I love me some Pinterest. (I’m @kwidrick, if you want to follow.)
I think there’s value for bloggers, for businesses (“How Businesses are Using Pinterest“), for moms, for crafters and pretty much everyone in between.
So before you read any further — I LIKE PINTEREST. I LIKE PINNING.
But I don’t like a new trend I’m seeing in bloggers, and it may make you mad.
I don’t think bloggers should pin their own stuff.
I get why they do it. Great exposure to their followers, a chance to be repinned and another outlet to share posts.
But to me, Pinterest is about other people crowdsourcing the best of the Web. It’s about getting the popular vote — the better your content is, the more it gets pinned and shared by others.
When bloggers pin their own content, it seems to be an unfair vote. It’s as if you’re asking your followers: who has the best blog? And then listing your own site 10 times before anyone else has a chance to jump in.
I am sure that there are valid arguments for pinning your own stuff, and I’m open to having my mind changed. In fact, I’m already seeing some good cases made on Twitter:
Bottom line for me: I am the QUEEN of advocating the use of sharing sites to amplify posts and work. I have no problem with bloggers sharing their content on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Google Plus, etc.
AND I’m all for bloggers making it easy for others to pin their content. Use the tools that Pinterest provides to add “Pin It” buttons, widgets, badges, etc. Add your link to your sidebar or author boxes.
But I’d love to keep Pinterest self promotion-free. Who’s with me? Who’s never pinning my stuff again because they think I’m nuts?
About Katy
I get the concept – pin your stuff, drive more traffic to your site. However, I think there’s a fine line between promoting yourself and being tacky about it. I would say, sure do it a few times, but everything? Absolutely not. I actually didn’t even know people did pin their own things. To me, I use pinterest as a way to organize all the things on the internet I want to make/do/remember, and I already know my recipe is on the internet because well, I posted it.
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey recently posted..just a minor blooper
I’m with Chelsey on this one. It never even occurred to me to pin my own things. Pinterest is like my virtual bulletin board — I don’t need to keep track of my own stuff there because I already have it.
Lauren @ Forward is a Pace recently posted..Thankful Things Thursday: On Sleep, Ballet Slippers, and How I Met Your Mother
I agree with your point that pinning lots of your own posts would be annoying but I don’t think pinning some of them is. As long as you are honest about it. I have a board that is labeled “Photographs That I Took”. Some link back to my blog and others to my Flickr. The board is labeled and if it bothered any of my followers, they could opt out of following that particular board.
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I feel like there’s a right tool for each job – Pinterest is great if you have a visually-oriented project to showcase like a craft or recipe. I wouldn’t pin a lot of my content because even though there are pictures in my posts, that’s not the best way to show it off, nor is it necessarily the right audience for the material. If I were a wedding photographer, however, I might feel differently because that’s not only image-based content but it also shows off other artists’ hard work (baker, florist, DIY brides) in which case it’s not just about promoting yourself but also other people. Really it’s just important to find the balance between overwhelming self-promotion and using a tool as it is intended and is appropriate for the material involved.
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Interesting point about vendors like wedding planners or artists…hadn’t really thought that one through.
I’m absolutely with you on this one. I believe Pinterest is supposed to be a place of inspiration, not promotion. There are times that I’ve been tempted to pin something that I’m especially proud of, but it makes me even more proud to find out that a reader found something valuable enough to pin it themselves. I agree with the person who said a blogger should work on making their content easier to share by adding a ‘Pin It’ button to posts. A few tips for bloggers: you can find out what content from your blog is on Pinterest by going to pinterest.com/source/yourblogURL . Also, I’ve had success in sharing my content on other sites like Food Gawker and then later having it turn up on Pinterest, so there are indirect ways to self-promote.
This is such a great post! I agree with another commenter who says pinterest should be a place of “inspiration, not self-promotion.” There are many ways to encourage your readers to pin your ideas, with out you having to do it yourself. To me, it’s a lot like “liking” your own status on Facebook. Only with pinterest, your *blog post* IS the status update. If people what to share, they’ll share. Like I tweeted yesterday (thank you for including my response!) I have definitely stopped following people or their boards because of shameless self-promotion. Pinterest is a visual bookmarking and sharing site, not a means to catalogue your posts.
