Simple Pin Podcast: "Answering Your Questions About Pinterest"

Host: Kate Ahl
Date: September 17, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Kate Ahl dives into the most pressing Pinterest marketing questions submitted by attendees of a recent Simple Pin Media webinar. She addresses topics ranging from profile setup and pin strategy to ad management, content styles, industry suitability, and the evolving role of AI and user intent on Pinterest. The tone is practical, engaging, and reassuring—perfect for both Pinterest beginners and seasoned marketers seeking deeper insight.

Main Topics & Insights

1. Does Pinterest Pay Kate to Educate?

• Key Insight: Kate clarifies she is not paid by Pinterest to deliver training.
• Quote: "Does Pinterest pay you to train us? No, they do not pay me to train you. In my trainings, I am part of the Pinterest Educator program." (03:06)
• She partners with Pinterest on their Educator Team to produce in-depth content, including podcasts and blogs.

2. Boards & Profile Setup

Q: Are sections within boards still relevant? How many boards should you have?

• Sections: Useful for organizing boards into subcategories, boosting engagement with newer, well-organized sections.
• Quote: "Boards that have sections within them tend to get more engagement because they are newer, they have less pins in them, and generally they're organized well." (05:42)
• How Many Boards: No magic number. Focus on quality and relevance; think about user experience (3-4 scrolls deep per board).
• Links to deeper resources are provided in episode notes.

3. Pin Scheduling & Frequency

Q: How many pins per day? Is consistency better than batching?

• Kate's Recommendation: "I actually like one pin per day. ...I would rather do one pin per day rather than three pins twice per week because I like that consistent investment." (09:08)

Q: Should I use Tailwind's Smart Loop?

• Insight: Avoid Smart Loop for repeat pins. Pinterest now favors "fresh" content; use regular schedulers to maintain this.

4. Pin Style: Video vs. Static, Consistency, and Branding

Q: Should pin styles be consistent, or varied?

• Key Takeaway: Favor user engagement over algorithmic uniformity. Align pin designs with audience and seasonality.
• Quote: "It is much more beneficial to you, especially if you're going along with seasonality, to have something that's geared towards fall, both in text overlay as well as the colors in the image." (13:57)
• Vary styles to test what works; text overlays often win out except in categories like home decor and fashion.

Q: Are video pins required for reach?

• Answer: Mixed results—try for yourself. Pinterest personal feeds reflect individual engagement, so your experience might differ from others'.
• Quote: "Video is a great format for you to try, especially if you've only been doing standard images." (17:55)
• Ads are now a natural part of the Pinterest feed; study them for design tips.

5. Pinterest Ads: Getting Started

Q: Pinterest Ads vs. Promoted Pins—what’s the difference?

• Explanation: Both are ads, but Promoted Pins are boosted from existing pins; ads are made within the ads dashboard.

Q: How many ads to run, and for how long?

• Kate’s Recommendation: Start with one campaign and multiple ad groups. Let ads run for at least two weeks before making changes.
• Quote: "You want to start with one campaign and then you can create multiple ad groups within that campaign...let them run for at least two weeks." (25:24)
• Never run Pinterest ads just for traffic; pick a clear conversion goal (email signup, product sale, etc.).
• Real-life win: "Just last month I got over 600 email signups just off of one Pinterest ad." (27:45)

6. Is Pinterest Right for My Industry?

Q: Does B2B or SaaS work? What about sustainability niches?

• Search Pinterest for your keywords to determine platform fit.
• Sustainability: "Eco-friendly ways to build a sustainable life...is definitely something that Pinterest users are looking for." (30:41)
• Be open to Pinterest’s broad user interests.

7. Keywords, Tagging, URLs, and Affiliate Strategy

Q: Should I tag products or just link in pin descriptions?

• Do not insert links in descriptions; use the dedicated URL field.
• Tag products directly on pins for better user experience.
• Quote: "We highly recommend you tag products...give opportunities to the pinner to purchase and to follow through on what they're looking for." (33:11)

Affiliate Marketing: Build a loyal audience and connect authentically. AI-generated content rarely builds trust.

• Quote: "The number one way to work on getting affiliate marketing dollars on Pinterest is to build a long-term loyal audience." (34:21)

8. AI and Pin Moderation

Q: Why are my pins tagged as AI-modified? How to fix it?

• It’s often a mislabel by Pinterest’s filter. Appeal via support or tap the Pinterest Business Community for help.

Quote: "You can appeal easily to get that removed.... Make sure that you continue to connect with a human on that help ticket so that you can get answers." (36:29)

9. Balancing User Intent vs. Reach

Q: Should targeting get specific (e.g., “Indian Thanksgiving recipe” vs. “Thanksgiving recipe”) even if reach is limited?

• Specificity often leads to higher engagement and more qualified audiences, not always massive reach.
• Quote: "It's not always about the masses... Sometimes it's about the most qualified, the ones that are most engaged." (39:19)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "If I'm brave enough to ask those questions that feel what the world would say, like quote, unquote dumb, then I actually learn more." (01:03)
• "There's a time and a place for AI creation. But I think especially on Pinterest, where people are aching for a human connection, there's a lot of ways that we can bring that into it." (36:08)
• "That smaller subgroup might actually engage more...and so it's not always about the masses." (39:19)

Timestamps for Key Sections

| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Introduction and question selection | 00:00–04:00 | | Board sections: relevance and usage | 04:01–07:20 | | Pin frequency and scheduling advice | 07:21–11:30 | | Pin design: style, branding, and seasonality | 11:31–18:30 | | Video vs. image pins and Pinterest algorithms | 18:31–20:58 | | Ad formats: Pinterest Ads vs. Promoted Pins | 24:10–26:40 | | Running ads and measuring performance | 26:41–28:41 | | Industry suitability: B2B, sustainability | 29:00–31:37 | | Tags, URLs, and affiliate trust-building | 32:00–36:00 | | AI tags on pins: why and what to do | 36:01–37:55 | | User intent vs. reach, niche targeting | 38:00–41:30 |

Recommendations & Closing

Kate emphasizes consistency and authenticity as the keys to Pinterest success. She encourages listeners to seek out additional resources via Simple Pin Media, test various pin styles, focus on audience connection, and use Pinterest’s business community for support.
To stay updated, she suggests signing up for the Simple Pin Media newsletter.

For more Pinterest marketing tips, resources, and the links mentioned, visit simplepinmedia.com.