Pinterest TV? What’s that?
I hear this all the time when I mention this new feature launched by Pinterest in late 2021. It seems a little “outside the box” for the platform. One of Pinterest’s special creators, Isabelle Dias, recently talked with me about what Pinterest TV is and how it can help your business grow.
I must admit that I was kind of a Pinterest TV critic, but Isabelle has changed my outlook about this cool new Pinterest eCommerce marketing tool. I hope that by the end of this episode, you will also see its potential to be leveraged in a way that is different than any other live format.
Pinterest TV is NOT like Instagram Live or Facebook Live. It is unique!
Related: Pinterest vs. Instagram for Marketing Your Business & The Transition from Facebook Marketing to Pinterest Marketing
Introducing Pinterest TV: The Next Big Pinterest eCommerce Tool
Meet Pinterest TV Creator Isabelle Dias
Isabelle Dias is a personal development specialist turned content creator. She has worked with digital marketing her entire professional life. She was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but currently lives in New Jersey with her husband.
Isabelle majored in social communication and marketing where she used Pinterest all the time. It was a huge educational tool for her that she carried into her professional life as a consultant in Brazil and now as a content creator here in the U.S..
We hear a lot about Pinterest expanding globally, especially the push into South America. Isabelle says Pinterest is big in South America. In fact, according to Pinterest’s Global Head of Sales, Brazil is one of Pinterest’s largest markets outside of the US.
Isabelle says that idea pins are still new in Brazil. Pinners and creators there are just becoming familiar with that feature, but it was idea pins that provided her the opportunity she has now with Pinterest TV.
Isabelle was hand-selected by Pinterest as a special creator for the Pinterest TV feature so she has an inside track on what this emerging product is and how it works.
What is Pinterest TV?
Simply put, Pinterest TV is live, original, shoppable episodes featuring creators and brands right on Pinterest. Every week, they have new episodes on Pinterest TV that are recorded and available for pinners on demand. Users can even save episodes and rewatch them later.
Isabelle likens Pinterest TV to QVC.
Pinterest TV, or Pinterest Live as it is often referred to, is an exciting new way for pinners to be online with a live person and buy featured products right from the Pinterest platform.
Isabelle thinks it is an amazing feature for people who have products to sell, especially if they are physical products.
She says it may be a bit more challenging for people who don’t have physical products but she still sees it as a great opportunity to showcase the value of your content. You can take advantage of the monetary side by creating an incredible connection with your audience, offering an ebook, or even promoting affiliate links.
Pinterest TV gives you instant authority with everyone who watches you. Isabelle’s first official show aired in December 2021. She says that doing Pinterest TV episodes has brought an increase in Pinterest followers and traffic to her site.
Because Pinterest TV is an emerging feature, Pinterest tracks every single metric very closely. Before going live, they go to your profile and track your current metrics. The metrics are then shared with you a few days after your episode. It gives you the ability to see the effect going live has on your Pinterest growth.
According to Isabelle, the increase in followers from her first live was great but the community she built from interacting live with her audience was priceless.
Isabelle gained an audience of followers who show up for everything she does. You become “real” to your audience as you interact and answer their questions. You create great connections that build a stronger and more tangible community of followers. She says there is no price tag you can put on that.
We have seen over the years that video has kind of been a tough sell on Pinterest. Pinterest users tend to be very introverted and video has felt like a speed bump.
While Isabelle agrees that Pinterest users are more introverted, she finds that when her Gen X audience shows up, they are really in it with her. It is a two-way conversation that can generate some very deep questions.
When new features first hit the Pinterest platform, they are in a state of constant evolution. Pinterest TV will look very different a year from now. Think about the idea pin a year ago vs. where we are now. Pinterest marketers are much more accepting of this pin format today and have a greater understanding of how it works.
Pinterest is changing and we need to change along with it.
We, as creators, have to let go of our fears and pre-conceptions about the Pinterest platform. If you embrace this new era with an open mind, and you have the patience to educate yourself and your audience, you’re going to win like never before.
— Isabelle
Behind the Scenes of Pinterest TV
Every Pinterest Live is 30 minutes in length. Isabelle’s experience is that followers fluctuate during that time frame. For example, in one of her Lives, she had 650 followers overall with a maximum of 150 people watching at the same time.
There are also the comments you get during and after the show to consider. One of her lives brought 1200 comments.
Just like with real TV, as soon as your episode ends another creator is waiting to go live.
Pinterest has an entire production team that helps creators develop their content. They also work with them “backstage”. The only difference is they are virtual.
