When I first started using Pinterest as an author, I had no idea what I was doing. I’d heard people talk about how great it was for driving traffic to their websites, but I wasn’t sure how it applied to me. I’m an author, not a lifestyle blogger! But then something surprising happened—one of my Pins went viral. It was a simple book quote on a cute illustrated background, designed to spark creativity for other authors. I didn’t think much of it when I posted it, but pretty soon, it was getting pinned and re-pinned like crazy.

So, how did it happen? Let me share what I learned along the way, and maybe it’ll help you do the same.

1. Design Matters

The first thing I realized is that Pinterest is all about visuals. (I mean I knew it, but then I really KNEW it.) You can’t just slap something together. I mean, you can, but you’re doing yourself a disservice if you approach it that way. I used a tall, vertical format (Pinterest likes these best!) and I made sure the text was bold and easy to read. I also used my brand colors and fonts. My advice: when you’re creating Pins, think about how they’ll look in someone’s feed. If they don’t catch the eye, they’re not going to get shared. I always aim for a size of 1000 x 1500 pixels, with a clear message like “5 Writing Prompts to Spark Creativity.”

2. Offer Something Valuable

The real secret sauce? It wasn’t just that my Pin looked good—it offered value to a specific group of people. In this case, it was bookish inspiration. I’ve also shared writing prompts that have connected with people who needed a spark of inspiration to keep writing. Whether it’s writing tips, book recommendations, or behind-the-scenes peeks of your novels, offering something useful makes people more likely to save and share your content. Now when I’m planning my Pins, I always ask myself: What’s in it for my audience?

3. Don’t Forget Keywords

Here’s a big one: Pinterest is a search engine. It’s easy to forget this when you’re caught up in the visuals, but using the right keywords is crucial. Think about what your readers are searching for. In my case, I knew other writers were looking for things like “writing prompts”, “how to write a mystery”, or “how to write a book.” Including these keywords in my Pin descriptions made them discoverable. Trust me, you want your Pins to show up when people search for topics where you have something to offer.

4. Create Multiple Pins for the Same Content

One of my best tricks is creating multiple Pins for a single blog post or piece of content! Game. Changer. Let’s say I’ve written a blog post with writing tips. I’ll make one Pin that says “10 Tips for Writing Your First Novel” and another that says “How to Start Your Novel Today.” Each Pin looks different, but they all link to the same place. By doing this, I’m reaching a wider audience and increasing my chances of one of those Pins going viral. You never know which one will take off!

5. Be Consistent

One viral Pin is great, but if you want lasting success on Pinterest, you have to be consistent. I didn’t hang up my hat after my first viral Pin—I kept pinning. And guess what? Pinterest rewards consistency. Now I use Tailwind to schedule my Pins so that I’m posting regularly without having to manually pin every day. The more you pin, the more chances you have for your content to spread.

6. Use Rich Pins

Another tip: enable Rich Pins! These automatically pull in information from your website, like book descriptions, blog details, or recipes from your books. For authors, this is gold. When I promote one of my books, the Rich Pin updates with all the key info, making it even more clickable. It’s a little tweak, but it can have a big impact on engagement.

7. Don’t Be Afraid to Promote

Lastly, don’t be shy about promoting your Pins. If you’ve created a Pin that you think has the potential to go viral, you might consider running a Pinterest ad. I’ve done this a few times for book launches. It’s a great way to get your Pin in front of more people. Sometimes that little boost is all you need to start the viral snowball rolling, and that’s a fun ride to take.

The Takeaway

When you focus on creating eye-catching, valuable Pins and staying consistent, you can grow your audience and drive more traffic to your site. It has worked for me. Having a pin go viral isn’t just luck; it’s about putting out content that resonates with people. 

Good luck and happy pinning!

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Want more on how authors can use Pinterest? Take a look at Pinterest Power for Authors!

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