Here at Simple Pin, we’ve covered different ways to grow your email list using Pinterest. But lately, we’ve been asked about it more often. Especially around how to actually track if Pinterest is bringing new email leads to your business.
In this podcast, Kate lays out what we have done here at Simple Pin, and then a bit more about options we’re hoping to test soon.
If you want to get moving and shaking right away, grab our Grow Your Email List Workbook over in the Simple Pin Shop. It’s a comprehensive PDF guide that walks you through how to choose an email provider, what to email your list, how to get more leads, and much more.
GROW YOUR EMAIL LIST USING PINTEREST
WHY IS AN EMAIL LIST IMPORTANT?
You own it and no one else can take it away. Is that a good enough reason?
Unlike other growth platforms like Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube, you own your list. It won’t be banned by the government, or be shut down for who knows what reason.
how to get started
Finding an email service provider is the first step, and there are a TON out there. Here at Simple Pin, we’ve been through three different providers, just based on different needs and different levels of our business. We’ve been with Convertkit since 2015 and been extremely happy.
It’s worth taking the time to do a little research, watching some YouTube videos on why people like one or the other platform. Some offer free versions up to a certain number of subscribers, which is a nice way to try it out. Some platforms are more tech-heavy, but have lots of robust options. There are some that are much simpler to use, but have less options.
It’s all a matter of how your brain works.
Keep in mind that a lot of videos you watch or blog posts you read will have affiliate links in them, meaning the creator makes a small commission if you go on to purchase (including us!). So it’s also important to be discerning. If someone isn’t really sharing much in the way of personal experience, they might just be sharing to make a good commission.
If you want to hear more about why we use Convertkit, reach out to us! Leave a comment on this blog post or DM us on Instagram.
But the short version is that we like how easy it is to use (after a small learning curve), how robust the options are as far as creating subscriber forms, segmenting our list with tags, and how well it integrates with multiple other software programs. It can be very tactical, but also has an excellent automation feature for more visual learners/users.
WHAT TO WRITE TO YOUR LIST
Honestly, this is pretty personal to your personality and your business. But here’s what we did at Simple Pin.
Kate started a weekly newsletter back in 2016 after listening to Joe Pulizzi speak at a conference. He spoke about what matters most to your subscribers – consistency and content. Showing up on a consistent basis, and providing valuable content.
And consistency doesn’t have to mean every day or every week. It can be once per month if that’s what you have the bandwidth for. Just make sure it’s consistent, and people who join your list are clear on what they are getting.
IS EMAIL DEAD?
This is something we either hear or get asked all the time. Our answer is always that email is still important.
Sure, there are many other ways that brands get in touch with us now – social media, text messages, DMs. But people STILL open email. Our people open our email at a high percentage every week.
Even if someone isn’t opening or reading every email you send, they are still seeing your name or your business name. This keeps your brand top of mind for when they are ready to buy or need information on what you provide.
HOW TO GROW YOUR EMAIL LIST
Using Pinterest to grow your email list can be really successful, but you have to be strategic. It doesn’t really work anymore to just say “sign up for my email list”, unless you’re a super recognizable name or business.
You have to be clear on what they will gain if they give over your email address. What type of information? How consistently will they hear from you? Will they get a discount code or free shipping?
One of the most popular ways to get someone to sign up for your email list is to offer a freebie – aka “opt-in” or “lead magnet”. This is something you give away for free in exchange for their email address.
In the past, we’ve done digital planners, PDF guides, checklists, Pin templates. You can also do a discount code for your products, a short informational call, teaching guides. The sky is the limit.
*One caveat here – make sure you are following GDPR requirements. If you have subscribers coming from the EU (or California soon), you have to be very careful about how you present your offer. People have to give you clear permission to join your list. Check with your email provider for more information.
GROW YOUR EMAIL LIST WITH PINTEREST SPECIFICALLY
Let’s say you’ve created this amazing PDF guide. Great!
What now?
Create a landing page on your website that talks about your free offer more in-depth. Think of it like a shorter version of a sales page. Include some details on what’s inside, what they will get, how it can be used to grow their business, and any other benefits they will receive.
It doesn’t have to be long, but it should be informative enough for them to say yes and give over their email address. Try to make it a no-brainer!
For Pinterest, you can then create a few pinnable images for your landing page. You can include a small box on the Pin image that says “download now” or “get your guide” or something similar. This box won’t be clickable, but it will give your potential reader or customer the indication that something is available on the other side of that Pin.
Now, pin it to the Pinterest board that is most relevant to the topic.
HOW TO TRACK LEADS FROM PINTEREST
To track specifically the traffic coming from Pinterest, you have a few options:
- Add a snippet of code to the end of your URL when you pin, called a UTM code that you can get from Google. This does mean you’d have to manually upload your Pin to Pinterest and link to your page using the UTM code.
- Create a special landing page ONLY for Pinterest users. This means the page doesn’t get shared anywhere else but Pinterest. You can then easily track this in Google Analytics, and on Pinterest, see how many saves, outbound clicks, and impressions those Pins are getting.
These are the only two options we’ve seen that are easy enough to implement, and don’t feel overwhelming.
We’d love to hear from you! Have you found other options that help you track your email list growth from Pinterest? Are you interested in trying one of the options laid out here? Leave a comment on this blog post or send us a DM on Instagram.
This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
Additional Resources Covered in Podcast:
- The Tilt (Newsletter)
- Content Inc. by Joe Pulizzi (Amazon)
- Convertkit – 14-day free trial
- Creator Economy Expo (produced by The Tilt)
Simple Pin Products and Resources:
- Make Money on Pinterest (YouTube video)
- Grow Your Email List Workbook (Simple Pin Shop)
- Subscribe to the Pinterest Made Simple weekly newsletter
