5 Tips for Purposeful Pinning

Pinterest is a website where you can create theme-based image collections through social photo sharing. Since March 2011, this site has become “the hottest start-up…in Silicon Valley” according to the Wall StreetJournal. Pinterest is designed to inspire its users through images to create multiple “pinboards” of things they like and categorize them by themes (e.g., my style, home décor, wedding, photography).

In terms of PR, Pinterest can be a great curation tool for visual thinkers to express their plans and ideas for customers and clients. "It's a good way to show an aesthetic vision, " said Crosby Noricks, founder of PR Couture." Instead of explaining your vision with words, you can create a board and pin photos that illustrate your vision. Then, you can show clients and co-workers." Especially in the world of fashion and design, creating a strong visual message is key, and Pinterest can help make that happen. Users can then follow pinboards of their friends and view their collection of images. 

However, there must be a strong sense of transparency. Pinterest is not a place for self-promotion and to only pin products or images from your brand. Doing so will not help achieve any goal for building your brand and relationship with your customer. 

Here are my top 5 tips on purposeful pinning:

1. Apply the “80/20” rule. Much like promotional marketing on any other social media site your “pins” should reflect this balance of content. 80 percent of your content should be inspirational pins that would get your customer to think about your brand. 20 percent of your content can be from your brand, whether it's a product or editorial. By doing so, users will view your pin site as an inspiration, not an advertisement.

2. Let others promote. Whether you work in fashion or design, there are people that buy and use your products. Find images of those products being used in magazines, blogs or websites and pin those to your boards. For example: West Elm, an upscale retail store that sells contemporary designs and furniture, pins images from design magazines and blogs that use its products in staging photos.

3.Create a steady flow of pins. Do not overload customers' pin feed with your content. Pin regularly to keep them interested but not enough to overwhelm them.

4. Build strong board titles. A user is less likely to follow a board that is titled after a product, so get creative! Use a play on words or an alliteration to spice up the titles such as “creative curtains” or “America the beautiful”. Your title should represent the inspiration for the board, not necessarily the content.

5. Remember your purpose. You are on Pinterest to build a relationship; you are not searching to find customers. This site should be used to build your brand and inspire your customers, not join in on the noise making of advertisements and shameless self-promotion.


Pinterest can also help PR practitioners keep track of trends in the market. Following the pin boards of people that fit into your target audience can give an insightful look into what trends they are following, what sparks their inspiration, and what looks they are interested in. It is also a great place to try out ideas and trends to see the reactions of the users on Pinterest. Some PR practitioners even use Pinterest as a way of finding new blogs or websites that could be a potential fit for their client because every pin should relate back to an original site or blog where the image was found.

Pinterest can be used in many ways. Whether you are just looking to be inspired or are trying to make your ideas come to a visual head, Pinterest offers a wide range of opportunity for its users. PR practitioners, especially those in fashion and design, would be smart to join in on the pinning and see what it could potentially do to help their clients or brand.