In our recent blog on ideas for promoting your book in 2025, we mentioned trying out different social sites such as Pinterest. There are several reasons why using Pinterest to market your book may work for you. We’ll detail those and explain how it all works below.
How Pinterest Works
According to their website, “Pinterest is a visual discovery engine for finding ideas like recipes, home and style inspiration, and more. With billions of Pins on Pinterest, you’ll always find ideas to spark inspiration. When you discover Pins you love, save them to boards to keep your ideas organized and easy to find.”
Essentially, it works like a search engine but for images, called pins. Like other social sharing platforms, there is a Homepage and you have a profile where you create pins and boards. These are grouped by themes. You can also follow others and they can follow you. Because it works as a search engine and users also shop for products via pins they find in their search, using Pinterest to market your book could increase your sales. Other authors have been doing this for a while, but because Pinterest is evolving to focus more on user experience and marketing capabilities, it could potentially become a great space for authors to expand their platform.
Can Pinterest Really Be a Good Platform for Authors?
Because Pinterest is a search platform it’s designed for people to find what they are looking for rather than solely allowing algorithms to decide what users see. Also, unlike other social media platforms, Pinterest content is static and therefore always available. We all know how fleeting and fickle social media platforms are these days, and having a place with a little more focused purpose to share your content and market your book is definitely helpful.
There are some other advantages of using Pinterest to market your book too.
- You can create your own boards, so your content is curated and on brand.
- There are groups you can join and follow to build engagement.
- It’s a visual platform, which increases engagement while also allowing direct links back to your website and blog.
- Users visit Pinterest with purpose. They are looking for specific things.
- You’re able to use keywords and titles and otherwise optimize your pins.
- Content is essentially evergreen. Though algorithms are used to curate user content, your pins don’t disappear.
- Pinterest is moving towards focusing on user experience and marketing capabilities.
- With a business account, you can add your website URL to your profile and use it as another space where you grow your brand.
Why Using Pinterest to Market Your Book Could Work for You
Because it’s so often used as a platform to sell products, using Pinterest to market your book and boost sales is very much in the realm of possibility. Did you know that 55% of users consider it a place to shop and buy? And 70% say it’s their favorite place to research products.
But Pinterest is also a fun social media platform where users go to seek inspiration. It’s not clogged with content outside of the realm of catering to people’s interests. Meaning, no one is sharing volatile or controversial content for clicks. It’s more like a scrapbook for people who enjoy their hobbies and interests. For all these reasons, using Pinterest to market your book may be a more pleasant experience than on other social sites. And if it’s a pleasant experience, you’ll be more invested in spending time there, right? Because we all know book marketing is a long journey, and avoiding author burnout is key to a sustainable marketing plan.
Tips for Using Pinterest to Market Your Book
Although Pinterest is also a search engine for those looking for inspiration, it’s also a social site where you can increase your online visibility. And because your purpose there will be to drive traffic to your website, grow your author platform, and use Pinterest to market your book, you should use your real name and a professional profile picture just as you would on other social media sites.
You will also need a business account because this allows you to create ads, and take advantage of their branding tools. A business account also offers analytics, which are an essential part of your marketing strategy.
Here are some things to remember as you’re starting out:
- Complete your business profile
- Add your website URL to your profile
- Add a compelling About section
- Create boards with themes related to your book and blog topics and use quality images
- Optimize your pins with keywords
- Add links to your blog (not just your book) to drive traffic to your website
Of course, like with any new space, you will need to spend some time navigating it and learning how it works. As far as creating your profile, remember to keep it consistent with your author brand, as we mentioned. Then spend some time there, do some research, and experiment with creating images for your pins and boards. Remember, it should be a pleasant experience!
If you want some inspiration for the types of boards you could create to promote your book on Pinterest this BookBub blog has some creative ideas!
So, Maybe Pinterest is the Place for You!
If you’re thinking about using Pinterest to market your book now, maybe start by creating your profile today. But remember, just because users go there to shop doesn’t mean it should be used solely for direct book promotion. Think of it as another opportunity to grow your author platform and drive traffic back to your website.
Pinterest may be your place if you like creating graphics and images but don’t like the pressure and pace of other social media sites. You may also thrive there if you blog regularly and stick to consistent themes that revolve around your book.
Either way, have fun with it! Since Pinterest isn’t about opinions, and it focuses on hobbies and interests and finding new things to love, it could be a much more pleasant and easy-going experience for the social media adverse. Maybe it’s the place for you?
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