On a blogger’s prospective, it also stresses me out to think that I’ll have to add another platform to my routine of “hey i just posted this” networks. I already feel that readers can get sick of seeing in their feeders, then on facebook, then on twitter.
Emily recently posted..Striving for Balance
*palm to forehead* for “replying” in the wrong section.
Emily recently posted..Striving for Balance
I agree with you 100%. It’s like patting yourself on the back!
Claire @ Live and Love to Eat recently posted..The Perfect Low Fat Granola
I totally agree with you! I feel like pinning your own stuff is the equivalent of liking your own facebook status or voting for youself in a contest! If you stuff is as amazing as you think it is, other people will think so too, and the pins will get around!
Confession: I’ve never been on Pinterest. I’m afraid I’ll get addicted and that’s the last thing I need is another time suck.
I guess pinning your own stuff sounds like stumbling your own stuff. Kinda lame. But I do agree that others will circulate it if it’s good enough.
Paula @ Eat: Watch: Run recently posted..Things I Do While Sitting on My Butt
I unfollow any board that’s used as self-promotion. If I like your stuff, I’m already subscribed to your blog and don’t need to see it again.
amanda @ fake ginger recently posted..Coconut Thumbprints with Salted Caramel
I found some of my photos pinned and thought “hey, that is cool” Then I repinned them and thought “Should I really do that…?” I figured it was okay since I wasn’t the first to put them up there. That was my way of rationalizing it so I didn’t feel like a moron.
Samantha recently posted..Gingerbread Cookies
i honestly see no problem w/ bloggers pinning their own stuff b/c, to me, it seems like smart marketing! it really doesn’t bother me when other bloggers do it… but that being said, i feel totally funking pinning MY own stuff b/c, like some people above said, i feel like it appears self absorbed and would prefer for my stuff to be pinned organically. i think i pinned a few of my recipes around the holidays b/c i thought they were festive and i knew a lot of holiday recipes were being pinned so i thought it might interest some people. i guess i side with the “once in a blue moon” approach to self-pinning.
Julie @ Peanut Butter Fingers recently posted..Wedding Golf Cart
Interesting distinction…maybe there can be “special rules” for things like holiday posts or tutorials.
But I just can’t seem to understand why that would be any more valuable than posting it to your blog alone. I wonder what the overlap — maybe there isn’t one? — is when it comes to blog readers and Pinterest followers. I guess I’ve been assuming that most of our readers are also our followers.
I personally don’t see a big deal with pinning your own stuff. I have a board called “The Purple Carrot” where I’ve pinned recipes from my blog, and people obviously know that I’ve pinned stuff from my own blog due to the board’s title. I actually find it a great easy access resource to my own recipes for reference when needed. I guess when I started it, it wasn’t as much for self promotion as it was to have some of my favorite blog recipes in one place. I love Pinterest because it’s great to quickly, and visually see everything in one space. And I actually like it when some of my favorite bloggers have a board dedicated to their own recipes/tips because I prefer to see all the pictures and click the one I want (or the one I want to repin) than to search around on their blog.
That being said, I also have multiple boards where I promote bloggers and blogs that I love, so it’s not just a one way street of me-me-me
The Purple Carrot recently posted..Best Thing I Ever Ate in KC
I’m not on Pinterest (actually, I’ve never met a guy who is…that’s probably another post I could do!) I personally see nothing wrong with pinning your own content, especially if your proud of it but whew! This makes working on your blog into a real job though. You’re promoting on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon and a few of us have Vlogs, so Youtube not to mention LinkedIn. I think Pinterest is fine, but the question becomes at which point does promoting your blog become self-absorbing and redundant. Pinterest, I always thought, was a great place to go and get ideas for things. I wonder how much traffic is actually driven to blogs via Pinterest? Might be a useful blog for you to do later, Katy—kinda like a Part 2?
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As a reader and not a blogger myself, I find that if I see something that is interesting on a blog I would rather just pin it myself! I LOVE when blogs have the Pin It button right there so it’s easy, but I’d prefer to pin that way than to have pinterest become self promotional.
