Scheduling Pins: Why Pinterest Posting Time is No Longer Crucial
Not too long ago, Pinterest had a chronological home feed. Just like Instagram’s and other social media platforms, the timing of your pin was pivotal to its visibility. Pinning your content in the evening, when the platform saw peak activity, increased your chances of reaching a broad audience. Understandably, this triggered some crazy competition in the home feed as all creators wanted to pin content at optimal times. There’s even schedulers like Tailwind that still calculate what optimized times to publish your pins.
However the platform has transitioned from a chronological feed to an algorithm that focuses on user interests and search engine optimization (SEO). What does this mean for us? The chronological posting stress is history.
But what does the Pinterest Algorithm look like now?
Pinterest’s algorithm now tailors the home feed to individual users’ behavior , delivering content based on their interests and previous interactions on the platform. This user-centric approach means our pins are more likely to be seen by those genuinely interested in our content, and not to just anyone who happens to open the app at 7:26pm.
As a result of this, it’s now harder to “go viral” on Pinterest, because timing drove a lot of impressions. BUT we are seeing the lifespan of a pin increase. For example, once Pinterest figures out your pin is about wedding dresses (we call this “indexing”, BTW), it will show your pin to pinners searching for wedding dress ideas for months if not years to come. Some of my clients’ best pins are over a year and a half old.
So if scheduling at a certain time doesn’t matter, what do you need to focus on?
1. **Keywords:** Pinterest functions as a visual search engine, and optimizing your pins for search is paramount. Create compelling pin descriptions and board titles that incorporate relevant keywords. I have a FREE SEO Guide to help you figure out how to find the best keywords for your niche.
2. **Content Quality:** Pinterest rewards high-quality, engaging content. Pinterest tracks your engagement on a pin, and your time visiting the website’s content. So if pinners are getting value out of your pins, Pinterest will push it to other users looking for the same thing.
3. **Consistency:** While posting time matters less, consistency should still be a key element in your Pinterest strategy. Regularly pinning new and relevant content lets the Pinterest algorithm know you are providing new ideas to their users, and the algorithm rewards that. Stagnant accounts often see a decline in engagement.
In conclusion, don’t stress over what time you post a pin. Instead, put your energy into crafting well-optimized pins with engaging content that speaks to your audience’s interests. Pinterest has evolved, and so should your approach.
If you want more support on creating an up to date Pinterest strategy, check out my 1:1 strategy sessions.
Happy pinning,
Sarah
