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If you've read anything at all about Pinterest marketing, you probably know you're supposed to join some group boards. It's one of those pieces of advice that people drop everywhere, even if they don't actually know what they're talking about. What they don't always tell you, though, is exactly HOW you join Pinterest group boards.
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How to Join a Pinterest Group Board, Step 1: The Easy Ones
Some group boards make it really easy. You simply visit the board, read the description, and they tell you what to do. Usually, you either need to email someone or visit a page and fill in a request form. Some are a little more complicated, but still clear. They might ask you to join a mailing list or Facebook group before putting in your request.
But what do you do if you want to join a page that doesn't offer instructions?
How to Join a Pinterest Group Board, Step 2: The Difficult Ones
So you've found an awesome group board with lots of members and high-quality submissions, and you really want to join. Unfortunately, there's no email address listed, no URL with a form to fill out, and no instructions to tell you how to join. What now?
First, take a look at the group owner's profile. The group owner will be the first person you see listed, and you can visit their profile by clicking on their photo.
From the profile page, you have a few options. I recommend NOT using them all at once, because you'll end up looking like a crazy person. Pick one approach, give it a few weeks, and come back to a different one if you haven't heard back from that board (a spreadsheet can come in really handy if you're requesting to join a lot of boards).
- Look for a website URL and visit the board owner's page. Most sites will have some kind of contact or about page, usually with either an email address or a contact form. Use it.
- Send a private message on Pinterest. All you have to do is click on the message icon, then on the compose icon, then type in the name of the person you want to message (as it appears on Pinterest). Not sure what I'm talking about? I've included a screenshot below.
- Leave a comment on one of their posts from the board that interest you. This is usually my last resort, as not everybody notices comments on their posts – but if the other two methods aren't working for you, give it a try. It's worked for me in a couple cases where the group board owner didn't have a website and wasn't reading messages.
How to Join a Pinterest Group Board, Step 3: Get Your Profile Ready
While joining Pinterest group boards isn't an exact science, there are some best practices I recommend following. Some boards aren't picky, but the highest quality boards are the ones that don't let just anyone in – so if you want to get into the good ones, it pays to put in a little effort.
Speaking of the bad group boards, I don't recommend bothering with them. If you've done much looking around, you've probably seen the boards I'm talking about. Either they have few posts and followers, or they have a ridiculous amount of members, but the topics and Pin quality are all over the place. Engagement tends to be terrible on those boards, so I don't recommend wasting your time with requests unless they're for active, high-quality boards.
- Make sure your profile looks decent. Do you have a photo and description? Does your profile have a theme that goes along with the board topic?
- Follow the group board and the board owner before you reach out.
How to Join a Pinterest Group Board, Step 4: What to Say
So what do you say when you actually reach out to the board owner? It's pretty simple.
- Tell them you love their board and you'd like to contribute to it. Be sure to include the board name – many board owners have several.
- Offer a very short (no more than 1-2 sentences) summary of who you are and why you'd be a great additio nto the board.
- If you're emailing, be sure to give them your Pinterest URL and username. If you're sending a message through Pinterest, you can skip this part. If you have a website that isn't under construction or otherwise absolutely terrible, that's also worth a quick mention.
- Thank them for their consideration.
Sample Group Board Request Email
Still not sure what to say? No problem, I'll spell it out for you. Feel free to copy this and insert your own personal details.
Hi Caroline,
I've been enjoying your group board, >>Really Lovely Group Board<<, and I'd love to become a contributor. I'm a blogger who specializes in >>Really Lovely Things<<, and my details are below.
Username: ReallyLovelyUsername
Website: ReallyLovelyExampleWebsite.com
Email: name@reallylovelyexamplewebsite.comThanks so much for your consideration!
Name
How to Join a Pinterest Group Board, Step 5: Accept the Invite
If all goes well, you'll start to get some invites – maybe in a few hours, maybe a few days, and maybe even a few weeks. It varies quite a lot.
When you DO get invites, you'll find them in the message area we talked about back in Step 2. When you're invited, you'll get a message with the option to join or decline. All you have to do is accept the invite and you'll be able to start contributing.
How to Join a Pinterest Group Board, Step 6: What, is 5 Not Enough?
That's really all there is to it. This stuff isn't rocket science. It just takes persistence and a bit of politeness. Don't be alarmed, though, if you don't hear back from a lot of the board owners you contact. Plenty of people don't check their accounts very often (or even at all, since some people go inactive). Others will have stopped accepting new contributors without putting up a message to that effect. Some just plain won't want you on their boards, either because you don't have much of a following or they just don't like the looks of you.
All of that is okay.
If you get ignored a lot at first, don't worry about. Save those boards and try again 6-12 months down the road when you have more of a presence. Otherwise, just keep plugging away. It's a numbers game, and you'll eventually get accepted to some good boards if you keep at it.