As a Pinterest TV host, you join the Pinterest production team on the platform 30 minutes before your scheduled time. When your episode time arrives, you go live on the platform from your computer, using your phone as a second camera.
As you are talking with people on your Live episode, the production team is there on your screen directing you, helping you with timing, and with anything that might go wrong.
How Can I Host a Pinterest TV Show?
Isabelle was hand-selected for this new feature, but any creator can apply to host an episode of Pinterest TV. The producers are always looking for new hosts. In the application, you can pitch your idea to Pinterest explaining who you are and what your episode will be about.
It’s important to know that they’re looking for people who are already creating video-based idea pins. They want to see that you are comfortable interacting with an audience on camera.
Related: 5 Video Creations Tools for Creating Pinterest Videos
Health and wellness, beauty, food, fashion, and decor are content areas that are easiest to pitch. Content related to particular holidays or events is also favored.
How do you put together a pitch for a great Pinterest TV episode?
Isabelle feels the most necessary component is time. You need to take the time to plan your
- overall concept
- the main points you want to talk about
- the products you want to showcase and prepare questions you plan to ask the audience during your live.
Pinterest wants to see that you are able to keep people continually interacting with you on the platform. She encourages you to plan a conversation that will make people want to stick around. Your pitch should show the potential you have to bring a lot of people to the platform.
Beyond the planning, Isabelle says that lighting is important. A helpful tool for this is ring lighting.
What I’m taking away from my time with Isabelle is:
- there is currently limited access to Pinterest TV for select people
- If you are selected for an episode, you will be going live from your desktop only. It’s not the same as going live from Instagram or Facebook where anybody can. golive at any time.
- Pinterest facilitates the process by working with creators; they are curate and produce the episodes.
As I listened to what Isabelle said, I formulated this picture in my head of what Pinterest TV will be.
We have all these individual streaming platforms available to us right now like Discovery Plus, Paramount plus, and so many others. I see Pinterest TV as a hybrid model of those.
Pinterest finds creators to create episodes but they control the content through the curation process. They are looking for episodes that might lend themselves to something similar to a mini TV series that entice people to keep coming back regularly. It’s a little bit like a podcast in that way. People want to continue to listen.
The way it is evolving makes it true to the Pinterest platform. They are sourcing great ideas, providing inspiration, and then leading people to the products they want.
My aha moment is this: we shouldn’t look at Pinterest TV as an Instagram Live type feature but truly more like a DIY TV show.
For the first three months of Pinterest TV, episodes were hosted by creators with huge personas that had large audiences on other platforms. Every day was a different episode and it was a little like they had their own mini TV show.
Isabelle says Pinterest used this as a way to educate their audience about what they are looking for with this new feature. It brought those huge audiences to their platform.
Now Pinterest has opened the TV platform for other creators who don’t have celebrity status. She believes if we embrace it and ask ourselves how we can make this work for our business or our clients’ business, we will find incredible possibilities on Pinterest TV.
If you want to see what Isabelle is doing with Pinterest TV, view her Pinterest TV board on the Pinterest app (not from a computer). Also, remember that not all accounts have access to this feature. If yours does, you will see a small TV in the upper left corner of your app. Clicking on it will take you to upcoming and past episodes of Pinterest TV.
You can view Pinterest TV on your desktop here.
The Future of Pinterest TV & Next steps to take
Isabelle believes Pinterest TV will never be like Instagram where anyone can go live wherever and whenever they want. Pinterest produces the episode very much like a real TV experience.
She predicts a lot of growth for Pinterest TV in 2022. Their team is growing and with it, the possibilities of what they can do. She believes we will see them expand into more elaborate formats with serialized episodes.
She also believes using the feature will become more tangible and do-able than it seems right now.
I would highly encourage all of you to find Isabelle on Pinterest and follow her to see what she’s doing. I believe one thing we should do as marketers is to get ahead of the curve by looking at what other people are doing.
Just spend 20 to 30 minutes to explore and think about how this new feature could work for your business or your clients. If you are already creating idea pins, you can take those ideas and turn them into a great pitch to Pinterest.
I think this is a super-smart move you can make to capture the Pinterest audience in a new way. As Isabelle mentioned, it brings you into direct contact with your audience and that is a meaningful connection to have as a business owner.
Don’t let the fear of failing stop you if you’re interested. Check out Pinterest TV and take a chance!
Thanks to Isabelle for sharing her perspective on Pinterest TV. You can learn more about Isabelle at IsabelleDias.com. Follow her on both Pinterest and Instagram.
For Further Listening/Reading:
