Have you wondered how writers can use Pinterest?

I contributed to APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur — How to Publish a Book, with a chapter called How to Pin your Way to Success — An Author’s Guide to Pinterest in which I discuss how and why authors can use Pinterest. I’ve used Pinterest for book promotions for the past several years, and I’d like to share what I’ve learned with you.

Writers have much to think about when building their online presence, and Pinterest can be a smart part of it. Pinterest has consistently been in the top four traffic referrers for blogs based on research done by Shareaholic. One benefit of using Pinterest is that you don’t have to create new content for Pinterest, you can add your blog content, add from other web sources, or re-pin existing content on your boards.

When you’re working on the entrepreneur part (when you need to start marketing and selling) of your book or trying to get the word out about your blog, Pinterest is a great way to connect with readers. Pinterest takes less time than the other high traffic referrers, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, but can bring awareness and traffic to your writing. Your Pinterest boards can show more of your personality, and that’s precisely what people want: a connection with you.

Some Pinterest basics:

1. Build a foundation for your platform by creating a good profile with your avatar.

2. Create your Pinterest account in your name and add boards for your book and website.

3. Let Pinterest showcase unique things about you. Your readers will love to learn about the person behind the writing.

Visit Peg Fitzpatrick’s profile on Pinterest.

4. Write original descriptions when you re-pin things to your board to put your stamp of creativity. This is the description for a pin by photographer and Pinterest superstar Trey Ratcliff for this pin. Trey has an impressive Pinterest following of almost five million Pinners. Trey adds the following to every pin:

Description with the location of the photo

His name with and without a hashtag

A link to his website Stuck in Customs

The photo also links back to his website

5. Create at least ten unique boards with your original names and themes. You want each board to have at least ten pins before you make the board public. Some suggested boards:

#1: About me (pins things you like that share your personality)

#2: Links to your social media accounts and website

#3: Your book/books

#4: Your blog/website articles

#5: Books you like

#6: Writing inspirations

#7-10: Choose four topics that you wish to create boards. Use the focus of your boards to help establish your brand and area of expertise.

6. Create quote graphics from your book or other quotes that inspire you. This is a graphic I created for APE that has done well.

If you’re looking for some additional Pinterest resources, I’ve created a Pinterest board called APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur, and All Things Pinterest to help you out.

7. Create branded images for your Pinterest graphics

From awesome pinner Rebekah Radice, “Custom images create a memorable brand experience. They connect the dots between business and consumer, making your content easily identifiable. Not only that, but they provide a stimulant for better buying decisions. In a study by Custom Content Council, two thirds of consumers polled said they were more likely to buy from a company using custom media. There’s also a psychological component to branded images. Psychologist Jerome Bruner has found that while people only remember 10 percent of things they hear and 20 percent of what they have read, they’ll remember 80 percent of what they see or do. If you want to stand out online, you need to get branded!”

Create the most beautiful Pinterest images possible to bring traffic to your blog as well as build a branded and visually pleasing Pinterest presence.

How do you like to use Pinterest with your writing? What types of Pinterest pins have worked for you? I’ve love to hear your Pinterest success stories or questions in the comments below!