Research Reveals How to Dominate Pinterest

Photo: StartBloggingOnline.com

Pinterest is the social-media version of Hobby Lobby: a giant inspiration destination, with a gazillion ideas that make women squeal "I want to try that!" You'll find everything from Mason jar desserts to outdoor wedding lanterns made from—you guessed it—Mason jars, all of which adds up to hours spent carefully curating your boards (and hoping your boyfriend doesn't see the one devoted to the wedding he doesn't know you're planning).

So which pins are most likely to catch other women's attention—and make you a Pinterest sensation? Apparently, this is a subject of interest even to scientists. A new University of Minnesota study analyzed the Pinterest content that gets pinned, and repinned, most often by female users. Here's what they found: 

1. Food and drink

2. DIY crafts

3. Home decor

4. Women's fashion

5. Weddings

6. Hair/beauty

7. Kids

8. Humor

9. Design

10. Health and fitness

Want to get more play on Pinterest? The researchers' advice: Follow lots of other pinners, create lots of boards and pin like mad (users with 4,00o-plus pins were the most popular), and post on the topics listed above, without focusing too much on any one area. That said, if you are going to zero in on a topic, you should make it food: If up to 35 percent of your pins are food-related, you're more likely to have lots of followers, the study found.