REMEMBER WHEN PINTEREST WAS PRETTY?

Remember back in 2011 when everyone was just joining Pinterest and it was the most addicting, beautiful place on the internet? Though I use Pinterest every day being a "power-pinner, pinfluencer, pin ambassador..." whatever you want to call me, I'm getting tired of all of the pushing and self-promotion. 

It's still the place for many people to go to find helpful advice, IKEA hacks, and tasty recipes, but not for the pretty. When I want to find inspiration I open up Instagram or Tumblr because those seem to be places where people care much more about curating beauty. I'm tired of seeing text over images with "How to" phrases or "5 Ways to Style Short Hair" just because it generates clicks. 

So, I'm resolving to going back to the pretty this year. I've always been picky about what I pin, but now I'm ready for my Pinterest to feel more like an art gallery and less like a marketing platform - making my Pinterest-universe a place of beauty like it once was. Some people say that they hate their feed now because it's cluttered with pins they don't even like.  Here are some tips to cleaning things up:

1. Make sure to only pin what you really love. Pinterest learns what you pin, so it's going to suggest you content that looks similar to what you add to your boards. So, it's your own dang fault if your feed starts to look ooogly (that's super ugly in "alex language"). 
2. Make sure you follow and possibly unfollow the people who curate their accounts to your liking. When I follow new people with great taste Pinterest, again, learns what I like.
3. Clean up your own boards by deleting the pins you don't love. (Note: Don't delete boards though because you may end up removing followers. Deleting pins won't hurt you though).

Photo by Rennai Hoefer

RECYCLING PINTEREST CONTENT

Need some really good news? Well, here it is. Pinterest is the one social media platform that rewards you for recycling great content. In fact, you SHOULD recycle your pins. Why and how, you ask? 

If you have created timeless good quality content, tell the world! Chances are you have grown your following and your new followers haven't seen all of your entertaining tips or amazing fudge recipe. Don't keep the secret to yourself! Share the wealth my friend!

You might be worried about losing followers if you recycle a pin. Have no fear, this isn't Instagram. If it has been six months or more since you have shared this pin and it's relevant to people's lives, by all means don't hold back. I promise you won't lose followers. 

So, how do you share it? Should you repin it to the same board? Upload the image again and make a new pin? Add it to a new board? Great questions! I recommend repinning your original pin from last year, changing the description a bit and adding it to whatever board makes sense. Ideally, I would recommend pinning it to a different board because you may reach a new audience with this pin, but sharing it again on the same board won't hurt you either. 

I hope I have made your day much easier on you. Have fun recycling! 

See more photos from this fun collaboration with Lone Flag, click here.  Photography by Ale Vidal

AVE STYLES MAKEOVER

AVE Styles got a makeover! You like? This must be what Reese Witherspoon felt like when she got bangs because daaaang this feels good! I feel like I look like a hot, grown woman thanks to Alyssa Yuhas and the GO LIVE crew.

So why the change?! Well, first and foremost I wanted YOU, yes you, feel like you were coming to my house for a cup of coffee and we could bond over the beauty in life. My old site was very much focused on my portfolio and less of a space to connect with you. It was more high fashion and I wanted this to feel like Madewell - modern and yet comfortable - because that is truly my style.

I want to spend my days sharing what I am finding beautiful in life and helping you share it too. I will still be sharing Pinterest marketing tips for business owners and how to style content because I LOVE helping others share beauty too. I'm just not going to be styling as much for others anymore. 

It's funny how God sometimes takes away passions and puts new ones on your heart. I always dreamed of being a stylist, I became one and now I'm sort of letting that go. There's some sadness attached to the release, but there's excitement in me too because now that I'm focused on AVE Styles more of a blog, I know good conversations with YOU and new opportunities are in store.

I can't wait to share more of my life with you, and I hope you with me. Look around the site. You'l find a collaborations section sharing some fun sponsored posts, as well as my very own SHOP! If you want to stay in touch and get regular updates me, please make sure to add your email to the list!

