In true startup form, Pinterest swiftly responded to user feedback to roll out its second round of big updates in a matter of weeks. Here’s a look at the most recent changes — circa late April, 2013 — and how your brand can take advantage of these features to boost engagement on the platform and traffic to your site.
Repinned From
What is it? Pinterest brought back the “via” feature, which lets pinners know who each pin was originally pinned by. We’re happy to see this feature’s return because it keeps your brand or personal identity firmly attached to the content you pin — something that might otherwise get lost in the mix.
How to use it: The “Repinned from” action happens automatically, so there are no new action points here — other than pinning compelling content in the first place.
Mentions
What is it? LinkedIn recently debuted a mention feature, and Pinterest wasn’t far behind them. Users can now tag one another in descriptions and comments by typing “@” before a username.
How to use it: Mention fellow brands and content producers to boost engagement and support your community — who knows, maybe they’ll return the favor.
Improved Notifications
What is it? Notifications are nothing new for Pinterest, but they have added more types of engagement to the list. You’ll now be notified whenever someone follows you or your boards, repins, like or comments on your pin or mentions you elsewhere.
How to use it: Keep a close eye on who is interacting with your content. If you really want to stay on top of things, enable email notifications so that you can acknowledge pinners immediately with a like, comment or follow.
Suggested Keywords
What is it? Pinterest has improved the search function to include keyword suggestions as users type in the search box.
How to use it: Make sure you’re using logical keywords in the description section for pins. When determining keywords, put yourself in a Pinterest user’s shoes and think about what kind of terms they would be likely to search for that also relate to your brand or pins.
