Blogging

Pinterest for Blogging: What Are Rich Pins & How To Set Them Up

rich-pins-for-bloggers

Converting to a business account, verifying your website and enabling rich pins, are a must. #pinterest #blogging #pinterest marketing

I tell you guys all the time, that Pinterest sends a huge chunk of traffic to my blog.

Last September, Pinterest announced that it crossed the threshold of 100 million monthly users. 100 MILLION MONTHLY USERS, guys. This means that it’s a great place for bloggers to be.

A while ago I wrote a post on How to Use Pinterest to Grow Your Blog after it was highly requested. I still get quite a few questions from you guys about things like promoting your blog posts on Pinterest, growing your Pinterest account, etc. Over the last couple of months, I went from 500 to over 6,000 Pinterest followers and I have learned quite a bit along the way. Since this is a topic I still get so many questions about, I have a few Pinterest themed posts planned out for the near future. Today, we’ll talk about setting up Rich Pins for your blog.

WHAT ARE RICH PINS?

Rich Pins are Pins that include extra information right on the Pin itself. It includes things like source of the pin- your blog name and your blog’s favicon. Rich Pins work by displaying metadata from marked up pages on your blog. Here’s an example:

how-to-set-up-rich-pins

Both of the above pins are pinned from my blog. As you can see, right below the image (pin) you can see my blog’s favicon and name.

WHY DO I NEED THEM?

There are 6 types of Rich Pins: app, movie, recipe, article, product and place. You can see the difference between all six right here. For example, if you’re a food blogger, you might want to use recipe Rich Pins as every time someone will pin one of your images, it will include ingredients, cooking times and serving info right underneath the pinned image. If it’s an article (like a blog post) it will include headline, author and post/story description.

Setting up rich pins for your blog will give your blog credibility. It will also help authenticate your pins/images. There’s a ton of spam on Pinterest and setting up Rich Pins is a great way to let everyone know that images/articles pinned from your website link to a an actual article they’re hoping to read. It’s also great for branding as every single pin from your blog will display your blog’s name.

SETTING UP RICH PINS

Setting up Rich Pins on WordPress is quite easy. All you need to do is:

  • download the Yoast SEO plugin (if you don’t already use it, you really should!)
  • once your plugin is installed, activate it and click on the “Social” tab
  • click on the Facebook tab and enable the Open Graph meta data
  • go to Rich Pin validator and paste a link to any single post on your blog (it doesn’t matter which post you link to)
  • click Validate
  • After validating, you should see a message that your pins have been validated
  • click Apply Now and you should see a pop up appear with your blog’s information and meta tags
  • click Apply Now again, and that’s it!

Now, you’ll need to wait a couple of days for Pinterest to approve your application. Pinterest will send you an email once your application has been approved. When it’s approved, all new pins from your blog will display your blog’s name and favicon. It might take a few weeks for all other (older) pins to update to rich pins.

Converting to a business account, verifying your website and enabling rich pins, are a must. #pinterest #blogging #pinterest marketing

If you’re on Blogger you might find this post very helpful in setting up your rich pins.

Are we Pinterest friends already?

104 Comments

  • Reply
    leighanna
    July 31, 2016 at 11:51 am

    What software did you use to build your blog? I recently just started a blog and need some advice on how to build a website for it.

  • Reply
    Tori
    July 31, 2016 at 12:32 pm

    I just got rich pins but didn’t really understand them so thanks for this clear explanation!!

  • Reply
    Jenni
    July 31, 2016 at 12:56 pm

    Thanks so much! I’ve always wondered how people get their blog name in the pins. xx

    http://www.shakespeareandsparkle.com/

  • Reply
    Krystal // The Krystal Diaries
    July 31, 2016 at 8:50 pm

    I’ve always wondered how to do that! Thanks for sharing this…it’s so much simpler than I thought.

  • Reply
    Jackie M
    July 31, 2016 at 10:50 pm

    I’m totally obsessed with your blog’s content. It’s so useful and clear! Thank you! One question- what’s a favicon? I’m pretty sure I don’t have one. Xoxo

    • Reply
      Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
      August 8, 2016 at 4:28 pm

      Thanks Jackie! Favicon is that small little icon that shows up in the browser next to your blog address.

