Repinning on Pinterest: What You Need to Know in 2024

There’s no doubt that Pinterest algorithm changes have thrown us all for a loop over the last two years. You may hear many marketers talking about repins and why you should reduce them on your account in 2024.

In this post, we’ll cover the source of this recommendation, and what you need to know moving forward on Pinterest with all the algorithm shifts.

So, Who Said We Should Stop Repinning Anyway?

Welllllll, it all stems from this email from Pinterest. You see, back when the first big algorithm update of 2020 happened that summer, it also unleashed a spam filter “bug” that was removing pins from search results.

Naturally, bloggers affected by the bug, reached out to the Help desk and many received this response:

This means, if you’re relying heavily on REPINS within your strategy, it’s time to mix it up!

But, before we examine HOW to do that, someone recently asked if they should go back and delete old repins in light of this news. No! Leave all those repins alone. You never know when a pin will pick up and get recirculated in the algorithm. So, save yourself the time and leave them be.

How to Change Up Your Pinning Strategy

To understand how to move forward, we need to learn a little more about how the Pinterest algorithm works.

Saving a pin (or several pins from 1 URL) to multiple boards give the algorithm more information about your pin and ultimately, your URL. The more information the algorithm has, the more places the pin/URL shows up in search results and in the recommendation graph.

But, Pinterest has explicitly said that too many repins is a bad thing, remember?!

So, how can we go about saving a pin to multiple boards without it being classified as a repin?

A Different Kind of Pinning Strategy

I’m a researcher at heart, so I started digging into the Pinterest Engineering blog to try to understand if there was any possibility of success with this new change.

I mean, we’re just dealing with numbers and coding here. It can’t be THAT complicated…

Through my research, I learned that there are a few classifications stated in the page source code of our pins, including the REPIN classification.

Knowing this, I was able to develop a new way to pin for my clients. The new way ensures that all pins saved are classified as “fresh” and not as repin, even if the image is the same. 😮

We know that Pinterest wants us to create a bazillion new pin images every day, but my clients don’t always want to add more pins to their monthly package! And honestly, who WANTS to create a bunch of images when the Pinterest algorithm is SO unpredictable?!

This is why I developed the Pinning Smarter Method. I wanted to eliminate the need for constant pin creation while still adding 5-10 fresh pins per day for each client. This method solves that problem and has given my clients huge boosts in impressions and clicks since the initial algorithm changes took place.

For example, this client account hasn’t seen growth in months. After optimizing the account, I implemented the Pinning Smarter method at the beginning of April. The account is now growing more and more each week!

You can see more case studies and learn more about the Pinning Smarter method in my Pinterest scheduling course, Scheduling Shortcuts (or sign up for the Strategy Guide below to get a deeeeeep discount!).

Repinning Recap

When it comes to the topic of repinning, reducing the number of repins on your account is definitely a good idea.

The number of repins doesn’t have to be zero, but you should always aim to have more “fresh” pins than repins. As long as the ratio favors fresh, you should be fine.

You can learn more about the algorithm changes and get the most updated strategy information in my Free Pinterest Strategy Guide below.

Ready to Get Ahead of all the Algorithm Changes on Pinterest?

Learn what’s changed and start getting results with our most popular download — the FREE 2024 Pinterest Strategy Guide! This guide is hosted on Podia so I can quickly keep it updated (updates happen ALL the time!). Once you sign up, you’ll have forever access to future updates. 🙂

SIGN ME UP!

I’ve been told by many of my peers that I should be charging for this guide because it’s packed with so much insight! But for now, it’s totally free, and I hope it helps you get some clarity on all the Pinterest madness that’s been going on lately.

Happy pinning,

Amy