#MKTG – Part 6 – Pinterest #SocialMediaMarketing #Pinterest

/ Jan Sikes

Hello, SE’rs. It’s Jan again with another look at social media marketing. The topic today is Pinterest.

I think of Pinterest as a huge virtual file cabinet. I am forever saving blog posts that I want to reference later, or that I simply want to save. So, when I came across the idea of promoting a pin, it was news to me.

I kept seeing the option to promote pop-up when I would pin something new to my account. So, because of my promise to you, I decided to explore.

Promoting a pin was fairly easy, although I now know that I missed a few important steps on this first try.

The pin I chose to promote was a blog post featuring a 5-star review of my book.

All I did was open the pin and click on the “promote” button. In three steps, I was done. I never saw any options for setting keywords, target audience, or any of the things I’d come to expect from social media advertising.

Here were the results. I spent a total of $16.80.

Did any of those 6,700 views equate to sales? From looking at my Amazon stats, I would say they did not.

BUT…

After experimenting with this, I found a detailed post about how to succeed with Pinterest-promoted pins. So, back to the drawing board.

Here are the steps I missed:

  1. Since Pinterest is above all a platform for inspiration, creativity plays a huge role in driving click-through rate (CTR), which drives impression volume and in turn CPC (cost per click). Find or create images that draw readers’ attention. High-quality, vertically oriented images work really well.
  2. One of the most important aspects of Pinterest advertising campaign management is keyword optimization. Per Pinterest guidelines, you can associate around 150 keywords with each promoted pin. (Wow, who knew?)
  3. Engage Targeted audiences: Pinterest targeting enables you to pinpoint audiences by location, language, device and gender. Therefore, it’s essential to target the right audience at the right time, based on relevant keywords. (Again, an important step I missed)
  4. Once a campaign is on Pinterest, it lives there forever like a never-ending billboard. So, when considering promoted pins, make sure your pins lend themselves to long-term movement and longevity.
  5. With the promoted pins CPC (cost per click) model, you only pay when people click through to your website. So, don’t be afraid to start campaigns with aggressive bidding. A speedy, significant increase in spend may enable you to drive lower CPC and higher CTR (Click Through Rate) once your pin has gained traction. Based on setting your max CPC higher, campaigns have an opportunity to drive a higher predicted CTR, thereby becoming more relevant and prevalent in the launch of your new ads. (Makes sense to me)

So, friends, the next time I promote a Pinterest Pin, I will follow these steps and see if I get different results. I think it might be important to give the reader a direct buy link, so I will think about that, too.

At any rate, it was a fun experiment and I learned about another social media advertising platform that could be lucrative. I hope you enjoyed learning along with me!

What do you think? How do you use Pinterest?

Also if you’ve missed other posts in this Book Marketing Series, you can find them below.

#MKTG Part 1

#MKTG Part 2

#MKTG Part 3

#MKTG Part 4

#MKTG Part 5

76 thoughts on “#MKTG – Part 6 – Pinterest #SocialMediaMarketing #Pinterest”

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  19. I opened a Pinterest account years ago but lost interest in it when I didn’t see its value. I found myself just scrolling without really understanding how to use the platform. After reading this, I may take another look at it at some point in the future. Thanks, Jan. 😊

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  21. I know very little about Pinterest, other than many of my coworkers used to talk about it all the time. I think I’ve resigned to the fact that there aren’t enough minutes in the day to get to everything, and I know I have an account, but it’s not something I’m particularly interested in. More power to those who can make it work for them.

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  22. HI Jan, this is very interesting. I don’t ever cite Pinterest as a social media of mine, but its actually the one I’ve had the longest. I have always had boards and enjoyed pinning pictures. I have never tried using it to promote my books. I use it as a storyboard to pin articles too, an idea I got form Craig Boyack.

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    • I am the same, Robbie. I’ve had Pinterest boards since 2013, but never had realized you could actually promote your work on it. So, this was a new concept to me. I love Craig’s storyboard ideas. Thank you so much for stopping in and leaving a comment today!

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  23. Great post, Jan 🙂 I post my own blogs and Story Empire blogs on Pinterest but never thought of putting blogs there I want to revisit later, it will start doing that. I see the promote button but never have looked into it. Thanks for explaining what it is and how to use it!

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  24. Hi Jan,
    I have been using Pinterest as a filing cabinet too, for all those quotes and articles that interest me and for travelling info for different locations.. I never thought of using it for promotion. It sounds great. I don’t know yet iif I will try it, but it sounds better than Facebook.
    Thank you for the info. I have again learned something new, which goes to show we never stop learning.
    Take care and all the best.
    Shalom aleichem

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    • Lol! You are so right, Pat. We never stop learning. We learn from each other. I’m glad you found the post interesting. If you give Pinterest promotion a try, let us know how it goes! Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment!

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  25. Wow. I never really thought about using Pinterest for marketing. I mean, I have a Pinterest board for a lot of my stories and characters and ideas, but not one for marketing. Thank you for this, Jan! I’m also going to backtrack and read up on all the other marketing-related posts. Newbie author here, so I really appreciate these helpful tips and insights! 😊

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    • Hi, Marie. I’m so glad you found the post informative and helpful. Like I said in my post, I have used Pinterest for years as my virtual filing cabinet to store things I want to reference later. It’s only recently that I discovered the marketing potential. Good luck with whatever you try and thank you for stopping by!

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  26. In my Jazzi and Ansel novels, I have them flip a house in each book, so I store ideas for houses and room decorations for each one on Pinterest. Recipes, too, since Jazzi cooks a Sunday meal for her family in the books. I’ve never used Pinterest to promote my work. I don’t understand bidding enough to do well on any of the ad campaigns I’ve tried. Good luck if you give Pinterest another go with keywords and a target audience.

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    • Hi, Judi. Thank you for your comment. What you described is exactly what most of us use Pinterest for – a virtual filing cabinet. 🙂 And it works great for that! Maybe when I release my next work, I’ll give the promotion another try. I appreciate you stopping by.

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      • I can’t remember, but have you tried different advertising sites? Craig and I have both had some luck with The Fussy Librarian IF you have a few books in a series. If you make one free, and the other books in the series, aren’t expensive, readers are usually willing to try another book or two. I like Bargain Booksy, too. https://www.bargainbooksy.com/sell-more-books/
        Of course, BookBub is the best, but it’s EXPENSIVE, not worth it if you don’t have a decent number of books in your series.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Hi, Judi. I have not tried the advertising site you mentioned, but have tried a few others. I am open to any suggestions and will check out Bargain Booksy. I agree. BookBub is the best, but very expensive.

        Liked by 1 person

      • No worries, Judi. I haven’t tried any of the ones you mentioned. Honestly, I mainly stick to Facebook and Twitter, but I am experimenting with the other platforms. While none of these are platforms you pay for to use, you do have to pay to advertise. It’s crazy that it all comes down to money. Thank you so much for your comment. I am thrilled that you are enjoying these posts!

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    • I think Pinterest originated from the idea of it being a place for inspiration. My first introduction to Pinterest was looking for a new hairstyle. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Sue, and if you give the promo aspect a try, let us know how it goes! Thank you for your comment!

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  32. I used to pin my stuff from my food blog (that I haven’t touched in a dog’s age!) I would definitely look into using htis in a more efficient way, should I get that one up and going again.

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  33. I have been waiting for this post. I’m one of the few who uses Pinterest every day. I have files dedicated to my genres and specific titles. I also pin every Story Empire post. Followers aren’t as important to me there. I like the inspiration I find, and might give their promo a try.

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    • I knew you were an avid user of Pinterest, Craig, and your storyboard idea on Pinterest has always fascinated me. I’m glad you enjoyed the post and heck, for the money, try a promo and see what happens. If you do, let us know! Thank you for your comment!

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  34. I haven’t visited Pinterest in ages, but I always thought it was a fun platform. I loved creating boards and storing ideas there. It’s one of those platforms I never get to for lack of time. I hadn’t thought about using it for marketing, so this was an enlightening post, Jan!

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Mae. The marketing part of Pinterest is new to me. In the past, I’ve used it as a filing cabinet for things I wanted to store. But I will be exploring more promotion opportunities in the future with it. Thank you for stopping by.

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  35. Thank you for this post, Jan. I haven’t been on Pinterest for ages, perhaps a year or more. That said, you’ve sparked interest by the examples you’ve offered. Maybe, just maybe I’ll venture over and take another look. Great post, Jan. 😊

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    • Thank you, Gwen. I’m glad I could spark your interest. I know we all get burnt out on trying to juggle social media, but I have to say Pinterest is quite easy and requires very little effort. Have a wonderful Monday!

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  37. Pingback: #MKTG – Part 6 – Pinterest #SocialMediaMarketing #Pinterest | Legends of Windemere

  39. Hi, Jan. Pinterest… that Pinterest, that Pinterest— makes me feel like a squirrel on a last minute mad rush. I don’t understand it.
    I have a Tota of 3 followers I believe.
    The information you posted here is so helpful. Perhaps I should give Pinterest another look. A calm one.
    Thanks so much for the post. Sweet of you. xo

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