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Growing an audience on a social media platform is essential for bloggers. So should you get started on Instagram? Or is Pinterest the better option?

When you begin blogging, you’ll likely need to wait months or years before search engines begin to rank your website properly. However, you don’t need to sit around twiddling your thumbs until that happens. Social media allows anyone with engaging content to expand their audience.
Instagram and Pinterest are two platforms that many beginner bloggers turn to when trying to grow their online presence. Both have benefits and drawbacks, and choosing the right one will allow you to dedicate more energy to attracting website traffic. So let’s compare them.

Monthly Active Users

Person liking a photo on Instagram

 

When looking at monthly active users, Instagram is much bigger than Pinterest. According to Statista, Instagram has around 1.35 billion people using the platform each month. And by 2025, that figure is expected to reach 1.44 billion.

Meanwhile, Pinterest had—according to Statista—463 million monthly active users in the first quarter of 2023. This is down from its peak in Q1 2021 when the platform had 478 million. However, it’s still not a bad audience base, and you could argue that finding your target audience will be less competitive.

Learning Curve

photo of pinterest page on a laptop

When choosing a social media network as a blogger, you need to think about whether you can continue using it as your audience grows, or if it’ll reach a peak saturation point. You must also consider what the learning curve is like.

The benefit of a bigger learning curve is that you’ll grow more over the long run. But on the flip side, you might become discouraged if it’s too steep in the beginning. In terms of app usability, Instagram is arguably easier to understand than Pinterest.

Instagram is quite an intuitive app. With Pinterest, you’ll need to learn a few extra things—such as how to design engaging pins and create boards. If you’ve decided that you want to use Pinterest, consider learning how to design a Pinterest Pin in Canva.

Growing Your Account

Man holding phone with Instagram on it

Social media can benefit businesses in many ways, and if you’re planning to monetize your blog later down the line, using social media is worthwhile. It’s hard to grow on most platforms, but some are easier than others. So how do Instagram and Pinterest compare in this respect?

Pinterest

Pinterest operates more like a search engine. Users look for topics that interest them, and they can do so using the search bar or checking their home feeds. If you publish consistently on the app, you can increase your monthly viewership—which may lead to more outbound clicks.

Gaining followers on Pinterest is sometimes challenging, but your follower count doesn’t really matter. Statistics such as saved pins and outbound clicks are more important for bloggers.

Instagram

Getting noticed on Instagram is quite challenging, especially as a beginner. Although you’ll see a lot of advice about how often you should post and the types of content you should publish, you’re better off being authentic and posting when you need to. In that respect, you might want to build your blog audience first and let them naturally find your Instagram page later.

Content Diversification Options

Before picking your preferred social media platform as a blogger, understanding what types of content you can share is a good idea. Not only will you be able to determine what you should prepare in advance, but you can also pick a platform with a form of media that you like.

Instagram

 

Instagram has evolved from being a simple photo-sharing app. Of course, you can share still images—and you have the choice to include up to 10 in a carousel post. However, since the introduction of Reels in 2020, video content has become more popular. If you want to stand out on Instagram, consider trying a selection of Reels ideas.

On Instagram, you can also share Stories in the form of both photos and videos. You can add stickers, along with encouraging your audience to ask questions and much more.

Pinterest

A Person's Pinterest Page With Photos

 

Pinterest also allows you to share videos with your audience, but these aren’t as much of a core experience as they’ve become on Instagram. You can also share carousel-style posts, but you’re limited to a maximum of five images.

If you like still images more than video content, you might want to think about using Pinterest over Instagram. At a later point, you can expand onto Instagram if you feel like you want to explore video content more.

Character Limits

Instagram post on iPhone

 

Even if you don’t start a blog on Instagram, knowing how to write engaging content both there and on Pinterest can help you build the audience you’re looking for. But prior to doing this, you should understand what the character limits are on each network.

When sharing a Pinterest board, you can only write a maximum of 500 characters. With that in mind, your descriptions should be brief and give users an idea of what to expect when they click on your link.

Instagram, on the other hand, lets you type up to 2,200 characters. But while you have more room to share your captions, you should still try to keep your writing as succinct as possible.

Image of a Pinterest Post With Link

The main goal of using social media as a blogger is to drive traffic to your website, and ideally, to also increase your newsletter sign-ups. Removing as much friction as possible can help in that respect.

Instagram lets you add links to specific posts, but you can’t use hyperlinks. As such, someone would have to copy and paste the link into their web browser. However, you can add links to your Stories and bio.

On Pinterest, you can add outbound links in each pin. Moreover, you have the option to include a link in your bio and claim your website.

Will You Choose Instagram or Pinterest?

Both Instagram and Pinterest offer several benefits to beginner bloggers, and you can scale with both of them as more people discover your work. Pinterest is an excellent tool for helping others find your content, especially if your site still doesn’t rank highly in search engines.

Instagram is arguably a better choice for more established bloggers, and it’s worth letting your audience find your account from your site—rather than the other way around. But you can build a close connection with your audience on Instagram, and you may find that it’s an ideal option for encouraging newsletter sign-ups.

By Danny Maiorca

Danny enjoys exploring different creative disciplines, especially photography. He has a degree in Sports Journalism and has been writing professionally since 2016.

Sourced from MUO

Pinterest has a lot to offer both beginner and experienced photographers. Here’s how you can make the most of this undercover social media site.

Pinterest is a network where many people seek inspiration for their own creative ideas, and it’s also a spot where those with an open mindset can successfully promote their photography skills.

Whether you work with clients or create your own products (or both), you’ve got plenty of opportunities to use Pinterest effectively. In this guide, you will discover seven possible things you can try when using the platform.

1. Finding Inspiration From Other Photographers

A Pinterest board showing different photography styles

If you’ve ever used Pinterest in a smaller capacity before, it was probably to find inspiration. It’s a great place to look for ideas related to travel, food, lifestyle, and much more. And whether you’re a beginner to photography or a seasoned professional, Pinterest can help you advance your skills even further.

When using Pinterest, you can find inspiration from other photographers in your field. For example, you can look for new locations to capture in your local area or potential ways to place items in a photoshoot if you want to improve your product photography.

Pinterest is also useful if you want to look at new aesthetics to adjust your editing style. You can then advance your editing skills in Lightroom once you’ve saved some ideas.

2. Learning More About Photography as a Craft

Photo of a photographer inside a greenhouse surrounded by plants

Finding inspiration from other photographers is one way to get better at your craft, but it’s not necessarily the most efficient way to do so. For many people, the best way to become a better street photographer (or excel in any genre, for that matter) is to absorb information and put it into action.

Pinterest might not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking about where you can learn more about photography. However, it’s an excellent place to find practical resources, such as blog posts, YouTube videos, and podcast episodes.

Many creators publish pins of what they share elsewhere on Pinterest, and you’ll also find the outbound link here. You can use the search bar on Pinterest to find topics (such as “photography tips”). When you see something that you want to refer to later, save it as a pin within a mood board.

If you enjoy using Pinterest, and your favourite browser is Firefox, consider trying these Pinterest add-ons for Firefox.

