If your blog has ever had a red-letter day on Pinterest with tons of people clicking over to see one of your posts, you were probably surprised at how finicky those visitors can be. (can I get an Amen?)
It seems like people who visit from Pinterest just want to pop in to see what they came for, repin your post if they like it, and then never come back again. You can feel good about the popularity of that one post, but what about the life of your blog as a whole? Do these people ever stick around and become loyal readers?
::
I’ve talked before about converting your blog’s Pinterest visitors to subscribers by sprucing up your sidebar. And hopefully you took the time to ditch those blog awards taking up that valuable piece of real estate, and got your sidebar organized!
But good organization is only part of the story. Remember: you have a limited amount of time to capture a new visitor’s attention. You have to make it count.
What if I told you that you can use your past successes with Pinterest to engage your new blog visitors? And that there’s a way to feature your older (forgotten?) posts and give them new life by just placing an image with a Pin It button in a certain spot?
Would you take just 10 minutes to do it?
Because 10 minutes is all it takes.
In this video, I’ll show you how to add those Pin-worthy posts to your sidebar, inviting your blog’s visitors to browse around and share more of your posts on Pinterest.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- An image that goes with one of your popular-ish posts, especially one that’s been shared lots of times on Pinterest. (…and no, it doesn’t have to be thousands of times. 20 pins means people like your post!)
- A Pinterest account (sign up here).
- A little bit of HTML code for a text widget (don’t worry – I’ve got you covered.)
Ready to get started?
How to Feature a Pinterest Image from Your Blog
Note: Don’t forget to adjust the video’s image quality so you can see things better! Just click on the little “gear” symbol at the bottom of the video player and select 720px, or the HD (high definition) option.
Video Notes
- To see the most recent posts that have been pinned from your blog, go to:
http://pinterest.com/source/YOURBLOG.com
- Create the Pin It button to go beneath your image on the Pinterest Goodies page.
- ***If you’re already running a Pinterest plugin in WordPress, you may not need to add the javascript to your blog. Try doing this without the javascript added to your theme, and if the Pin It button isn’t displaying the number of pins, go ahead and add the javascript.
- If your blog runs on the Genesis Framework (the most awesome of all WordPress themes, IMHO), you can add the snippet of Javascript by going to Genesis > Theme Settings and scrolling to the bottom.
- If your blog runs on Thesis (for older versions, at least), you can add the Javascript by going to Thesis > Site Options > Stats Software/Scripts.
- To add multiple instances of these images in your sidebar, you can just paste the code again into the same text widget…although obviously, you’ll be plugging different information into the HTML for the different images.
- I’ve been a little under the weather this week and probably should have waited until my head (and my brain!) was cleared up before shooting this video. So…sorry.
The Code
Add this whole block of code to a text widget, and then fill in the proper spots (noted in CAPS) with your own information. Make sure you leave the quotation marks in the code!
Don’t want to re-watch the whole video?
Here’s a Quick Recap of the Steps:
Step 1: Open up a text widget in your sidebar; cut and paste the HTML code (above) into it. Hit SAVE.
Step 2: Upload an image to your blog that’s the same width as your sidebar. Copy the URL of the image and paste it into the “img src” spot in the text widget code.
Step 3: Locate the post you want the image to take people to. Copy the URL of the post and add it to the “a href” spot in the text widget code. Hit SAVE.
Step 4: Check that the image is now appearing in your sidebar.
Step 5: Go to the Pinterest Goodies page and create a “Pin It Button for Websites.”
Step 6: Add the javascript snippet from the Goodies page to your blog, if necessary(see the starred text in the Video Notes, above).
Step 7: Paste the Pin It Button code (from the Goodies page) into the text widget on your blog, in the appropriate spot. Hit SAVE.
Step 8: Go back out to your blog and check out the awesome bling on your sidebar!
That’s It!
If you have anything to add, share, or ask, feel free to leave me a note in the comments space below. I’d love to hear from you!
Also, leave me a comment once you’ve done this on your blog and I’ll come give you a high five!
Note: I’m adding this post to the Growing Your Blog with Pinterest: The Ultimate Guide series.
Twitter: Baileybakes
says:
Jeni, this is brilliant. I’m adding this to the top of my to-do list. Can’t wait to work on it tonight!
Bailey recently posted..Pumpkin Spice Eggnog Bread
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Awesome! Let me know when you get it set up – I’d love to see it on your (already lovely) blog!
Twitter: Baileybakes
says:
I finally got some time to add the Pin It buttons to my popular posts in my sidebar. It looks great! Thanks for sharing this neat idea.
Bailey recently posted..Reese’s Chocolate Shortbread Bars
Twitter: HarmonyFineArts
says:
Thanks Jeni! I am pinning this so I can remember how to do this.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom recently posted..Making Room for Creativity: Project Time and Space
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
I’d love to see how it turns out for you.
Please let me know when you’re finished!
Twitter: marykprather
says:
Thank you Jeni! Just did this with one of my most pinned posts and it was a SNAP! I can’t wait to do some more this evening when the kids are in bed. I work in the Squarespace Platform and it worked just fine.
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Looks great! Don’t forget to fill in the Link Title and the Alt text (there are places for that in the code) – that’s what Pinterest is going to use to fill in the “Description” portion of the pin. (Plus, it’s great for your SEO)
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Mary, I also wanted to mention to you: I know nothing about Squarespace, but I found a tutorial on where to add the Javascript snippet from Pinterest so the pin counter will work on your blog. Check it out here:
http://www.squarespaceplugins.com/add-pinterest-pin-it-share-button-in-squarespace/
Hope it’s useful!
