Pin Talk - Pinterest Tips and Updates for Creators
Episode: S1E15 - How Long Before It’s Time To Give Up Your Pinterest Account
Release Date: April 10, 2025

Introduction

In the 15th episode of Pin Talk, hosts Tony Hill and Carly Campbell delve into a critical question for Pinterest users: "How long should you invest time into your Pinterest account before considering giving up?" This discussion is particularly timely amidst frequent changes in Pinterest's algorithm, which can significantly impact account performance.

The Formula for Pinterest Success

Carly begins by outlining their "recipe for success" on Pinterest, emphasizing three core components:

1. Niche: Selecting a well-defined niche is foundational. Carly refers listeners to previous episodes for a deep dive into choosing the right niche.

2. Strategy: This includes determining the number of boards, pins per day, and the type of content that resonates with Pinterest users. Tony and Carly have dedicated several episodes to refining strategy elements like keyword research and board management.

3. Time: According to Carly, time is an often underappreciated factor. She mentions, "For as long as I've been doing Pinterest, time has been massive" (01:08).

The Role of Time in Pinterest Growth

Carly advocates for a minimum of eight months to a year as a baseline period to see meaningful results from Pinterest efforts. Drawing from personal experience, she states:

• In 2019, it took eight months for her pins to gain traction.
• In 2020, she tested a new account which also took eight months to start receiving traffic.
• However, with recent changes and enhanced content creation tools, a new site saw significant traffic within two to three months (02:00).

Tony adds, "the number of pins you're putting out there... it's got to factor in the number of pins you're putting out there" (05:24), highlighting that quantity, alongside time, plays a pivotal role.

Volume and Frequency of Pinning

The hosts discuss the importance of maintaining a substantial number of pins to establish a strong presence. Tony emphasizes the goal of 1,000 good pins:

• Carly: "We want a thousand pins that you can identify why the user would click that pin... a thousand intelligently created pins, not a thousand experiments." (10:00)

• Tony: Reflects on his experience, sharing that a lower pinning frequency (one every two weeks) significantly delayed his site's monetization (03:55).

They agree that while AI tools can expedite content creation, the quality and strategic placement of pins remain paramount.

Seasonality and Niche Considerations

Seasonality greatly affects Pinterest performance. Tony shares his experience with seasonal content like St. Patrick's Day:

• A post from St. Patrick's Day performed phenomenally, dragging related posts into the feed (18:19).
• Carly underscores the need to understand how seasonality impacts different niches, stating, "Seasonality can be bigger in some niches than others." (22:02).

Additionally, Carly highlights the distinction between evergreen and trend-oriented niches, noting that evergreen content can continue to drive traffic long-term if given sufficient time to gain traction.

Persistence and Measuring Success

The conversation shifts to measuring progress beyond immediate metrics. Carly advises tracking higher lows—ensuring that even the lowest traffic days are improving over time:

• "If you're seeing higher lows, you know... there's progress." (20:29)

• Tony adds that building a strong foundation of high-performing pins gradually increases overall traffic.

Managing Pins: When to Delete

A contentious topic among Pinterest users is whether to delete underperforming pins. The hosts discuss this cautiously:

• Tony argues against deleting pins within the first year, regardless of performance: "I would give them at least a year." (37:03)

• Carly emphasizes the risk of inadvertently removing pins that may gain traction due to future algorithm changes or seasonal interest: "You just never know how the algorithm will be adjusted." (37:30)

They caution listeners to avoid hasty deletions based on short-term data, which can be misleading due to Pinterest's seasonal nature.

Monetization Strategies

Carly shares insights into maximizing revenue from Pinterest traffic:

• Transitioning from ad-based income to diversified streams like printable products can significantly boost earnings. She recounts a blog post from 2017 that, years later, generated substantial revenue through ad income and product sales (24:43).

• Tony concurs, noting that successful bloggers often have extensive content libraries (e.g., 1,000 blog posts) that support sustained Pinterest traffic and monetization (16:01).

Conclusion and Final Advice

Wrapping up, Tony and Carly reinforce the importance of patience, quality, and strategic consistency on Pinterest:

• Tony advises, "Give it at least a year and pushing through is a good idea," encouraging creators not to be disheartened by initial setbacks (33:13).

• They invite listeners struggling with Pinterest growth to seek feedback within their communities, offering support and tailored advice.

Carly concludes with a reminder of the long-term benefits of sustained Pinterest efforts: "Pinterest is a long game." (24:23).

For more insights and detailed strategies discussed in this episode, visit pintalkpodcast.com and join the Pin Talk community to elevate your Pinterest game and grow your online business.