Tech Tip: Pinterest Board in Blog Sidebar

To do this tip, you need to complete this tip first: Add an HTML Box to Your Sidebar. After you have learned how to add an HTML box to your sidebar, then you can create an HTML Box for your Pinterest Board. 

For an example, see the Pinterest widget in the sidebar of my Growth Mindset Memes blog. There are lots of ways to configure the sidebar display, and each time you pin something new to the board, the widget updates automatically!

Here's how to get your Board to appear in the sidebar of your blog, step by step:

STEP ONE: Choose Board. If you have more than one Pinterest Board, you'll want to choose which one to embed. Have that Board open in a browser tab.

STEP TWO: Generate Code. In a second browser tab, go to the Pinterest Widget Builder, and choose Board Widget from the right-hand options. Then, paste in the URL of your Board (which you have open in your first tab). Next, you can choose Sidebar as the size, or you can customize the specific values. You can experiment and see what you like, checking the preview. 

STEP THREE: Create HTML/Javascript Sidebar Box. In a third browser tab, go to your blog, click on Design in the upper right-hand corner, and then choose Layout from the left-hand menu. In the sidebar column, choose "Add Gadget" and select "HTML/Javascript" from the available gadgets. That will pop open a window where you can type in a title (the title is optional), and where you can then paste in the code from the Pinterest builder box. Make sure you copy BOTH pieces of PInterest code: you need to copy the specific code for your board and the general Pinterest code. Put those both in the same box, and make sure not to get them jumbled up. After you have pasted in the code, click Save.

STEP FOUR: Arrange the Sidebar. You can then drag-and-drop to position the new gadget where you want it to appear in the sidebar; by default Blogger puts it at the top of the sidebar. When you're done, click Save Arrangement and then View Blog. You should now see your Pinterest widget in the sidebar! 

STEP FIVE: Blog post. To finish up, write a brief blog post where you let your readers know you have created a PInterest sidebar widget. Maybe that will inspire others to do the same! You might also say a few words about how you are using PInterest and what kinds of pins people will find at your Board(s). Make sure to include the phrase "Tech Tip: Pinterest Sidebar" in your blog post title and use "Tech Tip" as the label on the post; then you can do the Declaration.