This probably doesn’t come as a shocker but about 80% of pins on Pinterest are re-pins.
It’s not a shocker because you probably re-pin most of the time! Me too. On the surface, it seems like you never really have to leave Pinterest to find a little inspiration.
But the big question is: are you blindly re-pinning?
If you always re-pin without first visiting the link, you could be.
Pinterest is full of ooooh pretties and ohhhhh cools. But it’s also a landmine full of aaahhh craps. Pins that aren’t quite what they seem. Pretty on the outside… but annoying (and potentially harmful) on the inside.
But let’s wade through it together, shall we? Here are five types of pins you shouldn’t re-pin:
1. Pins that Don’t Go To a Permalink
There are few Pinteresty things more maddening than finding a great recipe, how-to or what not, then clicking on it and having it go to someone’s home page. Ugh! Whaaaa? Now you’re telling me I have to search around a website to actually find the image in that pretty picture?
If it’s an omg-gotta-have-that-pin type of pin then I might bother to search for the post on their site. If I’m lazy, I’ll just go back and be annoyed at the person who pinned it that way.
Of course, if you’re just pinning an overall website (like if you had a board of blogs you like), then by all means, have at it. But if you’re pinning a recipe, then by golly PIN THE RECIPE POST, not the website. You’ll be happy with yourself too when you go back to try out the recipe and can actually find it.
2. Pins that Give Away Too Much
You’re a blogger. I’m a blogger. And us bloggers like traffic. So how would you like if someone described the entire point of your post in the pin description? Doesn’t give someone much incentive to actually click through to the post if all the juicy details are right on Pinterest, ya know?
This problem used to be worse until Pinterest caught on and instituted a 500-character limit to a pin description. While that curbed some of it, I still see pins like this. If you’re gonna re-pin a pin like that, then go for it! Just edit the description to entice readers to click over. I’m sure the blogger would thank you!
3. Pins with Broken Links
While this seems like a given, if you don’t check a pin before re-pinning it, you may unknowingly pass on a pin that goes to a dead link. It could be that person’s site is down but it could also be that the post was moved to a different URL or taken down for some reason.
Regardless, if you’re trying to build a Pinterest following, then you don’t want a pretty picture turning into a wa-wa-waaaaa kind of disappointment. So just take a sec to check that the link actually works.
4. Pins You Don’t Have Permission to Pin
This one gets hairy because so many people pin with reckless abandon. I did too once a upon a time.
But since Pinterest saves a full image on their site, you aren’t just pinning a “thumbnail” of an image. You’re pinning an image that the owner may or may not want you to share.
For re-pins, I visit the link and look for a Pinterest button. If the person has either a Pin It button or a Pinterest button that links to their profile, then I go for it and re-pin that puppy. If they don’t, I might ask for permission via Twitter or email. I did this before for some portrait ideas from a photographer’s site and she responded fairly quickly. Or I might just save it for myself using Evernote so I can find it easily.
3. Spam Disguised as Pretty Stuff
You’d be surprised not only how much spam is on Pinterest but also how much of it gets re-pinned without a second glance. Pictures of exotic destinations, food and even DIY projects have all been tainted by the spam-monsters.
And in some cases, the spam isn’t simply annoying. It’s harmful too.
For example, if you do a search on Pinterest for “recipe” then pretty chocolate cake with white frosting comes up a ton.
With LOADS of re-pins.
But look closely. If you click on it, it goes to a strange URL with a pop up that asks if I want to download a tool to get access to “100′s of recipes using the FREE Total Recipe Tool.”
You know what that is? A malicious something-or-other that could take down your computer.
That’s why it’s so important to check a pin before re-pinning. You don’t want someone falling for this!
Such a Fun Sucker
I know, I know. I sound like a big party pooper! But it really doesn’t take too long to check your pins before re-pinning. If you’re in a rush, you can Like a pin instead then go back and re-pin when you have a minute to check the source.
That’s not too bad, right?
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I'm a mom who loves marketing, photography and all things social media. I have two boys whose claim to fame is that they were born on the same day... three years apart.
Twitter: AlisonSWLee
says:
I’m very cautious about re-pinning. I mostly Pin recipes so I always pin from the source (yup, I stalk a lot of food blogs). If I see a pretty recipe on someone else’s board, I always go back to the original site to Pin.
I haven’t come across the spam but I’m not surprised!
Alison recently posted..I Don’t Sleep
Twitter: osvme
says:
I didn’t know there was so much “to-do” in “pinning” stuff. So glad I left my account to die… I’m to lazy to deal with all that crap.
