Web 101: What Is Pinterest?

by Lily Bradic

​This week in Web 101, we’ll be covering Pinterest: an image-based social site that’s far more useful to you than Tumblr (which we covered here).

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is an online image and information website where users collect images (called Pins) from around the Web and organise them into boards. For example, you might have a board for hairstyles, where you collect images of various types of braid. Images are usually linked to their original source, so you can click through to a tutorial on how to braid your hair like the woman in the picture.

Who uses Pinterest?

There are more women than men on Pinterest, and most users are between 25 and 35. Unlike most forms of social media, Pinterest is less about who you are and more about what you can do — whether that’s designing clothes, baking cupcakes or knitting. Pinterest is also popular with brides-to-be, who will often use a board to plan out their wedding.

Why should you care?

Pinterest users collect Pins that interest them. It’s entirely possible that images from your website have already been pinned — and by looking at what category or board they’ve been pinned under, you can find out how people feel about your brand. The best way to do this is by typing “http://pinterest.com/source/[YOUR WEBSITE URL]/“ into the address bar.

Is Pinterest good for marketing?

It certainly can be — perhaps not if you sell envelopes or kitty litter, but if you think you can use visuals to sell your products or services (and usually you can), Pinterest could be for you. 

To use Pinterest for marketing, you first need to create an interesting profile — fill out every box you can — and create a few boards. Give them interesting names, rather than “my pins” or “cool stuff.” Then, make sure every image you upload is high quality. Avoid putting people in the images, and keep your brand logo out of there. Looking like you’re advertising will get you nowhere. Don’t forget to make sure your pins are shareable!

Need help? Reach out to us — we can help you set yourself up and start bringing in the traffic. Happy pinning!