Thursday Press #72: swipe my Pinterest workflow
[16 MAR 2023] 4 steps to strategic pin creation
Six. Hours. That's how long I was awake before finally having my breakfast and “morning” coffee (it was noon).
But this day, I had to wake up super early for a dentist appointment, and it's not like I was going to subject the hygienist to coffee breath at 8:30 a.m. on the first work day of daylight savings time 😵💫
While I tried my best to ignore the sharp metal tools that felt like they were definitely taking more than plaque off of my teeth, I was already dreaming of the Starbies I'd treat myself to while I grabbed a few things at the Target next door.
And then my dreams came crashing down.
“I'm going to do your fluoride now, so just no food or drink for the next 30 minutes.”
I was devastated, First name / dude.
My fluoride-encrusted teeth and I bopped through Target anyway, with the promise of a pistachio cream cold brew keeping the impulse wanderings at bay.
I did eventually get my coffee (and a ham & swiss croissant, because I deserved a treat, obvi), but my whole day was thrown off just by switching up my morning routine.
It's nothing revolutionary, but without fail, I do the same things in the same order every morning:
Wake up (after snoozing 2 times too many)
Brush my teeth & AM skincare routine
Get dressed, then back into the bathroom for deodorant & glasses
Head downstairs, press ‘play’ on my morning news podcast, feed the cats
While cats eat, take vitamins & start making breakfast
Eat breakfast while doing a Duolingo lesson or 2
Make coffee and head to my office to start the work day
There is nothing I love more than a systematized, repeatable process like this.
Being able to turn my brain off and just go through the steps without having to make a decision or think about what to do next is my ultimate goal for basically everything in life.
So obviously I have one for Pinterest marketing, and because I love you, I'm obviously going to share it:
BELOW THE FOLD
Okayyy, so you can't actually swipe the exact Pinterest workflow that gets my clients consistent email subscribers and five-figure dream clients… 😬
I'm still going to share it!!!
But what works for me might not actually be what works for you.
Remember, my job is 100% Pinterest.
You're donning the cap of “Pinterest manager” on top of all the other hats you're wearing as an online business owner — CEO, project manager, designer, copywriter, Reels editor, accountant, parent (pet or otherwise), snack hoarder… that's not just me, right?
My secret stash of Hershey's kisses aside, you might not have a full day to spend batching months of Pinterest content
That doesn't mean you can't have a repeatable process for getting your pins out there. In fact, it makes it even more important that you have that system.
No “I'll get to it next week” here.
So here's the Pinterest workflow I use for my clients, and how you can adapt it for your own use:
1. Content Planning
What I do: add new content to my client's content tracker, check analytics for top-performing content to create new pins for, see if there are any upcoming launches to prep for
What you can do: Choose a few pieces of content from each of these categories that you want to create pins for (probably at least 5)
Content you haven't pinned yet
Top-performing pins you can create new pins for
Evergreen products/lead magnets you want to be constantly circulating
Content that supports an upcoming launch
2. Pin Design
What I do: Duplicate the brand pin templates in Canva for the new month's pins, create 3-10 pin design variations for each piece of content, download, rename & upload to Airtable
What you can do:
Scan your content to brainstorm different pin concepts (blog post pins, infographics, etc.)
Start designing! 3-5 pins per piece of content is a good start, especially if it's new content that you're not sure how it'll do on the platform
Pro tip — give your pin images relevant file names with a keyword in them. It helps your internal organization and gives Pinterest another optimized data point about your pin!
3. Pin Copy
What I do: reference the target keywords I've selected for each piece of content in my content tracker, write keyword-rich pin titles and descriptions for all of the pins
What you can do: Before you write anything, make sure you've done your keyword research and have at least 3 keywords in mind to include in your pins (ideally more!)
Write enticing, clickable pin titles with at least one relevant keyword
Write juicy pin descriptions that describe what the content is about and encourage the user to click through to your website, incorporating keywords naturally throughout your sentences
4. Schedule
What I do: upload the pin graphics to Tailwind, copy and paste the pin titles and descriptions, choose which boards to schedule to, and set the dates & intervals accordingly
What you can do: Schedule your pins with the platform of your choice, keeping the following best practices in mind:
Post 1 pin per day
Don't pin to the same URL more than once per day
And you're done! 🎉
Now, we're not getting into analytics or even idea pins here, but in 4 simple steps, you've created and scheduled a batch of pins!
You can use this process to create a month's worth of Pinterest content or just to create pins for your latest blog post.
I highly, highly encourage you to find the system that works for you and get in the habit of creating Pinterest content consistently.
Honestly, First name / friend, that's one of the BEST things you can do for your Pinterest marketing long-term, and it's not something you can just look up and download from the internet
Howeverrrr…
I'd be remiss if I left out that part of the reason I've been able to turn my signature Pinterest management workflow into a streamlined process is that I developed tools and resources to keep me organized and cut down on wasted time
(Like that content tracker I kept mentioning)
And now they're available for you, too! At nearly a tenth of the price of hiring me to do your Pinterest for you… 👀
The Pinterest Toolkit for Online Service Providers
Picture this — the Home Depot commercial song is playing, you're putting on your safety glasses, you've measured twice and now you're cutting once.
Your cherry-red toolbox is full of torque wrenches and hornbeams and other tools I definitely didn't Google to find the names of…
It's your biggest DIY project yet, but you know you've got this. You have the right tool for every job.
Now imagine instead, it's lo-fi beats playing in the background as you're putting on your blue-light glasses.
That shiny toolbox on wheels is actually a Google Drive folder full of templates, keywords, and content ideas
And you're confidently DIYing your Pinterest marketing because you have all the tools you need to help you keep up with the platform, not just get you started.
That's a reality with the Pinterest Toolkit for Online Service Providers!