Are Pin Link Share Groups Worth It?

Pin Link Share Groups

Here’s a great question I received from Katie at LaJolla Mom. (Great travel blogger, you should totally follow her!) Here’s her question:

How beneficial are reciprocity threads (Facebook link share groups). You get your pin out there but then wind up having to pin a gazillion pins that might not be up to your standards. There are so, so many of them now and I can’t ever tell if I’m harming my feed or if it’s good to do. Are they worth it?

Fantastic question! Let’s talk about what are pin link share groups, the benefits, and what the drawbacks might be. At the end of the article, I have an even better option that these share groups. But first, I’ll answer the share group questions.

Pinterest Link Share Groups

A Pinterest link share group, or reciprocity thread, is a place for you to share a pin link you want more people to pin and in return, you will pin other people’s pin links shared in that group. They are most often found on Facebook in groups ranging in size from ten to one thousand.

Before the Smart Feed algorithm change, pin share link groups became a popular way to boost traffic quickly on Pinterest. They were especially effective in the evening when traffic was highest. Fast forward to Smart Feed and they are viewed as a tool to boost activity on a particular pin with the hopes that Smart Feed will pick it up and push it out to more people.

Benefits

If run correctly, share groups can increase exposure of not only your pins but your profile, increasing traffic back to your website. These groups also help foster relationships with fellow colleagues in your niche bridging relationships that go far beyond just sharing a link. They can become great networking tools opening up doors to guest posting and beyond.

Drawbacks

I’ve been a part of several pin share groups for either myself or clients and very few have made the cut. What I often see is a mishmash of pin links shared that don’t fit my niche. This leaves me feeling guilty that I’m pinning it to a junky board or I’m not pinning at all. Pinning unrelated content to my boards isn’t beneficial to my followers or the pin creator.

Pin share groups can create unnecessary pressure to fulfill an obligation taking up valuable business building time. Is it really worth spending 30 minutes a day pinning 20 pins to your boards that may or may not result in traffic just to make sure your pin is pinned by the other 20-30 people? If you’ve hired a VA is it worth the money you’re paying them to do it?

Beyond the pressure, it’s common for members to become skeptical or distrustful if their traffic on Pinterest takes a dive. Questions of reciprocity actually kill the mojo of the group quickly. It’s no longer effective at that point.

Best Practices

The pin share groups that I find most beneficial have these common factors:

• Less than 25 members. Twenty or less is even better.
• Similar quality of pin images.
• Closely related niches. Those that are too broad make it hard for all members to pin.
• Only three days of sharing as opposed to everyday. Burn out happens quickly in the daily threads.
• Simple rules to pinning — Will the pin be repinned or scheduled? Choose one and stick with it. Having less members makes this easy.
• Once a month check-ins to see if it’s actually working. Ask for feedback from the group. If it’s not working, agree to disband or try new rules. Honesty always does a group good.

Final Verdict

Pin link share groups can be a great asset to your Pinterest strategy if they are set up correctly. Find a few trusted colleagues in your niche that you know create great content. Agree to pin each other’s content or join a group board together. Work to not only boost each other’s Pinterest content but each other’s blogs as well. This collaboration on Pinterest and beyond will help to grow your overall traffic.

But wait, there’s a better option to grow your traffic — Tailwind Tribes. This not only cuts down on your time but offers you clear tracking of who is pinning your pins and how much reach you are getting for your efforts. You can learn more about Tailwind Tribes here.

What’s your thoughts on pin link share groups? Have you seen it as an effective strategy for Pinterest growth? What made your group effective? What made it not worth your time?

FYI — I have a private Facebook group where I love to chat all about Pinterest. Join me.