Pinterest can be an excellent platform for growing your email list by driving traffic to your website and encouraging users to sign up as email subscribers. And hopefully, lead them through a series of emails you set up to lead them to a sale!
First, here’s why email is actually SO important for your growth, especially if your primary marketing strategy involves social media.
Social media algorithm changes
Instagram’s algorithm changes regularly, and it can be difficult to maintain a consistent reach – especially in 2023. Building an email list ensures that your audience will receive your messages directly in their inbox, regardless of any algorithm changes.
1:1 communication
Email marketing provides direct communication with your audience, allowing you to send personalized messages, special offers, promotions, and updates about your business. This builds trust and loyalty with your audience. Plus, they can actually respond to you and it invites real conversation.
Diversify your marketing channels
Relying on one platform can be risky and leaves you vulnerable to changes in algorithms or potential account loss or suspension (or an account shutting down, like Vine or the potential TikTok ban). Building an email list diversifies your marketing efforts and you own your list.
Increased conversion
Email marketing has a high conversion rate, allowing you to nurture your email subscribers into paying customers.
Long-term relationship building
Email addresses are valuable assets that can be used for long-term marketing efforts. You can use your email list to promote new products, offers, or to retarget customers who haven’t made a purchase yet or recently.
Why you should create a freebie or lead magnet to promote on Pinterest
Creating a lead magnet is an good way to generate leads for your business.
A lead magnet is a helpful resource or offer that you give away in exchange for a prospect’s contact information, such as their email address.
By providing a free resource that solves a problem or addresses a pain point for your target audience, you can establish trust and authority in your industry and build a list of potential customers who are interested in your products or services. This allows you to nurture those leads over time and ultimately convert them into paying customers.
It’s also an enticing reason for someone to actually click through to your website and get on your list! Gone are the days where you can say “sign up for my newsletter” and have that be enough for someone to give you their email. Give them a bite-sized resource that actually helps them!
Here are some tips for how to promote your freebies on Pinterest:
1. Create scroll-stopping Standard Pins
The first step in using Pinterest to grow your email list is to create engaging pins that promote your lead magnets or free resource. Create images that capture attention (we use Canva!), compelling headlines, and clear calls to action to encourage users to click through to your website and sign up for your email list.
2. Use Idea Pins to promote your list
Does your free resource solve a problem? Do you have a newsletter made for a certain audience? Do a carousel-style idea pin that encourages people to sign up for the email list and shows how to do so. Idea Pins, as of early 2023, are not able to link out but that feature is being pushed out and will be available soon.
3. Optimize your website for conversions
Once users click through to your website from your Pinterest pins, make it as easy as possible for them to sign up for your email list. Use clear and prominent opt-in forms and landing pages that offer value to users and encourage them to sign up.
4. Create relevant boards
Creating relevant boards on Pinterest that align with your lead magnets or freebies can help attract users who are interested in the content you’re offering. Pinterest needs to index your content, and having clear board titles for your pins helps you reach the right people.
Pin relevant content to these boards and include calls to action.
5. Showcase your freebie
Give people a reason to click through to get your freebie. Show them a preview of what the free resource looks like on the pin image itself.
Create a mock-up of the resource that links to the freebie. Is it a multiple-page PDF? Is it a video workshop? Is it a deck? Give them a little taste of what they can expect!
6. Embed your free resource into your blog posts
Have blogs that are related to your free resource? Embed the opt-in form into your blogs to encourage subscribers to the blog content you’re promoting on Pinterest, too! You can even create graphics that have the title of the blog post with a call to action in the image for the free resource. That way, you’re not feeling like the promoting of your freebie is exhaustive and you can keep your feed feeling diverse while still getting a ton of pins about your email freebie.
7. Use Pinterest ads
Using Pinterest ads can be an effective way to promote your lead magnets or freebies to a larger audience. Set up Pinterest ads that target users who are interested in your brand or content, and include clear calls-to-action that encourage users to sign up for your email list.
Pinterest has the kind of reach that can help you grow your email list fast, if you have a resource that speaks to your audience’s needs, stops their scroll and captures attention, and provides a solution in the best way for your audience. Note that this definitely takes time and conversations with your audience to figure out! Play with it, and don’t be afraid to try more than one free resource to promote on Pinterest.
Speaking of Pinterest, pin these for later!
