Side note: I don’t normally do lots of how-to’s about blogging, mostly because I am just usually trying to figure things out as I go and am certainly no expert (you’ll realize that after you read below).  But after getting inspired by the posts from the ladies at SBS and seeing how one little pin on Pinterest can make a big difference, I thought I’d give it a go. If you’re not into that kind of thing –  no worries, I’ll be back with a fun post later today. In the mean time, you can enter this giveaway for tickets to Downs After Dark or return to your regularly scheduled internet browsing.

There must be something about this picture. I’m not quite sure what it is but apparently people dug it (still do, I think).

So here’s a little {not so} secret. Once every couple weeks or so, I beg Whitney Neal to follow me around the streets of Louisville snapping outfit pictures. We try and cram in as many looks as we can so I can have them on hand for the next few weeks. The beauty of this is that it allows me to either recycle hits that I loved wearing earlier or plan ahead for outfits for the next couple weeks. Lord knows, I never want to piss Whitney off since she probably has amassed a serious collection of horrible pictures of me. But her mastery knows no bounds and she only sends me the good stuff but even then there are some outfits that worked better in my mind than they did translated in the images.

The outfit above was one of those such looks. I liked it but to me, it was kind of meh. I know you’re only supposed to “post things you love” but I committed to posting every day, I had this look and I figured, why not. The outfit wasn’t and still isn’t, one of my favorites but this image has undoubtedly become the most “pinned” picture I have ever posted. And every time I see that someone has re-pinned it or added it again, I think about how disappointed people must be when they click through to the whole look but whatever, they at least came to give it another look.

Since posting this picture, I’ve rethought my strategies and opinions about posts. So I thought I’d share a few little things I’ve realized along the way.

* There’s beauty in the details. Every post, outfit and look may not be a knock out but focus on the best parts. Earlier this week, I posted just a couple pictures and no full looks. The full look was kind of a mess but the jacket was great, so I posted those. I also love to breathe new life into detail shots by giving them a post of their own every once in a while. These posts have been some of my favorites and some of the most well-received.

* Just give it a go. Do I think I look way sleepy/stoned in the full looks? Yup. But I thought there might be some merit in the post, so I put it out there. Everyone’s not going to love everything but you never know who might love something. I stepped outside what I was comfortable sharing with this post and it paid off big time. I’m not saying do something totally unnatural or weird (or naked – never, ever naked) but take a step back and don’t be too overly critical. There’s plenty of other people to do that for you. Instead of posting ALL the pictures, just post two or three really great ones.

* Remember the technical stuff. This is something that can sneak away from all of us when we’re starved for time but keeping these in mind when you post (or going back and doing it later) can pay off in the long run.

* Name your images: Think about what people are searching for when naming your images. Identify brands, items, trends, seasons and include your blog name.

* Pin it: I like to spread pinning out throughout the day to get the most bang for your buck. I’ve also recently started using Ahalogy for Pinterest which allows you to schedule pins at the optimal time. Basically, you pick the pin and they figure out the time when you’ll get the most eyes on it.

You can also come back to outfits and re-pin things. Say you wore an amazing leopard coat last winter but only pinned one of the images – go back to that puppy and re-pin the detail shots or a full look. Then, make sure you name the pin. Same rules as above – just think about what people are searching for. People are searching their little butts off on Pinterest but there aren’t enough people naming the images to help you find exactly what you want (isn’t ‘navy blue door’ or ‘white t-shirt’ more helpful than ‘love this”?). So do the leg work and help people find your stuff.

* Make it easy for people to Pin: They are pretty common place now, so this may be WAY old news for many of you but I’m still surprised that some of my favorite blogs don’t have “Pin It” buttons on their images. You can do a custom version or you can just snag the code here and add the generic button.

* Look at what people are loving. One of my favorite things to do is to check on what people have pinned from the site. If you haven’t done it before, just enter pinterest.com/source/YOURWEBSITE.COM and behold the happiness. I recommend checking this every few days to see what is really resonating with people. Not saying you should customize your content to what works and what doesn’t but if you love making product collages and people are pinning them like crazy, then collage away! If you’re trying something for the first or second time and you’re not sure if people are liking it, checking on Pinterest can help. I noticed that the Fashion Week Street Style recaps I posted get tons of pins and re-pins. I like doing them, readers seem to like it, so I make it a point to make time for one each season.

* Curate: I know it feels like hitting the jackpot when I find an image I love and then realize the person who pinned it, has a full board chock full of similar images. I was just looking for front door color painting inspiration and I stumbled upon the most amazing board full of 30+ options. Try to do that same thing for your followers (or random searchers).

I’m guilty of not doing this enough but if you get into a spell where you are just loving tons of sequins, make a board dedicated to the topic. Same goes with anything. You’ll be happy later when you go back and find them all neatly filed together and people will love coming across a board full of amazing images all matching what they’re looking for. Make it super specific (polka dot dresses, plaid scarves) or a little more broad (fall outfits, Christmas decor, sequins) but narrowing down to a specific focus will make your board look well thought-out and perfectly curated.

* Use your pins for inspiration. So you’ve just put together the most amazing board full of tulle skirts. Now what? I love to create posts based on what’s inspiring me or catching my eye on Pinterest. Share the images (with proper credit) in a post or better yet, create your own outfit (room, DIY project, recipe etc) based on the board and then reference it. You can even embed the Pinterest board into your post. Chances are if people love the post, they’ll love the board too.

There’s about a million other tips about how to use Pinterest most effectively and how to really kick ass at blogging (love Grace’s post with tons of great references and the Learn Series on the Southern Blog Society is truly awesome) but hopefully these little nuggets of experience can help you up your game a little bit. A great image on Pinterest can totally transform your blog and bring a whole new audience to your site, much more so than Twitter, Facebook or even Instagram (since you can’t link as easily) so definitely spend a little time when getting your Pin on.