how I finally got traffic to my new blog: a review of Pinteresting Strategies

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you use a link on this page to make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only promote products I use and love, because I think you'll love them, too!

When I finally decided to take my blog from hobby to business a year and a half ago, I had no idea how I was going to make it work. I knew nothing about how blogs make money. I was clueless about getting traffic to my blog. I was writing about my family's weekends and long philosophical essays that no one was reading.

But I was determined to figure it all out. 

I started writing more consistently on my blog, sharing it to Facebook, and waiting for the traffic to roll in.

Crickets.

I mean, my mom would "like" my blog post shares on Facebook, and occasionally a supportive friend would leave a nice comment. But where were the throngs of internet strangers ready to consume my clever musings? 

Next, I turned to my trusty friend Google to figure out my traffic problem. From my hours of searching and reading, I discovered blogger Facebook groups where I could share my latest posts and everyone on the thread would be required to share or comment on my post. The only catch? I would have to do the same for their posts.

I would spend HOURS at night catching up with these threads. I felt like I was spinning my wheels and working my BUTT off just to get 10-15 extra pageviews from people who didn't care about my content - they were just there to check something off their to-do list, never to return again.

I was feeling so stuck, and so frustrated. Where on earth do people find traffic for a new blog? Do they just get lucky with viral Facebook posts? Do they grow their Instagram and hope people follow their links? Everything I read about Pinterest was telling me I needed to pay monthly fees for Tailwind or Board Booster to succeed, and I wasn't willing to do that until I was making money with my blog. I felt like I had such a long road of slow growth ahead of me.

How I Got Pinterest Traffic without Using a Schedulers

That is until I found Carly Campbell's eBook: Pinteresting Strategies. I saw another blogger write about how she got her first viral pin, and I was so intrigued. The book was only $32, and I knew it would be such a small investment if I could get the same results she was talking about. 

I devoured the eBook in one night and began implementing her advice the very next day. What I found was that there is actually a strategy to pinning! (Imagine that!) Before I read the book I would create a pin for my posts in like 1 minute flat. I would pin it to my blog board on Pinterest, then maaaaaaybe repin it to some generic blogger group boards I was on.

Basically, Carly's strategies involve a system for manual pinning that takes your most popular pins for each post and repinning it to group boards that are keyword-specific. She walks you through exactly how to locate your pins that are performing the best and how to capitalize on that success.

She also takes you through the basics of creating a pin from the visual aspects to keywords and Pinterest SEO. I love the conversational tone of her book, and how her advice comes from a place of offering a hand up from someone who has gone through the struggle herself. If you are on her email list and in her Facebook group, you'll get to know the HUGE heart Carly has for helping other bloggers make a legitimate income. She is active in her Facebook group, answering questions every day and responding to emails. 

In short, I trust her. I trust the advice she gives, because she, like me, is stubbornly figuring out creative solutions to every blogging obstacle, then sharing her discoveries with her tribe. I also trust her because her tips WORK. 

Did you see results from Pinteresting Strategies?

In short, yes. Slowly but surely my traffic began to climb as I implemented the strategies outlined in the book. Imagine my shock when I checked my analytics one night to find I had over 1,000 pageviews from one of my pins!

At that point, I was barely getting 1,000 pageviews a month if I was lucky. 

That success motivated me to keep going, keep pinning, keep growing. 

Soon after, another one of my pins went "viral," and it brought in over 11,000 page views within 30 days' time to my blog. 

Eleven. Thousand. 

And that was just one of my posts. I was even getting a couple thousand more page views from other posts on my site! At this point, I am so close to having enough page views to apply for a better ad network I can taste it. The good news is that I know exactly the strategies to apply!

By the way, more page views equal more affiliate sales and ad revenue. Best $32 I've ever spent.

So what's next?

Ok, so now that I am seeing success from a few of my blog posts on Pinterest, I am motivated to replicate that success. 

Through one of Carly's emails, I learned about the Billionaire Blog Club (BBC) run by Paul Scrivens. I decided to enroll in his free 12-day blogging boot camp to see if I liked his teaching style. One thing I learned from him in that boot camp that seems so obvious now but took me months (years, actually) to figure out, is that I need to stop writing about my weekend and philosophical musings on life and start writing posts that solve problems. 

Write solutions to problems that people are searching for on the Internet and Pinterest. 

Duh.

Once that clicked, I felt like I had a flood of post ideas to write, and couldn't type quickly enough to keep up with my ideas. I felt like his free advice was so valuable that I just HAD to enroll in the Billionaire Blog Club myself.

I've only been in the BBC for less than a month, and I've already seen another spike in my affiliate income and pageviews. The reason I value the BBC so much is that Paul Scrivens himself (Scrivs) is SO ACTIVE in his community, too! He is determined to PERSONALLY help each person who enrolls in the BBC succeed. He responds to emails and questions in the Slack Community.

Both Scrivs and Carly lend a helping hand and their expertise, but they also expect you to put their advice to work and kind of figure out what works for YOU. They encourage experimenting and trial-and-error. They foster a mindset of growth and self-sufficiency. 

I love that. I respect that. It works for me.

Is Pinteresting Strategies for You?

I mean, you'll have to decide that for yourself. I was leery of investing in courses at first because I was nervous about investing money only to find out I already knew the information. To me, Carly's book was worthwhile because it was only $32 and I knew before I bought the book that it WASN'T just going to be one long commercial for Pinterest Schedulers. It would be practical advice I could implement for free. 

Who is this book NOT for? Well, as Carly says on her own site: 

"It’s impossible to guarantee that this strategy will work for everyone for many reasons.

Firstly, Pinterest has an ever-changing algorithm. I am constantly aware that this strategy might not even work for me forever (this terrifies me). This strategy requires a daily commitment. I spend anywhere from 15 minutes – over an hour on Pinterest per day. This strategy will NOT transform Pinterest pins and pin impressions into clicks over to your blog. YOU need to do that, with pins that scream “click me!”.

There will never be a way to guarantee that this method will work for everyone. But there is also no way to guarantee that any method will work for everyone."

So I guess if you know you won't have time to implement the strategies, set this aside for later when you are ready. I just think that if you're like me and writing good content but can't figure out how to get people to your blog, this is worth a shot. 

Again, here's where you can buy the book. 

I hope you've found this review helpful! There are so many books and courses out there to grow your blog, it's hard to know which ones are actually helpful or a good fit for you. Feel free to send me an email if you're debating purchasing Pinteresting Strategies or BBC - I'll do my best to answer your questions or give you some pros/cons!

Wishing you wellness of mind, body, and soul.