Happy Birthday Jeni!
Taryn Kae Wilson recently posted..YarnAlong: Heel Turning
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hooray! Thanks for the warm wishes. I’ve been watching that slow but steady progress you’re making on your sock heel. You have such a great community of helpful people!
I did it! Thanks to your video and step-by-step description, it worked like a charm. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to add the java to my blog since I’m a wordpress-hosted blog…one more reason why I’m hoping to be self-hosted in the new year.
You also inspired me to change up my sidebar…so thanks!
Lauren recently posted..My First Guest Post!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Wow, that looks beautiful! A+ work! I think this is really going to help your new visitors see the gorgeous stuff you’re making. Great job!
Twitter: homewithcarol
says:
Hi Jeni, Great post. Have been working on it on and off all day but am having trouble getting the spacing right between each picture. How many div codes do you use?
Carol J. Alexander recently posted..Black Friday & Beyond Holiday E-Book Sale
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Carol, after the
tag that comes after your Pin It button, you can addTwitter: theblogmaven
says:
Ack! Sorry, the code I posted didn’t come through there. I don’t want to screw up the code here on my site, so where I put a bracket, know that I mean to use a <> tag. Here goes again:
After the {/div} tag that comes after your Pin It button, you can add “ ” (without the quotes) to add a line of space. Hope this helps!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Ugh, trying it again. …you can add “THE & SYMBOL” nbsp; (run that all together, with no quotes) to make the space.
Twitter: homewithcarol
says:
Thanks, Jeni. I’m still tweaking. But ever since I added the third photo, it threw everything below it on the sidebar into my footer area. Any clues? It’s all still in the primary sidebar on the widget page, but in the real view, there are several things down below.
Carol J. Alexander recently posted..Black Friday & Beyond Holiday E-Book Sale
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Yep. You’re missing a few “open div” {div} tags. Right before the {a href= …} that belongs to the image for “How to Can Water for Emergencies” and also right before the image for “Homemade Whole Wheat Bread Recipe” you need a {div} (once again, those should be <>‘s). So, two of them total. Let me know if you’re still having trouble.
Twitter: homewithcarol
says:
Wow, thanks, Jeni. What a difference such a little piece of code makes!
Carol J. Alexander recently posted..Black Friday & Beyond Holiday E-Book Sale
Twitter: carriethishome
says:
Thank you so much for sharing this great info! As a VERY new blogger with no html experience I was able to follow the tutorial and replicate it on my blog!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
You did so well! It looks great. See? HTML isn’t so scary.
Twitter: carriethishome
says:
Thank you Jeni! Looking forward to watching more of your tutorials
Carrie recently posted..My Latest Struggle
Twitter: themommymess
says:
I did it! I can’t believe how easy this was. Thank you!!
Adrienne recently posted..I have a secret fort.
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
…and it looks great! Hope you get lots more traffic through your blog this way! (btw – love your blog’s tagline.
Twitter: themommymess
says:
Awww! Thank you so much!
Such a clever tutorial. I’ve been trying to make my post more Pinterest friendly, but this takes it to a whole new level!
Adrienne recently posted..I have a secret fort.
Twitter: thisDIYlife
says:
I just put up my three most pinned posts. Thank you so much!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
It looks great! Too bad wordpress.com won’t let you use Javascript to make that counter work.
But maybe another reason to go self-hosted someday. Good job!
Twitter: bridechillas
says:
hi jeni,
followed your tutorial completely and found it very understandable! however my blog is the wordpress twentyeleven theme and i cannot find the correct place to paste the javascript… i am not very code savvy. help! -gloria
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Gloria, unfortunately since you’re blogging at wordpress.com, there’s nowhere for you to add the javascript. Only folks who blog on self-hosted WordPress can do things like add javascript and run third-party plugins.
You can still add the “pin it” button underneath the image – it just won’t have the little counter to the side of it. Eventually, most people who start out blogging at WordPress.com think about moving to self-hosted because of little issues like this. Sorry to rain on your parade!
Twitter: bridechillas
says:
ahh, i see i see. i manage a couple other blogs that have a self-hosted pages which i prefer so i will have my own blog that way… thank you! for now my client will have to lose the counter. thanks jeni!
gloria waters recently posted..Pumpkin Decor Wrap Up
Twitter: bridechillas
says:
hello again jeni,
i hope you are ending the week on a good note. i am coming back to this conversation (you might already know why) to ask your advice on the best way to convert my wordpress blog to a self-hosted account… will i have to start from scratch or will i lose any of my content?
gloria waters recently posted..A Romantic Dinner For Two
Twitter: bridechillas
says:
p.s. also wondering if i switch to a self-hosted wordpress if that will take away my store or change the design of my page… sorry for all the questions!
gloria waters recently posted..A Romantic Dinner For Two
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Gloria, there’s a pretty good tutorial on moving to self-hosted written by the WordPress.com team. I highly recommend having your domain forwarded (that’s a paid upgrade, but worth it IMO); you can read about that at the very bottom of that post.
When you move to self hosted, though, you’re setting up a completely new site – new files, new directories, everything. You’re actually just importing the posts and pages themselves, but everything else is from scratch. So a lot of people end up hiring a designer to get things set up initially for a no-hassle moving experience. If you use a good hosting service like Bluehost (*aff) they’ll create a temporary domain name for you (just call customer support and ask) so you can do the setup work behind the scenes and all your readers won’t see what’s going on until you’re ready for the big “reveal.”
But getting back to your question – you shouldn’t lose any content at all. The import of the content is actually the easiest part.
