A Guide to Pinterest for Photographers
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Social media marketing is one of the most lucrative ways to promote your business online or get new clients.
And when it comes to visuals, Pinterest is one of the best platforms out there for promoting yourself.
This is why using Pinterest for photographers can be a match made in heaven for a photography business – whether starting out or well-established.
Not only because it’s solely a visual search engine but because of the platform’s many features and tools for marketing your services or business.
If you’re a photographer, doesn’t matter a professional or an amateur, using Pinterest for photography business could be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.
As a photographer, you may have uploaded a chunk of your work online on a platform, whether a social media site or a professional website with a domain that reflects your brand.
The issue with websites is that they may not get the traction you’re looking for.
Of course, you need to invest in marketing tools and strategies for the website and only then will you be able to garner a significant amount of attention to your business site or portfolio.
However, what if I told you that you could make things easier for your business by using Pinterest?
As a creative, you may have already spent a good amount of time on Pinterest, looking for prop ideas before your next shoot or just browsing through adorable dog pictures on the platform.
But did you know you could benefit from the platform’s 400 million+ monthly users and strategies like Pinterest SEO? I bet not.
“Pinterest for photographers” is a topic often less talked about. Not because it isn’t beneficial but because only a few people know how to use Pinterest for photographers or any business.
Don’t worry if you feel like you have been living under a rock and still haven’t explored the potential of Pinterest and how to actually benefit from it.
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We will discuss creating content for your Pinterest business account, utilising photography keywords, and advertising ideas for photographers.
I will share some of the tools that have helped me in my Pinterest marketing journey and how you can utilise them for marketing a photography business.
How can photographers use Pinterest?
Enough about how great is Pinterest for photographers. Let’s move on to what it really can do for your photography business.
So, to give a bit of background, Pinterest started off as a visual search engine in 2010 and ever since has been the number one platform for many creatives and business owners when they’re looking for inspiration.
Not only business owners but regular Pinterest users hop onto the platform every time before they make a purchase or when they crave a creative spark in their lives.
But how does Pinterest for photographers work? What does this platform offer different from other social media platforms?
Well, first of all, Pinterest isn’t just a social media platform. In fact, it’s far from that; it’s a visual search engine where users can save what they like on the platform.
Alongside its bookmarking feature, you can use Pinterest to connect with like-minded folks.
Pinterest for photographers can be used to find people who are into photography and creative fields like you or those who might enjoy your work.
Since it’s a platform that people use before they finalise a purchase, you can also use Pinterest to market what your brand or business is offering.
By using photography keywords, you may be able to target users who would be interested in what you are offering.
For instance, you can market your services as a wedding photographer by uploading previous work as a separate board with links to your site or where people can book your services.
Pinterest can be an all-in-one marketing solution for your business. Prospective clients would see your work, connect with you on your site or email and book you for your services.
All of this could be done on Pinterest for photographers and any other business. Not only that, you can utilise Pinterest ad and other marketing features to garner an audience.
What’s even better is that Pinterest is used for bookmarking ideas that you like.
Uploading your previous work with photography keywords mentioned in the description and title could make it easier for the algorithm to make your account and content visible.
More visibility implies that more people would see and want to save your work on their boards. This is how you utilise Pinterest for photographers and market your business.
Speaking of boards and bookmarking, Pinterest, unlike other social media platforms, allows you to categorise your content.
With the help of boards, you can create categories of different types of photography that you’re into.
Pinterest for wedding photographers is one way of putting your work out there if you’re a wedding photographer.
But who says that’s the only thing you can upload?
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Talk about your passion for photography, and impart your knowledge about lighting and prop setting in a way that intrigues and inspires amateur photographers on the platform.
While Pinterest is good for marketing a photography business, it’s also a great medium to connect with amateur folks who might learn a thing or two from your work.
Why is Pinterest good for photographers?
Though I might have answered this question a few times before, but to make it direct: Pinterest for photographers is the best way to showcase your work, find new clients and connect with other creatives in the field.
Using Pinterest for photography business or any kind of a business is one way of directing audience to your main site or online shop. It’s a lucrative way of finding clients through content marketing.
Pinterest for photographers means you take good pictures, tweak them a bit, write catchy descriptions with photography keywords and let the algorithm do its job.
Unlike other social media sites where business owners and content creators use content marketing to talk about their lives and update what’s happening “now”, Pinterest is about the future.
Anything and everything that you do on the platform has to do with the future – the creative inspiration that you’re looking for a future project or purchase.
Not only does this futuristic element make Pinterest for photographers different than other platforms, but promises a greater return.
Other social media platforms are constantly buzzing with a gazillion notifications – a status update, a live story update, video call or a message pop-up.
But, Pinterest is different. It’s just the user, and the people or accounts they want to get inspired from.
So, as a photographer, you know you would get likes and follows from people who are either impressed by your photography skills and want to hire you in the future.
And of course, Pinterest for photographers means that the more your content gets saved, the more its likely to show up in the search result for relevant photography keywords.
In either case, the user is planning for the future. They may want to come back to your saved content at a later date and take a look at the work that you have done or the tips that you’ve provided.
Not only will this make your presence on the platform evergreen but get you the visibility you need for marketing your business.
In a nutshell, Pinterest has been the springboard of creativity and inspiration for many.
In fact, more than 80% of the users on the platform state that they consult their Pinterest search engine before starting a new creative journey.