3. Drive Bookings for Photoshoots

An external hard disk drive plugged into a laptop

For many photographers, photoshoots are a popular income stream. In addition to being skilled at your craft, you also need to market your services to your target audience. Social media in general is ideal for doing that, and Pinterest can help you get your work in front of others who may wish to do business with you.

When using Pinterest as a photographer, you can share your best work in separate pins. To bring all of these together, consider creating a board that others can access. Each time you share a pin that includes a portfolio piece, you can provide a brief description of what you do. If a user likes what they see, they can click on the link you include and book a shoot directly with you.

If you use pins for photoshoot bookings, it’s worth mentioning the locations you’re willing to work in. Giving others an idea of where you’re based is also wise.

Are you trying to build your portfolio? Consider trying different creative photoshoot ideas at home.

4. Promote Products From Your Online Store

Although many photographers begin their careers with client work, running a business has the beauty of opening your eyes to plenty of other income-generating opportunities. It’s not uncommon for experienced photographers to launch their own products later on, including selling prints and photography books.

When promoting your photography services, you’ll need to build awareness around the products in your store if you want to maximize your earning potential. Pinterest is a handy place for doing precisely that.

To help promote products from your online store, you should think about what the end result is for the buyer. For example, if you create and sell Lightroom presets, showcase what a picture looks like before and after applying it. Similarly, if you sell prints, you can show how the photo looks when it appears on someone’s wall

5. Finding Other Local Photographers

Search results on Pinterest for Copenhagen photographers

 

Although many people have a camera on their smartphone these days, being truly passionate about photography—to the point of learning more about the craft—is a lot more rare. As a result, you may find your life as a photographer quite lonely if you don’t make an effort to meet like-minded people.

There are many ways that social media brings people together, and one of its greatest benefits is that you can find people living near you with related interests. If you’re looking for other photographers, you can use Pinterest in a similar way to Instagram by typing your location followed by “photographer” in the search bar.

When you see a photographer that interests you, you can send them a message on Pinterest. Alternatively, see if they have any other social media accounts and contact them on those.

6. Asking Clients to Find Photoshoot Styles That Interest Them

A Pinterest board with different photoshoot ideas

 

Like selling a service in any other business, it’s essential that you understand what your client wants from a photoshoot. The best way to do this is by asking in advance—or even better, asking your client to provide examples of what they’re looking for.

You can tell clients to create a board with different ideas on Pinterest, and once they’ve done this, they can provide you with the link. Alternatively, you can create a board of ideas you’ve got and send your proposals to see if the other party is happy.

When creating boards for this phase, you can always make them private if you want. You can find out how to use secret boards on Pinterest in a separate guide.

7. Promoting Pins via Advertising

Like many other social media networks, Pinterest offers an avenue for paid advertising if you want to get in front of more people. Of course, you’ll need a budget to use Pinterest advertising—but once you’re established, you may find that this is a useful option for getting in front of more users.

When advertising on Pinterest, make sure you understand who you’re trying to reach with your photography. Moreover, you should set a clear limit on how much you’re willing to spend in advance.

Pinterest: A Powerful Platform for Photographers

Pinterest has several uses for photographers, and it can help both those who work with clients and photographers who sell products. Even if you’re only in your early days as a photographer, you can find significant value in using Pinterest to discover different photography styles and resources.

Now that you’ve read this guide, you should have a better idea of how you can make the most out of this still-underrated social media platform. Why not experiment with each of these tips?

By Danny Maiorca

Danny specializes in writing about productivity and also enjoys exploring different creative disciplines, especially photography. He has a degree in Sports Journalism and has been writing professionally since 2016.

Sourced from MUO

By Trevor Sinclair

Pinterest has taken the internet by storm over the years. The visual search engine, which allows users to “pin” images and ideas onto virtual boards, is a go-to source of inspiration for millions of people around the world. It’s no wonder people want to know how to make money on Pinterest without a blog!

And it’s not just a passing fad – Pinterest is here to stay. In fact, it looks like it’s only going to get bigger and more popular.

This is good news for anyone looking to make money on Pinterest. As the old marketing saying goes, “Where attention goes, money flows.” Whether you’re selling physical products or promoting your services as a freelancer or small business owner, there’s a way to tap into this goldmine of traffic and customers.

So, if you’re looking to cash in on the Pinterest craze, read on for some tips on how to make money on Pinterest without a blog!

Why Use Pinterest To Make Money?

The key to making money on Pinterest lies in understanding the platform’s demographics.

It’s a place where people go to discover

Unlike other social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, where users go to catch up with friends and family or consume news, Pinterest is all about inspiration. People come to the site when they are in the mood to be creative, try new things, or research a purchase.

As a result, Pinterest has become an invaluable tool for businesses. In fact, 97% of the top searches on Pinterest are unbranded, meaning people are open to discovering new products and services.

This presents a massive opportunity for businesses to reach a vast audience of potential customers. In addition, the visual nature of Pinterest makes it ideal for promoting products and services.

People who use Pinterest are avid shoppers

As any marketer knows, avid shoppers are the key to a successful business. And no group of shoppers is more passionate than those who use Pinterest. For people who use Pinterest, shopping is a lifestyle.

They’re always on the lookout for new products, and they’re quick to jump on trends. In Pinterest’s Feed Optimization Playbook, data company Dynata conducted a poll and discovered that 75% of weekly Pinterest users say they’re constantly shopping.

Moreover, they’re not afraid to spend money – they see shopping as an investment, not a luxury.

As a result, Pinterest is a marketer’s dream. Not only does it provide a captive audience of shoppers, but it also gives businesses a direct way to reach them.

With its powerful search engine and easy-to-use tools, Pinterest is the perfect platform for marketers who want to tap into the power of social shopping.

High-earning demographic

Pinterest may be a place to find recipes and DIY projects, but it’s also a hot spot for high-earning social users. According to data from Hootsuite, 45% of social users with a household income over $100K are active on Pinterest.

That makes it a not-so-hidden gem for advertisers who want to put their products and services in front of people who can afford them. So, why is Pinterest such a popular platform for high earners?

For one, it’s a visual platform that allows users to quickly browse and discover new products and ideas. In addition, Pinterest has a strong focus on lifestyle content, which is particularly appealing to users with high disposable incomes. So, if you’re looking to reach an affluent audience, Pinterest is worth considering.

How To Make Money On Pinterest Without A Blog: 8 Ridiculously Useful Ways

Now can you see how powerful Pinterest is as a tool for making money? If you don’t have a blog, don’t worry – there are plenty of ways to make money on Pinterest.

Here are some of the best ways to make money on Pinterest without a blog:

Sell Physical Products

One of the simplest and most effective ways to make money on Pinterest is to sell physical products. If you have a product that you think would appeal to Pinterest users, all you need to do is set up a shop and start promoting your products.

Examples of products are:

  • Clothes
  • Jewellery
  • Artwork
  • Home decor
  • Furniture

You can direct users to an Etsy store, Amazon, or Shopify store, or even your simple landing page with PayPal checkout. It is essential to make it easy for users to buy your products.

To get started, you’ll need to create high-quality pins that show off your products in all their glory. Remember, Pinterest is a visual platform, so your pins must be eye-catching and visually appealing.