Styling Food for Pinterest - Do's and Don'ts

Just because a picture is super successful on Instagram doesn't mean it will be engaging on Pinterest, and just because a picture is really pretty doesn't mean that it will be clicked on. When creating content for the web you always have to keep in mind a couple of things: 1) Where is this content going to live? 2) Will people click on the image? We ultimately want to capture viewers so that our voices can be heard above the noise, but too often I see people creating pretty things thinking that's enough to engage views. The reality is there's a lot of pretty out there to compete with, and not all of it gets the views it may deserve.

I think many people have the taste level and eye to style a pretty photo, but knowing what's pretty and what drives traffic are two different things. I see many photos on Pinterest that are drop dead gorgeous, but will I repin all of them? No. And will I click to view the photo on a blog? An even slimmer chance, unfortunately. So, what makes an image on Pinterest engaging and/or clickable? That's the big question! In order to answer this big question we need to break things down by subject. Let's start with food. (I'll tackle fashion next!)

Pinterest Food Styling Comparison

I did a little experiment for you guys and styled the same latte recipe three different ways. I kept certain elements the same, however.

Controls: Latte recipe Light Location Pinned to the same board

Variables: Cups Placement Text placement Font Pin description

Can you guess which photo performed the best? The answer surprised me at first, but it makes sense as to why. Latte A received the least amount of traffic with only 39,000+ impressions and only 127 clicks. Latte B received 58,000+ impressions with 197 clicks, and lastly, Latte C (the winner) received 63,000+ impressions with 213 clicks.

Why is this the case? When styling food people want to be up close and personal with the subject. Being able to see the drink through the glass matters. Photo C also has the best view of the donut even though that is not the star of the show. The donut adds an additional enticing factor for sure, so think about what complementary foods or ingredients can be added to your shots. Also, the text on this pin is the most readable, and I have the color black to thank for that.

Are all of these photos pretty? Yes, you an even view more photos from this post here to see what I mean. Readable text and being SUPER close to the subject your shooting so you can almost taste the latte matters as much as good light and photography.

For more Pinterest advice, check out these posts:

Under the Radar Pinners

How to Use Group Boards Effectively

How to Brand Your Business on Pinterest

Under the Radar Pinners to Follow

People always ask me where I find my pins for Pinterest, and I always tell them that 95% of what I share on Pinterest is a repin from someone else. Rarely do I pin items from websites to Pinterest or self-promote my content compared to the volume of pins I re-share from the community. Now that you know that you must have deduced that it really matters who you follow on Pinterest and what kind of content they curate. I spend quite a lot of time finding new people to follow on Pinterest, and I thought I'd share some of my favorite Pinterest feeds from unknown pinners. When you follow new people and new interests you'll notice your home feed start to shift. So, if you have been dissatisfied with your feed as of late, try following new people or at least repinning from new people whose style you enjoy.

https://www.pinterest.com/scstylist/ A stylist with an editorial eye

https://www.pinterest.com/thecuratedhouse/ An interior designer from Toronto with a knack for details

https://www.pinterest.com/melaniekasey A buyer for Urban Outfitters that has great taste

https://www.pinterest.com/morinjacinthe/ A photographer with a great eye

https://www.pinterest.com/laceykaym/ She has a brilliant artist perspective

https://www.pinterest.com/valentinahortus/ She shares beautiful food that is vegan and vegetarian

https://www.pinterest.com/genesislauu/ A visual storyteller with great style

https://www.pinterest.com/finderofbeauty/ Only three boards with complete devotion to all things beauty

https://www.pinterest.com/thetessafrench/ A stylish bohemian perspective

https://www.pinterest.com/richelesydney/ Two gals with a knack for finding unique things

Looking for more Pinterest advice? Make sure to check out my latest article sharing my thoughts on shared boards and how businesses can leverage them to grow a following.