Should I Pin to Pinterest Group Boards in 2021?

Are Pinterest group boards dead in 2021? Should you stay or leave your group boards? If you find yourself confused when it comes to group boards, you are not the only one. Where Pinterest group boards fit into your overall Pinterest marketing strategy in 2021 is unclear at best.

Group boards are one of the most questioned aspects of using Pinterest for your blog or business. Almost, every day I see someone posting questions in Facebook group boards as to whether they should stay or leave their group boards. And for good reason!

For a good few years (let’s call them the golden years of Pinterest), group boards were the place to put your pins and get more clicks and repins. They were without question one of the best ways to grow your Pinterest account.

Fast forward a few years, and we’ve got nothing but questions about Pinterest group boards. Why? Because it’s hard to let go of the good old days. We’re nostalgic for the days when all you had to do to get traffic from Pinterest was design a mediocre-looking pin image and save it to a bunch of group boards.

Sorry friends, times have changed. It might not be as easy as it was back in 2017 and 2018 to get traction with Pinterest group boards, but there is still potential for growth to be found IF you know what you’re doing.

⚠️ Quick warning. If you’re looking for advice on Pinterest group boards online, make sure those posts or videos were created in 2020 or 2021. Things have changed massively and following dated advice can land you in Pinterest prison (blocked, locked out of your account, and flagged for spamming).

In this quick guide to Pinterest group boards in 2021, I’ll show you:

• how to know if you should stay or leave group board
• how to find your best performing Pinterest group board
• what to do if you want to keep using group boards
• your best alternative to group boards in 2021
• what other profitable bloggers think about group boards

Keep reading or watch my video below to find out if Pinterest group boards are dead or alive in 2021.

Are Pinterst Group Boards Dead?

By “dead,” we mean, not worth your time, not getting any action, and basically a waste of space on your Pinterest profile.

I’ve got two answers for you. One is simple and the other a bit more complicated.

If you’re looking for a yes or no answer, then yes. Pinterest group boards are dead (well more like “less alive” than they were before.)

The death of Pinterest group boards officially came in 2019, when Pinterest realized how content creators were using group boards to get repins and clicks. This is NOT what Pinterest intended. They wanted group boards to be for collaboration. They say so, right on their website.

“Group boards are a great way to share ideas and plans,” NOT group boards are a great way to get more saves and clicks to your website. So, they tweaked the algorithm and down went all that sweet group boards juice many of us were getting. *tears*

But, hold up, before you go and leave all your group boards, may I offer you a more complete and complex answer? Maybe!

Pinterest Group Boards Can Still Be Worth It

Listen, if you know what you’re doing, you can still make group boards worth your time. You just can’t pin to them like it’s 2019, because it isn’t.

First of all, NOT all group boards are equal. Not all group boards are the same and they sure are not maintained to the same standard. Some are way better than others.

So many Pinterest group boards are filled with spammers, users who steal pins and use Pinterest in a way that is not in alignment with their best practices. In most cases, Pinterest group boards encourage the worst behavior of content creators.

Think about it. For years, content creators were creating one new pin and then repinning it to every single group board they belonged to. In 2021, this behavior would be flagged as spam. So, don’t do it! (I cover how to use Pinterest group boards in 2021 below).

Since not all Pinterest group boards are worth staying in, you have to decide on a board by board basis if you should stay or leave that group board. And there are a few easy ways to do that.

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How to Know If You Should Stay in or Leave a Group Board

Here are three simple ways to figure out which of your group boards are worth deleting or keeping. Basically, how to know if it’s dead or alive.

#1. Check Your Pinterest Analytics

See if any of the group boards you belong to are ranking in your top boards in Pinterest Analytics. Log into your Pinterest Business Account, click on Analytics in the top left, then Overview.

Make sure you’re selecting only pins linking to your domain, go to “Top Boards” select “outboard clicks,” then scroll to the right through all the boards. (Not sure how to do this? Click here and I’ll show you.)

How many of your group boards are in your top-performing boards? If it shows up then it’s worth staying in, if it doesn’t it’s best to leave it or archive it. But remember, if you haven’t been actually pinning to that group board then it wouldn’t be in your analytics.

If you’ve been unsure about Pinterest group boards and haven’t been using them (and want to), test pinning a few pins to each over the next 30 days. Then, come back and check your analytics.

For now, there’s stil two more ways to know if you should stay of leave.

#2. Tailwind Board Insights

Unlike Pinterest Analytics that shows you how your own pins to your domain are doing, Tailwind Board Insights shows you how ALL pins by all pinners who belong to that board are doing.

To access board insights, navigate from the Tailwind Dashboard to “Insights” on the left-hand navigation, then “Board Insights.”

If you’re not using Tailwind as yet, click here to start your FREE Trial and get access to Board Insights.

So whether you’ve been active in group boards or not, you can use Tailwind Board Insights to help you judge the quality of a group board. It shows you:

• How many pins
• How many followers
• Number of repins
• Vitality score (number of repins per pin added)
• Engagement score (number of repins per pin by follower)

Deselect “Secret Boards” and “Regular Boards” in the top bar, then click to sort by engagement or vitality score, then leave all group boards that score poorly. (Need help? Click here and I show you how).

Tailwind also has a helpful article on How do I find my best or worst performing Pinterest Boards? on their blog. But remember, these insights are for ALL members of the group board, NOT just you!

If you don’t have Tailwind, I’ve got one more way you can decide to stay or leave a Pinterest group board.

#3. Check the Group Board

For this one, you’re going to use your eyes! Yup, just check out all your group boards to see if they’re being maintained well, or not. To see if they’re being spammed to, or not!