Hope this helps! Have a great weekend. ~Jeni
Twitter: asundaynoon
says:
Hi Jeni! Thank you for the great tutorial. I added a couple to my sidebar, but they don’t look as pretty as yours! I can’t seem to get a space in between them. When you have time could you tell me what you think? I don’t want to add more until I get it set right. I’m SO happy I found you! Pinning works as I found you on Pinterest on blog sponsorship – my next project! Thanks again for sharing!!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Sunday, it looks like you used the “Follow button” instead of the “Pin It Button for Websites” on the Pinterest Goodies page. Scroll down a tiny bit more and you’ll find the right one. And then when you need to add space between the pin button and the image beneath it, just add this bit of code at the bottom of what I posted above:
“THE AND SYMBOL”nbsp;
(where I wrote “THE AND SYMBOL” substitute that with & (no quotes). Sorry – if I type HTML here in the comments it won’t display it properly.)
That will add one line of space for you. Hope this helps! If you run into any more snags, let me know.
Twitter: foodiewithfam
says:
Thank you so much! It was a breeze to install and I think it looks pretty spiffy (if I do say so myself, and I do!) You made this a simple task for an evolving Luddite.
THANK YOU!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
It looks great – love those nice, big photos! Glad it worked well for you. Another trick to have up your blogging sleeve.
Thanks so much for sharing this – I’m a brand spanking new blogger (since September) and I worked it out on Blogger – so much fun! Being such a newbie I don’t even know if I’m doing the comments right – apologies if it comes out wrong. Is my blog meant to come up?
artalive recently posted..Interchangable bottle cap necklace/tag how to’s
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi there, your comment came through just fine. If you sign up for a Gravatar (instructions here), you’ll have a nice photo of yourself appear next to your comments, as well – for all WordPress based blogs, all across the web. Loads of fun.
Thanks for stopping by!
I’m on blogger (I knoooow) and I’m having trouble with where to put the Pinterest Javascript?? Help?
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Susan, you’ll need to go into your template files to add the code in. I found this handy tutorial that should walk you through it. Let me know when you have it done – I’d love to see how it turns out!
Thanks for this great tutorial! I pinned this awhile ago and just got to it today. I also use Blogger and finally figured out where to put the java code. The link you suggest is a great starting point, but things must have changed since that post. Steps 1-3 are good, but in step #4, search , copy the html Pinterest provides (rather than the code from the post), and paste it right before
Kate recently posted..Cranberry Almond Muffins – vegan
Twitter: LittleRedOwlKY
says:
Hello. I found you via Pinterest and I am excited to keep reading your blog and gaining tips. Thanks for the great idea and tut above!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Amy, thanks for stopping by! If you have any trouble following the steps for the tutorial, just give me a shout. Hope you have a great week!
Twitter: thelovebugsblog
says:
Jeni – Thank you so much for the great content you post on your blog. I stumbled upon it today and have already added the Pin It sidebar to my blog! I have bookmarked your blog and will be visiting frequently. Thank you again!
Sam recently posted..DIY Button Wreath Ornaments
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Sam, thanks for your comment! I looked at your blog and the pinnable images look fantastic! I see that you’re on Blogger; I found this handy tutorial on where to add the Javascript into your Blogger template so the “Pin It” buttons will show the counter on them. Great job!
Twitter: aseedinspired
says:
Oh Holy Night… I did it!!!!! With 2 of my daughters watching in silence… and now they are beaming with me! I honestly didn’t know I would have the patience for it… but it wasn’t that hard!
Thanks.. I am really happy with it….
Beaming Smiles all around and Thank you,
T @ aseedinspired
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
How exciting! It looks great, too – and I love the “title” you put for the image that comes up when people hover over the photo. Great work!
Twitter: aseedinspired
says:
thanks!…again.!
Now I need to figure out how to make things more streamlined and interesting. I didn’t plan on my blog becoming so popular in such a short time. I really don’t think I am doing a good job with how I handle the amount of traffic I get.. I should probably be doing more.
Thank you for giving me more confidence.
T
T recently posted..Fell in the Forest and No One Heard.
WHOA! I did it! HTML and everything!
Your post make me feel like I can conquer the world! Bwahaha.
Thank you!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
You’re a ROCKstar.
And those gorgeous big images look great in your sidebar, too. Great work!
Twitter: gsheller
says:
fantastic information, Jeni!!
Twitter: tzdelar
says:
Jeni, do we have to go through each step again and again to add a new Pin It count button for each image we want to use in the side bar?
Also, I already use descriptive wording in my image title – would adding the same wording (like you do) to my alt line increase my seo value or should I not bother to add it to my old posts?
Thank you!
Tracy recently posted..My Top 5 Master Book Picks for Children
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Tracy, yes – you would want to add a new Pin-It button for each image. That’s how you get to show off the number of pins you’ve gotten for any given post. And regarding the Alt text, if you’re serious about getting lots of search engine love on your blog, I’d definitely add the Alt text wherever possible. It’s GREAT for SEO. Hope this helps!
Twitter: thehollierogue
says:
Hi Jeni!
Thanks so much for the tutorial. I did it and it worked perfectly and easily. BUT all of a sudden the Pin count went away. I deleted and added that little pinterest code to my theme settings but it still isn’t showing up. Any ideas?
Andi recently posted..Stamped Salt Dough Ornaments tutorial–the one that actually works!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Andi, mine are doing the same thing, and I’ve noticed it on a few other sites as well. I’m thinking it’s a problem with Pinterest – hopefully they’ll have it straightened out soon!
