Pinterest for your Side Hustle Business
Everything You Need to use Pinterest for Explosive Growth
When we think about Pinterest, we tend to gravitate towards DIY’ers, food bloggers and inspirational quotes. But, Pinterest is really making an effort moving forward into 2021 to increase visibility to small businesses and those creating videos. They have an entire section on their website dedicated to helping small businesses maximize their website and be able to get the most use from pins. So, how exactly can you use Pinterest for your side hustle business?
We live in a world full of social media platforms and marketing initiatives. So, it’s no wonder if you feel a little overwhelmed. There are so many choices when you look to optimize the visibility of your business online. Making some informed choices is key, as is knowing how to use each platform to the best of its potential. A quick lesson before we get into the thick of it – You don’t need to be on every platform! But, Pinterest brings an incredible amount of opportunity for almost very little cost and I’m going to show you how.
Disclosure: I take pride in only recommending items I personally use now or have used and trust. Some of these links are affiliate links. I may be compensated by the merchant if the item is purchased through these below however there is no cost difference to you the consumer. You are not obligated to click on any link or buy any products I have on this list. But if you do, thank you in advance and I appreciate the support as I continue to help others grow their side hustle businesses! For more information see my Disclosure Page.
Here’s a guide for complete beginners on how to use Pinterest as a social media magnet for your business. This is kind of long and detailed – but I wanted it to be as comprehensive as possible to help you get up and running. Save this page or PIN IT (see what I did there) for later to come back to as a resource for when you get started.
Why use Pinterest for your side hustle business?
For side hustle businesses, Pinterest is a great platform to showcase items or services you’re selling. Not to mention you will develop brand recognition. Most users are females between 25 and 54 years old, so it’s doubly useful if that’s your target market.
Pinterest is very effective at driving traffic to your website and it also has a return on investment that makes it a great business opportunity. Advertising on Pinterest for your side hustle is less expensive than on Facebook, Google, or Instagram. The only thing to be aware of is this is 100% a visual platform: you must have eye-catching photos and posts to grab your target audience’s attention. But, don’t worry – I’ll show you how to get those without costing a fortune or using a graphic designer.
According to Pinterest’s trend reports, small business research on the platform is hotter than ever. Just look at this growth in these topics for 2021.
Branding your business +105%
Podcast design +130%
Entrepreneur motivation +2x
Accounting basics +150%
Small business ideas +90% – Like this one on how to boost your income fast with a side hustle
Step-by-step guide to starting out on Pinterest
Establish a business account on Pinterest for your Side Hustle
Having a business vs a personal Pinterest account will ensure you have access to important analytics about who’s viewing and interacting with your pins. You will also get extra features like promoted posts.
To set up a business account from scratch, go to Pinterest for Business and choose “Join as a Business” then follow the steps. You can also convert a personal Pinterest account to a business one by choosing “Convert Now” on that same page.
Create a catchy profile
Like on any social media, you need to have a good profile to make you stand out when people view your pins. Make sure to combine features like your business logo colors with the photo you post, and add your location and as much information about your business as you want.
In your bio, make sure to research some keywords that help users find businesses like yours. Mix these into your presentation to make your profile easy to stumble upon.
It is important before you get started to have branding completed for your small business. Get your logo done and the colors you want to use moving forward solidified. This reduces the amount of time spent trying to figure out the look of your pins. Your logo watermarks your images on your pins and gets in front of more people creating brand recognition as well.
Affordable places to get branding and logos
1. Etsy – Search custom logo design or branding packages
2. Fiverr – I’ve used Valeriiaty several times – she’s affordable, friendly, and quick
3. Upwork – I primarily use them for higher-level projects but they have a lot of graphic designers on there
4. Picmonkey – If you are creative and can make your own this is a good option
5. Canva – Another DIY program if you want to do it yourself
Claim or verify your website
You won’t get access to Pinterest analytics without completing this step. Add your website address in your profile, click “Verify” and follow the instructions that come up.
I’ve only verified my website using a WordPress theme. But, they do offer a large directory of instructions on their website of ways to complete this task.
Create Rich Pins
When you verify your website, you’ll be able to request access to Rich Pins. These are pins with additional information that is pulled directly from your website. The current Rich Pins include movie, recipe, article, product, and places.
To get an idea of how this would work, say you want people to find your physical shop when you pin photos. By making your post a Place Pin, you can share the location of your shop with that Pin. You’ll have drawn people’s attention to your products and given them the information to get to you, in one single post!
Learn to Use Tools for Pinterest
Tailwind
At first, I resisted Tailwind and assumed it was just another overhyped blogger program. I didn’t fully understand the capabilities it offered. Tailwind allows you to schedule your pins on Pinterest and Instagram. It also creates communities which they call “Tribes” you can join to create collaborations and cross-promotions.
Their best and newest feature in my opinion is Tailwind Create. You can create Pinterest pins right in their program and schedule them within minutes. It was taking me forever to make them in other creative programs and then upload them to Pinterest. This has been a lifesaver and worth every single penny of the yearly membership.
Set up boards and share content
The next step is to set up your boards – named by category (be as creative and relevant as possible) – and start pinning images. To grow engagement and a customer base on Pinterest, try to pin content consistently so you keep the momentum going. Spread the word about your Pinterest profile on any other social media platform where you have a following, too, so that you drum up more interest from as early on as possible.
Pinterest frequently tinkers with their algorithm and right now their focus in on video pins and brand new image pins. This means you can share the same link several times over but they want a fresh photo or video image each time, creating a TON of work. Originally, I was using Canva to create my imagines (again resisting Tailwind) but I’ve come around and starting using their Tailwind Create. It has increased my traffic significantly and takes only a few minutes to create numerous brand new Pinterest images that are scheduled and ready to go – all done for me!
Tips for getting Pinterest board followers
- Make your title extremely easy to find, understand and be searchable
- Keep it public
- Add keywords in the description of the board – what can people expect to find in this board?
- Pick a cover photo for the board – make sure it is appealing, matches the theme and fits within the square profile pic
Make it easy to get to your Pinterest
Not only do you want people to find you on Pinterest, place your Pinterest follow button anywhere you have your other social icons.
- Post a blog article on your website about your Pinterest profile
- Add the link in your email signature
- Add the “Pin it” button or a Pin widget to your blog
- Make sure to add it as a social profile to other websites like LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.
Once you get accustomed to using it, Pinterest can be extremely valuable for growing your customer base and reach out to new audiences. Using Pinterest for business takes a bit of practice, but once you are fully familiar with it, you’ll also enjoy it!
Hopefully, this guide will help you get started and provide a jumping off point to start using Pinterest for your side hustle. I also completed a video a while ago on the best way to use Pinterest for your Poshmark closet. Check it out below!
Until Next Time,
Rebecca
Bexa Boss Lady
