Pinterest Growth Strategy: The 80/20 Rule That Actually Works

Hello there! Before we dive into this blog, my name is Theo. I am in my third year of college, and I study business and finance. During that time and before, I have been building tons of Pinterest accounts, and on one of the accounts, I’ve gotten around 1+ million impressions a month on it. I’m very excited to use this blogging platform to share what I’ve learned throughout making Pinterest accounts and to show some of the new strategies I've discovered. Now, it’s time to get onto the fun part.

What is the 80/20 rule, and what will move the needle? If you have spent any time trying your best to grow on Pinterest, you’ve probably noticed something that is quite frustrating. You can do a lot of work, yet you’ll see that little to nothing works. The reason for that is because Pinterest is more likely to focus on doing more, not what matters. You see, the truth is that Pinterest's growth mainly follows the 80/20 rule. The 20% action will drive the 80% of your results. Now let’s focus on what will move the needle.

Pin designs. Most people will tend to focus on pins that look aesthetic. Now that isn’t a bad thing, depending on what you post about, but at the same time, it's not a good thing either, depending on what you post about, of course. I say that it’s not a good thing because Pinterest is not like Instagram. A good-looking pin that does not communicate quickly and easily will lose to a slightly “uglier” pin that will promise clear values. The 20% of this would be a clear, bold text that could be read in under 5 seconds, a strong promise (result-driven, not vague), and a contrast that will make the pin pop in a crowded feed of other pins. Instead of asking yourself, “Does this pin look good?” you should instead ask, “Would someone be able to understand what they are getting from this?” A pin that says “Flat stomach workout routine” will perform better than a pin that says “Feel your best!” almost every single time. Because clarity will always win.

Are hashtags important? Not really. I mean, it’s okay to use hashtags, but many creators will waste their time on them. You see, Pinterest doesn’t really rely on them the same way other platforms do. The things that actually matter are the pin titles, the descriptions, and the keywords that you can naturally include. The 20% of this would be to focus on the search intent, not stuffing as many keywords as you can. Instead of “Healthy smoothie, smoothie ideas, smoothie recipes,” do “5-minute high-protein smoothie for busy mornings.” This will be able to match exactly what some might search up on Pinterest. Pinterest rewards content that aligns with user intent, not content that tries to play the system.

How should you make more pins? Well, you don’t need more pins; what you need are better ideas. Most Pinterest users will post variations of the same type of weak concept. Don’t do that; instead, put your energy into finding one big, strong angle. Ideas would include making the pins show a solution for a specific problem, calling out to a certain audience, and making a promise for an outcome. For example, “Ab workout” would be weak, but “Lazy girl ab workout you can do in bed” would be much stronger. You see the second one sort of taps into identity, emotion, and ease. That is what gets the clicks. But before you start to design anything, try to spend more time on the hook than the graphic. The idea here is the multiplier.

Is early engagement important? Oh yes! Pinterest may be slower than most platforms like TikTok, but early engagement still matters more than what most people think. Ways to get early engagement includes: Posting consistently at similar times, creating content your current audience likes, and doubling down on what gets the most clicks. If one pin gets more traction than the others, don’t just move on. Expand it. Ways you could expand it include stuff like new designs, slightly different angles, and updated titles. You want to treat every winning idea like a mini content campaign. Most people will just leave growth on the side by constantly chasing new ideas instead of scaling ideas that work.

Which is more important, clicks or saves? Well, I would say both, but clicks actually matter more than the saves. You see, this is where most Pinterest advice will go wrong. Saves may make you feel good, but clicks are the things that make you the money, grow your brand, and train the algorithm faster. You want to design pins that will create curiosity. Instead of just giving everything away, leave a reason for the user to click on the pin. Examples: “3 mistakes that are ruining your Pinterest growth (and how to fix them!)”, “The exact workflow I use to schedule a week of pins in 30 minutes”. You’re not just sharing the information with them, you’re creating a reason to continue the journey.

I really hope you found the post valuable! If you have any questions or have a certain topic that you want covered, you can reach out to me at: theoleinemann8@gmail.com. Now time for our sponsor! This post is sponsored by MerivoFlow’s Scheduler. MerivoFlow’s Scheduler is a lightweight pin scheduler that features the ability to post for an unlimited time frame and a content calendar view for $8/mo, making it really affordable compared to other companies in the space. Interested? Check out MerivoFlow tools for more information.