Imagine you got someone – let’s call them Max – to check out your Page or Profile. At this point, Max might have seen a few of your posts, they might have met you at a networking group, or they might have heard about you from a friend. The important thing is that they are intrigued and ready to decide if they want to follow you. Your bio serves as a quick way for them to identify if you are, in fact, talking to them – and then it’s over to your pinned posts to make that ‘Follow’ button as tempting as possible.
My 3 top tips for pinned posts
1/ Update them regularly. If the first thing Max sees is a post dated froma year ago, they might assume your account is no longer active and stop scrolling.
I would recommend updating them, as a minimum, every quarter – even if the content itself is still relevant. For example, if you’re pinned an Intro Post, who you are hasn’t particularly changed in three months. In this situation, copy the original, post it again and pin the new one. Not only does this ensure your pinned posts are recent, but it also ensures you introduce yourself regularly.
For my own social media, I check my pinned posts every other week. I don’t necessarily update them that often, but I make a point of checking in with them.
Quick Tip: When you pin a post, make a note in your calendar when you need to unpin it!
2/ Align them with your current business goals. If you got to tell everyone you meet about one thing in your business right now, what would that be? It could be a special offer, a recently launched freebie, a deadline, or even a product or service you’re focused on selling – whatever it is, make sure you pin it!
This not only ensures that Max hears about it, but it also means that you have an easy place to direct people to. It gives you the freedom to not be too salesy because you can simply say, “check out my pinned post for details”.
3/ Pin a mix of content. On most platforms, you can pin up to 3 posts, but if Max has to read through three sales posts before getting to anything more personal, educational or entertaining, you’ve probably lost them.
I would say there are five types of posts you could post. Your current goals will help you decide which three to pick:
- Sales Posts that share all the details. What is it? Why do I need it? How much is it? How do I get it?
- Intro Posts that share who you are. What motivates you? What inspires you? Why do you do what you do?
- Educational Posts that share real value – for example, I also have a blog pinned!
- ‘Coming up’ Posts that share what we can expect from you in the near future. This is essential if your business is all about events!
- Review Posts that share some customer feedback.
Quick Tip: You don’t HAVE to pin three, that’s just a good guideline. I currently only have two posts pinned!
How to pin a post?
Honestly, it’s essentially the same process on every platform, but let’s go through a few together to see the nuances.
On Facebook, simply click the 3 Dot Menu at the top right of a post and select ‘Pin Post’. Now, if you go back to that 3 Dot Menu, you’ll find that you’ve now got the option to ‘Unpin Post’. Once you have pinned posts, a ‘Featured’ section will appear on your Page or Profile. Clicking the ‘Manage’ button in this section allows you to edit the order of your pinned posts.
On LinkedIn, simply click the 3 Dot Menu at the top right of a post and select ‘Feature on top of profile’. Now, if you go back to that 3 Dot Menu, you’ll find that you’ve now got the option to ‘Remove from featured’. Once you have pinned posts, a ‘Featured’ section will appear on your Page or Profile. Clicking the ‘Edit’ button in this section allows you to edit the order of your pinned posts.
On Instagram, simply click the 3 Dot Menu at the top right of a post and select ‘Pin to your main grid’. If it wasn’t your most recent post, it can appear as if the post has disappeared – it hasn’t, it’s just at the top of your grid. Now, if you go back to that 3 Dot Menu, you’ll find that you’ve now got the option to ‘Unpin from main grid’. You can’t change the order of your pinned posts, but they will appear in the order you pinned them, with the most recently pinned post first.
On TikTok, simply click the 3 Dot Menu at the bottom right of a post and select ‘Pin’. Now, if you go back to that 3 Dot Menu, you’ll find that you’ve now got the option to ‘Unpin’. You can’t change the order of your pinned posts, but they will appear in the order you pinned them, with the most recently pinned post first.
If you need more support with your Page or Profile, if you want an expert’s view on your progress and the space to ask all your questions, check out my Social Media Resets!
I help passionate small business owners with their social media so that they can create a powerful and supportive space to promote their business.
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