      • Reply
        Jackie M
        August 9, 2016 at 11:11 am

        Thank you! I am trying to find the best source for creating one.

        • Reply
          Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
          August 9, 2016 at 11:17 am

          You can use Pickmonkey it’s a free photo editing ap that’s right in your browses so you don’t need to download anything.

          • Jackie M
            August 9, 2016 at 11:18 am

            Thanks so much. That’s s huge help!!

  • Reply
    Brooke
    July 31, 2016 at 10:59 pm

    Thanks for sharing this info! This was so helpful! :)
    -Brooke
    http://www.beautydecorandmore.com

  • Reply
    Kelly
    July 31, 2016 at 11:12 pm

    This was extremely helpful, thank you so much. I have a pinterest but I feel like I spend more time repinning than actually pinning my own stuff.

    Perfect Shade of Mauve

  • Reply
    Aleksandra // bunniesaremagic
    August 1, 2016 at 4:16 am

    Pinterest is so hard to keep focus on. Every time I open it, I just end up looking up recipes and kittens, seriously… :)

  • Reply
    Marianne
    August 1, 2016 at 5:06 am

    Thank you once again for a great and helpful post :)
    xx

    http://mariannelle.com/

  • Reply
    Elle
    August 1, 2016 at 5:45 am

    I never considered using Pinterest as a social media platform for my blog, but I can see that people really love using it. I think I might just create a Pinterest account now, haha! I will surely refer back to this helpful post, once everything is set. Thank you!

    http://www.azedelle.com

  • Reply
    Ambar Syed
    August 1, 2016 at 6:17 am

    Thanks for sharing this Paula – I’ve never really used Pinterest to drive traffic but it’s certainly a good platform to use :)
    – Ambar x
    http://www.herlittleloves.co.uk

  • Reply
    Dagmara Klich
    August 1, 2016 at 10:58 am

    I’m still lost with Pinterest, haha! I can’t seem to find the time for everything :( But I’m saving this post for future when I get the time to work on my Pinterest account more! x

    Mummy’s Beauty Corner

    • Reply
      Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
      August 8, 2016 at 4:26 pm

      Haha it can take a minute to get a hold of it ;) That’s how I feel about Snapchat and Twitter. lol Not enough time to e everywhere. ;)

  • Reply
    Momina Arif
    August 1, 2016 at 11:25 am

    this is great. gonna try it soon.

  • Reply
    Mikéla Davelyn
    August 1, 2016 at 2:16 pm

    Totally agree! Rich pins are a must for bloggers. I use the article ones, is that what you use? Also, do you know if you can use more than one kind of rich pin? I haven’t seen anything about that yet.

    xo, mikéla / simplydavelyn.com

    • Reply
      Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
      August 2, 2016 at 1:14 pm

      Yes, I use the article one! I think that you can add metadata for multiple types of Rich Pins. If you decide to do that, according to Pinterest the type of Pin that appears will be based on priority: 1. App Pins, 2. Product Pins, 3. Recipe Pins, 4. Movie Pins, 5. Article Pins and 6. Place Pins.

  • Reply
    Hannah McDonnell
    August 1, 2016 at 3:21 pm

    I’m glad you wrote another post on Pinterest! Loved this one. Hopefully I set it up right!
    Hannah
    glamlifeliving.com

  • Reply
    Alina
    August 1, 2016 at 4:36 pm

    Such a helpful post once again, had no idea about rich pins. I really need to spend a few days getting my Pinterest account going as I’ve been neglecting it for so long x

    Beauty with charm

  • Reply
    Karen Lewsader
    August 1, 2016 at 8:54 pm

    Does it work for Mac? I must be doing something wrong. When I download the app I get a bunch of zipped files and there’s no way to “activate” it that I see.