Twitter: latorres
says:
I stopped pinning stuff because of just the image and started going into the link to not only see if it was a real link, but also check out the article/tutorial to see if I would actually be interested it that pin. If not, then I skip it. I don’t really like logging on to see one person that I follow has just pinned 79 pictures of mirrors.
Leigh Ann recently posted..Goodness and weirdness at Bloggy Boot Camp
Thanks for these good reminders. I try hard to be a considerate pinner. Of course sometimes I need a quick browse without all the follow through right then. That’s why I use the “like” feature. I “like” things so they are saved to my queue without spreading them further. And I can check out the quality of the pin before re-pinning. (Although maybe likes do keep a pin fresher for others to find?)
So agree, I once had to go back through 16 pins of a photo to get to where it actually linked to the original source @@
I try to be careful about what I pin. I do look for the original pin and original URL because I want to person who created the content to get the credit, not the person I saw the pin from.
Just Jennifer recently posted..Sublime September
I don’t re-pin anything on Pinterest anymore. I had spammers target viral recipes on my blog a few months ago–they’d steal photos from posts that were already really popular on Pinterest and use them to direct people to download a toolbar which I’m sure was one of those malicious something-or-others. After seeing that and dealing with the huge mess of trying to get all those pins taken down, I decided that for my own account, I’m much more comfortable just pinning stuff directly from the blogs I visit!
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies recently posted..Recipe | Warm Cauliflower & Israeli Couscous Salad
Twitter: happymomsusan
says:
I wish it was just spam. I’ve followed some pins back to sites where there were “nekkid people” on them. Yep. it’s possible to pin porn. EEEEEKKKK!!!
If you find it, please click the check box marking the pin as inappropriate.
susan recently posted..Thinking about labels
This is a great tutorial… I was unaware of a few of the things here. I do try not just to re-pin, rather I go to the site and look around and then pin from there. I will have to remember rule #4…
The Anecdotal Baby recently posted..Single-handedly Arranging Happiness and Merriment
Twitter: homemakersdaily
says:
When I first started pinning the stuff from my blog, I accidentally pinned the website instead of the specific article. Figured that out and corrected my mistake.
However, whenever I check out a pin first, I lose my place in the section I’m pinning from. So I usually don’t check them until later. I have definitely had a lot of pin disappointments.
Patty@homemakersdaily.com recently posted..What’s For Dinner?
Patty- I hear you on losing your place– but there’s a quick fix! Just hold down Control when you click the pin and it will open a new tab on your browser (pretty sure it’s control on a PC. I have a Mac so it’s Command on my Mac). That way, you won’t lose your place.
On a PC, I right click and select “open in new tab”. It works great!
Twitter: simplyasandwich
says:
Thank you so much Melissa! I just started on Pinterest yesterday so I am thrilled that I only had a few things to check! xoxo
Paula @ Simply Sandwich recently posted..The Busy Mama’s Guide to Fall Veggies
Twitter: artchootwit
says:
I was shocked when all that spam nonsense started showing up all over Pinterest. I think a lot of us held up Pinterest as this beautiful, untouchable Oasis. And then the spammers struck. Oh well. This is a really great list.
Artchoo! recently posted..Anatomy of a Teenager Bedroom
I know it right? I’m shocked how much spam is out there. Especially when you try to do a search!
Great tips! I always try to visit the permalink before I repin!!
Twitter: SoniaBarton
says:
I reprint way to much without checking the links because of lack of time, good idea to like them until I have time. I also need to start using Evernote I loaded it almost a year ago and still haven’t used it. Love getting you emails.
Sonia Barton recently posted..Young Women Personal Progress Book Holders
Thanks so much Sonia! Yep, it does take a bit of time but Liking them first really speeds up the process. Also, open the pin in a new tab/window on your browser so you don’t have to do so much back and forth in one browser window!
Twitter: SoniaBarton
says:
Yes, the opening in the new tab/window works great – I was on the IPad and it did that automatically opened in a new window, I was able to check the pins and then pin. I have to remember to right click on my windows computer.
Sonia Barton recently posted..Pressurized Icing Fail/Missionary Open House
Twitter: Dakotapam
says:
Those are some great reminders. So many times I click on a pin and can’t find what I was looking for. I guess m=by not re-pinning we do our own small part to stop the vicious cycle!
Dakotapam recently posted..Techie Thursday: LeapPad2 Review and Giveaway
I agree 100%. Love this post. I HATE when I see some amazing picture and pin it to my board only to discover later that the link is either broken or goes to some random page. I am so anal about organization that I usually try to search and fix the link. I know, I’m a loser.
