I’ve been participating in Pinterest for 2 years now. As of yesterday I’d pinned 2,862 items. You’d guess, that as a style blogger, I’d generate most interest on pins of clothing.
Well, yes and no.
Here are my top 7 images of 2012 and 2013, along with their titles, and some ideas as to just why they were repinned so often. I think – despite the small sample size – implications extend beyond how to generate Pinterest signals of social recognition. (For those not yet familiar with the site, it consists of a feed of “pinned” images. You see the pins of the people you choose to follow, in a mosaic that updates. You can “like,” or “repin,” the ones that appeal. I focused here on repins.)
#7. The Classic European Color Chart – Fine Paints of Europe (109)
#6. Modest Clothing Site. Who knew? (112)
#5. Old Navy? Old Navy. (144)
#4. Shamrock Social Club Mark Mahoney by Libertylondongirl, via Flickr. [if i ever got a tattoo…] (155)
#3. Pacific Northwest Native American salmon art. How gorgeous is this? (177)
#2. Ermanno Scervino Women – Coats (189)
#1. Skirts. Skirts skirts skirts. (363)
What gives?
Let’s get any cheap thrills out of the way. It appears that if you overload your pin title, i.e. repeat words as per #5 and #1, lots of people find it in searches. Welcome to the 21st century, where Search has new meaning. Online search is not an adventure in the wilderness, but more of a walk down a painted path where tricksters wave placards to lure us. We know that from Google’s algorithm gymmastics, already.
What else from Pinterest?
I believe we’re seeing pins that answer a specific need, showing up again in a search mode. Modest clothing, #6, is tough to find. So, we know, is #7, the perfect color to paint your house.
Then, and only then, we enter the world of visual curiosity and delight. I like it there. Liberty London Girl’s tattoo is striking, so is that salmon. Not just beautiful, but curious and odd. We’re caught. (I pinned the salmon, by the way, from 24 Corners, who comments here.)
And the jacket? Why that Ermanno Scervino jacket, above all others? The silhouette, I think. The appeal of the female waistline, set off by the formality and structure of a navy uniform aesthetic. So many of us think, “Oooh, I could look good in that.” How about similar tailoring, in pink? Note to selves: focus on silhouette, if you want to catch an eye.
If you’re curious about the next several popular pins, #8-#15ish, I’ve made a board here. No new patterns are revealed,. Just a few more visual curiosities and delights.
Links may generate commissions
26 Responses
That was interesting! I wonder – how did you determine which pins were your most popular repins? Did you just go through them, or is there a setting/search you can use?
I just went through them all. I believe that if you’re a business there are tools Pinterest makes available.
Oh I didn’t know you were on there! I really like Pinterest myself and find it more addictive than instagram. Dont know why…But my biggest and most popular pin was different style of pie crusts!? Fun post Lisa!
Now I’m curious to go through mine and see which were the most popular. Probably one of my dachshund pins!
Kathy, I think I’ve pinned all your doxie pins!
great insights.
I read somewhere that red postings attracts more than any other… so much for that blue jacket…!
I assume you counted likes from your pin, and not total likes for a specific pin.
I think it’s an interesting application. I do wish that some of the people I follow would not go on such big pinning binges. One person’s interesting taste gets less interesting when they dump 20 images into my feed all at once.
Yesterday’s WSJ mentioned they’d bought a company that processes visual images and attempts to recognize things so the tagging could be better. You are right that sometimes it’s not what it is, but how it’s categorized that is important.
Yes, I have no insight into total repins for a specific image, only into the repins from my pin/repin.
Very interesting post, at first I just didn’t get Pinterest but I love it now, it’s a sort of ‘tea break” time for me.
I’m with Rose on this one – I’ve stopped following people who bombard my Pinterest feed in huge chunks, day after day (and often with really inane stuff – I’m not THAT into Harry Potter, ‘mkay?).
The categorization of pins is also intriguing, especially since mine are almost exclusively food oriented. Often my recipes are pinned and repinned onto boards called “food” or “yummy stuff”; I can tell the people who consider themselves foodies because they put them into categories like “Breakfast – Eggs” and “Winter Salads.”
Beware the nipped-in waist…sometimes there are pins (!) in back to nip it in for the photo. I once fell for the guise, and wasn’t able to get a refund for my new boxy cashmere pull. A letter of complaint did no good. Otherwise, as usual, your blog strikes a chord with me!
That’s really nefarious!
I enjoy your pins and have repinned many, especially jewellery and shoes. It’s a little more work to check the pins now as I do it manually. The flood of unwanted “related pins” was so annoying that I unfollowed everyone.
Why thank you:). And I seem to escape a lot of the related pins, I am sure they will find me…
Interesting! I follow you on Pinterest, but I don’t follow that many other people and I can’t for the life of me figure out why anyone would follow me – lol! I use it as a virtual corkboard of things I want, so I’m always surprised when someone pins something of mine. I’m guilty of the bombardment. If I’m looking for a specific item, I may pin a whole bunch to see them all together.
Ooh, now I’m curious about my own pins. That salmon is wonderful.
It’s funny, I don’t care for Pinterest. But I love reading the word “pin”, “pins”, “pinned”, “repin”, etc. in this context usage over and over again. And yet, contradictorily, I have quite a distaste for the word “Pinterest”. Well, whatever that’s all about, thanks for letting me get it off my chest. In conclusion, I thought this was a neat post, Lisa. :)
This is fascinating. Coming from someone who has spent a bit of time (cough-cough) on Pinterest. The Ermanno Scervino jacket may well be due to that silhouette, it is beautiful. And like Une Femme, now I’m curious!
Sending you a smile,
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Very interesting discussion…I am new to Pinterest and am still trying to learn my way around it, but I love the fact that its all about visual communication. Sometimes images can say so much more than words….
Especially these days.
I’m such a desultory and haphazard Pinterest user. I think it’s fun for a break, but I haven’t worked to create any kind of cohesive identity there. Interesting to follow your analysis.
Hmmm very interesting. I never really thought about stacking keywords. I am going to experiment with that and try not to be obnoxious about it.
Here’s my pin that has been repinned the most: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/135389532518171133/
It has been pinned 220 times at last count. It happens to be a photo of my own front door! It has been surprising!
So, of course, I pinned it:). Very beautiful, and lovely lines to the photo itself.
How funny that the repeated words in the title are picked up more often in searches.
I started pinning a couple of years ago before I began working full time. It is such a visual vacation for me. Time flies by especially when looking at gardens, food, hairstyles, clothes, more food, and far away places. Oh, and all the baby animals, so cute!
Love the ‘modest clothing’ website found through here. Sadly, I am not brave enough to buy things transatlantically. Otherwise many of those skirst and dresses would be welcome in my wardrobe!
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