    • Reply
      Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
      August 1, 2016 at 9:19 pm

      Are you talking about the plugin, Karen? The easy way to install it is to go to Plugin in your WordPress dashboard -> add new -> search plugins->type in Yoast SEO-> install now. Once it’s installed you can activate it.

  • Reply
    Claudia
    August 2, 2016 at 5:54 am

    You are a genius! I’ve just done this, amazing tool! I always wondered how you did it. Thank you SO much for this post.

    • Reply
      Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
      August 2, 2016 at 1:16 pm

      Aww haha no problem Claudia! If you ever have any questions ask away, I’m always more than happy to help. This post was requested, so I’m happy that everyone likes it! :)

  • Reply
    Beautylymin
    August 3, 2016 at 3:58 am

    Brilliant post! Have saved to re-read! Your tips are always the best! xx

    Beautylymin| Abercrombie & Fitch First Instinct Giveaway

  • Reply
    steff @ brighterdarling.com
    August 3, 2016 at 12:14 pm

    You are a Godsend. I’ve been trying to figure this out for months and gave up because I couldn’t get it to work. I think that Facebook step was what was killing it for me. THANK YOU SO MUCH! <3

  • Reply
    KacheeTee
    August 3, 2016 at 1:31 pm

    This was useful. My August goal is to figure out Pinterest!

    http://www.KacheeTee.com

  • Reply
    Katie S.
    August 3, 2016 at 5:47 pm

    Well, huh. I didn’t know ANYTHING about this! I’m going to have to do some searching on how to get this to work on Blogger. That sounds like one of my weekend projects! Thank you for the tips as always! <3

    • Reply
      Michelle Hung
      August 8, 2016 at 3:15 pm

      me too – do let me know what you find out as I’m a blogger, blogger too :(

    • Reply
      Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
      August 8, 2016 at 4:23 pm

      I linked to a blogger tutorial within the post :)

  • Reply
    Samileen
    August 3, 2016 at 5:57 pm

    Wow, I had no idea about this. Thanks for sharing. Pinterest really does bring in quite a lot of traffic to the blog.

    Sam || Beautydetour

  • Reply
    NuttyHiker
    August 4, 2016 at 1:28 pm

    Thanks for the info! I had no idea about this!
    Bridget http://nuttyhiker.com

  • Reply
    Jessica
    August 8, 2016 at 6:50 am

    Oh wow this is super helpful I had absolutely no idea before and am completely crap with pinterest x

  • Reply
    Kelly Ward
    August 9, 2016 at 10:37 am

    Hey Paula! Thanks so much for linking to my blog post for how to setup rich pins on Blogger. Much appreciated! By the way, I love the style of your website and photos!

  • Reply
    Nashia Anthony
    August 13, 2016 at 9:42 am

    Hey Paula thank you I just did this and it was so helpful and it just got approved

    Nashia | http://www.makeupandbeautymayhem.com/2016/04/dramatic-smokey-eye.html

  • Reply
    Serena
    August 17, 2016 at 11:46 am

    Thank you so much! This is soooooo useful! x

    http://serenbird.com/

  • Reply
    Zara
    August 21, 2016 at 7:49 am

    Can you only do this on wordpress.org as opposed to wordpress.com?

  • Reply
    Jordan Kelsey
    August 23, 2016 at 6:36 am

    Just done this, so great to find new tips you’ve never thought of before so thankyou!

    Blog || Instagram

  • Reply
    Juliana Barros
    October 7, 2016 at 6:55 am

    Thank you! Great post!
    xoxo,
    http://www.bloguerosa.com

  • Reply
    Lauren
    October 10, 2016 at 9:32 am

    Thank you so much for this! Been toying with setting up Pinterest for a while for my blog but have put it off because of my unfamiliarity with the platform! Going to give it a go now! http://www.theyoproedit.com x

  • Reply
    Rosalie
    October 10, 2016 at 5:57 pm

    Thank you so much for this, it was super useful!
    Rosalie
    legander.co

  • Reply
    Jessica F. Walker
    October 19, 2016 at 8:52 pm

    This is by far the most useful thing I’ve read about blogging today. Thank you.

