Pinterest is growing fast. Last year, it posted audience growth of 36% to 50% among men and the under-40s. Another eye-catching stat is that, according to an eMarketer study, 48% of users say finding or shopping for products is their number one priority when they’re on the platform – significantly more than other social channels. For NYC’s Crown Affair, a haircare brand launched by Dianna Cohen in January 2020, Pinterest has proved huge over the past year. With 2.7k followers and 1.6 million monthly views, she shares how to use Pinterest to create long-lasting content, human connections and, ultimately, site conversions.

Keep it real 

‘Start with what you have. If you’ve ever filmed anything of yourself or have content that feels educational or relatable, start by uploading that and see how it goes. Creating unique content that feels real is so different for the platform that it actually does well. When you get into the flow, consistent posting that is reflective of your brand and that doesn’t feel “traditionally Pinterest” can ironically do really well in this environment.’

Grow it organically 

‘Crown Affair started just like a Pinterest board. I would save down things that are now in our visual literacy. Today we get around a million monthly views, all organic, and we consistently average around 12k views per post.’

Turn it into a lifestyle channel 

‘Film and shoot content specifically for Pinterest. It’s a great place to do 101s and talk about things in a more “lifestyle” way. At Crown Affair, I see this space as the most tutorial-like that we get. People will zoom in on certain things: like the video of me doing my air-dry, which got 3.4 million views, or the post of my granola recipe, which is part of the brand in a way, because so much of hair health comes from the inside.’

Tell a story 

‘If you’re a creator, Story Pins enable you to, step by step, bring people into the process, where before it was just mostly stills and some video. The Stories feature is amazing.’

Invest in evergreen content 

‘Pins live forever, so there’s a much more evergreen element here. You can create all these different pieces of content that people save in folders that are easy to find 100 days later. Months on, they’ll still feel a connection to your brand without feeling like you’re selling them anything.’

Create your community

‘Building up a brand is like spreading a religion; you have to be on the ground sharing the gospel, connecting with people. What’s so different about Pinterest is that people are creating real communities on there. It feels really intimate and supportive.’

Use it to spark joy 

‘There’s something about Pinterest that’s really intelligent and elegant. It feels like a playground for discovery that isn’t necessarily about self-worth but about taking time to discover or feel inspired. It’s a fun space to play organically with your brand.’

This article was first published in Courier issue 41, June/July 2021. To purchase the issue or become a subscriber, head to our webshop.