In case you haven’t noticed, Pinterest has been a little hairy this year, and by a little hairy, I mean very hairy. We’re seeing a lot of changes being made within the platform and we’ve also experienced some major glitches (like the great debacle of July 2021). Now I’m not here to be all doomsday about Pinterest; quite the opposite actually. I want to talk to you about what’s happening now, why Pinterest is changing, and how evolving your Pinterest marketing strategy is vital so it works with these changes instead of against them!
Tip #1: Your Pinterest Marketing Mindset
In my signature course, Pinterest Marketing Magic, I have an entire lesson about your mindset when it comes to Pinterest. We know mindset is crucial when it comes to our business, but why is it important when it comes to Pinterest?
Pinterest is a super unique platform in that it’s not just a search engine, but it’s a visual search engine. This allows content creators to reach and serve their audience in such a powerful way.
Since it is a search engine, it needs to be given a lot of time, consistency, and strategic research to ensure that you’re reaching the right audience!
It can be really challenging to accept that it will take AT LEAST 6-12 (possibly even 12-18) months to see growth. I like to compare it to Google. You wouldn’t start blogging this week and expect your blog to rank on the first page of Google next week because you started putting in your SEO work, would you?
No! That would be crazy!
In our culture, we’re used to immediate gratification and we expect it in all areas of our life. If we don’t receive it, we’re ready to give up! This blows my mind, and as a Pinterest strategist, it can also be frustrating.
We have to approach the platform by being willing to adapt, test, and evolve our strategy as the platform evolves.
So what does this mean for content creators who have been doing their due diligence, but stats and traffic are slipping? Well, natural peaks and valleys are normal, but it also could be an indicator that it might be time to make some changes.
Especially if this slide has been happening for multiple months. This leads me to my second tip…
Tip #2: What’s Working Now on Pinterest
In case you missed it, the Pinterest Creators Festival happened recently. During this time, Pinterest creators speak about their businesses, changes that will be on the horizon, and what’s working for them right now.
There were three words that I heard on repeat the entire festival: inspiration, ideas, and Idea Pins.
It’s not shocking that Pinterest wants content creators to be inspiring users to take action with their fabulous ideas. I think the hard pill to swallow is this new behavior that Pinterest is trying to ingrain in users – keeping them ON their platform!
Whatttttt?? Keep Pinners on Pinterest?
I know, it’s disheartening.
As a content creator, you’re using Pinterest (or thinking about using it) to drive traffic to your website and store, not so you can keep people on Pinterest. However, we do need to consider Pinterest’s perspective.
Although Pinterest is not a social media platform, it’s really trying to keep up with the booming demand and consumption on other platforms for audio and video content.
This is where Idea Pins come into the picture.
They are a great way to incorporate audio and video content into your Pins and they’re unique from any other Pin format. Not only are they unique in their formation with multi-page design, but the ideas are supposed to be conceptualized.
Pinners really don’t NEED to leave the platform to take action when an Idea Pin is created well.
Sounds like the perfect solution, right?! Well, now you might be wondering where in the heck to start with Idea Pins! I got you, girl. You can check out my Idea Pin Starter Kit right here!
We know that Pinterest is really pushing for us to create Idea Pins. This concept was driven home during the Creator’s Festival when they announced the following updates:
The Watch Tab:
People can now consume Idea Pins with more ease than ever with the introduction of the “watch” tab. The watch tab is right next to the “browse” tab.
Pinterest Takes:
Another feature creators are utilizing to increase engagement and build community is allowing the “takes” feature on their Idea Pins. This allows users to show their own takes or perspective on the idea.
Idea Pin Monetization and Updates:
Paid partnerships- Available now for managed creators and will open up to all creators and brands in 2022. Anytime you have a sponsorship with a brand, you can add the paid partnership tag.
Product tagging- Tag your Idea Pins with shoppable products. This also includes Amazon!
Creator rewards- Launching in 2022, this will be available for new and mid-level creators. You can apply to be a part of the new program and people are paid based on engagement.
Creators Hub:
If you don’t have a business account, create one or convert an existing personal account. You’ll get access to the new Creator Hub, and you’ll be able to see everything you need as a creator. This is what one Pinterest creator referred to as a “one-stop-shop” for creator resources.
Whew, that was a lot of updates. Yeah, it blew my mind too. Long story short, make the dang Idea Pins and keep Pinterest happy. 🙂
Tip #3: How to Adapt What’s Working on Pinterest Into Your Workflow
I know that was a lot of information and it can be overwhelming especially if you’re still in the infancy stages of your Pinterest marketing.
Heck, it’s overwhelming for seasoned Pinterest creators.
But as I mentioned, Pinterest has to evolve as well. They aren’t trying to sabotage creators, that would be idiotic! They depend on creators. But they also have skin in the game since they’re public. They need people to be coming back to the platform.
So we know Idea Pins are working, but let’s say you don’t feel like you have any extra time to devote to Pinterest weekly or monthly. Well, you have two options:
- You can hire someone to take a few things off your plate.
- You can make tweaks like how many times a day you’re Pinning, or how many fresh static and video Pins you’re creating. That way you can allow time for making at least 1 Idea Pin a week. This means you need to commit somewhere in your schedule to sharing 1 Idea Pin weekly or 4 monthly.
Remember, you have to put the work in and follow best practices/what’s working now. That’s the only way to expect great results.
Tip #4: Where We’re Headed with Pinterest Marketing
We’re moving in a direction that is easy and natural for Pinterest users to shop on Pinterest. We’re also headed toward the ability to promote Idea Pins. Yes, you read that right! Pinterest ads for Idea Pins are coming down the pipeline and a little bird told me it will be in 2022.
That’s one of those things that I’ll believe when I see it though.
Apart from the ability to make Idea Pins into a paid campaign, I also believe that we’ll continue to see more competition with Idea Pins. Even content creators that resisted them in the beginning are realizing that they’re no longer optional.
This means for us that if more people are creating them, there will obviously be more competition.
So the days of one-page Idea Pins, or slapping up a TikTok video and calling it a day are over. We need to be serving our audience with high-quality content that inspires them and we need to work on building our engagement and community.
Thankfully that will happen naturally via amazing Idea Pins!
Let’s Wrap it Up
We need not assume Pinterest is out to get us! Remember to think about it from their perspective. The platform has to grow so people keep coming back and so that they can compete for peoples’ attention.
That’s no small task in this age of social media. We need to listen to what Pinterest is telling us and that would be that Idea Pins are what’s working now!
We also need to take advantage of the new changes that are being rolled out. If you aren’t sure how you’ll add Idea Pins into your strategy, you may need to make some changes or tweaks so you can accommodate them.
Lastly, while we may have been on the fence about how Idea Pins would continue to be important, now we’ll anticipate their impact when we can pay to advertise them.
If you have any of these feelings:
– I have no idea where to start with Idea Pins.
– I’m making them but I don’t know what I’m doing.
– I’m making them but I’m not getting much reach.
– I need a system for tracking them.
– I need to know effective strategy when making Idea Pins.
– ETC….
Don’t walk, but RUN to go check out The Idea Pin Starter Kit!
