Why Pinterest Content Can Drive Traffic for Months

Not every Pin is built to last for months, and the ones that do share a few specific traits. A lasting Pin answers a question that does not expire, links to a page that stays accurate, uses a design that does not date quickly, and gets a light refresh now and then.

What makes a Pinterest Pin keep working for months?

A Pin keeps working when Pinterest can keep matching it to searches, and that depends on what the Pin is about and where it leads. Lifespans differ from Pin to Pin, but four traits improve the odds. The table gives each one with a question to ask before you publish.

Does the Pin answer a question that will not expire?

A lasting Pin should answer a question that will not expire, and the safest choices are how-tos and timeless product uses. A Pin about how to do something, or about a use for a product that never goes out of style, can be searched for in any month. A Pin built on a trend or a weekend promotion has an end date built in, because the search behind it fades. Seasonal ideas can still earn their place, but plan for them to work in their season rather than all year.

Will the destination page still be accurate next year?

The destination page needs to stay accurate, because a Pin lasts only as long as the page it points to stays useful. Choose destinations you intend to keep, such as a product page, a guide or a blog post, and avoid tying a Pin to a page built around a sale that will end. When a page changes, check the Pins that lead to it so the promise on the Pin is still true.

Will the design still look current in a few months?

A Pin's design lasts longer when it stays simple. A clean layout, readable text and an image that shows the product or the result age better than a style built around this week's trend. The image should also match the Pin's title, so a searcher who sees it understands the promise at a glance.

How often should you refresh a Pin?

A light, occasional refresh is enough, and the thing to avoid is leaving a Pin untouched for years. Update the title or the image when they no longer suit the page, and keep the underlying idea instead of rebuilding it. There is no fixed interval to follow; a change to your product or page is a good prompt to look at the Pins that lead to it. The guide to creating a Pinterest content calendar shows one way to keep refreshes on a schedule.

How do you check that a Pin is lasting?

Check a Pin's staying power by looking at outbound clicks and what visitors do on your website rather than at impressions, and look at older Pins as well as new ones. If a months-old Pin is still sending visitors, it has the traits above. If it faded, compare it against the table to see which trait was missing. Treat the four traits as a way to improve the odds, not a guarantee: a Pin can have all of them and still perform modestly, because the topic, the competition and the time of year are outside your control.

The mechanism behind all of this is covered in how Pinterest drives long-term website traffic, and if a Pin is not being shown at all, start with how Pinterest decides which Pins to show. To find out which of your existing Pins are worth keeping, the Pinterest SEO Audit reviews your Pins, their titles and descriptions and your content alignment, and its ranked 30 day plan tells you what to fix first.