Curious to know what running Pinterest ads looks like as a TpT seller? Don’t worry, I got you covered! This post is here to help you understand the how, why, and what not to do with Pinterest ads. Let’s get started!
I’ve said it before, but it needs to be said again before I jump into all things Pinterest ads. When you are running Pinterest Ads, it’s not the same as hitting the “Promote” button on one of your individual Pins!
Here’s an example of what it looks like to promote a Pin. After you click this, it will ask you to set the budget, etc, but it’s absolutely not the same as setting a strategic and targeted Pinterest campaign.
Okay, so now that we’re on the same page, let’s break down the considerations you need to be aware of before running Pinterest ads as a TpT seller or teacherpreneur!
Before Running Pinterest Ads for Your TpT Business
It’s no huge secret that the education niche is super popular and competitive! I think competition is great because it’s an indication that there’s a need for your content and products.
And I truly believe that no matter how saturated your niche may feel at times, there’s room at the table for everyone!
Mindset is huge on Pinterest (or business in general) but actually, that’s not all you need to know before running Pinterest ads. What you need to know is the outcome, objective, purpose, or goal of running a Pinterest campaign.
We don’t want traffic for the sake of traffic!
We want measurable results that will tell us exactly how the ads are moving the needle in your business.
Here are two examples of the most common objectives for running Pinterest ads:
- Sales for a specific TpT product
- Email subscribers
Does it feel like I’m speaking a foreign language right now? I hear ya girl.
Pinterest ads are fairly complicated. If you want to hand this over to a tried and true expert, you can book a FREE discovery call with me here!
Running Pinterest Ads for a TpT Product
This may seem like a no-brainer, but if you want sales, you probably assume you run paid ads to a product, right? I’ll get more into why you should run campaigns for email list growth in a minute, but I want to really break down when it’s good to run Pinterest ads to your TpT products.
It can be challenging to see organic reach and traffic for your Pins linked to your TpT product listings, and in this blog post, you can learn why that is the case.
Because it is more challenging to get eyes on your TpT products, Pinterest ads are a great way to guarantee that your target audience will see your products.
Does that mean you’ll see sales start rolling in? Not necessarily. There are factors that come into play with the buyer decision such as:
Price point for product:
Your bundles are probably your most expensive TpT products and they can be more challenging to sell. When something is more expensive, people typically need some warming up before they’re ready to say yes. It’s a long decision process compared to something that’s a few dollars.
Seasonality:
You want to make sure if you’re running Pinterest ads for a seasonal product, you’re starting the campaign early enough. Pinterest ads take time to optimize so if you’re too late, many teachers will already have their resources and plans done for that holiday/season. Teachers have to plan ahead, therefore as a marketer, you need to plan even further ahead!
Targeting:
It’s important to the success of your campaign to make sure you’ve targeted the right person at the right time!
Also keep in mind that if you’re running a campaign for a TpT product, you need to create UTM codes to help you track your results. Now, here’s a huge caveat; just because you used UTM codes does not mean you’ll get exact results.
Far from it, unfortunately.
If you want to learn more about how to track your results using UTM codes, I explain this more in-depth within this blog post.
You could also track your TpT store revenue for that product and how it compared to the previous month (or year). However, this is also a great variable because your store is growing year over year and even month over month. This means results can vary due to the huge factor of seasonality for teachers.
Running Pinterest Ads for Email List Building
Running Pinterest ads for email list building might not sound as sexy as running ads to a product, however, I think it’s absolutely vital.
And while we’re at it, I don’t want you to just build your email list, I want you to be nurturing your email list weekly.
I email my list once a week (more if it’s a promotional period) and I share free value. This builds the like/know/trust factor. That way, when I do sell, people not only trust me, but they have a solid understanding of my knowledge and the value I’m offering.
I love when content is broken down into a digestible list, so here’s a quick checklist of what you need to have in mind and in place within your business prior to running an email list building campaign:
- An email service provider
- An offer/lead magnet that’s desirable (and valuable) for your target audience
- A sales funnel – if you aren’t sure what the heck I’m talking about, you can learn more about creating a sales funnel for Pinterest in this blog post!
- UTM codes that can help you track funnel down conversions
I do feel strongly about running ads for email list growth, from the simple standpoint that there’s so much more value over time to capture the email subscriber rather than a one-off sale. I had one TpT seller tell me, “I see by far the most sales from my email list”.
It’s a unique way to nurture and serve your audience and warm them up for the sale.
Let’s Finish Up Here
Well, my sweet friend, we’ve discussed some of the most common objectives for running Pinterest ads as a TpT seller, and how each objective measures up to each other. I’d love to hear your thoughts or questions in the comments below!
If you want to take Pinterest ads a step further, you can “choose your adventure” below:
- The DIY route: Download my Promoted Pin Essential Guide and learn more about what you need to do PRIOR to running a Pinterest Ad.
- Book a call with me today! You can book a FREE discovery call with me and we can chat about running Pinterest ads for your business! Side note, if you’d like to reserve a space in my schedule for a few months down the road, that’s totally doable! I have a new VIP day package, where I can get everything set up and going for you in a day! Sound like a dream come true to hand this over to an expert? Book that call here today!
