Pinterest tip and tricks

[Former_Member]

This Thread is this Team's repository of any tips, tricks, guidelines or things to avoid when using Pinterest to promote your Etsy business.

Have something to contribute? Feel free to share!

Was a tip you found helpful? Feel free to comment and let us know what helped!

[Former_Member]

As you know you can have LOTS of custom boards in your Pinterest account. But did you know that there are limits on how much you can pin or like on Pinterest?

As of today (Feb 28, 2014) these are the limits Pinterest has, regardless of whether you have a personal or business Pinterest account:
- Boards: 350
- Pins: 100,000
- Likes: 100,000

That's 100,000 pins TOTAL, not 100,000 pins per board.

These numbers do seem like a lot, just make sure you don't waste all your pins on re-pinning!!!

[Former_Member]

One topic that always seems to come up when people are starting off with Pinterest is "What are boards?" and "What should I make my boards?"

Think of a board as kind of like a Favorites List like you have on Etsy. But instead of just products, it can be, well, anything. For example, let's say you REALLY like chocolate cake. You can have a board called "Chocolate cake". And instead of products you can pin pictures of chocolate cake, cake recipes, cake decorations, cake decorating tips...anything you personally want to have in this collection of yours!

Now, the fun part. What should your boards be?

Here's an easy answer, and you already have it: make a single board for each category you have in your Etsy store!

If you do this, you can almost immediately have up to 10 Pinterest Boards filled with your products!

[Former_Member]

If you don't already have a Pinterest account, be sure to sign up for a Business account.

http://business.pinterest.com

If you already have a Pinterest account, it's easy to convert your existing one to a Business Account. Just sign into Pinterest, then click on the link above.

[Former_Member]

One big benefit of having a Pinterest Business account is that you will get emails and updates from Pinterest specifically designed to help build your business there.

You'll probably also get the "here's some great pins you might like" messages, but the business-related ones you get can be quite helpful. When you get them, be sure to take the time to read them.

[Former_Member]

Above, I mentioned that you can create a Board for each Etsy category you have. It's a quick way to organize all of your items in Pinterest.

Don't do it.

No, it's STILL a good idea, but for some sellers, 10 Etsy categories isn't enough for them.

Here's a great opportunity for you, then! Create a Board to reflect the category mix you want on Etsy but can't have.

You can't do sub-boards (like sub-categories) but you can have tons of boards to let you expand beyond your 10 Etsy categories, so go ahead and create a Pinterest board for the categories you wish you had on Etsy!

[Former_Member]

Hello,

I am very new to Etsy but I am pretty active on Pinterest. I have all kinds of boards related to fashion and beauty and personal interest. One board is dedicated to my Etsy Shop flowerchild jewelry co. I am trying to Pin related items to that board and not just my products. Please check it out and let me know what you think!

www.pinterest.com/lilaclace/flowerchild-jewelry-co/

[Lot450shop]

I just heard about pinterest teams... anyone tried them?
Also, is it valuable to follow others, or just better to comment or re-pin?

[Former_Member]

@Brenda: ANY interaction in Pinterest is good.

People love having their pins re-pinned. The only thing better than that is getting a comment from another pinned!

Following (for some) is the epitome of Pinterest interaction.

If you really have someone you want to follow, I usually suggest not following that person (since that means you'll get ALL of their activity) but instead follow that person's Boards that interest you. In my opinion, that tells the person you're following that they hit a niche area that is of interest to others!

Regarding Pinterest Teams, I have to admit that you got me on that one. I'll have to do some research on that!!!

And thanks for the post!!!

[iainbyrne]

Thanks folks some very useful tips here for Pinterest. I use Twitter a lot but need help with Pinterest so all help is appreciated.

[KennaInAfrica]

Thanks for the tip ,just converted my pinterest to a business account so now holding thumbs for good things to happen.

[Former_Member]

I just converted my Pinterest to a business acount also but now I don't know what to do next. I'm new to Pinterest and I see links to other people's Etsy items out there but I'm not sure how to do it.

[Former_Member]

@MJ Troche: Have you started posting your Etsy items to Pinterest yet?

If not, here's what I suggest you do:
1. Create a bunch of boards that correspond to your Etsy categories.
2. Install the Pinterest bookmarklet in your browser menu bar.

Now you can start quickly posting your items to your Pinterest boards.

And be sure to add the sale price of the item at the end of your description before you click the "Pin it" button. If you do that, it will know that's the price of the item and display it nicely for your viewers to see.

You may also want to add your store name to the description as well, just to be safe.

If you go to Pinterest and do a search on my store name, you'll see how your listings show up.

[Former_Member]

For more help on bookmarklets check out this Thread:

https://www.etsy.com/teams/20211/etsy-and-social-media-101-and-beyond/discuss/13983845/page/1