Today on the podcast I talked about the real secret behind conversions from Pinterest traffic—and it’s not what you think. Over the last few episodes, I’ve been diving deep into the world of conversions with amazing guests—from cold traffic strategies to email and video marketing. Today’s episode is the perfect bookend to that series. I had the pleasure of chatting with Kelsey Silver, a brilliant data analyst (and therapist!) who calls herself a “data detective.” We explored how to look at your Pinterest traffic with a curious, compassionate lens instead of fear—and how to shift from surface metrics to truly understanding buyer behavior.
The truth? Bigger doesn’t mean better.
One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation was this: your biggest audience is not necessarily your group of buyers. Just because a pin goes viral doesn’t mean it’s bringing in revenue. Kelsey shared how she helps clients trace back what buyers are doing—from the moment they first discover your business to the point of purchase. It’s not about obsessing over every blog visitor or email subscriber; it’s about reverse-engineering the journey of those who actually convert. Start with your buyers. What pin brought them in? What did they do after? That’s the goldmine.
UTMs, nurture, and what’s actually working.
If you’re new to UTM links—don’t panic. They’re just simple tracking tools you can create to understand where your traffic is coming from. Kelsey walked us through a strategy that builds layer by layer: start by seeing which pins drive traffic, then track how many of those visitors join your list, and finally, see which of them buy. Using tools like Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity, or Hotjar, you can identify drop-offs in your funnel and optimize one step at a time. You don’t have to tackle everything at once—just follow the trail.
Tracking doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
For the quick-starts and creatives who feel allergic to spreadsheets, this part’s for you: tracking your Pinterest conversions doesn’t need to be complicated. Use a simple spreadsheet or just your Google Analytics dashboard. The key is to start with a single goal. Maybe it’s driving more traffic to one product page. From there, get curious. What pins are working? What’s not? Then iterate. The goal isn’t to burn your strategy to the ground every quarter—it’s to improve the parts that already have potential. That’s where sustainable growth happens.
Simple, no BS conversions start with curiosity.
This episode was such a great way to wrap up our conversations on conversions. If you’ve felt intimidated by data or unsure where to start, I hope you walk away feeling empowered. Focus on the buyer journey, stay curious, and make one small change at a time. If you want to go deeper into what metrics matter most, Kelsey has a fantastic freebie called Million Dollar Metrics- she asked 15 experts what one metric they’d track if stranded on a desert island. It’s a goldmine. And if you want to connect with her directly, head to Instagram and DM her the word “Kate” @kelseyEsilver.
Related:
Follow Kelsey- https://kelseysilver.com/15metrics
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