In addition, you’ll need to create compelling descriptions of your products and include relevant keywords to ensure that your pins are easy to find.

If you want to take things a step further, you can create product videos and include them in your pins. Video is a powerful marketing tool that can help you reach a broader audience on Pinterest.

Print on Demand: Highly Recommended Method To Sell Physical Products

Print on demand (POD) is a printing technology that allows you to print products only when you receive an order, without carrying inventory. This is in contrast to traditional methods where you would print products in bulk and then hope to sell them all.

It also allows you to create customized products (in low competition niches), which can be a significant selling point. For example, you could create a custom mug with someone’s name or favorite quote.

In short, POD is a strong business because it eliminates a lot of risk!

First, it eliminates the need to invest in inventory, which can tie up a lot of capital.

Second, it reduces the risk of being stuck with unsold products.

Third, it allows businesses to respond quickly to changes in customer demand. For example, if a Pinterest user sees a shirt they like and wants to buy it, a print-on-demand company can print and ship it within a few days.

This flexibility and responsiveness are some of the main reasons why print on demand is such a robust business model.

In addition, print-on-demand companies often have no minimum order requirement so that businesses can test out new product designs with very little upfront investment.

When someone orders a product from your shop, you simply send the order to your POD provider, who will print and ship the product to the customer. With POD, you only pay for the ordered products, so there is very little overhead cost. This makes it an extremely efficient way to earn an online income.

Many people have found Printful to be a very user-friendly POD service.

Try Printful Here

Sell Digital Products

If you don’t have any physical products, don’t worry – you can still make money on Pinterest by selling digital products.

Digital products are perfect for Pinterest because they can be delivered instantly, which means there’s no shipping or waiting involved.

Some examples of digital products that you could sell on Pinterest include:

  • Ebooks
  • Online courses
  • Printables
  • Graphics and templates

To get started, all you need to do is create a pin that promotes your digital product. Include a compelling description and an eye-catching image, and be sure to include a link to where users can buy your product. If you’re wondering how to make money on Pinterest without a blog, this is one of the most effective methods.

Pinterest Affiliate Marketing

One of the best ways to monetize Pinterest is through affiliate marketing. Pinterest affiliate marketing is the process of earning a commission by promoting another person’s product.

Here are some reasons why you should monetize Pinterest using affiliate marketing:

  • Commission structures can be very generous
  • There is a wide range of products to choose from
  • You don’t need your product
  • It’s a low-risk way to start your business
  • You don’t need to fulfil orders
  • You don’t need to provide any post-sale service

All you need to do is find products that appeal to your target audience and create pins that promote those products. Then, when someone clicks on your pin, they will proceed to your affiliate link and buy the product.

It’s a win-win – the advertiser gets more sales, and you get to earn some money for promoting their product.

To start with Pinterest affiliate marketing, you’ll need to sign up for an affiliate program within a particular niche. Once you’re approved, you’ll be given a unique affiliate link that you can use to promote products.

When someone clicks on your affiliate link and buys a product, you’ll earn money (as a percentage of the sale). It’s that simple! Just be sure to promote products that are relevant to your audience and that you believe in. Otherwise, you run the risk of alienating your followers.

Choose a Niche For Your Pinterest Account

When it comes to affiliate marketing, choosing the right niche is essential. Not only will this help you focus your efforts and find potential customers, but it will also ensure that you’re able to stand out from the competition. So, how do you select the perfect niche for your affiliate marketing business?

Here are a few tips:

1. Start by brainstorming a list of potential niches. What interests you? What are you passionate about? What do you have experience in?

2. Once you have a list of potential niches, research each one to see if a market exists. For example, are people searching for information on this topic (particularly on Pinterest)? Are there already a lot of affiliate marketers working in this space?

3. Take a look at the competition. How crowded is the niche you’re considering? Are there already a lot of big players in the space?

If so, you may want to consider choosing a different niche. Alternatively, if the niche is fairly new or lightly populated, that could be an opportunity for you to get in early and become a leading voice in the space.

Competition isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and it proves that a market already exists. However, if the market is saturated already, it may be difficult for you to make a name for yourself.

4. Narrow down your list to a handful of promising niches, and then dive into each one. Learn as much as you can about the ins and outs of the niche. This will help you determine if it’s something you’re genuinely passionate about and if there’s enough demand to justify launching an affiliate marketing business in this space.

5. This is an important one – think about how you will monetize the niche! What types of products or services are people in this niche buying? How can you promote those products or services and earn a commission?

This is an essential piece of the puzzle, and it’s one that many people overlook. If you can’t think of a way to monetize the niche, then it’s probably not worth pursuing.

6. Make your final decision and get started! The most important thing is to choose a niche you’re passionate about and believe there’s a market for. Once you’ve done that, the rest will fall into place.

Set up your Pinterest Account profile

No matter what you’re promoting on Pinterest- whether it’s a digital product, physical product, your product, or an affiliate product – you’re going to set up your Pinterest profile similarly.

Here’s how it would work: first, you would choose a niche – let’s say pets. Then you would set up a profile all about pets, including boards filled with pins on the latest training methods, healthy pet treats, and the best chew toys.

This example is a quality example!

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Choose a catchy name and profile photo for your Pinterest business account. Make sure your name is easy to remember and pronounce and that your photo represents the type of products you’ll be promoting.

2. Create Pinterest boards that showcase your style. Organize your pins into Pinterest boards that reflect your taste and the types of products you’ll be featuring.

For example, you might have a Pinterest board for pet food, one for bedding, one for puppy training, and another for protection training. More on this later!

Here’s an example of a quality Pinterest board on homemade dog treats!

3. Start pinning! Find high-quality images of the products you want to promote and upload them to your boards. Be sure to include affiliate links in the descriptions so that people can purchase the items you’re featuring.

4. Engage with other users. For your profile to be successful, you need to be active on Pinterest. That means pinning regularly, commenting on other users’ pins, and joining group boards.

5. Promote your profile. Once you have a solid following, start promoting your profile on other social media platforms and in forums related to your niche. You can also run ads on Pinterest to get more exposure for your profile.

Market Your Own Services

You can market your services on Pinterest if you have a skill or service to sell.

Say you’re a freelance writer. You want to use Pinterest to promote your writing services, but you’re not sure how. Have no fear! Here are three easy ways to get started:

1. Create an optical freebie. This could be a PDF guide to writing killer blog posts or a cheat sheet for nailing that elusive perfect pitch. Of course, this might depend on the niches that you focus on. Then, create pins that link back to the freebie’s download page. Use attractive visuals and compelling copy to make your pins stand out.

2. Give the freebie away in exchange for an email. Offer a freebie in exchange for an email address, and then use that list to promote your writing services. You can create a simple landing page using a service like LeadPages or Unbounce, or you can code one from scratch if you’re feeling fancy.

If you’re going to work to get Pinterest traffic, then you want to ensure you’re getting the most out of that traffic by collecting emails.

3. Drive Pinterest traffic to your Facebook business page and start a conversation! If you don’t have a blog, don’t fear. It’s very easy to set up a Facebook business page. This should also help legitimize your business!