Thanks for sharing this awesome advice.
becky recently posted..September’s Pinterest-ing Meals – Week Two
Oh my! I have to admit I am a careless re-pinner. I didn’t know I was suppose to check the links. I will definitely be checking from now on. Do you mind if I share this article giving you a linkback?
Debbie Walter recently posted..After School Snack Mix
I always try to check the link, and if it’s not the original I try to locate it, and the artist/originator, and pin from there.
Not always easy though, especially when so many pics – even in a google image search result, are from pinterest, or tumblr etc.
melanie recently posted..Undercoat times two
This is a great post! I have tried to be more vigilant about repinning “frill” and also pinning only permalinks! Thanks for sharing this to the masses! Checkout my boards! http://pinterest.com/dramafreemama/
Deborah recently posted..My “so far, so good” September
Twitter: supermomboots
says:
#1,#1,#1!!!! I cannot say how very much that annoys me!
All of these guidelines are great, and many of them are why I have half the boards I used to have and also why I am currently going through what remains to check that everything has the proper permission, actually goes to the link and is not spam. I also want to be way more selective in what I pin from now on.
(Your number 5 point above is actually labelled number 3
)
Stephanie recently posted..Learning to Simplify Through Purging
Great article. I think I re-pin too much!
Adrienne recently posted..The Elections Send Mixed Messages About Bullying
Great article. 99.99% of the time I will check a pin before re-pinning. It frosts my fanny to click on a pin to have it go nowhere. I have a Mac, so if a pin is potentially harmful or carries spam, Mac’s operating system will warn you. (One of the things I love about my Mac) I will definitely re-pin this. Thanks again for sharing.
Kimmie recently posted..Day23: Today I smile because…
Yes i think we all re-pin way to much. Pinterest is the newest thing so everybodys on it. I’m glad I read over your article. As there are things in it that I wasnt aware of. Spam we just cant seem to get away with it as much as we all would like. But anything we do on the internet we have to be careful of. I like pinterest but theres alot of time I re-pin things and later realize I dont want it on my page and end up deleting it later on.
Thank you for the information, I was so glad to find it.This is my first encounter with a computer, as an artist I always use my spare time painting. This inexperienced,dyslexic, artistic grandma will try very hard to catch up and learn fast. Some things are easily self taught, computer, I Pad,Pintrest, not so much. Thank you
Great post! I really hate when pins go nowhere. HATE.
Jen @ Jen’s Favorite Cookies recently posted..Banana Pomegranate Oat Muffins
Great post! Thanks!
Twitter: sandrasallin
says:
My goodness and I pinning incorrectly? When I see an image I simply use the “Pin it” tool on my tool bar. I have not included the URL. What should I be doing? Your instructions are not clear enough for me.
Great post! Thanks. I can see I have some clean up to do. On the topic of repinning things the authors do not want pinned. You suggested liking it instead so you can go back to it later. What if you put it on one of your secret boards instead? I have a secret board called “Review First.” Anything wrong with that?
Great post but it brings up a tricky subject. Some of these tips are aimed at normal Pinterest users, but numbers 4 and 2 are really for advertisers. If you don’t want your content pinned- there are many ways to block it. Take a look at flickr for example, they instituted site-wide blockage of pinning. Simply not having a pin it button on-site doesn’t really deter me from pinning an image. I have to assume that unless someone takes the extra 5 minutes to write out “please don’t pin” or block the function, they don’t mind.
As for “giving too much away” I am also guilty. To be very very honest, I often edit my re-pins to give *more* away. To anyone not trying to advertise their website, giving more away is better. I especially do this in cases when the pin is a very simple project that can be explained in one line, but the blog or site is very ad-heavy or looks like it probably ripped off the idea from elsewhere. To an end user, CTR means nothing and there’s no reason to click through the pop-up gauntlet to find out that chalkboard paint is just regular paint mixed with grout. I really don’t want to scroll through 500 words of babymommaweeklystruggles’ exquisite prose to get to that recipe. Pinterest limited the description because huge paragraphs look stupid on-site and they’re transitioning to a cleaner interface, not to protect bloggers.
As a pinner, my concern is first for the user. Then for the source.
Teal recently posted..Get Super Detailed Nail Art Cheap with Stamping
I found this article on a Pinterest link of someone I trust (Julie Mason). It takes me a while to repin while I check out the links as you suggested, Melissa. I will also add to check the backgrounds on quotes & affirmations. When I checked one funny quote, the background had a swearing phrase repeated over & over again. Yes there was an asterick on the first letter but it still went to my delete bin.