Pinterest: An Introverted Marketers Dream Platform

If you’re not currently familiar with the marketing potential of Pinterest, you ought to be. It’s not only one of the most powerful social media platforms on the planet, it’s free, easy, and great fun to use. All of this and it was recently reported that over 300 million people worldwide are using Pinterest! My friends, it’s time to join the Pinterest parade. We all stand to benefit by doing so.

Infront.com defines Pinterest as being a “social media network that allows users to visually share, and discover new interests by posting (known as pinning) images or videos to their own or others’ boards (a collections of  ‘pins’, usually with a common theme) and browsing what other users have pinned.” In a nutshell, users find or create images that represent their interests. These images are then posted on their personal Pinterest platform, intentionally creating a display to be shared by other like-minded users. A savvy marketer adds valuable content to their pins, helpful information that ultimately guides users to purchase their books and services.

I’ve been using Pinterest regularly since 2016 as a platform to showcase books I’ve had the honor to create teacher guides for. Since January of this year, I’ve made a concerted effort to use Pinterest strategically as part of my book launch marketing plan and, I have to say that, I’ve been thrilled with the results. Using Pinterest in this way has broadened the reach for both the Guides by Deb projects and my debut picture book. With time and patience, whether you’re pre-published or a super star, Pinterest can do the same for you, too.

As I see it, there are basically two approaches to using Pinterest as an author or illustrator – one being to create a visual representation highlighting aspects of one’s works in progress. Is your protagonist a mountain climber? Then find and post breathtaking images of the heights she scales. Are you deep in research focused on the brilliance of butterfly wings? Or, are you steeped in a scientific breakthrough or a historical setting of some sort? Whatever your interest, Pinterest can support it. Create themed boards, search the web for stunning images, and pin to your heart’s content. Then invite those who visit your website to stop by your Pinterest platform to be wowed by your masterpieces!

The second approach involves a more systematic plan to attract specific users to one’s platform. In my case, I want educators and homeschoolers to discover the books and guides offered on my website. I also desire to invite those individuals, as well as female athletes and organizations that serve them, to purchase my book. In order to do this, I consistently post and tag what are called “rich pins” that consist of valuable content – blogposts, podcast episodes, videos – that, hopefully, users will find to be informative.  Truth be told, using Pinterest in this strategic way does require more planning and some additional tech background, but I’ve found the end result to be incredible! My once little, lost and lonesome www.guidesbydeb.com website is now host to a large number of hits every single day!

So what do think? Are you ready to give Pinterest a whirl? Create an account. Make some boards. Share some pins. Join in the fun!

Debbie Gonzales is a career educator, curriculum consultant, former school administrator and adjunct professor, and once served as the SCBWI RA for the Austin Chapter.  She's the author of six “transitional” readers for New Zealand publisher, Giltedge, and the forthcoming non-fiction picture book Girls with Guts: The Road to Breaking Barriers and Bashing Records (Charlesbridge, 2019). Deb creates teacher guides for new releases and is the host of The Debcast, a podcast dedicated to the tenacious spirit of the female athlete. Deb earned her MFA in writing for children and young adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Subscribe to her podcast on iTunes and/or stop by www.debbiegonzales.com or www.guidesbydeb.com to check out her painlessly promotable content.

Want to learn more? Come to the SCBWI-MI Shop Talk in Ann Arbor for Pinterest Basics for Authors and Illustrators this Saturday, Sept. 14th, 10am - noon.

Debbie Gonzales will give an overview of Pinterest, show you how to manage your own Pinterest platform, and teach how to use a Content Calendar to manage your professional social media. Read more about this free workshop at: https://michigan.scbwi.org/events/scbwi-mi-ann-arbor-shop-talk-11/

Coming up on the Mitten Blog:

It's time for our quarterly Ask the Editor feature where editor Katherine Gibson answers your questions about publishing for children. See you Friday!