Do you have any tips for adding the javascript code above the tag in the Editor section of WordPress? I tried adding it to the footer.php file but it didn’t add the counter.
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Phillip, well, it’s a strange coincidence, but ALL the Pin-It buttons across the web are broken right now. I think it’s a problem coming from Pinterest itself. Hopefully they’ll get that resolved in the next few days. But…I also took a look at your blog and since you’re blogging on WordPress.com (rather than self-hosted), there’s no way to add the Javascript. This is the kind of thing that causes most people to eventually move their blogs to self-hosted WordPress. So – sorry I wasn’t more help! The images themselves would still look great in your sidebar, though.
Twitter: homesteader
says:
Wow– awesome tutorial! Just finished add some images and buttons to my sidebar. Thanks so much for the clear instructions– you rock!
Jill recently posted..Comment on How to Render Beef Tallow by Jill
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
They look beautiful, Jill! Great work! If you start getting lots more traffic to those posts, I’d love to hear about it.
Twitter: craftimummy
says:
Thank you! Great easy to follow tutorial!
Tonya, The Crafty Mummy recently posted..Advent Books: Day 19
Thanks for the great info! I’m new to blogging and was able to feature post in my sidebar thanks to your excellent directions! I will be visiting your site often for more tips.
Bonnie recently posted..Christmas Gifts
Twitter: hallecottis
says:
Thank you so much for this easy to follow tutorial! I just added one of my pins, can’t wait to add more. Just subscribed to your site (found you on Pinterest)
Thanks for all this information! Halle
Halle recently posted..Organic Flourless Peanut Butter & Jelly Pancake Recipe {Gluten Free & Grain Free}
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Looks great, Halle! Organic strawberries…mmmmmm…. I can’t wait until the good folks at Pinterest fix the issues with the pin counter displaying – then it’s going to be perfect.
Twitter: 52Parables
says:
Very intense reading / videos but I’m loving it! I feel like I’ve been stretched from beginner blogger to semi-concious wanna be coder! lol!
Question….I have WordPress and have a customized theme (created by coder friend). In the section you talk about adding code to the bottom which displays the counter, you put yours under “Genesis/theme settings”. Since I have a customized blog and not Genesis, am I still about to add code for a Pinit counter?
Theresa recently posted..Perfect Sentiments – Anything Goes with Christmas
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Yes, you should be – but it depends on the structure of your theme. The best thing to do would be to ask your coder friend where to put it in your files. If you’re not familiar with using FTP to access the files on your server, you should be able to hire him/her to do it for you for $20-30. Well worth it, in my opinion.
Thanks for your comment, Theresa!
Twitter: boilerchick
says:
Thanks so much for this tutorial! I did this a few weeks ago when I ran across the tutorial, and it’s definitely helped to increase my pageviews per visit!
Laura Jane recently posted..Top Posts of 2012
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
That’s great news, Laura Jane. They look beautiful, too. Thanks for the feedback!
Is there a way to do this with Blogger??
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Jenna, to do it on Blogger you’d follow the same exact steps to place the image and the button. And then to add the Javascript that makes the pin counter work, you can try following this tutorial. I’ll let you know, though, that Pinterest is currently having some issues with the pin count displaying (you’ll see that half of mine are working and half aren’t), but hopefully they’ll have that resolved soon.
If you do these on your blog, please stop back by and let me know – I’d love to see how they turn out!
Jeni,
Thanks for all the help. I get how to put in all the codes, etc. but I’m not sure how to upload my newly sidebar sized picture onto Blogger….
Jenna recently posted..2012 Top Posts
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Jenna, since you’re not using a photo straight from a post, you’ll need to use a 3rd party site (like Flickr or Photobucket) to host that image file for you. So upload your file to Flickr/Photobucket, and then when you add the HTML for the image source to your sidebar, you’ll refer to where you’ve uploaded the file on Flickr/Photobucket. Does that make sense? Blogger can be kind of a pain sometimes… Let me know if that isn’t clear – if you have difficulty, I found this tutorial (scroll down a good bit!) that has a detailed explanation. Hope this helps!
Twitter: 4loveofcupcakes
says:
Hi Jeni! I love this post; it is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I have one very popular pinterest post and I want to get more of them to be as widely circulated.
I did two successfully. However, when I tried to add a third featured image (and I tried a couple of different ones to make sure it wasn’t the image’s problem), it went in successfully, but my left sidebar was displaced to my footer area. Quite disturbing. I removed the third image until I can figure out how to fix this problem.
Any ideas would be much appreciated.
Thanks again for the amazing post. I will share it with my followers.
Jamie recently posted..January Sponsor Love
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hmmm…it sounds like a problem with your “div” tags. Make sure that when you copy the code, you get the whole thing. If that doesn’t work, I’ll be online tomorrow night after 9pm EST; you can DM me on Twitter when you’ve replicated the problem and I’ll pop over to see what’s going on. But the other two look great!
Twitter: jugglingactmama
says:
i have been wanting to do this forever but was overwhelmed by the idea of it – thank you so much for showing me how simple it really is!!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Glad you found it useful, Ang. Lovely site – I’m checking out your dinosaur eggs right now!
Twitter: petitfoodie
says:
jeni,
this tutorial is very helpful, but like others i’m having trouble wth the photos and button being dropped down to my footer area….i’ve left it like this for now so you can see it. I’m not sure what to do because i’ve tried using different div’s
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Jenna, thanks for leaving it “messed up” so I could see what’s going on! It looks like you have an extra [/div] tag after each one of the Pinterest buttons. There are two of them together at each one of those spots. Try erasing one after each Pinterest button.
