Pinterest is among the popular and widely used apps in the world today. Founded in 2010, Pinterest helps people look for visual ideas and inspirations.
That means it helps you find ideas for hobbies, decor, style inspirations, and a lot more. And these ideas are called Pins. Here’s how it works:
A. How Pinterest works
Just like any other app or website, you need to first create an account on Pinterest. You can do this by visiting the Pinterest website or by downloading its mobile application on your phone.
Once you do it, you can get started. As you open Pinterest, you will see Pins, people, and brands. Wondering how?
The app will recommend these suggestions based on your recent activity log and interests. Also, you can follow the topics, people, and Pins you are interested in. You just need to search them via the search bar and hit the follow button. The suggestions that are recommended in the search bar are usually Pinterest Trends. These are the keywords that are trending in Pinterest.
For example—you can type ‘business card’ in the search bar and many relevant ideas will pop-up on your screen.
And Pinterest helps you organize these ideas as Pins in Boards on your profile. Keep reading to know how:
1. Pins
You now know what Pins are, right? These are the ideas or inspirations that you find on Pinterest or on the web. And whenever you like an idea, you ‘Pin’ it to your Pinterest account.
In fact, you can even upload pictures that you feel people might like. And when they find it useful, they can likewise Pin it to their Pinterest Boards.
2. Boards
Whenever you save a Pin, it goes to a Board. You can name the Boards associated with your profile and arrange them the way you like.
For example, if you are a home decor enthusiast, you can create a Board name ‘Home Decor’. And Pin all the relevant ideas to it. It helps you keep your Pins well-organized and arranged.
People coming to your profile can see these boards and Pin the ideas they like.
In addition, if you want to restrict the audience viewing your Pins, you can also change their privacy.
3. Profile
By now, you know what a Pinterest profile is. It contains all the Pins and Boards you have added.
Anyone visiting your profile will be able to see this content. However, your secret boards will stay hidden. Not everyone will be able to see them.
Many businesses and brands today use Pinterest. It is an amazing way to show your products and services to your audience. Hence, it helps you market them and even drive sales. How?
Say you deal in furniture and have a website. You post your furniture designs to your website. You then create a Pinterest account.
So what you now do here is—you go back to your website and each picture, you see the red icon that reads—Pin. When you click on it, you get the option to Pin the image to the desired Board on your website.
When someone comes across this idea and likes it, they can click the image to visit your website and see the design there. In fact, they can also Pin the idea to Board on their profile.
This way, you can build your audience and even get them to visit your website.
Pinterest helps you build your audience and share your profile easily with your audience. How? With Pinterest QR Codes (also called Pincodes). Keep reading to know how they work.
B. What is a Pinterest QR Code
You know what a QR Code is. It is a 2D barcode that stores information such as text, website links, and numbers. The main purpose of a QR Code is to reduce the effort required by end-users.
Similarly, a Pinterest QR Code or Pincode minimizes the effort required. How?
Say you meet a friend and while talking to him, you tell him about your Pinterest account. She is interested in going through your content. What will she do?
She will have to pull out her phone, launch the Pinterest app, go to the search bar, type your profile name, find the correct profile, and finally see your content.
This is a long process. While some people might put the required effort, others probably won’t.
And to help you share your profile, Pinterest rolled out Pincodes. These are circular 2D Codes, that take people to your profile.
That means they don’t need to type your profile handle to look for your account anymore. They simply need to scan your Pincode. That’s it. They will be landed on your profile where they will be able to see your Boards and Pins.
Note that a Pincode is a Custom 2D Code that is scannable only with the Pinterest app. No generic scanner can scan it. This is just like you need Snapchat to scan a Snapcode.
Now that you know what a Pincode is, let’s see how you can find a Pincode for your account.
C. How do I find my Pinterest QR Code
To find the Pincode associated with your Pinterest account, you need to follow these easy steps:
1. Open Pinterest and go to your profile
2. Tap on your profile picture
Your profile Pincode will pop-up. As end-users scan it, they will land on your Pinterest profile.
But what if you want to get people to see a particular Board on your Profile? To deal with such cases, Pinterest also provides you Pincodes unique to each Board.
Here is how you can find the Pincode related to a particular Board on your profile:
1. Open your profile and go to the Board you want Pincode for
2. Now, tap on the Board share button
3. Here you will see the option—Pincode. Tap on it. You will see the Pincode unique to that Board
That’s it. You now know how to find the Pincode associated with your profile or a Board. Now let’s go ahead to see how you can scan a Pincode.
D. How to scan a Pincode
As discussed earlier, you cannot scan a Pinterest QR Code with any generic QR Code scanning app. You will have to use the Pinterest app installed on your phone to do it.
Here are the steps you need to follow to scan your Pincode:
1. Open the Pinterest app on your phone
2. Tap on the Search icon
3. You will see the search bar to enter a name to find what you are looking for
4. Adjoining the search bar, you will see a camera icon. Click on this icon
5. Your phone’s camera will get launched. Now hold it in front of the Pincode you want to scan
The lens will scan the Pincode and you will be taken to the encoded Profile or Board. It is as easy as clicking a picture.
That’s it. You now know everything about Pinterest’s Pincodes. But before you go ahead to use them, make sure you follow some best practices as suggested by Pinterest.
E. Pinterest QR Code best practices
1. Let people know what they’re scanning the Pincode for
A Pincode has an image in the centre. If it is a profile Pincode, it will have your profile picture in the centre. And if it is a Board Pincode, it will have an image from the board.
Hence, make sure the image in the centre conveys what users will see on scanning the Pincode. For example—say you’re sharing a Board’s (with business card designs) Pincode. Then make sure your board has a relevant image in it.
When people see the Pincode, they will get an idea about what they’ll see on scanning.
2. Choose a good location to put up your Pincode
You must always ensure a smooth scanning experience for your audience. Hence, make sure you put them at locations that are easy to access and where people are likely to stop. For example, on a wall or on a page.
Also, scanning distance is important for its scannability. Hence, you should neither place the Pincode too far, nor too close. Place it such that it easily fits into the scanning lens.
3. Take care of printing material
Whenever you print the Pincode, make sure you test its scannability before putting it up. Why?
This is because some surfaces distort the Pincode’s dots. Scanners read these dots to decide the Pincode. Hence, they are important to its scannability.
So whenever you print a Pincode, always test scan it before putting it on display.
That’s it. You now know everything about Pinterest QR Codes or Pincodes. They allow you to easily share your content with your audience. And since people do not need to put much effort to scan a Pincode, their chances of taking action increase.
Also see how some small changes can help you increase the followers who are genuinely interested in your products or services. And hence, help you build a highly targeted audience for your business.
In case you have any queries, let us know in the comments.