Use Pinterest to drive Pinterest traffic to your Facebook business page, and then use that page to promote your writing services. It’s a great way to get more eyes on your business, and it’s a great way to take advantage of the power of social media.

Brand Partnership & Creator Rewards Program

If you’re an aspiring influencer with a carefully curated Pinterest board, you may be eligible for the Pinterest Creator program. The program is designed to help people turn their passion for pinning into a source of income.

What if you could be rewarded for your creativity? That’s the idea behind Pinterest’s new Creator Rewards program. The social media site has launched this innovative way to financially empower creators, who will now have an opportunity to make money by posting quality content and engaging with the audience every month!

Pinterest will create monthly reward goals for each creator based on their performance, and those who hit their targets will receive a share of the revenue generated from ads served on their content.

To be eligible for the program, you’ll need to be over 18, be based in the United States, and have a specific amount of views and followers. If you’re accepted into the program, you’ll receive access to exclusive resources and opportunities to help you grow your online presence.

Brand Partnerships

Brand partnerships are strategic relationships between two brands that create mutual value.

There are many different types of brand partnerships, but one of the most common is when a brand partners with an influencer or social media profile on Pinterest. This type of partnership can be beneficial for both brands and influencers.

For brands, partnering with an influencer on Pinterest can help them tap into the power of creators’ audiences.

By partnering with an influencer with a large and engaged following, brands can reach a new audience and promote their products or services more authentically.

In addition, brand partnerships can help brands build trust and credibility with consumers. For example, when consumers see that a brand is endorsed by an influencer they trust, they are more likely to trust the brand.

For creators, partnering with a brand can provide several benefits.

First, it can help them build their brand and expand their reach.

Second, it can provide them with an additional source of income.

And finally, it can give them access to exclusive products or experiences they can share with their followers. Brand partnerships can be a win-win for brands and influencers if they are strategic and well-executed.

Check out our guide on how to become an influencer for more on this!

How To Approach Brands For Sponsorships

So you want to be a sponsored Pinterest user? Great, because brands always look for influencers to help promote their products or services. But before you start emailing companies out of the blue, there are a few things you need to do first.

Step one: Make sure your account is in tip-top shape. That means creating high-quality content consistent with your brand voice and aesthetic.

Step two: Grow your following. The more engaged followers you have, the more attractive you will be to brands.

Step three: Create a media kit. This document should include information about your accounts, such as your follower count, engagement rate, and the type of content you produce.

Step four: Start reaching out to companies you think would be a good fit for your brand. Again, be professional and polite, and don’t forget to include your media kit! Following these steps will increase your chances of landing a sponsorship deal. Good luck!

Support Other People Growing On Pinterest

There’s gold in them thar hills! And by hills, we mean Pinterest. This social media platform is a gold rush for creators and businesses looking to make money online.

And like any gold rush, there are two types of people who stand to make a profit: those who find the gold and sell the picks and shovels.

Pinterest has a lot of untapped potential, and creators are just now starting to realize it.

As more and more people look to cash in on this social media gold rush, there will be an increasing demand for services that help them get the most out of Pinterest.

That’s where you come in. By offering Pinterest manager, Pinterest virtual assistant, or graphic design services, you can help creators make stunning pins that are sure to stand out from the crowd.

For example, are you really good at Canva? If you’re good with Canva and have an eye for design, you can make a killing selling Pinterest templates.

People are always looking for ways to save time and create beautiful graphics, and Canva is a great tool. By creating templates that people can use over and over, you can make a lot of money (passively) – just put your designs on Etsy or even Pinterest itself!

Try Canva Here

So, if you’re looking to make money on Pinterest, consider selling the picks and shovels instead of chasing after the gold.

Understanding Pinterest SEO: Key Factor In How To Make Money on Pinterest Without a Blog

So, if you’re selling anything online – physical goods, digital products, or even blog content – you need to be on Pinterest, and you need to rank high in Pinterest search results. And that’s where Pinterest SEO comes in.

Like with Google SEO, the goal of Pinterest SEO is to get your pins to rank high in the search results so that people will see them and click through to your website. But there are key differences between how Google and Pinterest rank content.

First, Google relies heavily on text-based signals like keyword density and meta tags. But since Pinterest is a visual platform, the Pinterest algorithm relies more on image quality, pin descriptions, and board titles.

To rank high in Pinterest search, you need to make sure your pins are high quality and relevant to the keywords people are searching. You also need to have descriptive pin titles and descriptions, as well as board titles that accurately reflect the topic of your board.

And finally, you need to be active on Pinterest. The algorithm looks at how often you pin, how many people repin your pins, and how much engagement your pins get. So, the more active you are on Pinterest, the higher your pins will rank in the search results.

Pinterest Keyword Research

Keyword research is essential for anyone who wants to get the most out of Pinterest. Fortunately, it’s not nearly as difficult as it sounds. Here’s a step-by-step guide to conducting keyword research on Pinterest:

1. The first step is to develop a list of relevant keywords. To do this, consider the topics your target audience is interested in. For example, if you’re targeting millennials, some relevant keywords might be “fashion,” “travel,” or “food.”

2. Once you have your list of keywords, it’s time to start searching for them on Pinterest. The best way to do this is by using the search bar at the top of the page.

Then, simply type in each keyword one at a time and hit enter. For example, if you’re in the fashion industry, you might search for “women’s fashion” or “spring trends.”

As you type, Pinterest will suggest similar phrases and keywords that other users have searched for in the past. By looking at these suggested keywords, you can get an idea of which ones are most popular with users.

3. After you’ve conducted your searches, look at the results and note any viral pins. You’ll want to target these pins with your content.

4. Finally, once you understand which keywords are most popular on Pinterest, you can start incorporating them into your pin descriptions and boards. This will help ensure that as many people see your content as possible.

Can I Use Pinterest Without A Blog?

Yes. While blogs are great for content marketing, they’re not required to make money on Pinterest. You can send people to a simple opt-in page, advertorial, or sales page.

You can even use direct linking to affiliate offers, although some affiliate networks do not allow this, and this is not a powerful method.

The best way to use Pinterest for business is to link to your website or Facebook page so people can learn more about your products or services.

How To Make Money On Pinterest Without a Blog (As a Beginner)

For those just getting started with making money on Pinterest, the most important thing to understand is how to leverage the platform to gain traffic. And there are a few key ways to do this.

First, creating high-quality pins that are eye-catching and relevant to your target audience is important. In addition, strategic use of keywords can help potential customers more easily find your pins.

Once you’ve built up a steady stream of traffic, you can start sending that traffic to an offer. Whether it’s a product you’re selling or an affiliate offer, if you can convert your visitors into buyers, you’ll start making money on Pinterest.

Remember to focus on creating quality content, promoting your pins widely, and driving traffic to an offer. If you do those things, you’ll be well on your way to success.

How Many Followers On Pinterest Do You Need To Make Money? (Monetize Pinterest)

You don’t need a lot of followers. You can start making money with as few as 20 followers.

Of course, the more followers you have, the more potential customers you’ll reach, but you don’t need a huge following to start earning an income from Pinterest.

So, if you’re thinking about starting a side hustle on Pinterest, don’t let a lack of followers hold you back. You can start small and grow your following over time. Who knows? You could even turn your Pinterest side hustle into a full-time business with a little hard work.

Conclusion

And that’s a wrap! By now, you should have a pretty good idea of how to make money on Pinterest without a blog. As we’ve seen, this social media platform is incredibly powerful and can be a great way to earn some extra cash.

But, of course, there are some important steps that you’ll need to take in order to be successful. And who knows? With enough hard work, you might even be able to quit your day job and become a full-time Pinterest pinning pro.

 

By Trevor Sinclair

Sourced from NICHEPURSUITS

By Xintian Tina Wang

It’s just the tip of what’s in store for artificial intelligence-powered shopping.

If it’s been a while since you’ve checked out Pinterest, you might want to reconsider unpinning it.

The San Francisco-based image-sharing platform has been making inroads into social commerce that might deserve your attention. To wit, Pinterest last Thursday announced its acquisition of The Yes, the San Francisco-based A.I.-powered shopping platform for fashion brands. The tie-up is expected to bring more interactive sales opportunities to retailers using Pinterest. And that could lead to more customers flocking to the app shopping for cool trends.

A.I.-powered shopping is not new. However, with the pandemic-fuelled e-commerce boom, the competition is growing ever more fierce–which makes standing out all the more necessary. As a result, consumers may be looking for ways to make the shopping experience more streamlined.​ Enter A.I.-powered shopping, with the promise of fully automated self-service and highly personalized shopping experiences

“Using intelligent, real-time learning, the recommendation algorithms get smarter over time as they learn more about the individual–similar to how music apps like Pandora or Spotify understand your tastes and preferences depending on the feedback they receive,” Julie Bornstein, the co-founder and CEO of THE YES tells Inc.

Bornstein adds that A.I.-powered shopping is poised to become the future of commerce five to 10 years from now. “Over the next few years, we will see more and more retailers and brands invest in A.I. as they can all benefit from high-signal data from their customers,” she says.

Here’s what you need to know now to stay ahead of the curve:

1. Get familiar with these A.I. tools

To get started, explore these online resources and platforms to get a sense of how A.I. can help your business grow in the long term.

If you want to develop a customer-centric experience through advanced image and video recognition, the New York City-based tech startup Clarifai helps businesses use machine learning and deep neural networks to identify and analyse images and videos. The tools can be useful for improving ranking search results, increasing conversions with similar product recommendations, and personalizing product recommendations.

If you are looking for a platform to analyse your customers’ interaction data, like email newsletter subscription and online chatbot conversations, NYC-based marketing technology company Zeta Global may be for you. The company says it can support brands by suggesting audience segmentations that leverage the service’s more than 235 million consumer identities–including demographic, location, behavioural, and transactional signals.

2. Expect a warm welcome

Your customers are likely already using A.I.-powered online shopping. According to 5WPR’s 2022 Consumer Culture Report, which looks into consumers’ consumption trends, more than half of consumers between the ages of 16 and 44 report using A.I. when online shopping. While half of consumers polled said they use interactive chats, 43 percent indulge in voice search, and 37 percent turn to reverse image search. The last tool allows for a consumer to search for a product using a photo instead of typing in keywords in the search bar.

“For years, consumer industries have been saying that artificial intelligence is the future, and now we’re seeing younger consumers seeking out and utilizing these offerings at an increasingly fast pace,” says 5WPR co-CEO Dara A. Busch. So, expect open minds.

3. Consider offline applications

A.I.-powered shopping is not only for online stores. A 2021 report that looks into the future of shopping, by Santa Clara-based A.I.-powered retail solutions company AiFi, shows that brands can use A.I. to collect data on a shopper’s path through a physical store, logging which items they pick up, replace, move, or add to a cart, the overall time they spend inside, and which checkout and payment options they choose. In this way, A.I. can improve customer service and offer more personalized guidance.

“Seamless integration into e-commerce is only the beginning of how consumer-facing companies will be utilizing emerging A.I. technologies. We can also expect to see brick-and-mortar shops incorporating A.I. in their stores as a way to draw consumers away from the online experience and in through their physical doors,” says Busch.

Feature Image Credit: Getty Images

By Xintian Tina Wang

Sourced from Inc.

By Leo Sun

The social media company still faces an uphill battle.

Key Points

  • Pinterest’s stock has been hit by downgrades and price target reductions over the past two months.
  • It’s struggling to retain its top executives, and its insiders continue to dump the stock as it hits fresh 52-week lows.
  • The stock looks reasonably valued relative to its growth, but the lack of new buyout rumors at these levels raises a bright red flag.

Pinterest‘s (NYSE:PINS) stock hit an all-time high of $89.90 last February during the Reddit-fuelled rally in meme and growth stocks. However, the stock subsequently plummeted about 70% as concerns about its decelerating user growth in a post-lockdown market spooked the bulls.

Investors might be tempted to buy Pinterest after that massive decline, but they should pay close attention to four red flags which recently appeared.

1. A series of downgrades

First and foremost, Pinterest has endured a series of price target reductions and downgrades over the past two months.

Last November, Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak reduced his price target from $77 to $53 but maintained an “overweight” rating on the stock. In December, J.P. Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth cut his price target from $55 to $50 and maintained a “neutral” rating.

That same month, Loop Capital’s Rob Sanderson cut his price target from $66 to $50 but maintained a “buy” rating, while Citi analyst Jason Bazinet cut his price target from $48 to $42 and maintained a “neutral” rating. Earlier this month, Guggenheim’s Michael Morris downgraded Pinterest from buy to neutral and cut his price target from $46 to $39.

All of these analysts expressed similar concerns: that Pinterest’s monthly active user (MAU) growth would remain sluggish in a post-lockdown market, that it could lose its early mover’s advantage in the “social commerce” market to nimbler social media rivals, and that its online advertising business was vulnerable to competition and macroeconomic headwinds.

Those concerns are all valid, but investors should always take Wall Street analysts’ forecasts with a grain of salt — especially since they only lowered their price targets after Pinterest’s tumbling stock dropped through them:

PINS Chart

Source: YCharts

Furthermore, even the lowest price target now represents a significant premium to Pinterest’s current price — although that could quickly change if these Wall Street analysts hastily cut their price targets again.

2. More executive departures

Pinterest needs to test out fresh strategies to curb its post-lockdown decline in MAUs, which dropped from a peak of 478 million in the first quarter of 2021 to 444 million in the third quarter. Unfortunately, Pinterest seems to be struggling to retain its top leaders as its growth decelerates.

On Jan. 25, The Information claimed that Pinterest had lost at least seven senior executives in recent weeks. That list includes:

  • Corporate Development Chief – Gary Johnson
  • Core Product Chief – Omar Seyal
  • Creator Marketing Chief – Colleen Stauffer
  • Global Business Development Chief – Ravi Adusumilli
  • Content and Creators Leader – Silvia Oviedo Lopez
  • Consumer and Brand Marketing Head – Celestine Maddy
  • VP of Sales and Partnerships – Meredith Guerriero

All of those departures come just a few months after Pinterest’s chief accounting officer Lily Yang and Evan Sharp, its co-founder, board member, and chief creative and design officer, both abruptly left the company. That ongoing exodus, which coincides with Pinterest’s loss of momentum in a post-lockdown market, strongly suggests that the company could turn in an ugly fourth-quarter earnings report on Feb 3.

3. More sellers than buyers

If Pinterest’s stock was getting undervalued, its insiders should be buying up more shares. But over the past three months, Pinterest’s insiders still sold slightly more shares than they bought as its stock plunged 44%.

Insider sales don’t always indicate that a company is in trouble. But in Pinterest’s case, that lack of insider enthusiasm coincides with its executive exodus and raises a bright red flag for its future.

4. No more offers from PayPal and Microsoft

Last October, Pinterest’s stock briefly rallied after a Bloomberg report claimed PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) was interested in buying the company for about $70 per share in a $45 billion deal. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) had also previously approached Pinterest with a $51 billion bid in 2020. PayPal subsequently said it wasn’t interested in buying Pinterest “at this time,” while the talks between Microsoft and Pinterest fizzled out.

Pinterest has an enterprise value of just $18 billion today, yet PayPal and Microsoft haven’t made any new offers for the company. If they thought Pinterest’s downturn was temporary, they would likely have stepped up again with much lower offers. But that hasn’t happened yet, which suggests that either Pinterest’s growth has peaked, or its potential suitors are waiting for its stock to drop even further before making a new bid.

Should investors buy Pinterest’s stock today?

Analysts still expect Pinterest’s revenue and earnings to grow 25% and 22%, respectively, next year — and its stock looks reasonably valued at 20 times forward earnings. But with so many unanswered questions about its sluggish MAU growth and plans for the future, I’d rather wait to see Pinterest’s next earnings report before considering it to be a turnaround play.

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Feature Image Credit: Pinterest.

By Leo Sun

Sourced from The Motley Crew

Guggenheim analyst sees signs of continued weakness on user trends

Pinterest Inc. shares have lost roughly half of their value over the past 12 months, and a snapback may have to wait.

While the social-media company proved popular early in the pandemic as stir-crazy internet users looked for inspiration online, Pinterest PINS, +0.86% had trouble maintaining that momentum once COVID-19 conditions improved and people started leaving their homes more. The company saw disappointing user trends in its two most recent quarters, and Guggenheim analyst Michael Morris is concerned that the company is still suffering from weak dynamics.

Morris downgraded Pinterest shares to neutral from buy Tuesday, while also cutting his estimates on user trends. He now expects the company to report 438 million monthly active users for the fourth quarter, whereas his prior estimate was for 447 million.

Shares of Pinterest were down 9% in Tuesday trading.

Morris looked at data from Pinterest Ads Manager, which indicated to him a decline in “aggregate global audience reach” from November to December and marked the second straight month of sequential drops, though October admittedly saw the “largest total audience reach of 2021.”

He also looked at third-party data from Apptopia, which pointed to a fourth consecutive month of sequential declines in average daily app downloads through Dec. 15.

“With shares under consistent pressure since reporting below-consensus user trends in 2Q21, we have been hesitant to downgrade in front of potential user stabilization,” Morris wrote, but the “data indicating continued usage weakness and another quarter of below-consensus” prompted his most recent call.

He still sees opportunities for Pinterest to capitalize on its “high-purchase-intent user behaviour” but has concerns as well about the company’s positioning: “[W]e don’t see the platform’s use case as developing as rapidly as peers, creating risk that competitors improve their social commerce offerings more quickly than Pinterest capitalizes on its position.”

Feature Image Credit: Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

By Emily Bary

Emily Bary is a MarketWatch reporter based in New York.

Sourced from MarketWatch

By Christina-Lauren Pollack

There are many online marketing strategies small businesses can use to get ahead of the competition. One strategy is Pinterest marketing, which leverages the popular social media platform that has become one of the most effective promotional sites on the internet.

Even though Pinterest is considered a social media platform, in truth, it operates more like a search engine, similar to Google or Yahoo!. While users can leave comments and like posts, most people use Pinterest as a bookmarking tool to save content for future reference. So, now that you understand how it differs from other social networks like Instagram or Facebook, we can explore how to actually use it to benefit your business.

Why is Pinterest helpful for small businesses?

The answer is simple: Pinterest users are often searching for products and services to buy. When you optimize your content, research keywords that people might use when they’re looking for your type of product or service, then pin it on a board, potential customers will be able to find you more easily.

In addition to providing you with robust data on the types of people engaging with your content (otherwise known as “pins”), Pinterest also helps your company’s website rank higher in search results. This means, if someone conducts a Google search for specific keywords, your “pin” on Pinterest could show up in the search results if it’s been properly optimized. Why is this important? Well, for one – it enables you to reach a larger audience of targeted users who are actively seeking your type of product or service. And secondly, because it can lead to more website traffic, boost lead generation, and lower bounce rates for your company’s site.

If you’re looking to target Millennials, it’s an especially helpful system to leverage, as it’s an increasingly popular platform for marketers because of its popularity with the younger generation, who are more likely to make purchase decisions based on what they see online.

How can Pinterest boost SEO for businesses?

As an example, my lifestyle blog for women (Inspirations & Celebrations) gets over 70 percent of its organic website traffic from Pinterest. That means every month, my blog gets thousands and thousands of new visitors without me having to hustle hard for this valuable traffic. Considering how impactful that is on my site’s overall reach, it makes it one of the smartest ways to drive traffic more easily, turn leads into subscribers or customers, and create a sustainable business online.

To help your small business stand out, here are five Pinterest marketing strategies that will help put you ahead of the competition.

Establish a business account on Pinterest for your company. This is the first step to any Pinterest marketing strategy because it enables you to enter more information about your company, such as its mission statement or the products that are available for purchase.

Optimize your account’s bio and boards with keywords that are relevant to your products or services. Conduct some research into the types of keywords or keyword phrases that your target audience often searches for.

Include links to your website and blog in the description of pins. Whether you’re promoting blog posts or product webpages, it helps to pin various images that link back to your website. The more high-quality pins that you post, the greater the chance of getting discovered by potential customers or clients.

As you pin images that link back to your website, create eye-catching images or graphics that capture attention. Vertical images often perform better than horizontal ones. So, it’s helpful to keep this in mind when creating content.

Don’t be afraid to promote your work

Last but not least, promote your Pinterest profile. Be active on the site and follow other people that are similar to your target demographic. Share your Pinterest profile on your other social networks, encourage existing customers to follow your Pinterest account (by including a link in your email signature).

As you can see, using Pinterest for more than just pinning recipe ideas or home decorating inspiration photos can be a great way to market your business online. In addition to driving brand awareness to a larger audience, it’s one of the best (free) ways to attract your ideal customers or clients.

By Christina-Lauren Pollack

Digital Entrepreneur, Business Consultant & Branding Course Creator

Sourced from Entrepreneur Europe

By

When you launch an eCommerce, the first sale is as symbolic as it is necessary

When you launch an eCommerce, the first sale is as symbolic as it is necessary. It is not so much because of the income or because it is extremely complicated, but because of the optimism and tranquillity, it represents for the team. It can mean the biggest turning point in the life of the company. Obtaining that first customer will be a long and complicated battle, so in this article, we explain how to grow an eCommerce while spending the least. Keep reading!

How to grow an eCommerce with minimal expense

Without a doubt, the first sales are the most complicated and the most exasperating. Consumers won’t come to your platform by magic. Therefore, if you want to know how to grow your eCommerce investing little money, you must aggressively market your business and take advantage of the weaknesses of your competition to attract customers and traffic.

Take note of the following techniques that will help you achieve this. Keep reading!

1 # Presence in social networks

The first point on the list of how to grow an eCommerce could not be other than social networks. To start making yourself known, you must open an account. It is not about being in all of them, but about selecting the ones that will be useful to connect with your target audience, but how do you know which is the ideal one?

TWITTER

The simplicity of Twitter makes it one of the most effective ways to engage with your audience. A good way to find potential clients is to proactively find people who post questions about your field and reach out to them so they keep you in mind. The idea is not to present or mention your products but to help them answer their questions. If you do it right, users will investigate your existence and discover your business.

LINKEDIN

Second, Linkedin is the Internet office. On this platform you can find professionals and executives of all kinds, showing off their skills and connecting with others. Once you have configured your e-commerce profile, you can start doing the same.

You may not sell anything directly through Linkedin, but you will discover many opportunities with other companies, providers and related websites. There are dozens of public and private groups created for specific niches, allowing you to post questions and talk to other members.

INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK AND PINTEREST

On the other hand, social networks like Instagram, TikTok or Pinterest allow you to take a different approach if the audience is young. They are ideal platforms for original and creative content. Take photos of your products as well as videos and tell an engaging story.

FACEBOOK

And finally Facebook. This is still a very powerful social network. Take advantage of your professional profile and create a business page to interact with friends, family and acquaintances and make people talk about your brand. Get creative with status updates and engage in public groups and fan pages relevant to your niche. In addition, you can do paid campaigns.

2 # Create a blog

If you are not yet building a blog associated with your e-commerce or product, you are losing the unlimited potential of content marketing. Producing free and valuable content builds brand trust. It also offers you content to share on social networks and helps you rank in search engines.

To start, think about all those initial inquiries that the audience has about your products and your sector. Use the blog to answer those questions with individual articles. Plus, you can use it to provide lifestyle tips, tutorials, and resources around your products. If you can create regular content, you will soon start to see results thanks to social networks and search engines.

3 # Send your product to influencers

Third, the list of how to grow your eCommerce could not be without influencers. In recent years, influencers have become key pieces for marketing strategies. The Internet is full of bloggers, journalists, entrepreneurs and vloggers of all types specialized in all fields. You need to find the right ones. Many of them have a large following and a loyal following on their web pages.

Therefore, you can send a free sample of your product to those who best fit your brand. Hopefully, you will get a mention on one of their platforms, and you will also let them know that as a company you appreciate their work with a small gift.

In this sense, you can also conduct interviews with them. It is a good way to create original and different content. Interviews work because they are win-win situations. The interviewee gets more visibility and the interviewer has good content to post on the blog, for example. Take the opportunity to ask questions about their lives and careers, but also about the industry in general.

On the other hand, to collaborate with them, you can also run contests or raffles. We all love free stuff and if you’re looking to build trust, running a contest or giveaway could help you get there. This can be done with the collaboration of influencers or on your social networks.

4 # Public relations and communication strategy

If you want to know how to grow your eCommerce, make a public relations strategy. They have the same effect as when a video goes viral and can propel your brand to success. A sure fire public relations trick is to do something unusual, outrageous, funny, or important enough to merit media attention.

If it goes well, your eCommerce will benefit from many high-profile news source links, which is great for both short-term traffic and long-term SEO.

In terms of communication, many electronic businesses publish press releases to attract the attention of the media, although most of them fail. It is a less useful strategy than it used to be but still sire. The secret is to make sure your story is newsworthy, concise, and professional, without being too monotonous.

5 # Create a Mailing list

Email is one of the best channels for attracting leads, and it can even be free. You can create a mailing list of previous and potential customers and send them information, products and content. Include an email subscription form on your website. This is an effective way to convince visitors to sign up for your database.

Instead of just saying “sign up for our newsletter,” offer an incentive or some kind of added value for subscribing.

Another use that you can give is conducting surveys to your consumers, so you receive comments to improve. Customers often have no qualms about saying what their experience with the store has been like and whether something was done wrong.

6 # Experiment with Google Ads

To know how to grow an eCommerce you have to know what Google Ads is. In case you don’t know yet, Google Ads is Google’s pay-per-click advertising platform. It enables online merchants to place ads on almost all Google results pages, YouTube videos, and partner websites.

The biggest advantage of Google Ads is its speed and massive reach. In a few minutes, you can set up and launch an advertising campaign that makes your text, image or video ads appear. You can also set the option for them to be activated and displayed next to Google results when users search for predefined or similar keywords.

7 # Pay attention to web analytics

The behaviour of each user when he visits a web page from when he enters to when he leaves helps you understand why you are or are not selling. Your page statistics will show you what your customers are doing on your website, including the websites they enter, the time they spend on each one, and the route they choose to exit.

Some tools also display additional information. For example, how often a customer visits your website. In this sense, Google Analytics is a totally free tool that helps you measure traffic in many ways.

8 # Sponsor an event

To get good results sponsoring an event you have to give it the right approach. First, you will have to make sure that you select the right event and that the target audience is the same as yours. Will your potential clients be among the attendees? Would your product interest them? How many attendees will it have?

Once the data in hand, classify them according to the type of audience and sponsorship price. Once you attend, avoid typical marketing strategies like handing out flyers. You will have to be creative to establish and build relationships.

Show off some of your most interesting products to tell their story, get people talking about it, and offer immediate promotions like free coupons in exchange for email list subscriptions or social media follow-ups.

9 # Make use of affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is those actions by which you allow other people to market your products and send traffic to your website. In return, for each sale, you pay a percentage. You can track it by giving it a custom link or a unique coupon code.

The great thing about this sales strategy is that you only pay if sales are made, which makes affiliates do their best.

10 # Outperform the Competition on Price Comparison Platforms

Most consumers like to shop around before making a purchase, this includes browsing Google and sites like Amazon for the best options. The most popular platforms are Google Shopping, Yahoo Shopping, Kelkoo, idealo, etc.

To achieve notoriety, you have to follow the rules of each platform, stay competitive on pricing, and wait while you experiment to find out which platform is the best fit for you and offers the best ROI.

What did you think of this article on how to grow eCommerce? Leave your comments and share!

And if you want to set up your own e-commerce and you don’t know how to launch your project, take the Master in e-Commerce & Digital Marketing. You will learn everything related to managing electronic commerce with a comprehensive vision with the best business models and strategies. We will wait for you!

By

Author Selena is a blogger and a guest contributor for a well-known brand that includes MESHEBLE, Saveucoupon & INTHEMARKET. In her leisure time, she plays tennis.

Sourced from INFLUENCIVE

BY LILLY SMITH

Creative inspiration without the workplace ethics violations.

It’s pretty difficult to go outside for creative inspiration right now. So it makes sense that people increasingly turned to Pinterest as a place to organize visual inspo for home décor, crafting, wedding planning, recipes, and a lot more during COVID-19 (Pinterest saw a 13% increase in monthly active users between Q1 and Q2 of 2020, though revenue dropped).

But there could be reason to think twice about using the popular platform. As Fast Company reported in July, two former employees sued Pinterest for pay discrimination based on race and sex, as well as retaliation for reporting it. In August, former COO Francoise Brougher alleged rampant “discrimination, hostile work environment, and misogyny” at the company. The platform may appear wholesome, but working for Pinterest may be a whole different story.

So if you want to put a pause on Pinterest—but not inspiration—here are some alternative tools actually worth pinning.

MIX

[Screenshot: Mix]

Mix has a grid setup similar to Pinterest, and you can personalize it by selecting categories that interest you, like architecture, arts, DIY, décor, and fitness. Once you’ve created an account, click “mix” to save for later, share to the community, or add to “collections” of your own curated content. 

FANCY

[Screenshot: Fancy]

This site is geared toward thoughtfully designed home goods, apparel, and upscale hipster gear you probably don’t need but might impulse buy (does anyone need a “classic leather apron”?). It’s a curated shopping experience by Fancy editors, with the option to “fancy” an item to save for later. In case you really do need to mull that apron over. 

CUT OUT

[Image: Cutouts]

Cut Out is a handy chrome extension that acts like Pinterest but isn’t actually Pinterest. In fact, they literally refer to it as a “Pinterest board for your Clipboard,” so you can clip what find online into your own personal bulletin board. Download the extension in your Google Chrome browser to save and organize images, text, and videos in a super visual grid for reference later. 

ARE.NA

[Photo: Are.na]

Don’t plan to save any wedding or home décor hacks with this platform. Are.na isn’t focused on products, but it’s a great starting point for cerebral, creative design inspiration and connection. Explore posts or “blocks” grouped via curated channels made by fellow users such as the somewhat vague “inspiration” and “memory and matter,” or choose the “random” option to roll the dice and see which posts pop up. They range from photos of a poster’s sketchbook to photography, and a huge array of creative projects in between. If you see something that strikes you, click “connect” to reach out to the person behind the work. Or post something yourself. It’s Pinterest for creators. 

INSTAGRAM

[Image: Instagram]

I know, I know, it’s owned by Facebook, and it has a host of problems of its own. But if you’re already on Instagram, try its bookmark feature. You can save posts you might want to come back to and organize them into folders so they’re available for handy reference by clicking “saved” from the menu in the top right corner of your profile. 

DRIBBLE

[Image: Dribbble]

Dribbble is like a Pinterest for design nerds. Peruse designer portfolios via subcategories such as animation, branding, or mobile to find creatives you might want to work with (or just for creative inspiration on its own!).

SOME IDEAS JUST FOR CHEFS

A lot of people use Pinterest as a recipe aggregator. But there’s no need to be reliant on that platform alone—there are several great alternatives to save recipes from across the web, like EpicuriousFood52, and Serious Eats, which all have options to favourite and save tasty concoctions to your personal online recipe box. (Keep in mind you can only save recipes to the sites if they come from them, so you’d have to have a few accounts going at once.)

Paprika is a handy app that goes beyond recipe organizing—you can also interact with recipes you save (like crossing off ingredients or bolding text), and you can make meal plans and grocery lists. And with the ability to save recipes from anywhere, it’s probably the most universal option out there for at-home cooks hungry for new culinary ideas. Another option is the Big Oven app, which has similar meal prep and grocery list features, and also has feeds with editor picks and trending recipes. A lot of sites offer capabilities to make your own virtual recipe box.

HACK THE SITES YOU ALREADY USE

While they won’t tick all the boxes of Pinterest’s usability, there are also handy platforms to save combinations of text and images. If you already use Slack for work, try slacking links to yourself for future reference. Note apps like Evernote and Notion are great options too, if the mental bulletin board you have going needs an assist. Pocket is also a great way to save stories to read later. And Miro is another note keeper and project management platform, but it’s great for visual teams and organizing all your images. One colleague in Fast Company‘s art department says, “I really don’t know how the art team would be doing anything without it.”

BY LILLY SMITH

LILLY SMITH IS AN ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF CO.DESIGN. SHE WAS PREVIOUSLY THE EDITOR OF DESIGN OBSERVER, AND A CONTRIBUTING WRITER TO AIGA EYE ON DESIGN.

Sourced from Fast Company

By

  • Pinterest surpassed Snapchat as the third-largest social media network in the US, according to a report from eMarketer.
  • EMarketer predicted that Pinterest will “continue to stay ahead of Snapchat in the coming years.”
  • The report said that despite Snap’s 2019 comeback and popularity with younger users, Pinterest’s “universal appeal” helped it pull ahead this year.
  • Shares of Pinterest surged as much as 12% on Tuesday morning after the report was released.

Pinterest has surpassed Snapchat to become the third-largest social media network in the US, according to a new report from eMarketer.

The news is a significant shake-up in the social media pecking order, and could signal that Snapchat has begun to lose its luster among the millennial users who for years have given the social media app a distinct cachet.

Pinterest’s number of monthly users grew to 82.4 million in 2019, up 9.1% from the previous year, beating out Snapchat’s 80.2 million, a 5.9% increase, according to the report’s estimates. Pinterest claimed the third spot behind No.2-ranked Instagram, and Facebook, which reigned as the most popular social network in the US last year.

The report caused Pinterest’s stock to jump as much as 12% on Tuesday morning after the report’s release.

“While Snapchat has a young core audience that it caters to, Pinterest has a more universal appeal, and it’s made significant gains in a wide range of age groups,”  said Nazmul Islam, an analyst at eMarketer, which is owned by Business Insider’s parent company, Insider Inc.

But the report does not include user numbers for China’s TikTok, which has enjoyed explosive growth among teens and young adults over the past year. In December, CNBC cited an estimate from App Annie that TikTok had 625 million monthly users on a global basis, but it’s not clear how many users the app has in the US.

In its report, eMarketer predicted that Pinterest would remain ahead of Snap for the coming years. But if the TikTok surge continues, both Pinterest and Snapchat could be soon be overtaken by the Chinese app.

Shares of Snap remained flat following the report’s release.

Following a 2018 redesign that initially caused backlash among users, Snapchat seemed to be making a comeback in 2019 thanks to popular augmented reality “lenses” like its gender-swap filter, earning it praise from investors.

But Pinterest’s efforts to convince investors that its platform is a “visual discovery tool” more akin to Google than Snapchat seem to be paying off. The eMarketer report shows that the strong user growth Pinterest saw ahead of its public offering last April has continued on an upward trajectory.

emarketer pinterest snap age
Pinterest’s wide appeal across ages helped it surpass Snapchat as the third-largest social media network in the US in 2019.
eMarketer

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Feature Image Credit: Reuters/Brendan McDermid

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