by Edie Melson

Pinterest is growing by leaps and bounds as a valuable social media tool for writers. It’s a great way to connect with readers and there are numerous ways to utilize this image driven platform.

Here are just a few ways to connect with Pinterest:

• Build boards with your book’s subject.

• Build boards that help you with world building or setting.

• Share blogs from others who write in your genre.

• Build boards from books you love—you can legally post the book covers and links to Amazon or the author’s blog.

• Build a board and share the blogs you follow—as long as the blog has a picture you can post it.

• Build boards with your personal interests, like knitting, sewing, bird watching, there’s no limit to the topics you can choose.

BUT, it’s important to remember Pinterest is still social media and you need to use the same guidelines as for other platforms.

Here are a few things to remember when you pin:

• Share the limelight. Like any social network, being me-centered can drive away traffic. Remember to pin things that will draw in your audience.

• Tag your friends. It’s easy as easy on Pinterest as it is on Twitter. Just like Twitter put the @ sign in front of a Pinterest user name. I would be tagged on Pinterest as @EdieMelson.

• Utilize Hashtags. Use them in your pin descriptions so you’ll be found more easily.

• And most important— Pin everyday, but not all at once. When you pin or repin an image it shows up on the community boards and you don’t want to dominate the conversation. There are several tools that allow you to schedule your pins, although right now they all charge a monthly fee.

Have you had the opportunity to add Pinterest to your social media plan? What’s your favorite way to use it? Share your experiences and we’ll all learn together.