(Of course, make sure you’re using the proper brackets – the ones that look like “< ” – I can’t write them here because WordPress will screw up the code)
Please stop back by and let me know if this works!
Hey Jeni,
I thought the new year was a good time to give my blog a facelift. Your tips are great. I always come to your site when I have a question! Thanks again!
Virginia Fynes recently posted..Top 10 Posts of 2012
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Thanks, Virginia. Happy New Year!
Twitter: waldorfmoms
says:
Jeni,
THANK YOU! I am slowly but surely starting on your MANY amazing tutorials. This one was GREAT and I actually did one! I’ll be working on more in the days ahead. Heartfelt thanks for sharing your knowledge. Photoshop Elements is next!
I wish you and your family all of the best in the coming New Year!
Much aloha, Lori
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
How exciting, Lori – your blog looks more beautiful every time I visit! Happy New Year.
Twitter: JameeTMiller
says:
This tutorial was awesome and so easy to follow! I have been trying to figure out what to do with my side bars to make it more functional and actually purposeful instead of just taking up space so this is slay incredibly helpful! Just what I was looking for!
Jamee recently posted..Our Christmas In Pictures
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Glad you liked it, Jamee. There’s nothing like a little facelift to add some new life to your blog.
Thanks for stopping by!
Twitter: HousewifeStacy
says:
I Love this idea
I was able to do it for a single picture like what you have shown but some of my pictures on my sidebar are side by side. How do I do it for those?
Thanks!
Stacy recently posted..The post where I am brutally honest…
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Girl, that is a wiiiiiide sidebar you have! …so here’s what you would do: you have HTML code there that goes like this:
HTML for title of post #1
HTML for title of post #2
HTML for photo of post #1
HTML for photo of post #2
Since you already have the photos in place, you’d only need the code for the Pin It button. You’d want to insert it so it looks like this:
HTML for title of post #1
HTML for title of post #2
HTML for photo of post #1
HTML for photo of post #2
Pin It Button code for post #1
Pin It Button code for post #2
Does that make sense? I imagine that you might have some alignment issues with the Pin It button at the bottom of the images, though, since your code isn’t arranged into tables. But if you’re serious about wanting to do this, you could hire a freelancer to recreate your sidebar HTML with tables instead, and then everything would line up just fine.
…or maybe you’d just want to do the Pin-It buttons on the full-width images.
Hope this helps!
Twitter: kathystrahs
says:
Thanks so much for the terrific tutorial – I just spent the last half hour adding 5 popular pins to my sidebar. It was so easy!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
They look great, Kathy!
(beautiful gingerbread house, by the way.)
Thanks for the tutorial!! I added a few of my most popular posts to my sidebar, but did it without the pin it buttons. I’m hoping users will click through to the post and pin from there instead?
Kristy recently posted..Menu Monday #34
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Kristy, you can definitely leave off the Pin It buttons if you want to. The reason for having them there is just to display the number of repins you’ve had of that post…at least, once Pinterest fixes their current issue with the counters working. The more pins a reader sees, the more likely they are to pin your post again, which drives even more traffic your way, etc. If you follow my tutorial, the Pin It button in the sidebar will be linked straight to the post (and won’t send people who follow the pin to your homepage, for example). But I think it’s a personal preference thing, whether to have the Pin It button there at all. Thanks so much for your comment!
My problem is that the posts themselves are popular (people are visiting my blog via Pinterest), but then they aren’t pinning them from my site. Maybe they are just re-pinning pins of others, so there really isn’t a way to track those is there, especially if it was pinned via a “pin it” button instead of the pin I created? And yes, I’ve noticed that the numbers aren’t showing anyway right now.
Kristy recently posted..Menu Monday #34
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
On my blog, at least when the pin counter is working, the pin counter reflects all pins, whether it’s a re-pin from others, or it’s pinned from the button on my blog. The counter works by counting the number of links total that are going from Pinterest to a specific URL. And lots of people follow pins and don’t re-pin them, as well. But the good news is, your posts are popular and you’re getting lots of visitors. Good for you!
jeni recently posted..12 Best Time Management Tips for Bloggers
Cool, wasn’t sure how it worked. “Lots” is, of course, relative, though.
Lots for me is over a couple hundred, which is obviously not lots for you. Haha! But thanks! 
Kristy recently posted..Menu Monday #34
hi there! i just tried doing this with one pin, and the Pin It Button is there, but the image isn’t showing up, even though I followed this and double/triple checked it. any suggestions or ideas why the image isn’t coming up?
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Brandi,
You’ll just need to resize that photo before you put it in the sidebar. Looks like you’re getting it worked out.
And what’s the easiest way to resize a photo? I honestly don’t ever do any editing of any kind with my photos, so I have no idea where to start or to do it in pixels or what. or do you have a good tutorial for that somewhere? Thank you so much!
brandi recently posted..Easy Winter Berry Decoration
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
I don’t have a tutorial, but you can probably figure it out by using Photobucket (it’s free!). I measured your sidebar, and you’ll just want to make sure that your photo is 180px wide. Hope this helps!
Twitter: stephaspires
says:
OMG, this blog posting is one of the most helpful I have viewed in a long time! I have spent countless hours on a few Sunday afternoons trying to figure this out! I have shared this across my social media and can’t wait to follow the steps you provided to drastically improve my blog. Planning to peruse your other posting throughout the weekend….right after I subscribe of course.
Thanks for providing these steps.
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Glad you found it useful, Stephanie. Please give a shout if you run into any trouble. Have a great weekend!
