As an author with multiple pen names, genres, and series, I hit a breaking point with social media. I was tired of chasing algorithms, spending endless hours scrambling for daily content, and watching my content fade away. I needed something sustainable.
That’s when I turned to Pinterest.
Right away, a few things stood out:
- It isn’t social media at all. It’s a search engine.
- Content doesn’t expire. A pin created once can keep working for months or even years.
- I could batch-create and schedule pins in advance, which freed up my time for the thing I actually want to be doing: writing books.
Pinterest quickly became the number one source of traffic to my author website, my reader magnets, and even my Amazon pages. It’s a marketing strategy that works in the background while I get to keep writing my books. If you’re an author who wants long-term visibility without social media burnout, Pinterest is absolutely worth a serious look. I’m going to share with you my Pinterest marketing strategy and how you can set yourself up for success with the platform.
Wait, Isn’t Pinterest Just for Crafts and Recipes?
Not at all! If there is one key takeaway from this article, this is it: Pinterest is actually a visual search engine, not a social media platform.
While Pinterest has a social component (like following and re-pinning), its core function is to help users find content through keyword searches. That means content you post today, like a pin linking to your book series page, newsletter sign-up, or blog post, can be found months or even years later.
That kind of longevity makes Pinterest particularly valuable for authors with evergreen content (like blog archives or reader magnets); multiple books, series, or pen names; or a limited marketing budget (Pinterest is free!).
Below are the core strategies I use to keep Pinterest working for me 24/7, without my constant attention.
My Top Pinterest Marketing Strategies
Pin my book covers with keyword-rich descriptions
One common strategy for authors on Pinterest is pinning book covers. But I don’t just drop my covers onto Pinterest and hope for the best. I pin each cover to boards that make sense for the reader who might discover it. I use keywords readers actually search for in the board names (for example, “Magical Books to Read,” “Holiday-Themed Books,” or “Witchy Reads & Bookish Magic”) and in the pin descriptions (instead of “New release by Melissa Bourbon,” I’ll use “cozy mystery series with baking and small-town charm”). This use of highly specific, relevant keywords ensures my pins show up in searches over and over again.
Create pins for blog posts I want to keep driving traffic to
Blog content can quickly fade away once it’s published, but Pinterest allows you to breathe new life into old blog posts, as well as drive traffic to new posts. I design fresh pins for all my articles, from writing craft posts to book club guides or bonus content from my novels. I link the pins directly back to those blog pages on my website. A single blog post can have five or six (or more!) different pins circulating, each with a unique design or seasonal spin. That way, one article continues bringing in traffic — and new readers — months or even years later.
Link pins to a lead magnet to grow my email list
Pinterest is one of my favorite ways to funnel new readers onto my email list. I design pins that highlight a freebie, like my Pinterest for Authors Quick-Start Guide or my Between the Lines novella. These pins link directly to the download page. Because Pinterest is a discovery platform, readers who never would have found me otherwise stumble across those pins (thanks to keywords) and join my list. That’s traffic and growth happening on autopilot.
Batch and schedule everything
The other important key to staying consistent without burning out is batching. I’ll design a month’s worth of pins in one sitting, upload them, and use Pinterest’s native scheduler (or Tailwind when I want more control) to spread them out over the month. What looks like a steady stream of activity to readers and the Pinterest algorithm is actually just two or three hours of focused work on my end. #winning
And here’s proof that this works: Over a year ago, I created a handful of Wednesday Addams–themed pins all linking to the same fall-themed cozy mystery. I haven’t touched them since, but they’ve started circulating again thanks to Pinterest’s search engine and seasonal trends. They resurface, get shared, and continue driving traffic back to my site. You can see the real-time stats for impressions and click-throughs below the pin:
That’s the beauty of Pinterest — your content can be evergreen, meaning its relevance doesn’t expire. It recycles itself as more readers search for those topics.
The results are that my pins drive thousands upon thousands of monthly impressions, consistent outbound clicks, and ultimately, book sales — and it happens without paid ads or daily effort.
