Calling all pinners!

We’ve got some shocking Pinterest news that’ll shake up your boards. As of right now, the platform has updated its algorithm to favor fresh Pins over repins.

That means the glory days of repinning in excess are over. According to Tailwind, fresh Pins will reach a larger audience on Pinterest. But any duplicate content, which includes repins, will be shown to a smaller group of users.

We know repins were important to many wedding photographers, so we’re here to help you stay competitive and weather this transition! Keep scrolling to learn everything you need to know about Pinterest’s 2020 algorithm update.

photo by Flipmax Photography

Posting fresh Pins means creating new images

To satisfy Pinterest’s algorithm update, you’ll have to create and post brand new images. So far, that’s the only thing that counts toward “freshness.” If you update the descriptions/hashtags of existing Pins without pinning any new content, you won’t see much success. And if you make slight changes to an image, such as adding a logo, that won’t work either. To make a real impact, every pin should have a new design.

If your Pins aren’t considered fresh, unfortunately, fewer people will see them. That could cause you to miss out on valuable leads for your business, so get ahead of these changes while you can! You can boost the traffic Pinterest sends to your wedding photography website by keeping your Pins fresh and relevant.

You can make fresh Pins right now by reimagining old Pins

Losing the sharing power of your old pins can be scary. We at Photobug certainly felt our hearts drop when we heard the algorithm news. But if you already have a treasure trove of content, you’re way ahead of the game! You have the option of recreating old Pins, which should give you weeks of new images to post.

Best of all, you won’t have to brainstorm completely new ideas. For example, if you have an older Pin that links to a blog about lighting, you could simply redesign the pin’s image. After that, it’s just a matter of replacing the old image with the new one, and then bam – you’re done.

However, you might take a different approach when creating fresh Pins for brand new content. In this case, you could create 4-5 unique images for the same post, page, or product. All you have to do is reposition the image text, use alternative angles, or implement other design changes to make each image “fresh.” It may sound like a lot of work, but it’s totally worth the effort. After all, you’ll be linking to new content 4-5 times. Pinterest users are actively seeking relevant topics, so it’s a solid way to reach a new audience!

photo by Breeze Photography

Titles, descriptions, and hashtags still matter

As you refresh the images attached to your older Pins, you might wonder whether titles, descriptions, or hashtags should be updated too. Pinterest hasn’t chimed in on this, so for now, there’s no definite answer. But you can test a variety of titles, descriptions, and hashtags and analyze the results of changing – or not changing – these details.

On the other hand, you should update these details when you’re creating completely new images. In this case, you would ideally give each image its own title, description, and if necessary, unique hashtags. That way, you can highlight different aspects of your post, product, or service in your fresh Pins.

Diverse keywords still matter, so don’t skip this step! It’s a great way to increase your chance of being discovered on Pinterest.

You can link to older content using fresh Pins

Luckily, only the image of a pin needs to be “fresh” under Pinterest’s new algorithm update. As long as you satisfy that requirement, you can link to older posts, pages, or products with great results.

Nevertheless, it’s hard to ignore the benefits of linking to new content. For one, your followers are already looking for recent Pins; it’s possible they’re expecting new content to appear after clicking on a link. Therefore, creating new blog posts or product pages can be a game-changer. When you do that, you’ll naturally create fresh Pins to match, giving your followers the relevant content they’re looking for.

photo by Katy Weaver Photography

Contribute fresh Pins every week to get the best results

This seems to be true of most algorithms, including Google’s and YouTube’s. It looks like Pinterest is no different! To keep things fresh, the platform will favor accounts that share new images regularly. If you want to stand out and reach a larger audience, aim to pin a few things each week.

You can share a small amount of duplicate content

And now for some good news: Your evergreen repins, as well as the repin feature, are not going away! While the benefits of repinning may have shrunk, you can still share repins to the same board more than once.

If you have to repin something, make sure the content is valuable and relevant to your followers. One good example is repinning seasonal content to promote timely offers. To keep your Pinterest account in check, it’s totally fine – and sometimes necessary – to reshare valuable offers that come around twice a year. Otherwise, it’s best to do this sparingly. According to the new update, excessive repinning could lead to accounts being penalized or suspended.

So far, Pinterest hasn’t revealed the “safe number” for duplicate Pins. For now, it looks like blogging new images is the best way to stay in the clear.

photo by Klisza Art Studio Photography

Repin value may be declining, but your traffic and leads don’t have to

If these Pinterest updates seem overwhelming, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with one of our most popular courses, and it’s called Pinterest for Wedding Photographers! Hands down, this course is the best guide for turning your Pinterest into a lead-generating machine. Students across the globe love that it’s easy, actionable, and geared toward wedding photographers just like you.

As soon as we heard the algorithm news, we updated the lessons to include everything you need to know about crushing the Pin game in 2020. So rest assured! One step at a time, we’ll teach you how to master the new rules of Pinterest.

To get exclusive access to 15 video lessons, image templates, and discounts on tools like Tailwind, sign up right here!

photo by Bows & Lavender