Pinterest is cracking down on spammy behaviour. There have been numerous reports by panic-stricken pinners who have had their account blocked, sometimes mistakenly. In most cases, if it's a genuine misunderstanding, Pinterest will re-activate the account. However, this can sometimes take several weeks to resolve. Wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry? Read on to find out how to avoid getting your Pinterest account blocked.
What if this happened to you...?
A month ago, I was contacted by Katie who started a Pinterest account 8 years ago. She had built up a following of 60K followers. Pinterest was generating 35% of her total site traffic each day. One month ago, Pinterest began banning all links to her site for potential spam. Anyone who clicked on a pin to her site got a blocked, potential spam warning. Katie has no idea what happened. She did not change her pinning habits. Initially, she was not even aware that her account had been blocked. Pinterest proceeds without warning you. When she contacted Pinterest support, they sent a standard response that she is not following Pinterest guidelines.
Here's what you can do to avoid getting your Pinterest account suspended.
You must not...
Want to show up in a positive space where people LOVE to discover new ideas? We help e-commerce and travel brands, generate brand awareness, traffic and qualified leads with Pinterest. Not reaching them there yet? Let's talk!
You should always...
If despite following Pinterest best practices, you find your account suspended, check if:
This last point may have been the cause of suspension for Katie’s account. She was scheduling 2 pins a day with a tool that is not listed in the Pinterest Marketing partner directory. She had given access to a non-listed app to post for her on Pinterest. Not a good idea!
I use Tailwind to schedule my pins. I highly recommend it. Click on the button below if you want a free 1-month trial (affiliate link).
FREE 1-month trial (affiliate link)
What to do when Pinterest blocks your website
Is your Pinterest account blocked right now? Is this why you're reading this article? Don't panic! Easier said than done, I hear you say! 😉 Take a deep breath and open a Pinterest support ticket. Nicole Stone published a detailed description on how she resolved the problem with Pinterest when she found her website blocked > What to do if Pinterest blocks your website.
Getting the issue sorted may take a while. Nicole was lucky to get her account back to normal within a relatively short time. Recent reports of resolution time for this type of support request seem to be 1-2 weeks. In most cases, Pinterest will stop blocking the account if it is genuine misunderstanding. However, if Pinterest is a major traffic source for your website, following the guidelines above may avoid a few sleepless nights!
Better be safe than sorry!
For more Pinterest Marketing advice visit marylumley.com.
Want to show up in a positive space where people LOVE to discover new ideas? We help e-commerce and travel brands, generate brand awareness, traffic and qualified leads with Pinterest. Not reaching them there yet? Let's talk!
Mary Lumley - Conversion Focused Pinterest Marketing
How to Avoid Getting your Pinterest Account Blocked!