Pinterest is a game-changer for ecommerce businesses. With 89% of pinners using the platform to make purchasing decisions and 320 million monthly active users, your next sale is only one re-pin away.
But if you feel like you don’t know how to sell on Pinterest, the good news is it’s easier than you think.
You don’t need:
In this post, you’ll learn why Pinterest is one of the best social media platforms for sales, as well as 10 actionable strategies to sell on Pinterest. Let’s dive in!
Pinterest is no longer a virtual scrapbook. It’s a powerful visual search engine helping users decide what to buy, and it’s one of the best platforms for driving brand awareness, clicks to your sales pages, and sales.
In fact, Pinterest’s Seasonal Insights report found that:
Additionally, a survey looking at how US users interacted with various social media platforms found that 47% of people used Pinterest to shop or find products. That was 4x higher than Instagram and 3x higher than Facebook.
So if your ideal customer is hanging out on Pinterest and you’re not – you’re leaving money on the table.
Don’t have a Pinterest account for your ecommerce business? Or is it a forgotten part of your social media strategy? There’s no better time to dust off the cobwebs and invest.
Here are 10 actionable strategies for driving more sales with Pinterest:
Pinterest is a visual search engine. If you want to start making money from the platform, you need to invest time and effort in creating attention-grabbing pins.
When a user is mindlessly scrolling, your pin needs to stop them in their tracks and entice them to click-through to your site.
Here are some tips on how to create click-worthy pins:
You can’t rely solely on beautiful images to get noticed on Pinterest. Effective SEO plays a massive part in getting your pin to the top of search results.
The trick to mastering Pinterest SEO is to use keywords specific to your brand and products, and phrases your target audience is actively searching for.
For example, if your ecommerce store specializes in selling DIY home decor for travelers, you might want to include keywords like “Travel decor ideas” and “Travel decor and accessories”.
Where to add your keywords:
But the SEO doesn’t stop there. You need to tweak your profile to make sure you get found for the keywords related to your brand.
Add keywords to:
Rich pin is a business account feature that packs a punch. It allows you to add extra information to your pins, like prices and product descriptions.
There are three types of rich pins:
How to enable rich pins:
Generate more sales with Pinterest ads. While the feature is only available in select countries, it’s a powerful way to target your audience.
You can create entire campaigns or quick ads for one-off promotions. With Pinterest ads, you can target users around:
You can take your ads a step further and use the audience targeting feature to reach more specific groups of people like:
Tip: Tweak your Pinterest Ads by A/B testing different pin designs, titles, descriptions, keywords, and audiences to find what combination gives you the highest ROI.
Catalogs are a newer Pinterest feature for brands who sell products. Think of it as a traditional brochure, but clickable!
You can upload your entire catalog to the site and turn your products into dynamic shoppable pins.
To set it up, you’ll need:
While the setup is a bit technical, your Pinterest catalog automatically updates when you update your website’s product feed once it’s up and running.
With 2 billion searches on Pinterest every month, you need to make sure you’re standing out on the platform.
Instead of only making stock-standard photo pins, add some spice to your Pinterest content mix. Think about how you can add value for your audience and stand out from your competitors.
You can do this by:
For example, Nordace created a video pin and promoted it as a top search result for “how to pack a carry on bag.” It gives the brand a unique way to show off its products in action, helping users visualize how the bag will fit into their lifestyle.
Don’t have a product-based business? You can still make money on Pinterest through affiliate marketing.
It’s the perfect option for influencers who want to monetize their audience and make some money on the side.
Here’s how to set up affiliate marketing on Pinterest:
Tip: For affiliate networks like Amazon Associates, always make sure that you’re allowed to use those links on Pinterest. In the EU, it is allowed, but in the US, the rules are a bit unclear.
Are your followers on Instagram tagging you in posts with your product? Repurpose that UGC and upload it onto Pinterest.
You can take it one step further and use Shop the Look pins. This feature lets you tag multiple products in a photo (similar to Instagram shoppable posts).
It’s a double-whammy of social proof and helping people buy from your shop faster than ever before. Another option is to make specific community members contributors to your Pinterest boards or creating a group board for you and similar content creators in your niche.
Just like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, you need to be social to:
While people don’t come onto Pinterest to comment and interact with users as much as other platforms, there are still a few simple things you can do to increase interactions, including:
On the other hand, Pinterest scrutinizes how your followers respond to your content. Their engagement will determine how fast and far to distribute your pin.
So how can you avoid creating pins that go nowhere?
The secret sauce for getting results on Pinterest is to have a plan. Use a content calendar to make sure you’re creating new pins regularly – the algorithm loves this!
Socialbakers has a robust publishing tool for all of your channels. Since holiday content is especially big on Pinterest, it also helps by letting you trigger to start re-sharing your Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or Easter content.
It’s a simple tactic that can yield significant results. According to Pinterest, searches around holidays and seasons increase, and promoted pins that align with these life events see a 22% increase in sales.
Tip: Start sharing your seasonal content 30-45 days in advance for the best results!
With visual search on the rise, and the sheer amount of users logging on to find stuff to buy, Pinterest is one of the most lucrative social media networks for brands. So if your target audience is using the platform, it’s time to get in on the action and give your brand a competitive edge.
To recap, here’s what you need to do to start making sales on Pinterest:
Don’t miss out on all the potential sales that Pinterest can bring. By following these steps, you could see real improvements and create another community with your audience.
Mark Quadros is a SaaS writer and marketer that helps SaaS brands create and distribute rad content. On the personal front, Mark is a digital nomad who’s been traveling the world since 2018.