So what better reason for using Pinterest for photographers do you need?
Another exciting statistic that I would like to share is that more than 45% of the US population with an annual income of $100k is on Pinterest.
I’m sure you can get where this is going?
Unlike other platforms ruled by Gen-Z users, who might not have a higher spending budget, Pinterest offers a gateway to a userbase that might actually be interested in your business or buying from you.
Pinterest for photographers is a great way of reaching out to audiences or prospects who might not know your brand or business name, but might be looking for what you are offering.
That’s because more than 97% of Pinterest searches are unbranded.
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So, if a prospect looks up “product photography”, there’s a high chance they might come across your profile if that’s what you specialise in.
This isn’t necessarily true on other platforms where you must know the business name or account name in order to look for it.
How to use Pinterest for photographers?
Whether or not you’re new to Pinterest, here is a detailed account of how to use Pinterest for photographers.
1. Optimise your profile
As this blog post emphasises, you can gain traction for your main website while building an online presence with Pinterest.
Apart from creating content, you can also save or bookmark content already on the platform.
But first things first, to use Pinterest for photographers, you must create a Pinterest Business account.
With a business account, you can track the boards and Pins performing well and see analytics for your profile with a click.
For instance, the board that is constantly getting followed or pinned to other boards, consider updating it regularly.
Similarly, you can create multiple boards for relevant categories.
If you’re offering various photography services or have multiple projects to showcase, it might be better to create multiple boards for each rather than jumbling up everything in one board.
As a creator on Pinterest, you can also collaborate with other creatives in the field by uploading your individual ideas on one board.
Doing so helps target a greater audience and leads to better prospects for your business.
You can also utilise Pinterest marketing tools and learn the basics of Pinterest SEO to amplify your profile and make it more visible.
Profile optimisation also involves connecting your website to the main Pinterest account. This way, your Pinterest profile can be connected to your main site, and you can get a better analytics overview.
Know that there are two ways of claiming your website – either add a meta tag to your site, or upload the HTML file to the root directory of your website.
Apart from that, make sure to add all your business details on the Pinterest profile, like your name, a short description of who you are and the services you offer, and the location where you operate.
Remember that since Pinterest is a search engine, you have to include photography keywords where they fit naturally so that the algorithm shows your profile when a relevant search pops up.
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2. Create relevant boards
Building on to the previous point, the main benefit of using Pinterest for photographers is that unlike on a website, where it’s a complex task to create multiple categories of your work, you just need to create multiple boards.
One for every project or service that you offer.
As a photographer, it may be a good idea to create a board on tips or knowledge that you can impart since many people turn to Pinterest for ideas and information.
After all, there is so much on Pinterest for photographers just entering the field, not just the established ones.
3. Create content
This one goes without saying because Pinterest is a visual search engine.
It’s all about the visual content that you see and interact with, so it only makes sense to consistently create and upload content on the platform if you want to use Pinterest for a photography business.
Content creation is one thing, but idea generation is where most creatives feel stuck.
Don’t worry; there’s hope online – you can look up photography keywords (trending ones) and then create content around that.
Or, if you have a good assessment of what your target audience might be looking for, start with that. There’s so much room for experimenting when using Pinterest for photographers.
4. Optimise your content
Once you have created content, it’s time to start optimising it.
Content optimisation involves dividing your content into boards for a meaningful categorisation and ensuring that every Pin or visual you upload is adequately designed and structured.
Don’t forget to add a site URL with each Pin and an SEO-optimized header or title with the Pin. You should also add keywords, descriptions, and titles to your Pinterest boards.
5. Schedule your content with Tailwind
Once you have created and optimised your content, it’s time to upload it. As a creative, it can be time-consuming to set aside time to upload each and every Pin manually.
I recommend using Tailwind to schedule your Pins and other posts in advance to save you from the hassle. Of course, you must create bulk content in advance and schedule it for posting.
Check out my review on Tailwind to find out if it’s right for you. If so, you can use my link for $30 off a Tailwind subscription.
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6. Review and tweak
Last, but one of the most important tips when using Pinterest for photographers is to know that every Pin or content that you upload on the platform has a “shelf life”.
After some time, the keywords or description may require some tweaking. Perhaps one of the keywords that you previously used is no longer relevant to your niche, therefore you must change it.
Similarly, some boards may require you to update them by changing the description, adding collaborators or changing their overall idea.
Nonetheless, be receptive to new changes and ideas on the platform to ensure your profile and content are visible.
Pinterest for photographers is a great way of showcasing your work.
With Pinterest, however, not only is it easier to show your work and find new clients, but you can create your own small online community.
This way, you have a trusted network of creatives and people who always support you and your work. With Pinterest, it’s also easy to direct traffic to your main site, all while utilising its marketing tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, definitely! Pinterest and photography are both visual mediums and thus pair together perfectly. In fact, photographers have a leg up in many ways. They just need to learn about SEO and other Pinterest strategies in order to grow their following.
You can grow an audience on Pinterest by following these steps: (1) Optimize your profile; (2) Create relevant boards; (3) Create content; (4) Optimize your content; (5) Schedule your content with Tailwind; (6) Review and tweak.
Absolutely! So long as you have a product or site to link to, Pinterest can be quite lucrative for your business. Read more about how to make money from Pinterest.
Other articles you will love:
- How to Use Pinterest for Business
- What a Pinterest Coach Can do for Your Business
- The Best Pinterest Course to Take
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