Tips for Creating Engaging Pinterest Graphics to Promote Your Digital Products on Etsy
One of my favorite ways to promote the digital products that I sell on Etsy is through Pinterest. Here’s why:
- It’s free to use.
- 150 million people use Pinterest each month — mostly women.
- Pinterest users are in buying mode.
- It’s simple to get started.
Are you convinced? Great!
Now obviously, there is a lot of content being created for Pinterest every minute of the day. To get sales, you need to learn how to create engaging pins that grab someone’s attention and make them want to click.
Below are some of my best tips for creating engaging Pinterest graphics that produce sales.
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Have an Observation Session
Let’s start with a bit of research. Grab a notebook and spend some time scrolling through Pinterest to observe what catches your eye and makes you want to click on a pin.
Since most Pinterest users are on their phones, use your phone for your observation session. You want to notice which pins stand out to you as you scroll through a sea of pins on your small phone screen.
Pay attention to colors, color combinations, fonts (styles and sizes), images, wording, and more.
Obviously you’re not going to copy exactly what someone else has done, but by taking note of what catches your attention, you can incorporate those elements into your pins.
Maybe the pins with high contrast colors and bold white text stand out to you. Maybe you’re drawn to beautiful mockups.
Keywords
Pinterest is very similar to Google in that keywords are very important. Yes, a striking pin image will grab a user’s attention, but without effective keywords, Pinterest won’t know when to show your pin to someone.
The words that you use in your profile, boards, board descriptions, and pin descriptions all matter. They tell Pinterest what your content is all about so that they can show it to people who most want to see it.
You can do a little keyword research by typing a broad term into the Pinterest search bar and seeing what autocomplete options it gives you. You can also look to the top of the search page to see the filtering word options.
I typed in “Digital planner” and found the keywords: ideas, stickers, template, 2023, and cover. If possible, I would incorporate these keywords into my pin description for a digital planner I’m selling.
Create Pin Images in the Recommended Size
Pinterest shows pin images that have a 2:3 ratio. This means that pins are generally 1000 px wide by 1500 px tall.
It’s important to use this recommended pin size so that your pin doesn’t get cut off.
If you are creating pins in Canva, one of the easiest places to create beautiful pins, you can simply create a Pinterest pin design and it will be the correct size.
Easy-to-Read Text
One thing you probably noticed from your observation session is that it’s hard to read the text on pins if the text is too small or in a calligraphy-style font.
The text that you use on a pin image can really grab someone’s attention and make them want to click — but that only works if they can read it! If the text isn’t easy to read, no one is going to click into your pin to get a closer view, they’ll just keep scrolling.
When you add text to a pin, use a small number of words, make the text large, and make sure to use an easy-to-read font.
Mockups
Since you’re pinning for the purpose of getting sales, don’t forget to use mockups in your pins. You can repurpose the mockups that you created for your Etsy listings by resizing the design.
You may want to change the background color or zoom in on the mockup to make it stand out more on Pinterest.
Once they click through your pin over to your Etsy shop they’ll be able to learn more about your product. The #1 goal with your pin is to have someone stop scrolling and click.
Don’t Stop!
Pinning occasionally is not going to create sales for you. It can take a bit of time to gain traction on Pinterest, so plan to be “in it to win it” for the long haul.
You want to get to the point where you’re pinning a minimum of 5 pins per day that link to your products. The Tailwind app is especially nice for scheduling your pins to go out regularly. I honestly don’t know what I do without the Tailwind app. You can also schedule pins through Canva, though it’s a little harder to use.
Once you get in the groove of creating new pins and scheduling them, you can do your Pinterest scheduling for an entire month in a few hours.
In a Nutshell…
If you want to market your Etsy digital products to get more sales, use Pinterest.
Be observant. The things that catch your eye as you scroll through Pinterest can give you hints about how you can create more engaging pins.
Keywords, easy-to-read text, eye-catching colors, and beautiful images all make a big difference.
And most of all, keep going. Over time, your pin performance and Etsy sales will grow. Woo!