I think I’m with alot of the tweets above – I have one thing from my blog (the first thing of mine that was pinned and my most popular post and recipe of all time) that I have pinned. It was pinned by someone else first and I did it more because I was uber excited to see something of mine on there. If you have something that is s amazing that you want to share okay, but generally I don’t think Pinterest is for self-promotion.
Andrea @ Vegvacious recently posted..What I Ate Wednesday
I waffle back and forth on how I feel about bloggers pinning their own work. I think it’s ok if it’s about sharing. I’m less comfortable if it’s just a way to drive traffic to your own site and you’re a pinning machine. I do think that it’s a bit much when bloggers pin everything they’ve ever done. Especially when they don’t make it clear on the pin that it’s their own work.
I try to follow the 90-10 rule for twitter (10% tweeting links to my blog, 90% retweeting, responding or posting links to other people’s work). I think that this would be a reasonable approach to pinterest as well.
I have a pinterest board for illustrated blog posts. I do pin my own images there. I have several people following only that board who don’t don’t follow any of my other pinterest boards. I assume that they want to see illustrated blog posts – including mine. I really do feel that it makes sense for me to pin my own work in this case. I don’t get repinned very often, but that isn’t really the point…I see that pinterest board in the same way that I see a facebook page (except that my facebook page is me-centric, and my posts are only about 20% of the content on my pinterest board. My content would be less than 20% if I could find more illustrated blogs to pull from.)
I don’t pin anything at all from my other blog. Because I don’t really do anything worth pinning. Ha!
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I really, really, really adore this post, Katy.
I’ve wanted to talk about this for some time, too. My thoughts on the subject echo Courtney’s exactly. I have only pinned a few of my things (maybe 4 total?), and I was still hesitant to do so.
When I see my fellow bloggers pin something of their own, I get it. They want traffic, and they want to share something they obviously think is cool and new/unique. It makes sense. However, I follow some people who pin their own pictures. Or just pictures they have taken. With no purpose other than to get Pinterest wanderers to come to their blog. To me, that’s a big turnoff, and it makes me feel guilty for wanting to un-follow them.
It goes along with the tweeting of the same “new post” every hour. Three times a day is fine, but overkill turns everyone off.
I think what I’m trying to get at here is that for me, it’s appropriate if it’s done in EXTREME moderation. No one likes a shameless self-promoter. You have your fans/readers for that.
Alyssa @ Life of bLyss recently posted..Cheating a Little Bit
Thanks, friend…it’s an interesting debate and I’m really glad that there are good arguments on both sides! I think it makes us all better bloggers/readers.
I’ll be honest – I am totally surprised by your opinion … and I can’t quite get my head around your “why”
I don’t pin all of my blog posts, only things with delicious photos, I don’t just pin pictures of MOI
However I do pin ALL of my articles for Blissfully Domestic (2 per mont) – I’ve had the top traffic in my category for two different months recently and it was all thanks to Pinterest
I told you I could be swayed
And your traffic argument is the best yet…I’ve heard from a couple of other people (above) that they’ve seen a lot of new traffic, so maybe I just need to dig into that a little more.
I do admit to coming at it from a different perspective. I don’t usually post “pinnable” stuff — no recipes, no great photos or tutorials. So maybe I’m just having a hard time seeing the value.
But I stand by my opinion that in general, Pinterest is about sharing other people’s content, not your own.
We can agree to disagree. I still love you.
It’s funny you mentioned this, because only a week or so ago I pinned a bunch of my items, only after seeing another blogging pinning all of her posts.
And it made me feel strange. It didn’t feel right, but I kept doing it. I’m going to stop for now…and if people want to pin my stuff (or I could add the Pin It widget, which is a bit cumbersome cause I have to add it to every post after the fact), they can. I suppose adding the widget takes the same amount of time as pinning though, so it’s probably the more ethical way to go.
Thanks for this, Katy.
I’ll admit I’m not on Pintrest. When everyone talks about how much it is a time suck I can’t even try it because I know it will become a time suck for me too.
That being said…I agree with you. I wouldn’t post anything of my own to pintrest because it doesn’t seem to be the point. From friends I know who use Pintrest, it’s a place of inspiration for things they like or want to do. My own recipes or photos are things I’ve already done or have archived on my blog.
I probably should add a “pin it” button to my posts but I wouldn’t pin my own things. It seems like “Look at me.”
