Since I started working as a Pinterest manager in 2016, a lot of entrepreneurs and bloggers have come to me looking for help with Pinterest. Many of them ask me things like “Do you really see success with accounts like mine?” or “Will hiring a Pinterest manager actually help me?”
These are good questions and, usually, my answer is a big fat “YES!!!!” So I decided to write this post to address those of you who have questions about working with a Pinterest manager, but haven’t yet pulled the trigger on hiring one yet.
Who is a Pinterest Manager Best For?
Before I dive any deeper, the first question that I want to answer is whether or not a Pinterest manager is even a good idea for YOU. Even though I am one…I don’t recommend my services to just anyone!
In fact, anybody who’s ever had a discovery call with me will tell you that I’m brutally super honest. I never recommend anything that I don’t actually think someone needs (even if it would make me money).
So, no — a Pinterest manager isn’t necessary for everyone. But there are plenty of businesses, brands, and people who would absolutely benefit from one.
3 Signs That You’re Ready for a Pinterest Manager
Here are some things that mean you should probably hire a Pinterest manager.
You Need More Traffic to Make More Revenue
This could mean that you are a blogger who uses affiliate links and you need traffic to go to those posts so that people click and you make money.
Or this could mean that you have (or want) a sales funnel that you need to push traffic into. The more qualified traffic you have entering your funnel, the more sales you’ll get!
For me, Pinterest is a great way to get traffic to fill my organic content marketing funnel.
It’s also a great way to get clients if you’re a service provider. Pinterest is the #2 way I find new clients (direct referrals is #1). More traffic coming to your services page means you’ll book more clients!
Not to mention that sharing your content on Pinterest is a great way to increase your brand recognition! The more that people see your content and associate YOU as the expert in your industry…the more likely they are to check out/share your content, purchase from you, or recommend you to a friend! Don’t underestimate the power of brand authority and how Pinterest can help you build that. 💪
Related: Behind-the-Scenes of an Amazing Content Marketing Funnel
You Have Content to Share
This kind of goes hand-in-hand with what we talked about above. Whether you’re a blogger or a business owner with a sales funnel…it all starts with content. More than anything else, Pinterest is a search engine. People browsing on Pinterest are looking for content to consume.
While you can share lead magnets, products, and services directly on Pinterest, it shouldn’t be the only thing you post there. What does the best on Pinterest is content that answers the questions your target audience is asking themselves.
Hint: This blog post is a good example 😂
This content could be in the form of blog posts, videos, or podcast episodes. Regardless of what type of content it is, each piece will need its own dedicated page on your website.
You do need a decent amount of content to be successful on Pinterest. So hiring a Pinterest manager will be most effective if you consistently create new content frequently or if you have a good-sized backlog of older content.
I recommend having at least 5 pieces of content before you hire a Pinterest manager. As a goal, you should aim to eventually have at least 30 pieces of content.
While some product-based businesses can see success on Pinterest with no content, my experience has been that the more content you have, the better!
You Understand That Pinterest is a “Long Game”
This is a big one. When you choose to utilize something like paid ads as part of your marketing strategy, it’s easy to see an instant return. You spend $10 and get 20 clicks to your website. It’s black and white!
Pinterest works a bit differently. Although you can use Promoted Pins, at its core, Pinterest is a platform that you need to have an organic marketing strategy for. So it can take a few weeks or months before you see results. This is normal!
Pinterest builds over time (substantially!), so it will be worth it in the long run, but it does take some patience. Many of my clients are still getting traffic to content they published YEARS ago. That means that the effort they put into generating each piece of content goes a long, long way. You can’t say that about an Instagram post! 🤪
Because it is more of a “long game,” I don’t recommend investing in a Pinterest manager unless you are willing to give it a go for at least 3 months. Personally, I’ve never had a client NOT see results after working with me. So in my opinion, it’s definitely worth sticking it out!
Do You Really Need a Pinterest Manager?
