I heart Pinterest.

It has become a semi-daily fix ritual. I love to peruse the many ideas, tips and visual inspirations.

Call me slow, but it took me a while to realize what a powerful tool Pinterest can be for bloggers. I was so taken by White Chocolate cupcakes and DIY ruffled throws that I had a momentary lapse in reason.

But as appealing as it may sound, I personally believe there’s a right way and a wrong way to use Pinterest for personal gain. Like all social media networks, some care and consideration should be taken. Sadly, I see the trend following the route as so many others. And I can’t say that I’m totally innocent, but it seems to me that some networks are overrun with advertisements and self promoting links.

So how does one leverage the power of Pinterest without becoming an annoying, self-promoter? The way I see it, there are a few do’s and dont’s to consider…

Do…

1. Make it easy for your readers to “pin”. There are several ways to do this…one is right from Pinterest. Simply go to About>Goodies, and scroll down to “Pin It Buttons for Websites”. Follow the instructions there to place a Pin it button on your blog. Another option is the Pin It on Pinterest plugin for WordPress. This is a little simpler to set up. But my pick? I use the Shareaholic plugin. They are one of the few plugins that added Pinterest to their list of social media networks. Plus I think it just looks pretty.

2. Include your link. Make sure to include a link to your Pinterest profile in your social media button set. It helps people find and follow you.

3. Write interesting content. Obviously you wouldn’t expect people to pin every post your write. Many posts just aren’t “pinnable”. Keep in mind the Pinterest is very visual and some topics are more popular than other. Here are some ideas of “pinnable” topics:

• Recipes
• DIY/Crafts Tutorials
• Hairstyles
• Fashion
• Tips
• Organization
• Decor
• Photography

…and a whole lot more.

4. Create a graphic. If you’re so inclined, take an extra few minutes to create a little graphic that is specific to your post. Stock photos or your own personal images are great, but adding a descriptor to it make its even better. See the graphic I used up there? I have a feeling it will be pinned once or twice… Need a little help creating a simple graphic? Check out this post on creating a button with Photoshop Elements (Its old, but it still pertains).

5. Make sure your profile says something. In Pinterest, you can create a profile along with your account. Make sure it says something about you and most definitely include a link to your blog and Twitter profile at the very least. Its just another way for people to find their way to your blog.

Don’t…

1. Beat your readers to the punch. Give others a chance to pin your content. Dont rush over right after you hit publish and pin it yourself. You’d be surprised who will pin what…and to where (is that grammatically correct?) You can learn so much from how others pin your content.If you want to find out what is being pinned from your blog, it easy…

• Click on your profile.
• Find a pin you know came from your blog (whether from yourself or someone else).
• Down on the right hand corner there will be a link saying “Pinned via Such and Such from Yoururl.com”. Click on your blog URL.
• What results is a list of all the pins that originated from your site.

2. Pin your own content…only. I love what Jo-lynne has to say and I completely agree. Use the general rule of thumb of promoting others 90% of the time and yourself 10%. I don’t have a problem pinning some of my Snapfish photo card designs, but only after I’ve pinned or repinned a whole bunch of other things. I just think its good social media etiquette/practice.

3. Be obnoxious in asking people to pin. Its kind of like…shoving your business card in someone’s face…or spouting off your blog stats when no one asks (sense any pet peeves here, perhaps??). Provide all the opportunities, but dont over do it…there is such a thing as tact in all things including Pinterest.

4. Forget to pin good things you find. Im preaching to myself big time here… Make sure to pin that great new recipe you find on your favorite blog or that tutorial you read in your RSS feed. What goes around comes around.

So how about it? Do you agree? Would you add any do’s or dont’s? Speak up!