Cynthia (It All Changes) recently posted..Happy Birthday to You…uh I Mean Me!
I’ve definitely thought about pinning some of my favorite recipes after pinning some other people’s and getting tons of re-pins in the first 10 minutes! But then I told myself that was trashy and nobody does that. I think after reading all of the different opinions on this post, I would go with the once in a while if it’s super fantastic philosophy. Sometimes there’s things you can be really proud of and know are awesome that maybe don’t get the response you were hoping for in your initial post, but I don’t feel like that’s an every day occurrence.
Ari @ Ari’s Menu recently posted..Inspired
I’m with you, the thought to pin my own stuff never crossed my mind. I think I’m okay with promotion on Twitter/Facebook and G+ to some extent that I’d like to keep my pins for finding cool stuff. I do pin other people’s stuff because its good. If mine end up there by someone else, so be it.
Patty at A Day in My NYC recently posted..Early Morning {#Project365 – Day 11}
I see your point but I definitely pin my own stuff sometimes. As someone who doesn’t get loads of traffic, there’s probably no way my stuff would ever get pinned on their without me. However, it does make me rethink how much I’m pinning. Also, if you have something to offer, such as 10 steps to making this awesome craft…might as well share the joy
I think it should be more about promoting others than yourself, for sure though.
Ericka @ The Sweet Life recently posted..Getting Through It
I absolutely agree that Pinterest is about pinning others’ ideas instead of your own. I HATE when I see people upload pictures of their own crafts as pins. I’m not sure if they just don’t get the concept of Pinterest, or if they just care that much that someone sees their random idea (that they probably got from something else already pinned, no less). To me, it just doesn’t seem very genuine.
Jessi @Jessi Makes Things recently posted..Insta-Jealous
Great topic. I think this was worthy of attention. I’m glad to see that others agreed with what I had to say too.
Tiff @ Love Sweat and Beers recently posted..Runner Body vs. Gym-Rat Body
Such a great topic! I can see both sides of the argument. Pinterest is a great tool, so why not leverage it to get your stuff out there? But then again, the main purpose of Pinterest is inspiration, and pinning your own stuff as “inspiration” sounds tacky. I guess if your stuff is really that great it’ll wind up being pinned by someone else, thus giving you the traffic you deserve.
Allyssa @ First Sweet Taste recently posted..Chocolate Covered Pretzels
I’m with you on this. I do think it’s a little too self-promote-y to pin your own stuff from your blog or website. Now, if you see something of yours that is pinned by someone else, I see no problem with re-pinning it!
Clare recently posted..Cruisin’ Together – Cruise tips
Wow, after reading all those arguments I actually started to be convinced that pinning your own content was maybe okay. Because I am one of those people who doesn’t think you should pin your own stuff. I think it’s tacky and, like one person said, why keep track of your own stuff? It’s already on your blog. I use Pinterest to keep track of things I want to make/do/buy/etc or inspirational photos/quotes. But if it’s already on my blog, then I don’t need to pin it. Plus, if I go to my source page on Pinterest, I can see that my stuff is being pinned without my need to promote myself. And that way, the stuff that REALLY deserves a pin is pinned. Not everything I churn out. Because honestly, not every post of mine is pin-worthy!
Even after all these good points, though, I still don’t think you should pin your own stuff. If it is pin-worthy, it’ll get pinned. I don’t like using it as a promotional site, I like using it as what it was originally made for.. inspiration and a pinboard/bookmark tool. Promoting my posts on FB and Twitter is different because people are there, following me on both platforms, to keep up to date with my content. People aren’t following me on Pinterest to keep up to date with my content. They’re there to see what I find pin-worthy.
Whew, I have to stop! I could go on and on! REALLY great post, Katie!!!
janetha recently posted..a new tool: the zero scale.
SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT I JUST SPELLED YOUR NAME WRONG. I am so freaking sorry. I was just so caught up in the moment! And I hate it when people spell my name wrong. I am sorry ten zillion times over!!!
janetha recently posted..a new tool: the zero scale.
It would be great if someone else pinned things from my blog, but I don’t think many of my readers are pinning. So I pin only recipes I think are stellar to a board I call “From My Kitchen.”