Twitter: bugsandstuff
says:
Thanks, Jeni!
Very clear and do-able directions. I pinned this to my blogging Pinterest board, and am working on my sidebars right now. Just the tip on how to find your most “pinned” pins was worth watching the video!
Kim recently posted..The Next Generation Science Standards are Here!
Twitter: bugsandstuff
says:
Hi, Jeni-
This was working beautifully on my self-hosted WordPress site, http://www.simplesciencestrategies.com, when I had a strange thing happen! I added the code for my first pinnable image, and went live to see if it was looking ok. It looked great! But, as I gazed upon it, the “pin it” button disappeared! I am not sure what the page loaded, but it erased the button.
Help!
Kim recently posted..The Winter 2012/2013 Simple Science Strategies Newsletter is Here!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Kim, I checked over at your blog and it looks like you got everything sorted out. If you run into any more snags, please give a shout out. Thanks! ~Jeni
Twitter: bugsandstuff
says:
Yes! I just got out and got back in, and the dust seemed to settle! Thanks so much!
Kim recently posted..The Mathematics of the Natural World, Part 1: Attribute Patterns
Twitter: newlywoodwards
says:
This is awesome. I just found you via Pinterest and hopped over to see. I’m going to read in more detail tonight and try to add this to my sidebar.
As for Pinterest visitors, I’m always surprised what is generating traffic from Pinterest. But I rarely seem to get any comments or followers from that, it seems. I love this idea to attempt to boost those who actually stick around.
Also – I’m a new follower. This was enough to get my attention. So, Pinterest for the win.
Twitter: themommygames
says:
This is so awesome! I’m a total space cadet when it comes to fixing up my blog, but your instructions were so clear and informed that even I could do it! Thanks so much!
Ashley recently posted..Mint Chocolate Cookies
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
It looks fantastic, Ashley! Great job. If you feel like having those up in your sidebar changes your blog traffic at all, I’d love to hear about it, so please stop back by. Thanks!
Twitter: themommygames
says:
Hi Jen! I just wanted to let you know that I think having these images with the Pinterest counts has made a huge difference! I’ve had a lot more activity on Pinterest, and a significant increase of traffic to my blog. Thanks again so much for putting up this tutorial!
Ashley recently posted..Chicken Caesar Pasta
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
That’s wonderful news! Thanks for following back up with me; comments like this make my day a little brighter.
Twitter: happyfammvmt
says:
This is an awesome tutorial! I can’t figure out how to get the pin count working though. I’m on WordPress with the Pro Photo theme. The pin count works on my posts but not on my sidebar. Thoughts? http://thehappyfamilymovement.com/2012/03/five-simple-steps-to-choosing-your-kids-over-your-phone/
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Jenny, I’m not familiar with the Pro Photo theme, but if you’re having trouble finding where to insert the javascript code that Pinterest gives you, I did find this interesting plugin that might get the job done. If your Javascript code is in the right place, your sidebar counters should start working for you. Hope this helps!
Twitter: just4daisy
says:
Wow! I have spent soooo much time in the last 24 hours roving around your amazing site! Your articles are so helpful and I’m looking forward to seeing them grow my blog!
and I also had my pin it button (which was in template) muck up and now I’ve been adding the button manually to new/popular posts. I’d love to do these popular posts but fear stuffing up the html again!! Any tips? I’d love to know how much $$ for you to give me some advice and solve my html woes!! 
Signing up to your newsletter now!
I have recently had some problems in my blogger template after trying to edit a few things. I deleted my intensedebate comments by accident and cannot get it back onto the blog due to errors in the html
Bek {Just For Daisy} recently posted..Stained Glass Hearts – 2 Ingredients!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Bek, I’ll be sending you an email in just a moment. Thanks for your comment!
Twitter: happyfammvmt
says:
thank you!! I’ll check it out!
Jenny Solar recently posted..Stuff We Love: February 1
Thank you!! Just added the Pin It button next to a few of my posts’ cover pics. Can’t wait to have the time to add the side bar feature. Thanks for the tutorial. I just never played with it or really thought about it. Of course, I found you on Pinterest and pinned this post!
I love this post and it truly was easy to achieve so thank you so much!
I do have a question though. How do you figure out if the number of times a post has been pinned is accurate? For instance one of my most popular posts comes up with the number 37K+ next to it and I knew it was popular but had no idea it was that popular. How do I maximize the business/clicks associated with that particular post??
I appreciate your help in any way and hope you have a wonderful day
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Jenn, the 37K+ number is probably accurate. The best thing to do when you see a post taking off is to revisit that post and make sure it really represents the best of your blog, and add some internal links to other posts within your blog. You know, just mention them with a link, but naturally within the text. It encourages people to stay on your blog for awhile. And then make sure those posts are fantastic. If it’s appropriate, use an affiliate link for any of the materials you needed to make the project. And at the end of any post with high traffic, make sure you have a call to action – give them a way to subscribe to your blog and become regular readers. Hope these ideas help!
Twitter: TeachingMama_
says:
Hey! Thanks for this tutorial! I added it on and love it! Great video and excellent explanation. You rock, girl!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Wow, you got right to work – lots of choices on your sidebar now! Looks great.
Twitter: gograhamgo
says:
I love this tutorial and have been using it, but have found that Pinterest has changed things up and the code I now get doesn’t work. What am I doing wrong?
Felicia recently posted..Packing It Bento-Style: Bento School Lunch Ideas
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Felicia,
I’m not sure – they do seem to be changing things up over there recently. It’s probably a good idea to wait a few days and then revisit the buttons; hopefully Pinterest will have things straightened out by then.
