Pinterest Group Boards Engagement Score

This year there has been A LOT of talk about whether or not Pinterest group boards are useful anymore.

When the platform first started making their most recent algorithm changes, discussions within blogging groups were that of anxiety. Many of us rely on group boards as a collaborative effort to distribute our pins to a wider audience. So you can imagine why bloggers were freaking out when Pinterest said:

“Something you’ll see over time is group boards will become a less effective strategy for gaining traffic.”

But does this mean you should stop joining and using them? I say no, and I’ll share with you why in a little bit.

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RELATED: How Tailwind Helped Me Work More Efficiently

The Original Purpose of Pinterest Group Boards

When Pinterest rolled out group boards, they were created for project and planning collaboration. For example, a collaboration among a wedding planner, the bride, and groom, for decor inspiration would fall into Pinterest’s goal for these boards.

What they never intended them to be used for are ways to trick the algorithm by combining audiences to promote your blog.

“The way you should be using group boards is if you are collaborating with another profile or pinner on something. Don’t use it as a way to drive traffic or gain distribution because that is not the original purpose of group boards.”

Why Should I Continue to Use Group Boards in this Way?

It may not have been what Pinterest intended when they created this option, however, bloggers need to be creative in order to reach people.

Despite Pinterest announcing they were going to make group boards less effective, they are still a useful way to distribute your pins when used properly.

In an August interview between Tailwind and Simple Pin Media, group boards came up in the discussion. One of the points made was that you should still be using them but in a strategic way. What Kate and Alisa have found is that niche group boards with high engagement can be helpful, however, they shouldn’t be the focus of your account. They have learned from experience that personal boards tend to get more viewers. It was recommended to have group boards, but don’t let them outnumber your personal boards.

Another point that was brought up was how you can use Tailwind to monitor the engagement of these group boards. 

I took their advice and used it to decide which group boards are worth sharing to and which are not. I deleted the boards that were not benefiting me using this tip.

It was incredibly easy to do so I’m going to show you how to monitor your group boards with Tailwind as well.

How to Use Tailwind to View your Group Boards Engagement Score

If your not a member of Tailwind already, you can sign up for their free trial here. Once you’re signed up and have been using Tailwind for a couple of weeks, you should be able to access the stats below (it will take some time to gather statistics).

To begin, open up Tailwind and sign in.

On the main page, navigate to the “Insights” section on the left side of your screen.

Select “Board Insights“.

To filter the results in your “Board Insights”, uncheck “Secret Boards” and “Regular Boards”. Now you should only see a list of your Pinterest group boards.

From this list you can see (within your set date range):

• How many pins are in each group board
• How many people follow each board
• How many repins each board has received
• The board’s virality and engagement score

For the purpose of deciding which group boards are benefitting you, the most important number in this list is the engagement score.

It is up to you how you want to decide which boards aren’t benefitting you. I personally don’t stay in group boards with an engagement score of 0.01, however, a lot of bloggers leave any with a score below 1.

If, for example, half of the boards you contribute to are below 1, it wouldn’t make sense to leave most of them. Look at your numbers and decide how you’re going to measure their effectiveness. The goal is to contribute to group boards with a good engagement score.

How to Leave Pinterest Group Boards

Once you decide which group boards aren’t worth staying in, you need to visit Pinterest to leave them.

To leave a board head to your profile > boards > find the group board you wish to leave.

Hover over the board and click the pencil icon on the right. You should see a window appear called “Edit Your Board”. Find your name under collaborators and hit “Leave”.

Continue Using Pinterest Group Boards That Benefit You

Whether or not Pinterest is finding a way to make group boards a less effective way for pin distribution, they are still a useful tool.

There are still benefits to joining niche specific groups boards, which tend to have high engagement scores.

Now that you know how to use Tailwind board insights to gather data, you should find it easier to choose which group boards to collaborate with.

If you have any other tips for gaining board insights, please share your tips in the comments below!

If managing a Pinterest marketing strategy makes you cringe I’m a Pinterest Social Media Manager. I do the work so you can focus on the more creative aspects of your online business.