Under the Golden Apple Tree: Pinterest Tutorial: Writing a Pinnable Post

Content will never be dethroned. The King will reign as long as humans communicate through the written word. Simple. A solid blog post has many aspects and honestly none can be ignored. Don't panic, the rules are simple. However, it will be up to you to fill in the blanks.

What should I write?

I don't mean to be mean but no one will re-pin a post about you clipping your toenails last night while watching an old rerun of Seinfeld People have to care, be inspired, learn something new, or be impacted by a post to share it or re-pin it. Sara Mae says to "be your audience". Excellent advice. Write about what you know and offer solutions, tips, victories, or something that the reader can take with them after they leave your blog. I have said many times that a post is a gift to your readers. Become a resource and you build a loyal readership.

How should I format my post?

Formatting your post is important because if it looks like a bunch of jumbled words, readers move on to the next site. No one has a lot of time online and everyone wants information to be easy to read as to refer to it later. You want your post to be easy to scan.

MAKE IT SCANNABLE

Use bullet points to draw the eye to important details.
Use numbered lists for step by step instructions.
Use headings to highlight steps and ideas or questions addressed.
Use minor headings or blockquotes to highlight quotes, scripture, or points within a section.
Use short paragraphs.
Bold parts of sentences or whole sentences you want you readers' eyes drawn to. Just don't over do it or it will lose effect.

I have written gold, now what?

Now that you have finished the great American post, it is time to edit, edit, and edit. Everyone becomes an English teacher when they see grammatically incorrect sentences and misspelled words. Do not underestimate the power grammatical errors and misspelled words have on discounting your content. We all have hit publish too soon. I have to admit, I am the world's worst self-editor.

After you finished editing your post for errors, take a look at your title and opening line. The title and opening line have a tough job. They are the first impression, the doorway, the lure, to gain a reader and not someone who clicks on and clicks off in three seconds flat.

WRITING A TITLE

Quantity Titles.

5 Must Have Preschool Toys
10 Ways to Make Money Online
7 Things Never to Say to your Husband

Solution or DIY Titles

The Best Apps for Children with Special Needs
5 Ways to Get Stains out of Clothes
10 Tips to Buying Cheaper Groceries

Secret or Tricks of the Trade Titles

Housekeeper's Secrets to Making Floors Sparkle
The Ultimate Guide to Frugal Shopping
The Best Blogging Advice I Ever Got {and you will too}

You've Been Warned Titles

5 Reasons Not to Blog
Stop Exercising to Lose Weight
Why You Should Ditch Your Smartphone

Use your own creativity and come up with funny titles or shocking titles. Here are a few titles that garnered attention that I wrote:

THE OPENING LINE

The opening line will either set a tone that says, "read me" or a tone that says, "this may not be worth it." We all have judged a book by its cover and a movie by the opening scene. In the same vain, we all judge a blog post by the opening line. The title is the lure and the opening line will determine if you hooked the fish or not.

Posts on Opening Lines:

While those articles deal with opening lines of novels, the concept is still the same. Perhaps you will be inspired by the opening lines the articles share from famous novels.

How do I encourage pinning?

Hit publish and hope for the best. That is the protocol for many bloggers...the ones who never get pinned. Just publishing a post will not ensure it will be pinned. Encourage pinning by sharing your post on the social media sites at your disposal. That includes Pinterest. Pinning your own post is not cheating. Another way to encourage pinning is by using the tools offered on the Pinterest Goodies page. You can use the tools to create pin it buttons for your posts and follow me buttons so readers can follow your boards on Pinterest.