Jeni
This is great! Thank you! I will be doing this.
I have one question for you. I have been looking at my Pinterest source page for awhile now. It is constantly changing and doesn’t show ALL the things people have pinned from my blog. Is that normal? Is it supposed to show everything EVER pinned from your site? Or just the most recent things pinned? Mine definitely only shows the most recent.
thanks!
Emily recently posted..Better than Disneyland’s FROZEN BANANAS {Recipe}
Also, I’m on blogger. Not sure I can translate all these steps for adding the pin it button to blogger. I don’t suppose you have a tutorial for that or know of a good one I could refer to?
thanks!
Emily recently posted..Last Minute Valentine- Dates for a Year!
I figured it out! Thank you! Still wondering about my pinterest source page though.
Emily recently posted..Better than Disneyland’s FROZEN BANANAS {Recipe}
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Emily, thanks for your note! It doesn’t show everything that’s been pinned from your site; for mine, it seems to only show the last 40-50 pins and that’s it. Still, it’s a good representation of what’s represented from your blog at any *one* time. Hope this helps!
Warmly,
Jeni
Twitter: missnthekitchen
says:
This is fabulous! I managed to get it done following your steps and it looks great! Thank you for sharing!
Miss recently posted..Olay CC Cream & Gift Card Giveaway
Hello!
I am new blogger and thank you for this! Having trouble with the image part..but I will keep trying!
Tiffany recently posted..Happy Weekend!
I figured it out! Thanks so much!
Tiffany recently posted..Happy Weekend!
Thank you for this! I’ve been in need of it (it looks like I’m not alone:)). It’s been pinned. Thanks again and have a great weeknd!
Hi Jen!
Okay, I got it all set except the counter doesn’t seem to be working. I uninstalled and reinstalled that javascript (I am on Genesis too), emptied my cache, logged in and out of WP. The pin it button is there, but no number. The number is showing up in my preview where I created the button on the pinterest site.
PS, this is awsome and I am SO excited I found your site!
Kim
Kim recently posted..Get Schooled Saturday #67
One other weird thing, when I click the “pin it” button under the photo, it takes me to one of my blog pages (the same one every time?
Kim recently posted..Get Schooled Saturday #67
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Kim, I took a look at the code on your site, and I’m pretty sure Pinterest is giving you bad code to use for the button. Every time you see two slashes (/) in a row, you need to have “http:” written in front of them. What you have there is bad code, and you have a 301 redirect plugin that’s sending the viewer to your “buttons” page because it sees the word “button” in the bad URL and it’s trying to match it. There are two places on each one of your Pin It buttons where this will need to be fixed. Hope this helps!
You are such a rock star!
Thanks bunches, it is totally working and I am so excited:)
I already pinned this post, but I just may have to share it and all of your other goodies in a lil post of my own next week!
xxx
Kim
Kim recently posted..Get Schooled Saturday #67
Twitter: CulinaryWannaB
says:
Hi Jeni,
I’m so glad I found your blog. I’ve been looking for straightforward help with CSS and I’ve finally found it. Thanks very much for sharing this tutorial.
This first widget I created worked like a charm but I’m having a problem with the description on the second one. In the widget, I entered “Julia Child’s Famous Sole Meunière” as the descripton but when I click on the Pin It button under the image it just shows “Julia Child”. I’ve tried again without the apostrophe but it didn’t make any difference.
Laura recently posted..2013 Canadian Culinary Championships ~ The Grand Finale
Twitter: CulinaryWannaB
says:
I’ve sorted it out. The problem was with the Pinterest code. It wouldn’t read past the apostrophe in the description,
Thanks again!
Laura recently posted..2013 Canadian Culinary Championships ~ The Grand Finale
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Laura, glad you got the problem solved!
Twitter: measuredmom
says:
Hi Jen,
I succeeded in getting the image to my sidebar, but I cannot figure out what to do for the Pin it button. I went to the goodies page — tried it, failed. Could you be more specific about what to go to there? I do not actually see “pin it button for websites.” And I do have the Pin it button on my website, so am not sure about the javascript (whatever that means!). Sorry, tired mom here.
Left it on my website even though it’s not complete so you can see it.
Anna recently posted..Buggy Board Game – a first board game for preschoolers
Twitter: measuredmom
says:
Okay, never mind, I figured it out! I went to the Pin it settings on my website and copied and pasted.
Anna recently posted..Buggy Board Game – a first board game for preschoolers
Twitter: measuredmom
says:
Ugh
So now I have two popular posts in my sidebar, with the pinit button, but when I click on pin it, the image comes up from an entirely unrelated post. Any clue as to what I’m doing wrong?
Anna recently posted..Buggy Board Game – a first board game for preschoolers
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Anna, sorry you’ve had so much trouble! You’re *this* close to having it right. I’ll email you in just a sec.
Twitter: danielle_framed
says:
I had been using your tutorial and have my sidebar all nice and pretty. Then tonight I decided I wanted to add a few new posts and the Pin-It code that Pinterest provides is TOTALLY different than the one you have above. I think with the new version they changed some things. Any idea on what to do now?
Danielle recently posted..DIY Gel Nails At-Home
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Danielle, it’s still the same process…you just navigate to a different place to get the button code:
About > Pin-It Button > (scroll down to the bottom) > (under Pinterest Widgets) Make Pin It Button.
Pin Count: Beside
…then just add the link URL, image location, and description as normal. When you cut and paste the code they give you, make sure that every time you see two slashes like this: // you put http: in front of it. As of yesterday, there was one place where Pinterest was leaving that out, and it’s necessary for things to work properly.
