Pinterest Traffic: Reality Check for Small Blogs (And Why I Still Pin Anyway)

bySoniaZ

2.1K followers

6 months ago

Pinterest always looked like a goldmine for bloggers. Everywhere I turned, someone was sharing a "how I went from zero to 100,000 monthly pageviews with Pinterest" story, usually paired with screenshots full of dreamy traffic spikes. As someone running a small blog with a lot of hope and a love-hate relationship with SEO, Pinterest seemed like a shortcut worth trying. The sheer potential of visual search, plus all the buzz about viral pins and easy visibility, felt pretty irresistible when I was just starting out.

Once I started pinning for real, the reality hit a little differently. Algorithms changed, best practices kept shifting, and it turned out that growing with Pinterest isn't exactly a magic button—especially if you run a small blog without a big social following or a design team on hand. What began as an optimistic adventure quickly became a patience game. Here’s what that ride really looked like for me, what I learned, and why I’m not giving up on those little red and white pins anytime soon.

Why Pinterest Looked So Promising for Bloggers

Scrolling through blogging Facebook groups or listening to podcasts back when I started, Pinterest was hyped up as one of the best ways for new bloggers to grab real traffic, sometimes in just a few months. Stories were everywhere about pins taking off, email lists jumping, and blogs hitting Mediavine numbers seemingly overnight. Pinterest felt like the spot where small blogs could actually keep up with bigger sites, since search was more visual and not so much about long-term authority.

I kept reading advice like "all you need are great pin graphics" or "just post regularly and you'll see a steady climb." With that kind of reassurance, it’s easy to buy into the idea that Pinterest could cover where Google left off, reach some early readers, and maybe even make my stats graph head in the right direction for once.

Expectations vs. Reality: My Pinterest Traffic Story

Before pinning anything, you could say I had Pinterest dreams. I really pictured that if I posted a mix of vertical pins, joined some group boards, and spent a while in Canva, I'd start to see my traffic bump up in just a few weeks. I made pins for every blog post and thought seasonal roundups would take off around the holidays.

And, believe it or not, at first things did move—my account grew rapidly, and at one point, my pins were hitting over 120 daily impressions and racking up more than 2,000 total impressions in just a few months. But then… Pinterest happened. The infamous algorithm change rolled out, and just like that, my account’s reach started to plummet. What was once a chart full of hopeful spikes has slowly flattened out, and these days, my daily impressions are almost back to zero.
Here’s what the real numbers look like:

• Total impressions: 2,055
• Pin clicks: 54
• Saves: 4
• Outbound clicks: 7
• Most popular pin: A super basic “coffee flavor wheel” that, for some reason, outperformed every fancier pin I made.

It’s humbling to look at the chart—what started as an exciting, fast climb quickly turned into a lesson in managing expectations. (You can see the infamous “cliff” in my analytics screenshot above!)

The Pinning Process: What Worked (and What Didn’t at All)

Pin Design: Pins with bright, clear photos and bigger text got more saves, but not always more clicks. Pins that looked spammy or like cookie-cutter templates didn’t seem to perform at all.

Timing: Pinning around seasonal topics (holidays, recipes, back-to-school) sometimes gave a boost, but Pinterest trends are unpredictable. Sometimes, a Halloween pin in July did better than an actual holiday post in October.

Niche: Some blogging niches honestly do get better results. DIY, recipes, and travel pins usually offered a longer "tail" of slow-growing clicks. More technical content didn’t perform as well for me, likely because the audience is smaller or less interested in visuals.

Workflow experiments:
I also tried out these tactics:

• Making multiple pins per post. While it increased variety, it often just meant more effort with similar results.
• Manual pinning versus using schedulers like Tailwind. I didn’t see much of a difference—Pinterest’s algorithm definitely has its own agenda.
• Joining group boards. Most didn’t make a difference, maybe because older boards can get filled with spam or go stale.

The biggest surprise? Sometimes the strangest, most basic pins would unexpectedly get traction, while ones I spent hours designing sat ignored. I’ve learned to batch-design pins in Canva on a Sunday with coffee in hand and just roll with it—way less stressful than chasing daily pinning “rules.”

Why I Still Pin (Even If It’s Not a Massive Traffic Source)

For a while, I thought about quitting. But even with the slow growth, I noticed a few other benefits that kept me coming back:

• Branding: Having a Pinterest board with fresh pins makes a blog look more polished, even if you’re still small. Sometimes, new visitors stumble on my blog through older pins and send a quick note.
• Content Organization: Sharing my own posts on Pinterest makes it easy to organize and find my main content. It’s like a handy archive, especially for referencing older posts at a glance.
• Visual Fun: Designing pins in Canva became its own little creative escape. I actually enjoy testing new looks, styles, or colors—even if most of them aren’t viral hits.
• Community: There’s a small but active Pinterest community, and sometimes teaming up or sharing others' work leads to new blogger connections.
• The occasional surprise: Every so often, a random pin sends a fresh batch of visitors or gets a new subscriber. It’s a reminder that Pinterest isn’t totally done as a traffic source. (And yes, I still get a little jolt of hope every time I hit publish on a new pin.)

Lessons for Fellow Small Bloggers (My Best Advice)

• Set realistic expectations. Pinterest is a long game these days, especially for small sites. Quick wins are rare, and timing is as much about luck as strategy.
• Pin sustainably, not constantly. I like to make pins in batches, then schedule them out. This keeps things low-stress and means I don't burn out chasing "daily pinning" routines.
• Focus on quality over quantity. Pinterest works best when your posts genuinely help, solve a problem, or inspire. Don’t make pins for posts that don’t matter to you.
• Watch for patterns. Sometimes, certain styles, topics, or color combos really pop. Be open to switching it up and cutting what’s not working, even if you thought it would.
• Use keywords in pin titles and descriptions. Even if your traffic is slow, well-made pin writing pays off. Descriptions with smart keywords help your pins stick around longer, especially for evergreen topics.

Bottom line: pinning isn't just about big numbers or comparing yourself to larger bloggers. It's an extra way to show off your content, highlight your brand, and maybe, once in a while, see a spike in traffic. I give Pinterest a place in my workflow, just not the top spot. That takes off a lot of the pressure and keeps it enjoyable.

Your Turn: Share Your Pinterest Wins (or Woes)

If you’re pinning for a small blog, I’d really love to hear how it’s working for you. What pin styles or strategies have paid off? Has Pinterest given your traffic a boost (or a headache)? Drop your stories and advice below so we can swap notes on what actually works. If you want to connect or share some favorite pins, I’m always up for it!

Bonus points if you share your weirdest pin fail or miracle story—I promise, no judgment. We’ve all been there!