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Pinterest users do not search like Google users. So stop researching like they do.
Seventeen places to pull real keywords for your niche, sorted by where they come from, plus the step that turns a list of phrases into actual traffic.
I had a document with four hundred keywords in it
For about a year I was very good at the research half and terrible at the other half. I collected phrases. I had them sorted, colour coded, grouped by intent. It was a beautiful document. It made me exactly nothing.
Keywords are not the asset. Pins on boards are the asset. A phrase sitting in a spreadsheet has never reached a single person.
What fixed it was building the pipe before I collected anything else. Research a phrase, turn it into a run of pin variations, load the whole run into Tailwind, let it space them out over weeks. Now every keyword I find goes somewhere instead of into the pile.
See the scheduler I use →Affiliate link. I pay for my own Tailwind plan every month. If I had stopped using it, it would not be on this page.
All seventeen methods come from four places
Once you see the buckets you stop hunting at random and start working a source until it is dry.
Where to start hunting, based on what you write about
Not every source pays off in every niche. Pick yours and I will tell you where I would start.
The seventeen methods
Tick them as you go. You are not meant to do all of them in one sitting.
A keyword list is not traffic. Pins on boards are traffic.
This is where Tailwind earns its place for me. I take one researched phrase, build a run of pin variations from it, load the batch, and it spaces them across weeks on the right boards while I am doing something else. Up to thirty pins a day if I want them. Research without a pipe attached is just a hobby with good spreadsheets.
Check Out Tailwind →The seven columns in my keyword sheet
Method seventeen, made concrete. Paste this as your header row and fill it as you research.
Phrase | Source | Intent match | Season | Post URL | Pins built | Clicks so far Phrase: exactly as typed into a search bar, no year in it. Source: which of the seventeen methods it came from. Intent match: does it match a post you have or one you will write. If no, delete the row. Season: blank for evergreen, or the month searching starts. Post URL: the page the pins point at. Pins built: how many variations are live or queued. Clicks so far: the only column that decides what you research next.
“I had four hundred keywords in a document and none of them on a board.”— Lori Ballen
Before you go collecting
Why do Google keywords not work on Pinterest?
Different job. Google searchers want an answer. Pinterest searchers want an idea they can act on. The phrasing on Pinterest runs longer and more specific, closer to a description of the outcome than a question about a topic.
How many keywords do I actually need?
Fewer than you think, worked harder. One phrase that supports a run of pin variations beats twenty phrases with one pin each. Depth over collection.
Should I put the year in a title or description?
No. Pins keep earning for years and a year stamp kills one the moment the calendar turns. Leave it out and the same pin stays live indefinitely.
Why does my tool name come back with almost no volume?
Because people do not search software, they search outcomes. Run two searches every time. The exact topic, and the result somebody wants from it. The second one carries the volume.
How far ahead should I pin seasonal content?
Two to three months. Searching starts long before the event, and a pin needs time to get distributed before the peak arrives.
The Ballen Pinterest Method
My six-step Pinterest workflow written out plainly. Research, title, image, schedule, review, repeat. Send it to yourself and work off it.
You are in. Check your inbox. Grab it now: Download the PDFThe two guides that finish the job
Pinterest on Purpose
The no fluff system for Pinterest traffic and passive income. Keyword to published pin, start to finish.
Pinterest Power Stack
Turn one post into many. How I get a whole run of pins out of a single URL without repeating myself.
Pick two sources. Work them until they are dry. Then build the pins.
Not ready to buy? Grab the free workflow above, or get Letters from Lori.
Hey there! Just a quick heads-up: some of the links on this site are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase (including through the Amazon Associates program), at no extra cost to you. Occasionally, products featured here are gifted by brands.
I also use AI tools to help research and create content for you! While I love sharing strategies to help you succeed, please remember that everyone's journey is unique—individual results vary, and there are no guarantees. Thanks so much for stopping by!