You may be wondering: “Do I really need a Pinterest manager? Can’t I just do it myself?”
Technically, yes. You can do anything yourself!
But the real question is…do you have time to do it yourself? And do you have time to learn how to do it really well so that you’ll actually get good results?
If you can’t dedicate yourself to becoming a Pinterest expert…you’re not going to get very good results. Which means, if you’re still struggling along spending only a few hours on it each month trying to gain traction, you’re wasting a ton of time and effort on something that’s not actually giving you much in return. Because you simply aren’t able to put all of your attention on it (which is understandable — you’re freakin’ busy!).
And, depending on how much your time is worth (hint: it’s probably pretty darn valuable!), it may even be more affordable to hire a Pinterest manager than to use your own precious time on it. Unless it’s something you truly enjoy and want to devote a lot of time to (in which case — go for it!).
Think about it…
- You could purchase an amazing course on Pinterest (Melissa Griffin’s Pinterest course Pinfinite Growth is $397)
- And then let’s say it takes you 20+ hours to go through the course
- And then 10+ hours per month to manage your account…
…You can see how it starts to add up!
A better option, especially if you’re not OBSESSED with Pinterest like I am, is to hire an expert (like me!). Not only will it probably end up saving you money and freeing up your time…I’m really good at it, so you’re going to get better results! 🙌
5 Ways a Pinterest Manager Can Help You
Now, you may be saying to yourself: “But is an expert really going to do a better job than I could do myself?”
Maybe you do have a ton of extra time (ummm can I have some of that?) and are still considering DIYing. But another great reason to hire an expert is that — even if you learn how to do it yourself, an expert is most likely still going to get you better results.
Why do I say that with so much confidence?
They Have a Lot More Experience
First — they’ve likely been doing it for a lot longer than you. Personally, I’ve been offering Pinterest services since 2016. So I’ve literally spent years becoming an expert at Pinterest, learning the ins and outs of it, and figuring out the BEST ways to get the most results for my clients.
So you totally could learn how to do it yourself and potentially become just as much of an expert as me, but it would literally take years. Experts like me have already put in the time and have tons of valuable experience to leverage when working on your account. So you should take advantage of that!
They are Clued Into Pinterest’s Trends, Algorithm Updates, and Changes
Algorithm Updates
Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Google, and Pinterest have algorithm changes and updates ALL the time. Constantly. And honestly? It can be a little overwhelming to keep up with all of them.
Not to mention that it can be easy to misunderstand these updates or take them too seriously/not seriously enough. 😅
When you work with an expert, they will always be totally on top of any new changes. That means that you don’t have to worry about it at all (phew!). And they can also do a better job of figuring out what those algorithm updates really mean for you and what changes may need to be made to your unique strategy.
Plus, they are likely managing other Pinterest accounts besides yours. This is actually a HUGE advantage that most people don’t think about. If you’re only managing one account (your own), you have nothing to compare it to as a benchmark.
Having a birds-eye view of how algorithm updates are affecting accounts across the board can be very helpful for figuring out what the heck is actually going on. If changes do need to be made, an expert could even potentially split-test different strategies to see what works the best and then apply only the strategies that really work to your account.
Trends & Growth Predictions
When you work with a Pinterest manager, you can rest assured that they will stay on top of trends. Do you suddenly need to consider incorporating a new tactic? Is there a certain topic that’s working well right NOW?
We know what is (and what will be) “hot” on Pinterest — and what you should do to take advantage of those trends.
We also can deep dive into the trends and growth predictions inside of your own account. Do you know what to look out for that will tell you how your account will perform next month, or several months down the road?
We’re experts in reading metrics to identify stuff like:
- What’s doing well in your account (so we can do more of that!)
- What people want to see more of from you
- What you need to improve on to get better results
- Problem areas/issues that need addressing
And since we are able to compare your account to others, we have insider knowledge as to how your account should perform in comparison to other similar accounts. If you don’t have anything to compare your performance to, it will take a much bigger issue to make you realize that something in your strategy isn’t working.
