What a Natural Disaster Taught Me About Pinterest's Algorithm
A few weeks ago, a series of catastrophic floods hit the region where I live, becoming one of the worst natural disasters in Spain’s history. You might have seen it on the news or even on Reddit (I used to live on this street as a child, and this other one is just around the corner).
As a result of the flooding, my neighborhood and everything around me turned into a scene straight out of a post-apocalyptic movie. Power, running water, and internet were all cut off for days. As you can imagine, these events had a huge impact on my daily life and, of course, on my work with ColoringMaker, my personal project.
Unexpectedly, however, this experience gave me some interesting insights into how the Pinterest algorithm works. What did I learn in the midst of chaos and disconnection? Let me break it down for you.
Before the Flood: Building a Daily Habit on Pinterest
I believe Pinterest is the perfect social network to showcase ColoringMaker to the world. I had read that consistency is key when it comes to driving engagement on Pinterest, so throughout October, I committed to pinning content daily.
I was seeing good results until the 29th, when I lost all connection to the outside world. A few days later, the content I had scheduled stopped being posted.
The result was an abrupt drop in impressions on the platform—a trend that continued for several days, even after I regained access and could start scheduling new posts again.
In short, I think this experience makes one thing clear: posting quality content daily is essential for building engagement and ensuring that Pinterest continues to show your content to a wider audience.
Where Are We Now?: Re-building in Public
Two months later, things are finally starting to return to normal. As for Pinterest, impressions on my account have reached higher levels than ever before. I can’t help but wonder where I’d be now if I had been able to maintain my daily posting routine.
In my neighborhood, the situation has improved drastically, though nearly all local businesses remain closed and are struggling to reopen. Many homes are still uninhabitable, and in every corner, you can hear neighbors sharing their harrowing stories of survival.
Lastly, I want to express my deepest gratitude to the volunteers: a wave of people from Valencia, across Spain, and even from abroad, armed with buckets and brooms, who came to help us in every way possible.
Many of my neighbors wouldn’t have made it through without them. They are an example and an inspiration to humanity, and we will be forever grateful.
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