Hope this helps!
Thank you so much for sharing this!! I updated my popular posts and am also writing a small blogging series explaining how I took my page views from 0-5 a day to 100 on average now! I was hoping I could share the link to this because it’s amazing how many pins I’m getting from this technique and my bounce rate is amazing, keeping more people on my blog!!
I tried putting this in a post, it seemed to work, but I just wanted to check and see if you know if the coding would get in the way at all?
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Abigail, what wonderful news! I’m glad to hear it’s been bringing you so much traffic. It should work fine inside a post and shouldn’t cause any conflicts. Feel free to share the link with anyone you like; I won’t complain about more traffic, either.
Great work!
Twitter: thejoyfulfamily
says:
Thank you for this. I am going to play with it this afternoon.
Heather recently posted..To The Mom Who Is Scared To Take The Homeschool Plunge…
Hi Jeni,
Thank you so much for this tutorial! I got the pin count to work… but only on one pin! Two others don’t show the totals. Do you have any idea what might be causing this?
Thanks,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth recently posted..For the Week (3.17.13)
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Elizabeth, as long as you did all the buttons the same way, I’d think it’s something funny from Pinterest. That happens to mine occasionally – sometimes the counts are there; sometimes they’re not. If you don’t see them appear in a week, let me know and I’ll look a little more closely at your code. Great work! (Love your tagline, btw…)
Oh! I figured it out. The two other links that I plugged into the pin button generator didn’t have the final slash in the URL, as a product of where I copied them from. Added the slash and it works just fine.
Elizabeth recently posted..For the Week (3.17.13)
Hi, Jeni! This tutorial is AMAZING! I just used it to add a popular pin section in my sidebar. I was proud of myself because I figured out how to add my custom Pin It button beneath the picture. It’s sad that this tiny triumph made me feel like such a technology wizard
Thanks so much for your amazing work!
Amy recently posted..THE PERFECT EASTER BRUNCH: LEMON BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE SWIRL ROLLS & COZY COWL WINNER
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Wow, Amy, that looks great! One quick thought: it might be a good idea to put a little more space underneath each “Pin It” button because by the third or fourth one, it’s hard to tell whether the button goes with the image above or below. Super cute site! Great work, you tech ninja.
Thanks so much for taking time to look at my blog! And I think you’re totally right about the spaces and just added them. Can’t wait to explore more of your tutorials!
Amy recently posted..FREE PRINTABLE: NORTH AND SOUTH | LOOK BACK AT ME
Twitter: bugsandstuff
says:
Hi, again, Jeni-
I have to tell you (and all your other readers) that this strategy WORKS!
A couple of months ago, I saw this post on Pinterest, and revamped the sidebar of all my blogs. Today, I’m updating my sidebar images, and went back to see the number of times images had been pinned. The images I used last time were repinned MUCH more than the others. Yay!
kim recently posted..Becoming a Leader: 10 Things Bathsheba Taught Solomon
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Wonderful, Kim, it’s great to have the feedback. And I’m so glad it’s increasing your traffic to those posts!
Twitter: PainlessMeals
says:
This was fabulously easy, thank you. I built a Frankenstein of a widget, looking for the same effect and I’m just glad I stumbled upon your post. This was so much easier. Thank you.
Audra recently posted..A Sneak Peek At An Upcoming Feature
Thank you so much for this tutorial! I now have one great-looking widgit on my sidebar that features my most popular recipes rather than a bunch of “featured post” widgits scattered through my sidebar. Thanks again!
Kate recently posted..Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Knots
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Looks great, Kate – nothing like having all your best posts in one place to get people to stay awhile and browse around! If you notice a difference in your traffic to the posts you’ve featured, I’d love to hear about it. Thanks for your note!
I’ve already noticed a difference in the pinning behavior of the visitors to my site. I get a lot of unique visitors, and I’ve already seen a big increase in those visitors sticking around longer and pinning posts from the widgit. Thanks again for sharing this tutorial!!
Kate recently posted..Slow Cooker Sweet Balsamic Pork
So this is awesome! But, when I add one it works fine, but when I try and add 2 images, the counter no longer works…any ideas why? I am using Genesis, put in the Javascript, checked that I had all div tags…not sure what else is wrong!!
Amanda recently posted..Yucatan Pollo Pibil and Corn Tortillas for #SundaySupper
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Amanda, try doing it again, but this time, put each one in a different widget. It looks like you accidentally inserted some of the code for the second image inside the code for the first one. Hope this helps!
Twitter: JenSto2t
says:
I love this technique! Your post is genius!
Any thoughts?
I am having a problem where the pin count doesn’t show up on the home page, but it does inside individual posts. I figured I could just live with it, but recently decided to dedicate a page to most-pinned posts. The pin count showed in my preview, but now that the page is live, pin counts are gone.
Jen recently posted..Coconut Chocolate Chip Bars
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Jen, thanks for your note! I checked your blog and it looks like your pin counts are working fine everywhere. Is it all fixed?
Twitter: RealFoodEnthuse
says:
This was sooooo helpful!! Thank you!!!
Stephanie recently posted..Milkshake Fake Out: Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
Twitter: RCONNOR111
says:
We are trying to do this now. Thanks for the tip we love them!
Robert Connor recently posted..A Simple Guide on Some of the Best Paying Survey Sites
Twitter: mamamommymom
says:
Thank you! Such a great tutorial. I’ve already added my first image and will be working on some others tonight. Love it!
Jamie (Mama.Mommy.Mom.) recently posted..The Beauty of Doing Nothing