Top Pinterest Marketing Strategies for Food Bloggers

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As a food blogger, you love what you do: making crave-worthy culinary creations and telling your readers how and why you do what you do. At some point, you may find yourself wanting to grow beyond your immediate audience and seeking fresh marketing strategies to broaden your reach. Pinterest can be an excellent platform for doing just that — but what are the best ways to reach new users and drive traffic to your blog? 

If you’re looking to tap into the ever-growing Pinterest user base and ramp up your food blog marketing efforts, you’ve come to the right place. This article explores the top Pinterest marketing strategies for food bloggers to help you maximize your reach and take your love of food to the next level. 

Pinterest Marketing for Food Bloggers

Pinterest has evolved beyond a platform for inspiration; for food bloggers, it’s a virtual playground where culinary inspiration meets digital marketing. As a food blogger, you can use your Pinterest account to expand your reach and attract a broader audience eager to explore your food blog, try your recipes, and subscribe to your recipe updates. 

Whether you focus on gluten-free recipes, easy weeknight meals, or healthy desserts, leveraging Pinterest can elevate your food blog to new heights. It allows you to showcase your recipes, engage with a massive audience, and drive substantial traffic to your blog.

Why Pinterest?

• Visual discovery: As a popular search platform, Pinterest is renowned for its visual-centric approach to content discovery. Users flock to the platform for inspiration, making it an ideal space for food bloggers to showcase their healthy food ideas and mouthwatering creations.
  
• Return on ad spend (ROAS): Pinterest reports that CPG campaigns in the United States and the United Kingdom deliver 32% higher ROAS on Pinterest than other digital platforms — specifically for food, health, and beauty categories. Moreover, the average ad saturation rate on Pinterest is just 25%, compared to other platforms nearing their ad saturation point. Brands in these categories (that’s you, food bloggers!) can continue generating incremental sales through Pinterest rather than experience diminishing returns.
  
• Longevity of Pins: Unlike other social media platforms, where posts can quickly get buried in feeds within minutes or hours, Pinterest has a longer lifespan for content. A well-crafted Pin can continue to surface in user searches and feeds for six months to a year, providing a lasting opportunity for exposure.

Pinterest for Food Bloggers

Before delving into creating and sharing Pins, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the platform and how to Pin food content. Here are some best practices:

• Optimize your Pinterest profile. Use a high-quality profile picture, write a compelling bio highlighting your passion for food, and include a link to your blog.
  
• Create visually appealing Pins. Invest time in creating visually appealing Pins for your recipes. High-resolution images with vibrant colors are more likely to catch users’ attention when searching for recipes and food inspiration.
  
• Use rich Pins: Make your recipes stand out by using Pinterest’s rich Pins feature. Rich Pins sync information from your food blog, providing extra information above and below the image when users click into the Pin. If you update a popular healthy dinner recipe on your website, for instance, the rich Pin will periodically update to reflect the change. 
  
• Craft compelling Pin descriptions: Go beyond just listing ingredients. Write engaging and descriptive captions that evoke a sense of the dish’s flavor, uniqueness, or the experience of making it. Include relevant keywords to improve the discoverability of your Pins and entice users to visit your blog.
  
• Create tutorial and process Pins: Create step-by-step tutorials or process Pins for your recipes. Visual guides that showcase the cooking process or highlight steps add value and encourage users to click through to get the full recipe on your blog.

Is It Worth Using Pinterest to Increase Food Blog Traffic?

In addition to offering longer lifespans for content, Pinterest can be a powerful driver of traffic to your food blog. Pinterest recorded nearly 1 billion monthly visits in April 2023, solidifying its status as one of the most highly frequented websites globally.

Moreover, 97% of Pinterest searches on Pinterest are unbranded. Unlike other platforms, users predominantly search for generic terms such as “chicken pot pie” or “gluten-free cookies” rather than specific brand names. The lack of brand loyalty on Pinterest allows your food blog to captivate an audience eager to expand their palates.

Pinterest & SEO

By incorporating relevant keywords into your Pin descriptions and board names, you cater to Pinterest’s internal search algorithms and lay the groundwork for broader visibility on major search platforms — including Google, which often indexes Pinterest content. Users searching for recipes or food inspiration may encounter your Pins, leading them directly to your Pinterest profile and your food blog.

Pinterest SEO Optimization Tips

• Optimize your Pinterest boards and Pins: For boards, incorporate relevant and searchable keywords into their names and descriptions. Adding an eye-catching cover photo further enhances your profile’s discoverability.
  
• Remember those rich Pins: Rich Pins enhance your content’s depth and relevance, making it more likely to get displayed on search engine results pages.
  
• Focus on pillar keywords: Add pillar keywords across your Pinterest boards, pin titles, descriptions, and images. Incorporating these keywords enhances content visibility, improves categorization, and attracts a targeted audience.
  
• Leverage Pinterest analytics: Metrics such as saves and clicks provide insights into your Pin performance, helping you understand which content resonates most with your audience. Impressions indicate the total number of times your Pins were shown in search results, feeds, and boards. Analyzing these metrics lets you identify popular and engaging content, providing valuable insights for optimizing your SEO strategy.
  
• Use UTM codes: In my agency, we append Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) codes to the end of all URLs — with Pinterest as the source, the blog title as the campaign, and the “monthyear” as the medium.
  
  looks like this: ?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=lauraorganic&utm_campaign=monthyear
  
  By adding UTM codes to everything, we’re able to better track the traffic coming from campaigns, providing detailed insights into the origin and effectiveness of our efforts. 

