Confessions of a Pinaholic or What I Have Learned the Hard Way!

YES! I am a pinaholic and there is no denying it! Once I discovered Pinterest, a few years back, I began to save and pin like crazy! I pinned morning, noon and night...watching TV, at bedtime and while drinking my morning coffee...there was no stopping me!!! I saved and pinned and pinned and saved and liked. I followed and followed and followed and then I was introduced to Tailwind...it was as if a magnet was pulling me into the abbyss of pinning and I started even more and more pinning...now I was pinning organically, scheduling and pinning and pinning more and scheduling more. There was no stopping me...I was the pinning Queen of all pinning Queens...my sales were increasing so I kept on pinning and pinning and pinning and then it happened. It was devastating...the absolute worst thing that could happen to a pinner...a follower, collaborator and someone I met through pinning BLOCKED ME!!! Oh no...why? Why was I blocked...no warning...no nothing...what did I do? What a shock to my ego...my pinning crown was deflated and I... I was blocked...no warning...no notice....no nothing!. I tried desperately to get unblocked, but my blocker worked very hard to keep me blocked PERMANANTLY! I tried again to get unblocked, but that was in vain... minutes, days and weeks have gone by and well... it is NO use...my pinning tactics sent me right to jail. It was like playing a game of Monopoly..." Go to Jail...go straight to Jail, do NOT pass GO...do not collect $200...just go to jail...you are now a pinning delinquent.  As I sat on my bed, devastated, I thought...what happened...what did I do that was so wrong that someone BLOCKED ME? So, as curiosity would have it... I decided to take a look at the boards that I was blocked from and then it hit me right between the eyes...it dawned on me...I figured it out... I finally realized what had happened! I was so hung up on pinning that I just kept on merrily pinning away without any regard to the rules of the boards to which I was pinning.  Now, with Tailwind...that was pretty easy. I would find a pin, select a board and pin, pin, pin forgetting about the rules of the collaborative boards. That was my mistake...I just pinned for the sake of pinning.  Now, my optimistic attitude said," Forget the mistakes...everyone makes mistakes, but remember the lessons you learned from those mistakes!"

So, in order to help fellow pinners so they don't fall into the same bad habits that I fell into... here is my pinning advice:

1.  First and foremost, make sure you read the rules of the boards to which you are pinning. If it says pin 2 freebies for every paid product, then be mindful and simply follow the rule. 
2. Write the names of the boards that have very specific rules and abide by them...keep these notes close at hand when you are pinning. Some boards are more laid back(like mine) and others have very specific rules; so take notes and be aware of where you are pinning. 
3.  If you are the owner of a collaborative board, give the pinner a warning before you block them. Their tactics could be very innocent and they may not realize (like me!) that they are abusing their right to pin to your board! 
4.  Be generous and make sure you pin pins from other sellers onto your boards to collaborate and support each other. This will also make your board more appealing to others as well and get your rankings up.  
5.  If you choose to use Tailwind, be aware of what you are pinning. Although they say you may have pinned to this board before, that is okay, but make sure you KNOW the rules of the board and have not pinned too many onto that board already before you repin!  
6. To get more viewers, promote your pinterest link through your blog, Facebook page, newsletters or e-mail marketing. This lets others know about your boards. 
7. Use keywords in the descriptions of your pins so you are attracting the right audience. It is also suggested to use hashtags in your descriptions so your pins can be found more easily. #sightwords #guidedreading #firstgrade #abcorder. Here is an example of one of my pins in which I used these suggestions:  I know My Colors Pin
8. It is also suggested to use prices in your descriptions so your product can be found on Pinterest Gifts, which categorizes ideas for sale by price.  MORE EXPOSURE...MORE FINDABLE!!
9. Have conversations with your followers and those you are following. Comment on products that you feel are great!  In order to have a real conversation with followers you have to be following each other, but you can thank a follower for repinning or liking your pin and connect with people who like the same brands as you do to promote each other's products.  So connect with each other to avoid the SPAMMINESS!
10. If you make a mistake...just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again pinning more wisely!  You will be glad you did!

So these are 10 tips I have learned through my mistakes as a pinaholic. YES,  I am still pinning, scheduling, liking and repinning, but I am always mindful that I HAVE made mistakes and HAVE started all over a few times, but that is OK because I am remembering the lessons I have learned from my mistakes! There is just one small problem...I have discovered Instagram...OH NO, here we go again!

PS Here is a link to my pinterest account. Some of the boards you can simply add yourself to and others you will need to send me a request. Check them out and let me know which ones you might want to join...Happy Pinning!  Sunshine and Lollipops on Pinterest