Pinterest is more effective than any other social platform at driving traffic to websites and blogs. So if you’ve never used Pinterest to market your business, it’s definitely worth exploring.
But whether you’re a Pinterest veteran or a newbie pinner, there’s a key mistake you want to avoid: assuming that Pinterest is only about creating and sharing gorgeous pins.
Yes, Pinterest is a visual platform. And those stunning visuals definitely matter. But so does your copy.
In fact, your copy matters more on Pinterest than it does on Instagram and Facebook.
Why?
Because contrary to what I said in the first sentence, Pinterest isn’t really a social media platform. Instead, it’s a search engine.
That’s why the copy you write for your Pinterest pins doesn’t just tell your audience what your pins are about. It also helps Pinterest’s search algorithm figure out what kind of search results to display your pins in. This plays a huge role in determining your visibility on Pinterest.
So if you want more link clicks and repins on Pinterest, it’s absolutely essential to write copy for your pins that attracts, engages, and converts your audience.
I’ve already written a post on how to write optimized pin descriptions for Pinterest.
So in this post, I’ll be focusing on how to write Pinterest pin titles that get clicks and shares.
Keep reading to learn all my top tips!
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What is a pin title?
First things first: what exactly is a pin title? A pin title is a short string of text that gets displayed along with your pin image in Pinterest.
In the feed, it shows up right under the pin.
And in a pin closeup, it shows up in large font beside the pin and above the pin description.
The purpose of a pin title is to give people more information about the content linked to your pin so they can decide if they want to click on it.
Pinterest used to automatically pull text for your title from your pin description or your pin’s Rich Pin data. But now, Pinterest requires users to add a title every time they share a new pin.
Related: 7 reasons to use Pinterest to promote your business + free Pinterest profile cheat sheet
Why are pin titles important?
Like I just mentioned, pin descriptions give the people who see your pin more information about what the content linked to your pin is about. It helps them decide whether it’s worth their time to click through to your blog post, sales page, YouTube video, or whatever landing page you’ve linked to the pin.
But that’s not all.
Remember how I told you that Pinterest is a search engine? Pinterest uses your pin title to learn what your pin is about and when to display it in search results. So if you want more people to see your pins on Pinterest (which is what you need if you want more link clicks and repins), you’ve got to write optimized Pinterest pin titles.
Here’s how to do this:
5 tips for writing clear and optimized Pinterest pin titles
1. Include keywords
You know how keywords are important for optimizing your website or blog for search engines like Google? Well, because Pinterest is also a search engine, keywords matter on Pinterest too.
Your Pinterest pin titles are one of the key pieces of information that Pinterest and your audience will look at to determine what your pin is about. So it’s important to include keywords in your pin titles.
Which keywords should you use?
First, identify the keywords in the content (e.g., blog post) that your pin links to. For example, in my blog post on how to write Instagram captions that work, “Instagram captions” is a keyword. So it’s in the title for my corresponding Pinterest pins too.
Second, use the search function in Pinterest to find additional keywords. Specifically, type in the topic of your pin and check out the words that pop up as related terms. These words represent topics that people commonly search for along with your topic. So they can be great keywords. For example, when I typed in “gluten free banana bread,” Pinterest displayed related terms like “easy,” “vegan,” and “healthy.”
Third, think about the words that your audience uses when searching for content related to your pin. For example, if you have a pin about call-to-action tips but your audience usually uses the term “CTA,” “CTA” may be a better keyword for your pin than “call to action.”
Of course, like with any kind of SEO, you never want to stuff your Pinterest pin titles with keywords. Instead, write naturally but incorporate keywords where you can.
Related: 10 Pinterest tips that boost your traffic, leads, and sales + free Pinterest SEO cheat sheet
2. Prioritize the first 30 characters
Your Pinterest pin titles can be up to 100 characters long. But only about the first 30 characters will show up under the pin in the Pinterest feed. This is why it’s strategic to include your most important keywords or information at the beginning of your Pinterest pin titles.
Related: How Pinterest increased my email subscribers by 1018% + free Pinterest profile cheat sheet
For example, the author of this gluten-free banana bread pin placed the most important terms, “gluten free” and “banana bread,” in the portion of the pin title that’s visible in the Pinterest feed.
Want to skyrocket traffic to your website so you can grow your email list and make more sales?
Download my free cheat sheet on creating the perfect Pinterest account profile.
3. Don’t just repeat your description
Scroll through your Pinterest feed and you’ll see lots of Pin titles that are exact matches of text found in the pin’s description.
Pinterest won’t stop you from including the same text in your Pinterest pin titles and descriptions. But if you do this, you’re wasting an opportunity to optimize your pin with additional relevant keywords and to present your content in a different way.
Remember, your audience and Pinterest uses both your pin title and your pin description to figure out what your pin is about and how much value it offers. So instead of including the same info in both fields, use each field to highlight your content in a slightly different way.
Related: How to write optimized Pinterest pin descriptions + free Pinterest profile cheat sheet
Check out how this pinner used different text in the pin title vs. pin description:
4. Avoid using the word “click”
Pinterest scheduling app Tailwind, an approved Pinterest partner, recommends leaving the word “click” out of your Pinterest pin titles. According to Tailwind, Pinterest can detect this word in your titles and will limit the reach of corresponding pins.
It’s also a good idea to avoid other words that might seem like click bait.
5. Stick to title case
Pinterest pin titles that are typed in title case usually get more clicks. When you write in title case, you capitalize words the same way you would if you were writing the title of a book. This means that you capitalize the first letter of major words.
Here’s an example:
Write your Pinterest pin titles!
Now that you know how to write Pinterest pin titles that convert, it’s time to write ones for your own pins!
Use the 5 key tips I’ve shared above to help you write titles that’ll give you more Pinterest link clicks and repins.
Want to skyrocket traffic to your website so you can grow your email list and make more sales?
Download my free cheat sheet on creating the perfect Pinterest account profile.
Great material. Thank you.