For a long time bloggers and businesses have been using Pinterest to promote their blogposts, products, and articles. It’s a great method of online marketing, allowing you to drive thousands of people to your website each month. There’s one thing that most people are missing out on though. One thing that means they’re leaving serious business growth (and profit!) on the table. And what is that one thing? Growing their email list!

If you’re not already working on building an email list, this is your sign to get started! You’ve probably heard pretty much everyone in the online space bang on about how important it is to grow your email list as soon as you get started on your entrepreneurial journey. But in case you haven’t, here’s why building an email list is so important:

1. Having a social media presence isn’t enough

You never know when Instagram is going to go down or when your account might get deleted (unfortunately I’ve seen this happen to business owners many times and it’s heartbreaking!)

Your social media accounts are borrowed land. They don’t belong to you and you’re ability to use them is totally at the discretion of the platform. You need somewhere that belongs to you! That’s where your email list comes in. That list is all yours – no one can take it away from you!

2. Nurture your audience

Once someone’s on your email list, you’re able to nurture a relationship with them.

When we make a post on Instagram, the algorithm decides who gets to see it. This means that a huge majority of our audience never even get a look in at most of the content we make!

When you send an email, you know it’s going to land in their box!

I suggest creating a nurture sequence for the first week after someone signs up to your email list. Fill this week with lots of valuable emails, providing them with everything they need to trust and like you!

3. Create warm leads

If someone’s signed up to your email list and have been through your nurture sequence, they’ll be pretty familiar with who you are and what you do. They’re used to having you in their inbox and they love the value that you give them each week in your newsletter!

So when it comes times to launch a new product, programme, or course – your email list is primed and ready to go. They’re what we call ‘warm’ leads. You’ll likely find that your email list is where you’ll make most of your sales come launch time!

They are invested in your brand and what you’re creating.

So you’re convinced that you need an email list (first step: complete!) but what makes Pinterest so particularly great for growing one? Why should you be starting there if you want to explode your email list and nurture your audience?

Why You Should Grow Your Email List with Pinterest

There are a number of reasons why Pinterest is particularly ahh-mazing for growing your email list. So let’s take a quick look at why it needs to be your go-to:

1. Attract Your Ideal Audience

If you use the method I’m about to share with you, you’ll attract your ideal audience. They’ll be ready to sign up for your email list straight away because they’re looking for exactly what you have to offer.

Pinners are always searching for a specific solution to their problem. They use the search bar in Pinterest to find something they’re interested in. When you grow your email list with Pinterest, your pin will be in those results ready for them to click and find the solution (by signing up to your list!).

Because pinners are already searching for what you’re offering, there’s no need for the hard sell or convincing. They will want to sign up to your email list

2. You Don’t Need a Big Following (or any following!)

One of the best things about Pinterest is that you don’t need a huge following to be successful. Or any following at all!

As long as you’re using keywords correctly (check out my ultimate guide to keyword research here!), you’ll be ranking top for your search terms, whether you have a big audience or not.

This means that people will find your pin even if they don’t follow you. So you don’t need any followers to get people subscribed to your email list!

3. Pinners Love to Purchase

Did you know that Pinners spend 80% more in retail than non-pinners? Or that 85% of users have bought something based on Pins they see from brands.

Pinners tend to be happy and ready to make purchases, especially when it’s something that adds value to their life or business.

These are exactly the kind of audience you want to have on your email list – people who’ll be ready and waiting for your launch emails!

Now you know why Pinterest is the perfect place to grow your email list – how do you actually do it?

Let’s break it down step-by-step and put a Pinterest Email List Building Strategy together!

Reminder: this blogpost contains affiliate links. This means I make a small commission if you choose to purchase through these links (at no extra cost to you!). It really supports my work and allows me to create more free content like this blogpost – so a huge thank you if you do decide to shop through my links!

How to Grow Your Email List with Pinterest in 6 Steps

1. Sign up to an email platform
2. Do keyword research
3. Build an opt-in lead magnet
4. Create a landing page
5. Create eye-catching pins in Canva
6. Upload your pins

Step 1: Sign Up to an Email Platform

If you’re building an email list, you’ll need to sign up for an email marketing provider! This is the best way for you to create nurture sequences and email campaigns.

My personal favourite (and the one I use for my own email marketing!) is Flodesk. They make everything super simple and straightforward, so don’t be scared if you’re new to building an email list. Their templates are incredibly beautiful and professional and my FAVOURITE thing about them is that they have a fixed price.

Most other email marketing platforms increase the price as your email list grows. Flodesk doesn’t do this! So no matter how big your email list gets, you’ll always be paying the same price. I love that they don’t penalise you for building your business.

Get 50% off using my affiliate link!

Another popular option is MailChimp. If you want to get an idea of which one might be best for you, make sure to check out this blogpost: ‘Flodesk vs. Mailchimp – which is best for email marketing?’. I go super in-depth into the pros and cons of each option!

2. Do Keyword Research

Next up you’ll want to do some keyword research. This is the key to creating a lead magnet that explodes your email list, so don’t skip this step! I repeat – DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!

In simple terms, keyword research means finding out what your ideal audience is searching for on Pinterest. You can then target these key words when using Pinterest to grow your email list. This way you’ll be in the top of search for those key words and people will find your pins easily!

Check out the Ultimate Guide to Keyword Research. This takes you through, step-by-step, exactly how to find keywords in your niche!

Once you’ve done this, you should have a list of keywords that your ideal audience are searching for on Pinterest. Then you’ll be ready to create the perfect lead magnet.

3. Create Your Lead Magnet

You might be wondering – what on earth is a lead magnet?

A lead magnet is some kind of resource that you provide when someone signs up to your email list.

For example, I have a free Pinterest Audit Checklist. I display this on my website and when someone clicks on it, they get taken to a form. This form allows them to sign up to my email list, so that I can deliver the Pinterest Audit Checklist straight to their inbox.

Your audience is basically exchanging their email for your free resource!

How to Decide on a Lead Magnet

Your lead magnet should be something that your audience is already looking for or that solves a problem that they already have.

For example, people who come to this website are interested in Pinterest Marketing. They’re not an expert but they’re excited to learn. They probably feel a little overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. So I created a lead magnet that would provide heaps of value and meet them where they’re at – a Pinterest audit checklist!

The best way to create a lead magnet is to use your keyword research. What is your ideal audience searching for? How can you construct a lead magnet to help them in this area.

For example, if you’re a fitness coach and your ideal audience is searching for ‘workouts for new moms’, maybe your lead magnet could be a 7 day workout challenge for new moms!

By using your keyword research you’re:

1. Meeting your audience where they’re at
2. Providing the exact value they’re looking for

Lead Magnet Ideas

Here are a few examples of great lead magnet ideas that you can adapt for your own niche and ideal client!

• Worksheet
• Checklist
• Guide
• Quiz
• Ebook
• Video Guide
• Cheatsheet
• Template
• Planner
• Workbook
• Habit Tracker
• Journal Prompts
• Goal Tracker
• Mini Course
• Email Course
• Toolkit
• Resource List

4. