Thursday Press #151: the question I DON'T want to answer
[26 SEPT 2024]
“So what do you like to do for fun?”
IDK Joe, I’m a normal person with normal hobbies
I like to read, hike, watch movies, hang out with friends, get coffee, bake…
But that’s not what the person on the other side of the dating app or the new maybe-friend across the coffee shop table really wants to hear
And I just canNOT.
Asking “What are your hobbies?” and expecting something other than basic human activities is wild.
That’s why I think we should get rid of the question altogether
Whiiiiich is precisely when Joe called me a red flag…
As my friend was quick to back me up in the comments, “if you’re boring, Joe, just say that”
The issue is with the question itself.
If you ask a boring question, you get a boring answer.
It’s not that I can’t name a hobby, it’s that I can’t pinpoint the unique niche answer you actually want to hear.
Thank GOD I’m not on the dating apps anymore, because I don’t think I could handle another inane small-talk exchange
They’re FULL of questions I have no interest in answering.
And while I may be able to avoid that particular dreaded “hobbies” question, there’s one question I get asked in business constantly that I dread even more…
What's the ROI of Pinterest like?
Between me and you, hearing this question on a disco call or in the DMs is enough to set those red flags asail.
My hair is raised like a black cat on Halloween and I’m ready to sprint away like I’m preparing for the LA Olympics.
And it’s a valid question, don’t get me wrong. But it’s often one that’s more complicated than it sounds.
Just like the “what are your hobbies?” question, when someone asks “What’s the ROI from Pinterest?”, I’m not usually going to be able to give them the answer they expect or want.
You want to hear that so-and-so made 4x her investment after 1 month. That they make $15k in template sales every month just from Pinterest.
And that it can all be the same for you.
Because that’s the real magic you want to hear.
Yes, success stories and case studies are wonderful, but you want to hear it from the horse Pinterest manager’s mouth itself — these are the results we’ve gotten and what you will get, too.
Sorry, no can do, buster.
What results you see from Pinterest and how quickly you see them depend on sooo many different factors:
Your business / industry
Your content
Your services
The rest of your marketing & sales funnel
The current social, political, and economic climate
Your pricing
Your branding
I could go on…
Truth is, if I took two identical businesses and marketed them the same way on Pinterest, they would get different outcomes.
Not to mention, when it comes to marketing, particularly with solopreneurs, the ROI conversation is more emotional than statistical.
>> I could tell you that the amount of brand awareness we bring in is valued at $10,000.
>> I could tell you that if you book a single client after 6 months of working together it more than pays the expense.
>> I could even tell you that we could make daily passive income guaranteed if you work with me.
(But I would never tell you that anyway.)
None of those matter if it doesn’t feel worth it to you.
What “return” on your investment would make it feel worthwhile? What feels comfy? That’s not a question I can answer for you.
If you ask me what ROI you can expect from Pinterest, I’ll tell you the average amount of time it takes to see “results”.
I’ll point you in the direction of my case studies and portfolio.
I’ll even help you make sure you’ve got the best possible foundation for Pinterest conversions on and off the platform.
But if you’re looking for some magic number to validate your decision to outsource (or not), that’s gotta come from inside.
01. EDITOR'S PICK:
What Working With a Pinterest Manager is Like (from a “What's the ROI” asker)
Fall pics are offish hitting the @dupephotos feed and I couldn't be happier.
You can follow along w me there as I relive my own past fall memories!