Don't fall for pinterest monthly viewer Tips

I'm not one to blog about blogging. There are plenty of blogs out there that dedicate all of their posts to the ins and outs of blogging. I do not claim to be an expert or a guru on blogging or any specific social media channel. I have however, been in the trenches of researching and reading all of the blogs I can find about how to be a better blogger. This is why I feel compelled to comment on a trend that I've noticed in regards to one particular stat found on Pinterest. 

Don't Fall for Pinterest Monthly Viewer Tips

Pinterest's Monthly Viewers looks like it is a super important number because Pinterest updated their app/site to showcase this number on your profile page, right  under your user name.

Wanting to see a high number there only makes sense because it is right in the forefront and to any unsuspecting user, the higher a number is in front of a term like "views" the more trustworthy that user may think the account is.

THIS. IS. NOT. TRUE.

Let me back track, this may not be true.

There are a lot of bloggers and websites out there that shell out amazing content and that content gets shared over and over and over again because it is really good. So their "Monthly Viewers" will be high (and rightfully so).

​That being said, having a high number in front of "Monthly Viewers" doesn't always mean the blogger behind the account knows what they're doing. 

They may have a strategy that has greatly grown their number of "Monthly Viewers" but that doesn't mean they know how to get you anywhere in terms of growing your blog, brand, bank account, ect.

So What Exactly is a Monthly Viewer?

It is easy to get obsessed about Monthly Viewers, like I said it is right under your name when you look at your profile, but also this number CHANGES CONSTANTLY.

I've seen my own Monthly Viewers go from 30K to 99K down to 70K in the span of weeks.

Talk about a whirlwind! 

There is a good chance that when my Monthly Viewers spiked to almost 100K it had nothing to do with me.

In fact, I'd bet on it.

Monthly Viewers does not just take into account your pins, it takes into account other people's pins you've pinned.

So if I pinned a really impressive pin or a pin that "went viral" that pin is going to get pushed on to more feeds and be "seen" by more people. This in turn will make my "viewers" go up even though they weren't "viewing" my content!

Furthermore do you know what a "view" is? It simply means an unsuspecting user scrolled past your pin. They may not have even really looked at it. The pin just happened to be on their screen for a second or two as they scrolled on by.

Pinterest Monthly Viewers is a Vanity Metric

I'll say it again. Monthly Viewers is a vanity metic (at best). Monthly Viewers does not equate Monthly Pageviews to someone's blog.

Just because someone's pins are getting "seen" by a high volume of people does not mean the pins are getting clicked.

This is why I cringe when I see posts from people bragging about their high number of Monthly Viewers on Pinterest.

I've fallen for it.

​I've seen really compelling pins telling me I can learn how to grow my blog through Pinterest only to click through and arrive at an article about Monthly Viewers.

It's all nonsense.

Don't Buy Courses Designed to Grow Monthly Viewers

There are people out there who are actually experts on social media and who have thousands upon thousands of pageviews on their website monthly. On the flip side, there are people out there who try and make it look like they've got it all figured out and wrap a course up in a pretty bow and charge you hundreds for it.

All I'm saying is, buyer beware.

If a person is bragging about how they got to 100K Monthly Viewers in their first month of blogging or something similar and are trying to sell you a course on how you too can see the same metric, exit the site, do not pass go and DO NOT pay them any money.

We all want quick fixes and shortcuts. Hey, I want them too.

Why do you think I'm constantly reading all of these articles?

But putting focus on a vanity metric is not going to get anyone anywhere.

Keep your hard earned money and save it for someone who has the blog pageviews (and hopefully screenshots) to back it up. 

Monthly Pinterest Viewers Aren't the Same as Engaged Viewers

If you have a business account with Pinterest, you can see your Pinterest Analytics.

Under "Overview" you'll find Impressions, Total Audience, Engagements and Engaged Audience.

From there I suggest clicking on your site under "Claimed Account" so you can see the metrics of your pins from your site and your site alone.

These numbers will most likely be drastically different from what you were originally shown on the Analytics tab.

Again, when pins aren't yours, what does it matter how many impressions or views it got?

What's important are the pins to your personal content on your blog (or affiliate links to products) and if users are clicking through.

Like I said, I normally don't write about blogging or social media. I tend to stick to family entertainment, family travel and parenting specific posts but I couldn't let another post about "skyrocketing Monthly Viewers" go by without commenting on it.

I want my fellow  bloggers to know not every metric is worth the time and energy.

Not every low number you have means you aren't on the right track. 

Courses are helpful, as long as they are the right ones, created by the right people.

​Beware, and be safe out there!