Hey friends! So you know how I’ve been geeking out over PinClicks lately? Yeah… full fangirl mode activated. If you’re a food blogger and haven’t played with it yet – BUCKLE UP. Because today I’m walking you through exactly how I use PinClicks to dig up Pinterest keywords that don’t just sound good… but actually work!
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Whether you’re all about crockpot coziness, vintage recipes, or dinner ideas that don’t involve bribing your kids to eat veggies – this post’s for YOU!
Video Walkthrough of Pinclicks for Food Bloggers
Step 1: Don’t Grab Every Keyword in the Universe
Alright, so first things first. When you're in PinClicks, head down to Interests and do not go clicking on every shiny thing. RESIST. You want to narrow it down. For us food folks, that means selecting Food and Drink – not “every topic ever including garden gnomes and 90s cartoons.”
You’ll get a list of top keywords in that category, and here's the kicker: you're not using them all. You’re looking for the ones that fit your actual blog. Not just what’s trending.
For example:
“Snoopy” showed up under Food and Drink (I KNOW), but when I clicked through, nothing about it screamed “dinner recipe.” So unless you’re cooking Peanuts-themed cupcakes on the regular, skip it!
Step 2: Explore Idea Pages Like a Curious Little Squirrel
Let’s say we’re into “dinner recipes” (because duh, who isn’t?) If you click the little jump-out icon next to that keyword, you’ll get taken to Pinterest’s idea page – which is gold (the only easy way I know to find idea pages is with Pinclicks!)
It shows you:
- What’s trending right now (spoiler: quick, easy, summer-friendly meals)
- Seasonal flavors (hello, zucchini!)
- Adjectives Pinterest loves (easy, healthy, quick, cheap)
TIP: Don’t get too excited about what's trending this second — you’re building long-term content clusters. Think broader than “zucchini in August.”
Step 3: Build Your Keyword Clusters Like a Dinner Party Menu
Here’s where I geek out the most. I start grabbing those descriptive keywords and making little clusters like it’s my job (well, it kinda is!)
For “Dinner Recipes,” I might break it down like this:
Healthy Dinner Ideas Cluster
- Healthy dinner recipes
- Easy healthy dinner
- Low carb / Keto
- Vegetarian
- Indian vegetarian
Quick + Easy Cluster
- Quick dinners
- Easy weeknight dinners
- 30-minute meals
- Cheap dinner ideas
- Simple weeknight recipes
Family & Kid-Friendly Cluster
- Kid-friendly dinners
- Family dinner recipes
- One-pan family meals
My Personal Faves Cluster
- Crockpot recipes
- Vintage dinners
- Savory dinner recipes (YES PLEASE)
- Comfort foods
Pro tip: If it doesn’t match your blog’s vibe, DON’T FORCE IT. I don’t do kid recipes or keto, so even if those keywords are FIRE, they’re not for me. Stay true to your niche!
Step 4: Use Pinterest’s Guided Search Bubbles Like Breadcrumbs
You know those little word bubbles that show up when you type in “dinner”? That’s Pinterest’s guided search feature, and it’s basically telling you what people are actually looking for.
Try this:
- Search “dinner” → add “ideas” → add “healthy” → add “quick” → add “weeknight”
By the end, you’ve got a crazy long phrase like:
“Family dinner ideas healthy clean eating simple recipes”
(Exhausted just reading that.)
Would you write a blog post with that as your title? NOPE. But Pinterest still sees the relevance, so you can pop your pin into a board with that phrase and still rank for those terms. Sneaky, right?
Step 5: Let’s Talk About Savory
So one of the keywords I loved during this rabbit hole was “savory dinner recipes.”
When I typed it into Pinterest, I got:
- Cheesy garlic wraps
- Hot honey feta chicken
- Steak bites (!!)
- Honey garlic chicken thighs
AKA: YEP, THAT’S MY JAM!
If your mouth waters reading those, that’s probably a sign you should go ahead and create:
- A post about savory dinner recipes
- A board about savory meals or savory food
- And cluster all your faves (crockpot, cheesy, vintage, etc.) under that delicious umbrella
Bonus: “Savory dinner recipes” had about 5,000 search volume. That’s a sweet spot for us small bloggers – not too competitive, but still juicy enough to drive traffic.
Final Thoughts On Pinclicks For Food Bloggers
Here’s the deal, friend… you don’t need to rank for everything. You need to rank for what YOU actually create content about. There’s no point pulling in traffic for kid meals if your blog is all about retro Jell-O salads and beef stroganoff!
Think of your site like a cozy dinner party. Invite the people who want what you're cooking – and make sure your keywords reflect the menu.
Now go forth, make those content clusters, build boards that make sense, and let Pinterest (and Pinclicks!) do their magic.
You got this. And if you need me, I’ll be elbow-deep in cheesy casserole keywords!
Here are some more great Pinterest marketing posts you might love:
- 5 Ways I Am Using PinClicks To Get Pinterest Traffic
- How I Use Pinclicks to Find Content Clusters
- How to Use Pinclicks to Spy on Your Pinterest Keyword Strengths