If you’re managing your own account, how will you know if your growth is on track with what’s expected in your niche? When accounts don’t perform up to niche “standards,” that’s a big indicator of an issue that most people don’t even take into consideration, or aren’t able to figure out on their own. And you simply can’t get that type of valuable context unless you have access to multiple different Pinterest accounts and their data like a Pinterest manager does.
They Have Connections
This is another underrated one. As a Pinterest manager, I have contacts at Pinterest that I talk to on the regular (I’ve actually been to the headquarters!). I’m also friendly with popular Pinterest accounts and other Pinterest managers (we’re basically a gang 😂 ).
These connections have some advantages:
- Accepted into group boards more quickly (we know many moderators personally)
- Accepted into better group boards
- Know all the best group boards to join and which ones perform well (we have an index of 1,000+ group boards with data on each one)
- Have an inside track with Pinterest HQ and learn important information before others
All of these things combined can add up to much better results than if you try to run your account yourself! Not to say it’s not possible to DIY it…but you will get results easier and faster if you work with an expert.
Strategic & Honest Feedback
If your graphics or blog posts aren’t up to snuff, a good Pinterest manager will (politely) suggest certain changes. It’s in their best interest to make sure you are producing your best content! When you have good content, your Pinterest manager will be able to get better results (which is our goal!).
I know from personal experience how hard it can be to accurately critique and evaluate your own stuff. Never underestimate the value of simply getting someone else’s opinion on what you’re doing. (Bonus points if that person is an expert in what they do!)
Not to mention that this gives you another set of eyes on your blog and images. Because we are so active with our clients’ content, we are often the first to spot a major site issue, broken buttons, typos, etc.
They Track & Analyze Your Metrics
One of the biggest benefits of working with a Pinterest manager is that they prepare metrics reports for you. These should be done on a consistent basis (we do ours monthly). And not only do they prepare the reports for you…they also analyze those reports (or at least we do!).
Every month, we dive deep into your analytics and review everything. We give you the most important details and provide the data in an easy-to-review format. (You don’t even need to look at Google Analytics — don’t worry, we do that part for you!)
Then, we also give you a conclusion from those metrics. Are these metrics good? Bad? What do they indicate? Are you on track for growth or does a piece of your strategy need to change?
Consistently reviewing and analyzing your metrics means that you’re actually using the crucial data Pinterest is providing you. This can help you improve your strategy and get better results in the future. These metrics are so important and it’s one of the best ways a Pinterest manager can help you!
As Pinterest professionals, we have the experience to know what growth is sustainable or just the result of a few things lining up well. We also know when a dip is just a blip (fluctuations are normal!) or if it is cause for concern.
We also know exactly what to do to fix any problems that may arise. Whether that be a small dip in your stats or a larger issue. For example, we’ve had multiple people come to us because a previous Pinterest manager messed up their account or even caused it to get banned. 😅 And we’ve been able to fix it each time!
Without all of that experience and comparative data we were talking about, you won’t be able to analyze your own metrics as accurately. And you may not have the knowledge to make decisions on HOW to change your strategy even if you realize that something isn’t working.
Now, I’ve admittedly talked a lot about my own services in this post. But I only know how great having a Pinterest manager can be because of my own experiences as a Pinterest manager.
At the end of the day, the most important thing to me is that you get RESULTS. Whether that means DIYing it yourself for now until you can afford to hire someone to help, or whether that means hiring me right now! Or even working with someone else — that’s fine, too, I guess.
My main point is that no matter how good you get at DIYing your own Pinterest management… The truth is that you will never be able to manage it as well as a Pinterest expert can.
There are so, so many advantages (see all of the reasons I listed in this post 👆) to working with a Pinterest manager like me if traffic growth and lead generation are big goals of yours!
