Last week, we introduced the new social sharing site, Pinterest, at a very elementary level because we like so many are intrigued by its rapid growth but didn’t know much about it.  While we’re no experts ourselves, we have seen numerous instances where others out in cyberspace view the pinboards of Pinterest as a valued asset to grow their businesses.

So we decided to take a look and investigate: is Pinterest a viable option for businesses, particularly for self-published writers?

For example, many writers on Pinterest set up inspirational boards for their stories.  By “inspirational,” we mean photos of people and locations that literally inspired them while drafting or writing.

How does this help?

Most people are visual and while many already picture the characters and settings as they read a story, seeing actual photographs on a writer’s inspirational pinboard can clarify such images in the writer’s book for the reader.  These photos can also entice someone else who just happens upon a writer’s Pinterest page who may not have previously been familiar with the author’s work to begin with.

“The main love interest in Story A resembles Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries?  I want to read that!”

Another way writers can promote their work is by including a blog Hall of Fame pinboard on their Pinterest page.

How does this help?

In the instances that a writer has blogged about his or her story (excerpts, background in the form of unpublished prologues, novellas, etc.), a potential reader now has more information at their fingertips to help determine whether or not he or she would be interested in said story.  Not only that, but a blog could potentially pick up more followers by posting blog pins on a Pinterest page.

“Did you see that blog Hall of Fame posting over at Writer B’s Pinterest Page?  I need to follow that blog…  Oh, and she has a book out?  Sweet!  I like her writing style.”

But probably the biggest advantage behind social media’s latest sensation is the fact that Pinterest is a great way to meet new people – people we may not have met otherwise – people who may turn around and buy our e-book.

It’s even quite possible that Pinterest is assisting in more referrals than Facebook, Google+, and other social media and networking sites combined.

So what do we say: is Pinterest a viable social networking site for writers?

Yes!  We think so.