  • Reply
    Jess Edelblut
    November 30, 2016 at 6:48 pm

    Wow! This was so simple and definitely a game-changer! Thank you!!

  • Reply
    Charlotte
    January 7, 2017 at 6:16 pm

    Thank you SO much for this!
    My blogging friends have been saying for years I need to get Rich Pins but never explained what they actually were. So Thank you! All sorted now thanks to you.
    Charlee x
    Rose above the Thorns

  • Reply
    Kristina Wilde
    January 8, 2017 at 8:36 am

    Thanks so much love! Always there to be a saver for the blogosphere!
    http://www.kristinawilde.com

  • Reply
    DreamInLace
    January 17, 2017 at 10:02 am

    Thank so much for this post! I’ve tried applying for Rich Pins before but it didn’t work and the instructions I find elsewhere are so confusing. This is much more straight-forward. THANK YOU!

    xoxo – Kelly
    http://www.dreaminlace.com

  • Reply
    Brittany
    January 18, 2017 at 6:29 pm

    I’ve wondered how people got Rich Pins! And I didn’t even know what they were called. I’m so glad you linked back to this post, super helpful!

    Brittany | thechicette.com

  • Reply
    Caroline
    January 23, 2017 at 5:51 am

    Really interesting and helpful! – and I actually did it! :)
    Thank you for sharing.

    Caroline.x
    http://www.carolineelgeywhite.com

  • Reply
    Kiki
    February 14, 2017 at 6:31 am

    This is very helpful, thank you!

  • Reply
    Joanna Joy
    February 27, 2017 at 5:58 am

    You are Awesome! Thank you for sharing such wonderful tips and information. I appreciate your help:)

  • Reply
    Sharon
    March 15, 2017 at 10:34 pm

    Thank you so much for sharing!

    grownwomanglowup.blogspot.com

  • Reply
    Rick Browning
    April 13, 2017 at 10:44 am

    Hi Paula, I just had a quick question… I am not finding the social tab on Yoast. I have installed the plugin, and underneath SEO on the right, I just see Dashboard, Search Console and Go Premium. Am I missing something? Do you have to be a premium member to see the Social tab? Thanks!

    • Reply
      Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
      April 13, 2017 at 11:28 am

      Rick, no you don’t have to be a premium member. The “social” tab should be below the “dashboard”. Not sure why you’re only seeing Dashboard, Search Console and Go Premium, you should also see “tools” and other tabs. Perhaps it has something to do with your Screen Options (see this article: https://kb.yoast.com/kb/yoastseo-meta-box-missing/) .

    • Reply
      Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
      April 13, 2017 at 11:31 am

      Also, make sure that when you go to your dashboard -> settings -> features and see that the “Advanced Setting Pages” is enabled, I think that might be the problem

  • Reply
    Kamilla
    May 5, 2017 at 10:20 am

    I have a blogger account, where would I put it?

  • Reply
    Kay Her
    May 24, 2017 at 6:00 am

    Hi Paula! What a helpful post. I always find your blog inspiring and full of resourceful tips. Thanks a bunch!
    http://www.kazuaher.com

  • Reply
    clare
    June 9, 2017 at 1:49 am

    Fantastic article! Thanks for the easy to follow instructions!

  • Reply
    Emily Atelier
    June 24, 2017 at 4:20 pm

    Such a helpful post! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! <3

  • Reply
    Lasonia
    August 14, 2017 at 1:31 am

    This is great information. I will definitely be adding rich pins to my Pinterest account. Thanks for sharing.

  • Reply
    David Hickey
    January 10, 2018 at 4:02 am

    Pinpinterest com is free to use tool and provides Sophisticated
    algorithm, make sure only images relevant to your business are pinned to your
    account. Best this is quick and easy setup which is very user friendly. Worth
    giving a try

  • Reply
    Nickesha
    September 2, 2018 at 8:09 am

    Thanks for this Paula! Just set it up.

  • Reply
    Sabrina
    January 21, 2019 at 7:17 pm

    so thankful for this! i’ve been looking for this kind of explanation for ages.

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