attract attention)
Incomplete information (to encourage clicks)

Make sure to nail down:

Clear promise of additional value
Quality imagery without AI oddities

Avoid the traffic traps we discussed while maintaining a healthy mix of save-optimized and click-optimized pins.

🏁 The Bottom Line

This strategy allows you to leverage your existing content for Pinterest traffic.

It’s a solid foundation for Pinterest success, though there’s certainly more to explore: seasonality, boards, topic expansion, pinning frequency, etc. (that could be a whole course!)

🏖️ What’s Next

I will put my newsletter on hold.

I’ll be taking a brief summer break for a couple of weeks as school finishes and my son starts his holiday.

We’re planning a mini vacation where I’ll be working less, though I still need to prepare content in advance: Pinterest beast wants to eat daily! 😅

I plan to return at the end of June, right before Canada Day on July 1st.

By then, I’ll surely be missing our conversations and will be ready to jump back in with fresh insights.

I’ll still check emails during my break, so feel free to share your Pinterest implementation stories or questions.

🤔 Now, a question to you…

Have you assessed how many “Pinterest-friendly” posts you already have on your website? What percentage of your content do you think would work well on the platform, and how would you “package” these posts specifically for Pinterest?

Hit reply – I’ll be checking emails even during my break and would love to hear your plans!

Happy summer, and until the beginning oj July! (Pss 🤫 My subscribers will receive the next email at the end of June 😉)

P.S. If you implement this Pinterest strategy before I return, I’d love to hear how it’s working for you. Early feedback is incredibly valuable, and I might feature your success story when I return!