Introducing Pinterest

By Christine Dillon

Do you find social media overwhelming?

I have been a slow adopter of different forms of social media because I want to be sure that it both helps me and doesn’t take too much time.

In August, after much research and internal debate, I dipped my toe in the water with Pinterest. I wasn’t expecting myself to love it so quickly. Within a week I was a fan.

There are four main reasons why:

1. Filing cabinet ability 

For the last eighteen months I’ve been collecting the ‘best’ articles/videos I view online under such topics as ‘planning a novel’, ‘writing craft’, ‘setting up a website’ and ‘marketing’. My system was simple. I had an email in my draft folder with a subject line and I simply pasted the links underneath them.

On Pinterest, I can create a ‘board’ (like a folder), give it a title and then ‘pin’ the individual files and place them on the ‘board’. Most of the time it is a simple paste the web address and then choose the picture that comes up automatically (often the one accompanying the article). Now when people ask me a ‘craft’ or ‘marketing’ question, I can direct them to my Pinterest board which not only looks much more classy than my original email list but saves me loads of time and is more accessible to everyone, including myself.

Pinterest also suggests related pins from others boards that I can simply pin and drop on my board. Each one takes about 5 seconds.

2. Marketing

Pinterest is just one method of many. Each method is designed to be a spoke of a wheel that leads back to the centre - your website. Why is the website the centre? Because it is here that people can find lists of your books … your bio, … AND be challenged to join your subscriber list.

So I set up a few boards designed to lead to my website. This included:

• Boards with ‘best of blogs’ from my website.
• A board for each book I’ve written and including video links, book reviews, …
• A ‘current giveaways/specials’ board which I keep up-to-date and take down giveaways the moment they’re finished
• A general board with all my books/videos

I also have boards that cover the topics in my books. have several non-fiction books, including Getting Started with Bible Storytelling and Discipling Others. Those boards have a mixture of my posts/links and other recommended ones. Might also include what I consider are the best books on the topic.

3. Boards of things I enjoy

As an author, people like to find out things about you. That you like woodwork, gardens or stone bridges or sewing. It makes you seem human. As a Christian author, it is ESSENTIAL that we are not put up on a pedestal for many reasons but mainly because it is BAD for us.

4. Secret boards

You can put up boards that only you can see. This is really useful for books in progress. You can put up pictures of your characters or weapons or scenery from the books. Cover ideas or fonts. Have fun. Later, once the book is published or close to it, these boards might be fun to make public.

I joined Pinterest about five weeks ago, and about two hundred people visit something on my boards each day. 

Do they all go on to buy one of my books? Most unlikely. But remember this is one of many different ‘drive the traffic’ to my website methods I’m using. My broader strategies include reader magnet free book; targeted back matter in books leading to increasing mailing list; interviews on blogs and giveaways.

If you look at Storyteller Christine on Pinterest, you’ll see that I have a carefully chosen order in my boards. The Specials/Giveaways and Introducing Christine boards are first. Then the latest book I’m promoting … down towards the ‘filing cabinet’ boards related to writing and marketing.

If you like my boards, please feel free to use the ideas as a template for your Pinterest boards and give me some new ideas for mine in the comments below.

• What purposes are you using it for?
• What ideas do you have for boards?

Let me know in the comments!

About Christine Dillon

Based in southern Taiwan, Christine loves to tell Bible stories (to adults) as part of a church planting team. Traditionally published in non-fiction and is now working towards self-publishing in fiction, she keeps telling God she really doesn’t want to write.

In her spare time—now much reduced due to writing—she loves hiking, cycling, genealogy and of course, reading.

You can find Christine at her website, www.storytellerchristine.com, and on Facebook.

About Grace in Strange Disguise

Physiotherapist Esther Macdonald is living the Australian dream, and it doesn’t surprise her.

After all, her father has always said, “Follow Jesus and be blessed.” But at twenty-eight, her world shatters. Everyone assures her God will come through for her, but what happens when he doesn’t? Has she offended God? Is her faith too small? So many conflicting explanations.

Will finding the truth cost her the people closest to her heart?