In the past, we’ve covered how you can promote your book via Facebook, Google + and Twitter.

Today, we’re delving into an additional social property, Pinterest, and giving you three reasons why this social media platform can help bolster your promotional efforts.

But before we dive into today’s topic, let’s take a step back and give a brief overview of this social network. In short, Pinterest allows users to share content such as images and videos with others. When people see something that they like, they “Pin It” to their board. These boards are essentially a collection of “pins” – videos/images that fit into a common theme. For example, a Pinterest board could be named Favorite Books, and your book could find its way onto that board!

Now that you have a general idea of what this social site’s all about, let’s move on to our three reasons why you should start a Pinterest page!

Builds Credibility

As an author, Pinterest will give you an outlet to show your personality, as well as your knowledge and expertise in your specific genre. Let’s say that you’re a mystery novel writer and you create a Pinterest board titled,Whodunnit? that features your favorite mystery novels and mystery-writing tips. Not only will this type of board attract other people who are interested in this genre, it has the potential to reach people who might be interested in buying your book, too. This tactic helps increase your credibility as an author and your value to readers as well.

More Visibility

Pinterest is a very visually inspiring site, and each category, whether it’s books, favorite quotes or even writing tips, offers the user what seems to be an endless scrolling experience of engaging content. There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to this content, because through the images and videos that you upload to Pinterest, you can actually add hyperlinks –clickable links that will take the user to another page. For instance these links could lead users back to your website, blog or social media profile. Adding hyperlinks to your pins will help you introduce users to more of your content and to help expand your reach.

Adds Regularity

When building a following on Pinterest, one of the most important aspects is to consistently update your boards. One way of doing this is by creating a pinning schedule that will keep you on track when it comes to updating your profile. Regularity keeps your presence on Pinterest known. If you’re unsure about what to post, take some time and do your research. Scour the site to see what other authors are doing. (Maybe even pin some of their posts that inspire you to your boards!) From there, you can get a better understanding of what sort of content resonates with your target audience.

Always remember to create and consistently update boards with visually engaging, relevant content, and odds are Pinterest will become a great promotional tool for you and your work!

Stay tuned in the coming weeks when we give you tips on how to make your Pinterest page pop!