6 Ways To Use Pinterest For PR
We all know one of those people who is obsessed with Pinterest. Admittedly, I am one of those people - my entire wedding was planned using Pinterest. I’m not kidding. I crafted everything from the adorable ribbon roses to the awfully difficult brooch bouquet. I go all out with the Pinterest recipes (some of which are to DIE for), the Pinterest DIY (which are often huge fails), and the sappy Pinterest love blogs (yes, I’ve cried). But Pinterest today isn’t just used for fun by DIY-obsessed girls to plan their weddings. It can be used as a communications strategy as well. Pinterest is great for bloggers, small businesses, or big businesses!
The Uses of Pinterest
1. Pinterest is a visual site, which means if you have beautiful pictures (whether they be travel pictures, funny pictures from a craft gone wrong, or pictures of your product) combined with a great blog article, product, or how-to, you will be very successful. Pinterest users love pinning beautiful pictures. Come on, who wouldn’t want to pin that picture of the sunset over the Grand Canyon?
2. Pinning something from your website provides a direct link back, meaning you generate more traffic. More traffic has the potential to equal more clients, more sales, or simply more awareness. Etsy crafters have got this down to a science. Click on the picture, and it leads you right to their product. This can also give you some intel about how popular your product is (taken with a grain of salt, of course).
3. Pinterest now has the option to promote pins. You can pay to have people see your pins. This is a great option for those with concrete products or relevant articles.
4. Pinterest can pin videos too! So if you have tutorials, speeches, promotions, or fun videos from around the office, go for it! This is a great way to get more traffic to your YouTube page if you use YouTube as well.
5. Pinterest has also been used for promotions. As a pinner, I’m not crazy about this because I see so many repeat posts of friends pinning the same contest in hopes of winning. As a PR professional, I think it’s great because it obviously works! Ask followers to re-pin your post or click on the link to go to your page to participate in a contest.
6. By categorizing pins in boards, you can show your knowledge of the trade, promote your company, or gather resources for yourself. Not only is Pinterest a resource for you and your professional life, but gathering good content is key to garnering more followers.
Michelle is a senior at Grand Valley State University (woo-hoo!) majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Management. She currently works as an Assistant Lab Manager/Professional Tutor at Grand Rapids Community College and has a passion for higher education. She hopes to find a job in beautiful Grand Rapids working in higher education or another type of learning institution. Michelle loves traveling with her husband, singing, reading teen-fiction, and winning at board and card games.