Pinterest & Image Quality

Image quality on Pinterest goes beyond aesthetics; it’s about creating a visual narrative that resonates with your audience and leaves a lasting impression. Follow these tips for optimal images:

• Prioritize high-resolution visuals: Use vibrant colors and thoughtful composition to make your Pins visually striking.
  
• Create an image collage: Showcase a high-resolution collage featuring the end result alongside pictures of the laid-out ingredients. We find this visually appealing format performs best for bloggers, capturing attention and encouraging higher click-through rates.
  
• Check metrics: Regularly assess the performance of your Pins and be willing to adapt. Staying attuned to user engagement allows you to refine your image strategy continuously.

Pinterest & Ideal Pin Size

Refine your Pinterest strategy by moving away from the conventional 600×900 pin size. In my agency, using a mix of pin sizes has proved highly effective, contributing to substantial growth for clients.

Go for updated pin sizes such as 1000x1500px, 1000x1800px, and 1000x2100px to boost engagement and broaden your reach on the platform.

Pinterest & Font Selection

The typography you choose for your Pins helps to convey your message, enhances readability, stylizes your Pins, and contributes to the overall visual appeal. Keep these font tips in mind:

• Prioritize legibility when selecting fonts for your Pins. Opt for styles that are easy to read, especially in smaller sizes.
  
• Experiment with font pairings to create visual interest. Combine different fonts for a harmonious blend, such as pairing a serif font with a sans-serif font or juxtaposing a serif font with a script font.
  
• Play with sizes: Varying sizes help create a hierarchy and emphasize essential information. Experiment with different proportions to find a balance between readability and visual appeal.
  
• Try different weights: Contrast font weights to add depth and emphasis. Pair bold and regular weights to highlight key elements within your Pin.
  
• Contrast fonts. Pair an elaborate script font with a clean, neutral sans-serif, for example.
  
• Use fonts from the same typeface family. A unified typeface ensures a consistent visual identity while allowing for variation in style and weight.

How Often Should One Pin?

Pinning consistently at the optimal times for your audience is essential for keeping followers engaged. So, if you can only Pin one or two times a day initially, start with that. Eventually, aim to Pin seven to 15 times per day as you amass more content — strategizing around your analytics and planning your Pins accordingly. Anything over 20 – 25 Pins will not be indexed by Pinterest and is a waste of your time.

You can also pay attention to the times of day when you Pin. According to CoSchedule, Pinterest users tend to engage the most with content posted between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Check your analytics to determine the optimal times for your audience, and use scheduling tools to maintain a consistent presence throughout the day.

How to Create Boards?   

Creating boards is simple: Just click the “+” on the right-hand side of your main profile to add a new board. From there, give your board a name, start adding recipes, and organize your board however you like.

Creating well-curated boards enhances the visual appeal of your profile and contributes to a user-friendly experience. Consider the interests and preferences of your audience when organizing boards, tailoring them to specific themes such as “Gluten-Free Bread Recipes” or “Decadent Holiday Desserts.” 

This thematic approach provides a structured and navigable profile, enabling users to explore and engage with content tailored to their interests. As users discover your boards and find relevance in the themes you offer, they are likely to follow your profile for curated inspiration.

What About Pinterest Group Boards?

Instead of creating or joining shared boards, I recommend joining Tailwind Communities if you’re seeking an amplification influencer strategy. Explore tribes — groups of people who exchange repins — aligned with your niche to enhance content reach and engagement. These communities offer a platform for collaboration, making them an ideal choice for maximizing your influencer marketing efforts.

Do I Need to Pin Pictures From Others?

While Pinning your original content is essential for showcasing your unique perspective and building your brand on Pinterest, incorporating images from others can be a strategic and beneficial practice. Striking a balance between your own creations and curated content from others enriches your profile, making it a more engaging destination for users.

Pinning pictures from fellow creators within your niche also adds diversity to your boards and fosters a sense of community and collaboration. Sharing content from others demonstrates your appreciation for their work, and it can result in increased engagement and visibility as you participate in the broader Pinterest community. 

Can I Use Hashtags While Pinning?

We do not use hashtags in my agency at this time, but if you must use them, only do so if you have characters left in your description and you can’t fit in a keyword organically. Do not use more than one hashtag, two max.

Also, note that hashtags are not currently searchable in any form other than in Pin descriptions, so don’t use them anywhere else.

Ready to Amplify Your Pinterest Marketing?

By incorporating these strategies into your Pinterest marketing plan, you can position your food blog for success in a platform that celebrates creativity and exploration. Whether optimizing your profile, curating thematic boards, or embracing collaborative opportunities, each tactic contributes to a robust and engaging Pinterest strategy.

However, As a Pinterest Manager and Promoted Pin Strategist, I know how overwhelming it can be to piece together a cohesive strategy when you’d rather spend your time creating delicious culinary concoctions. That’s why I’ve put together a wealth of resources for food bloggers needing personalized guidance and expert support in navigating the world of Pinterest marketing.

Whether you want to learn how to tackle Pinterest marketing yourself or outsource your marketing with done-for-you services, I have what you need to elevate your food blog to new heights — without the tech headaches or lost sleep. Access my free training showing you how to leverage Pinterest for lead generation and conversions, or connect with me and discover how you can grow your food blog’s reach and revenue effortlessly.