To do this, go to your Pinterest Profile (click your profile image in the top right corner), and click on “Saved” below your profile details. Then, scroll down your profile and check out each of your group boards one by one.

Remember, you can easily identify group boards because they have featured the profile images of the group’s owner + two other members (see below)

Go over each board and ask yourself :

• Are the members are sharing high-quality pins? If no, leave.
• Is anyone spamming this group board? If so, leave.
• Is this group board relevant to your niche? If no, leave.
• Would your pins fit with the pins you see? If no, leave.

It’s that easy! It will be obvious to you when you see a low-quality board. And leaving it is the only option for you. Up next, is how to leave a group board.

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How to Leave Pinterest Group Boards

Figuring out whether a Pinterest group board is dead or not, might take some time, but leaving it only takes a few clicks.

To leave a Pinterest group board, navigate to the group board page, then click on your profile picture with the members in the center. Click on “LEAVE” beside your profile name, then click “Leave” again to confirm.

If you’re still unsure if you want to leave or stay, you can instead archive the group board. This removes it from your active profile, but gives you the option to return to it if you decide.

To archive a Pinterest group board, click on the three dots “…” under the group board’s name, and click on “archive.” Then click “archive” again to confirm. Then this board will be accessible at the very bottom of your Pinterest profile’s list of board.

It might be hard at first, but cleaning up your Pinterest profile is an important (yet often ignored) part of using the platform.

With all your dead Pinterest Group Boards gone now, it’s time to learn how to use Pinterest group boards in 2021.

Tired of low-quality group boards? Click here to request to join my group boards instead. I vet every member and routinely remove rule breakers.

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If you Want to Keep Pinning to Group Boards

You can! You really can continue to use Pinterest group boards, but only if you’re pinning correctly. Here’s an easy to use Pinterest strategy for group boards.

#1. Spread Out Your Pins

Group boards are dying largely because how they were being used goes against Pinterest’s best practices. To continue using them, you have to update your strategy to work with the algorithm, not against it.

That means, less pinning. Which is good, because it’s less work!

Don’t take the same pin and save it over and over to every group board you belong to in one day. Instead, do minimal repins (10 MAXIMUM), with 7 days between repins.

The easiest way to do this is to use a Pinterest scheduler like Tailwind. It’s easy to choose which group boards to pin to, and set the intervals to one week. You just schedule it, and forget it!

#2. Niche Group Boards Only

You should always add pins to relevant boards only (group boards or otherwise). So, stick to your niche and stay on topic.

For example, if you’re a parenting blogger, pin to parenting group boards. If you’re not then don’t! If you have a blog post on finance, add it to finance boards only.

Always ask yourself before you pin to a board if this is the best possible board you can pin it to (or best top ten boards if you’re doing repins). If the answer is no, then don’t.

It really is that simple. And if you have no content to share to a Pinterest group board, then it’s dead to you and leave already.

#3. Join Better Group Boards

Another option for you is to find better quality group boards that are still alive. Ask around in your community, posting in Facebook groups to find better boards.

There are still many bloggers who are getting value from using group boards (as I’ll share with you soon). including myself!

For example, I own and manage six high-quality group boards, that are my most-repinned boards over all. Week after week, they rank in Tailwind Board Insights.

This isn’t by accident, I hand-pick who belongs to my group boards, making sure they create quality pins (vertical only) and are in the right niche for my boards. Plus, I kick out anyone who breaks the rules. That’s why my group boards do well!

If you’d like to join my Pinterest group boards, click here to request.

#4. Try Tailwind Communities

Why waste time with group boards, when you can get repins with Tailwind Communities? A perk of using the Tailwind Pinterest Scheduler is that you get access to their version of group boards.

Well, Tailwind Communities (formerly Tailwind Tribes) are like group boards but way better. They are far from dead and are still one of the best ways to grow your Pinterest account in 2021.

Instead of adding pins to group boards and getting nothing in return, Tailwind communities by default make reciprocation a requirement by tracking pins added vs pins saved. It’s easy to see who’s been playing nicely and who hasn’t. 

In one Community alone, I’ve received 5.5K Re-shares and 3.7K repins!

A good Tailwind Community owner will remove those who are not doing their repins. I know I do for all my Communities. When you request to join my group boards, I also add you to my Communities as well. 

How to Find Tailwind Communities

Plus, unlike Pinterest, you can easily search for Tailwind Communities in your niche right on the platform. And they tell you before you request to join how active the community is. How easy is that? 

So, if you’re looking for a way to get more repins, and do not want to use Pinterest group boards, you can use Tailwind Communities instead. It is well worth your time and is the best feature of having Tailwind.

There you have it, four ways to make use of Pinterest group boards.

Are Bloggers Still Using Pinterest Group Boards?

I wondered the same things. Does everyone think Pinterest group boards are dead? Were profitable bloggers still pinning to them in 2021?

To get you answers, I posted in the best Facebook group I belonged to, where I know only profitable bloggers belong to.

Take alook at the results:

So what will you do? Are you staying or leaving Pinterest group boards?

After this guide to using Pinterest group boards in 2021, do you think they’re dead?

Personally, I believe it all depends on the group board and if you have time to make group boards a part of your overall strategy. Tailwind Communities, on the other hand, are a proven way to grow your Pinterest account.

Are you making major mistakes on Pinterest? Group abords are just one. Sign up below for my FREE #PinPerfect Masterclass. You’ll learn the three secrets to getting traffic, subscribers, and sales with Pinterest.