How to Use Pinterest for Your Book Blog

Guys, I'm a social media manager for a small marketing agency just North of Boston by day, so I'm usually inundated by clients and potential clients asking how a social media platform can be used for their business. Recently, however, a lot of book bloggers have been asking if Pinterest can be used to enhance their blogs' reach. The short answer? Of course it can! The longer answer? Pinterest is still quite new, but the target market is huge, so there's a lot of untapped potential.

I bit the bullet about 6 months ago and got a Pinterest account for me, myself and I. After a while, I began to see the possibility of, perhaps, using it in part for my blog, as well. Now, some of you might be asking yourselves what exactly Pinterest is. It's pretty simple, actually.

Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard. Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests

*via Pinterest.

Do you see the goldmine of opportunity there?! Anything beautiful you find via the search engines (barring Facebook - don't be creepy - and some sites that have blocked the Pin It Button) can be pinned to your boards and shared to your followers. The potential for things to go viral is enormous.

So, what could book bloggers pin?

- Book covers (WoW posts that track back to your blog) 

- Book reviews (Pin the covers and track back to your blog)

- Writing inspiration 

- Book-inspired jewelry 

- Book-inspired art

- Features (Share your graphics and track back to them)

- Authors

Just as a little example, this is what my bookish pinboard looks like.

If you think about it, the list is pretty much endless. Pinterest has the same idea as any social media platform - sharing. If you find book bloggers out there on Pinterest, share their content! If you find authors and publishers, do the same! We're all dipping our toes in the water at about the same time, so the market's open. Have fun with it!

Some publishers that have bitten the bullet and established Pinterest accounts include HarperTeen, Penguin, Random House, Scholastic and more. Heck, even Book Expo America is on Pinterest. Visit The Well-Read Wife for a list of bloggers on Pinterest, and check out this list on YA Highway for Authors and more publishers on Pinterest to get some ideas!