What the Design Changes on Pinterest Means for Authors
Pinterest rolled out a new design on Monday, with some big changes and some barely noticeable ones. Here we get to the gist of it…
1. Image sizes have increased, with less of a border around pins on the main feed. Sizes have changed from 600 to 735 with a much higher image resolution. This is great for authors who want to show off their new cover designs. It also allows you to make better use of setting photographs and hero/heroine characteristics to enhance your books and hook readers.

2. Categories can now be searched via a dropdown menu at the top left hand side of the screen. Next to the search box. This enables users to find more related content, easier. Keeping users engaged is the name of the game.

3. When you hover over a Pin you like, you’ll see a big red PIN button next to the LIKE button. This is to make sharing easier. If a reader likes your cover image, they can repin it instantly to their board. You’ll also notice the COMMENT button is missing. To comment, you must now click on the pin and scroll down to the bottom of the pin page.

4. On individual pin pages you will now see a range of thumbnail images displaying other pins from the same board. This is to encourage users to discover more inspiring photos from the same board without leaving the page they’re on. For writers, this allows you to showcase other images on your board more easily without risking losing that all important engagement. Readers will be more inclined to buy your book once they’re emerged into your fictional world.

5. Below that is a similar mini-grid of pins from the same source. In other words pins that came from the same website, regardless of the uploader.

6. And below all that is another, larger collection headed “People who pinned this also pinned”–a handful of other items from the users who pinned the thing that initially grabbed your attention.

7. By clicking on the individual pin, you will have the option of going to that pin’s website. This is particularly handy for authors who want to link users directly to their sales page on Amazon or their website.

8. The settings page has been updated so it’s easier to control notifications.

9. Anchored browsing has been introduced, which although it doesn’t sound like much, is a very useful feature which addresses a previously frustrating problem. Before, when you have delved deep into the pinterest universe and you hit the back button, you’d return to the top of the main category page, effectively losing your thread. This is frustrating and often results in users clicking away from the site. To avoid this, Pinterest have introduced ancored browsing which takes you back step-by-step so you don’t lose your way completely and give up. A small change for a better user experience.
10. To get analytics for your Pinterest page, you must first register for a business account. It is possible to register for a business under the categories professional, media, entertainment etc, but design is limited to the old design for now.
Features that have been removed from Pinterest:
It’s hardly noticable but some of Pinterests features have been removed in the redesign.
Hashtags – Hashtags are no longer recognised. You can put a # in front of your word but it doesn’t make them searchable or linkable.
Links – You can no longer leave links in pins. This is a bummer for authors who used to link back to their website from the comments or image descriptions.
Embed link – If you want to link to a pin on Pinterest, you must use their Embed Link, else your link is broken.
Tweets – You can no longer Tweet a pin at the same time as pinning it.
Profile – The text in your profile is now limited to 160 characters rather than the previous 200. So make sure you check yours so it’s not cut off mid flow.
Facebook – The option to LIKE a board on Facebook has gone. This means authors can’t get new likes to their author pages by linking their account to Pinterest.