What the Numbers Show (Real Results from My Author Dashboard)
Before I was a full-time author, I spent years teaching middle and high school English. Data analysis is crucial for success in the classroom. How do you move the needle if you don’t know what’s working? That belief has stuck with me, but now I apply it to understanding which of my efforts actually sell books. I don’t just “hope” my marketing works; I want measurable results just like I did as a teacher. Pinterest makes that easy. I track my pins via their robust data dashboard. The numbers speak for themselves.
Here’s what my analytics looked like after I got serious about optimizing my Pinterest presence and pinning consistently, just a few times a week, scheduled in advance. Looking at the last 30 days, approximately 15 months after leaning into Pinterest, I saw:
- 84,000+ monthly impressions. That’s how many times my pins showed up in reader searches.
- 5,000+ outbound clicks. These weren’t passive views; these readers actually clicked through to my blog, my lead magnets, my website, and even my book retailer pages.
- 1,000+ saves. Every save means another chance for my pins to be recirculated and discovered by brand-new readers.
- 13,000+ engagements. This includes clicks, saves, repins, and outbound activity, which is all proof that readers aren’t just seeing my pins, they’re taking action on them.
From my WordPress traffic insights, I can see that:
- Pinterest has become my number one traffic driver, consistently outranking Facebook and Instagram.
- Once readers land on my site, they don’t bounce right away. They click deeper, which means more exposure to my courses, freebies, and books.
- Blog posts I wrote one or two years ago are still bringing in traffic from pins I designed once and never touched again.
- My opt-in pages keep converting, which means Pinterest isn’t just giving me passive traffic — it’s actively growing my email list and my audience.
Here’s a snapshot of one of my top-performing books, The Bibliomancer’s Daughter, which has seen a huge bump in KDP sales and page reads since I started pinning about it.
The chart below shows page reads and sales for all my books, which have grown exponentially since I started leaning into Pinterest in mid-2022.
The big takeaway is that Pinterest isn’t about instant gratification or chasing trends. It’s about stacking small efforts that snowball over time. The data makes it crystal clear: Pins I made months (or years) ago are still working for me today.
Why Pinterest Works for Authors (and Tips for Getting Started)
While Pinterest might not have the buzz of TikTok or the immediacy of Instagram, it offers a unique opportunity for many authors for a few reasons:
- Think of pins as billboards. A well-designed pin doesn’t disappear into a feed like it does on social media platforms. On social media, your posts disappear quickly, like a match burning out. Pinterest pins keep burning. They can show up in searches repeatedly because of Pinterest’s algorithm and keyword targeting.
- Pinterest users are planners and buyers. According to Pinterest’s 2025 trend report, users are actively looking for inspiration, ideas, and things to buy, including books and book club culture. In fact, according to a 2025 benchmark study by Tailwind, the category of Books ranks in the top 23 of the most viral pins on Pinterest. Our readers are there just waiting to discover us.
- Pinterest is search-first, which means discoverability. Pinterest content surfaces based on relevance, not recency. This gives all authors a fair shot at visibility.
If you think Pinterest might well be the missing piece in your marketing strategy, I have a few parting tips for you. I recommend starting small and smart to set yourself up for success. You don’t need to become a Pinterest power user or “go viral” to make Pinterest work. You just need to show up intentionally, be a little strategic, and let your pins do the quiet, ongoing work of connecting you with new readers.
Here are the first few steps you should take:
- Set up a Pinterest Business account (it’s free) so you can track analytics.
- Claim your website and optimize your profile bio with keywords about your genre or content.
- Create three to five boards aligned with your books (e.g. “Cozy Mysteries Set in Bookstores” or “Romantic Suspense Reads” or “Witchy Reads for Fall”).
- Design a few pins using platforms like Canva or Book Brush. Focus on book covers, series bundles, and blog content.
- Write keyword-rich pin descriptions that include genre phrases, book tropes, or reader questions.
- Pin consistently, even if it’s just once a week to start. It’s more about steady presence than volume.
Remember: Pinterest success won’t happen overnight. It is a slow build, but that’s sort of the point. Pins don’t expire, and your reach can grow over time.
Happy pinning!
