Every time I talk about the word ‘Pinterest’ in the public, I am astounded by the fact that there are a lot of people ( literally a lot!) who don’t have a clue what I am talking about. I always get interrupted by “Pinterest? What is this?” whenever I talk about any makeup guide or hair guide I tried or learned all thanks to this fantastic tool.
Being someone who has been using this tool regularly for more than two years, I find it hard to understand and accept how people allow themselves not to be familiar with it. It’s time to turn the tables now- If you haven’t actually tried Pinterest till now, I say give it a try at least.
You might have heard the term ‘Pinterest’ online and offline probably a million times by now, and didn’t really get what it is, how you can use it, and why. I thought it was time to clear the confusion and make a simple guide on the limitless collection of information and inspiration called Pinterest. Let’s start with the basic definition of Pinterest, shall we?
What is Pinterest?
Quite simply, Pinterest is a social media platform that allows its users to share, discover, and save their own or other’s posts to their profile, making it a collection. It is just like a real pinboard or a scrapbook filled with ideas, pictures, and notes for a particular interest, project, or hobby. Pinterest basically operates on the same principle- but online. You will find guides, information, and endless inspiration in every field that exists on the planet here.
Love cooking and baking?
Planning a trip?
Organizing a party?
Interested in new design and architecture?
Want to try a new DIY project?
Just name it, and they have it all. There is nothing you won’t find in this search engine.
Pinterest was launched back in 2011 as a social network that connects all network users with common interests. In the beginning, it was very exclusive and it needed invitations for people to use it, just like Facebook. Much has changed since then and by the end of 2016, there were over 150 million people using it monthly. Crazy, isn’t it?
Get Started With Pinterest
If you like the idea of being updated with the way you plan things or keep track of your favorite events and celebrity lifestyle, here’s what you need to do to get started.
1.SignUp
This is the first step for getting started with Pinterest. In order for you to signup with Pinterest, all you need to do is visit the official Pinterest website i.e. www.Pinterest.com or download the Pinterest app from Play Store.
Today we will only be discussing the signup process of Pinterest via the web browser.
In order for you to signup via the web browser open your preferred web browser and type www.pinterest.com. You will be redirected to the official Pinterest website where a pop-up box will appear. Since you are a new user you need to create a new account. Click on the ‘Create new account‘ button and another pop-up will appear asking you to enter your ‘Email address‘ and create a new ‘Password‘.
Enter your email address, create a new password, and click on ‘Create account’ to continue.
You will also have the option to link your other social media accounts such as Instagram and Youtube. Linking your other social media account will help you find your friends and family members on Pinterest. However, it is solely your decision whether you want to link your other social media accounts with Pinterest or not.
Also Read: How To Create Instagram Account…
2. Create Your Profile
Once you create your Pinterest account, think about the other social media accounts you have. If you happen to have an Instagram or Youtube account, try sticking with the same username. This will make it easy for others to search you on Pinterest.
3. Check Your Settings
Now that you have successfully activated your Pinterest account, you should take a look at your email settings. As a starter, it would be better if you turn all the email notifications on. This will be helpful in finding new people to follow by seeing who likes, comments or repins your ideas. Once you are well settled in the platform you may turn off the notification if it bothers you.
4. How to Pin
In order for you to pin your favorite blog, ideas, images, etc the first thing that you need to do is install the ‘Pinterest save button‘ extension for your web browser. You can add the extension by visiting the Goodies page on Pinterest and learn how you can pin your favorite site.
5. Create a New Board
In order for you to create a new board click on your profile. There you will see a “+” button on the top right corner. Click on it and select the ‘Create board’ option. Another pop-up box will appear asking you to write the name of your new board. You will also have the option to keep your board private by check-marking the visibility option available.
once you’ve come up with the name for your new board, click on the ‘Create‘ option to continue. Finally, if you like adding some instant pins to your new board you can select the images referred to you and click ‘Done‘. Now you’re ready to add a pin to your board.
6. Create a Pin
You can also upload your pictures on Pinterest by creating a pin. In order to create a new pin just click on the “+” button. You can find it on the homepage as well as in your profile. A pop-up box will appear like the one shown below.
From the pop-up box, you will be able to add a new pin by uploading a photo from your device or you can also pin by pasting the URL of a website that you want to pin.
How actually is Pinterest different from Google?
This is exactly where the real magic of Pinterest starts. The user interface of Pinterest is designed as a virtual inspirational board filled with colorful images that you can’t ignore. When you search for something in Pinterest’s search engine, instead of getting boring links that make you click on things that don’t match your search, you will be presented with detailed images referring to what you can expect to find in each link.
Let’s take an example. When I search for “spring party ideas” on both Google and Pinterest search engines, the whole search experience was quite different. Click on the links I added to both Google and Pinterest to understand precisely what I mean.
The colorful search engine makes your search experience easier and much more fun. Besides that, Pinterest has a few features that make its users get addicted to it.