I understand this point 100%, but I guess I use Pinterest just as much for selfish reasons as I do for gathering the best of the web.
For example, one of my boards is “next week’s meal plan.” It’s how I organize my meals for the week. I see a dinner I want to make, I pin it to that board. Some of next week’s meals happen to be my own. It helps with organization.
Also, sometimes I’ll post some workouts I plan to do again (and again and again) to my fitness board because I can grab em rally quick and go.
Paige @ RAN recently posted..How Many Points in a 10 pc. Chicken McNugget
I should also add – I’m glad you brought this topic up! It’s been interesting reading everyone’s comments and thoughts!
Paige @ RAN recently posted..How Many Points in a 10 pc. Chicken McNugget
I never really even noticed this happening. I don’t really care as I’m not even on there much and I don’t post “pin-worthy” things. But I can see arguments from both sides.
Amber K recently posted..WLW: Exercise the Way YOU Want
As a blog reader and Pinterest user, I really do NOT like it when bloggers pin their own stuff. It seems very tacky to me and it honestly puts me off, even more so if they pin photos of themselves … that’s just weird.
It’s actually in the Pin Etiquette that one should not really pin their own stuff!
When I retweeted you this morning, it was before I even read this post, because that’s how passionately I feel about this. Pinterest is meant to be an inspiration board. While most sites change and grow by how their user base adopts the site, sometimes changing and evolving from what it was “meant” to be used for, I like the idea of Pinterest not being used for self-promotion.
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I agree that Pinterest is NOT a place for self promotion. If you post something worth pinning, then one of your readers will pin it, especially if you make it easy for them (i.e,. a “Pin It” button).
And I don’t really see it as a big traffic driver. I pin TONS of things every day, but rarely click through to the original site. Most of the time, I use the images as inspiration. If it’s a recipe, I probably won’t click through until I’m ready to make it and need the ingredients/directions. That could be weeeks or months or… never, honestly.
Dawn recently posted..First Run of the New Year! [Review + Giveaway]
I am torn! I was where you are – no self promotion. And then yesterday (of all days) I pinned a few of my recipes. I won’t pin all of my content – but if it is a popular post, why not? I believe it stretches my footprint. I can reach more. If you aren’t interested you don’t have to repin! That is just my opinion! Loved reading all of your responses from Twitter!
Nikki @ Christian Mommy Blogger recently posted..Comment on Healthy 2day Wednesdays {New Announcement!} and a {Giveaway!} by Nikki
I don’t currently use Pinerest but i completely get what your saying.. I everyone pining their own stuff can eventually devalue or diminish the sites usefulness.
chris D recently posted..Crossfit Open 2012 Announcement
I see Pinterest as any other social network, and I don’t understand why it has to be any different and “free of self-promotion”. In fact, of all the social networks, it’s the least annoying form of self-promotion. For example on FB, if you follow a business or something, every thing they say and do always shows up in your feed. Same with Twitter. (Of course, with both, you can filter, but still.) Pinterest isn’t like that. I’m just scrolling through picture after picture of creative ideas, and I rarely see at first who is promoting what. If something catches my eye, I repin it or check it out, and then I see who pinned it or what it’s about. I’m not the least bit offended if I see a blogger pinned their own thing. In fact, I could care less, honestly. Furthermore, both FB and Twitter have personal and professional applications. You can use it to chat with your buds, or you can use them to promote yourself. I dont’ even understand why there’s an argument about this when it comes to Pinterest. I pin things I find online and on PInterest as I come across them AND I pin my stuff from my blog onto a separate board called “On My Blog”. That board is professional, the rest are personal. People can choose to follow my Blog board or not, just like they can choose to Like my FB page or not, or follow me on Twitter or not. TO me this is a pointless argument.
Anne @ Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy recently posted..Hot Chocolate Granola
Cheers to you! I agree 100%! Why should you pin your own stuff. It’s like saying, “Hey! I want to try my own idea!” Well duh, it’s your idea….of course you want to try it.
Write good content, and it will get pinned. Plain and simple. Pinning your own stuff makes you look a bit desperate.
Stacy @Stacy Makes Cents recently posted..This is How We Do It – Part Four
I’m with you – I feel SO weird pinning my own stuff
Kat recently posted..Peanut’s party details – the skirt
Why Pin Your Own Stuff?
-It’s basically the only social media outlet that is highly visual.
-It’s not up to the original pinner, if the pin trends. The subsequent pins determine that, and it’s done by the free will of other Pinterest members.
-It can be a platform for new bloggers to get their content seen by more people than their family and friends who follow their blog.
-If you have a new idea and no followers on Pinterest to promote that idea, the Pinterest community will never get the chance to view your idea.
-Bloggers can create a separate board to showcase their own blog, and people have the choice whether or not to follow that board.
I agree with everything you said here Rebekah! I’ve had at least 10 readers ask me to please pin my outfits so that they can easily pin them to their boards. I don’t see why I wouldn’t listen to my readers on this one? And if someone doesn’t like that one board of mine out of many, they can just un-follow?
J’s Everyday Fashion recently posted..Today’s Everyday Fashion: Trip to Sanibel
I think in general, NO way. But I sometimes pin workouts that I design so people can workout ANYwhere! It is not just self promotion–I truly do care about other people’s fitness and health! I could care less how many people GO to my site from it, I just want good workouts out there for people who have NO idea what they are doing
But overall-I agree with you. Just wanted to throw that out there!
Annette@EnjoyYourHealthyLife recently posted..It’s In The Food
I pin my own stuff, but it’s clear that it’s my own stuff. Instead of pinning my own recipes to a given category (chicken, dessert, etc.), I pin it to my “A Little Nosh Recipes” board. Just a collection of all my recipes in one nice place.
Amy @ A Little Nosh recently posted..Tastetastic Thursday #17
Erm…I should probably start using Pinterest. It took me forever to get into Twitter and I know I’m not using it to the fullest so I’m hesitant to add another social media platform!
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Disclaimer: I haven’t started pinning yet, but I have an account. This post shocked me a little b/c I’ve had at least 10 readers ask me to pin my stuff so they can re-pin it. A few things:
- I think it really depends on what kind of blogger you are. I post one photo each day on my blog with barely any words. My brand is photos, so it makes sense to pin them.
- I was hoping by joining Pinterest I could see what kinds of blogs and photos my readers are producing by following them back? I can’t possibly follow everyone on Google Reader, but Pinterest is a great idea for me to get a peek at their best work. I really hope they pin their stuff…
- If you are representing a brand on Pinterest, you need to represent a brand. Meaning not leave out things that complete the picture and explain who you are – such as a board that is your “portfolio” so people can see what original content you are contributing to the world. And then they can decide if they want to visit your blog for more content or not.
- Can’t they just unfollow that one board that is your portfolio if they want? Is it really that much of a faux pas?
J’s Everyday Fashion recently posted..Today’s Everyday Fashion: Trip to Sanibel
If I’m following someone on Pinterest, that means I’m genuinely interested in that person. I WANT to see their own pins. Especially if they’re a blogger or an artist or a stylist, etc that I love. It’s just another form of sharing. I don’t see how it’s any different from promoting yourself on any other social media outlet. A lot of people are fearful that their own stuff won’t get repinned so they don’t do it. I say it’s a great way to gauge what your readers like. And personally, I have more people following my “Shit That I Made” board than any other. It’s boosted my traffic on Etsy & allowed me to connect with awesome customers and readers in a different way. Of course, as with any outlet, it should be done in moderation. Over-pinning of your own content can be obnoxious if it’s a constant stream everyday but some sprinkled in there amongst all your other awesome is totally okay in my book.
Robin Plemmons recently posted..I want to know what love is and i want Lenny Kravitz to show me
Oh, dear! I just pinned several of my own quilts yesterday. It never occurred to me, though, to do such a thing in order to “drive traffic to my blog.” I actually did it because several friends had ASKED me to. They don’t follow blogs, but they wanted to see my quilts in Pinterest, so I created a “Trunk Show” board for them to see.
I guess some people must think I’m tacky now. Oh well – too bad for them! I don’t sell anything or crave attention. I was just sharing in a way some personal friends and family had asked me to.
No, please don’t worry! I didn’t mean to have my opinion develop into a rule…there are always exceptions, and you make a good argument for why it works for you and your friends. So keep pinning!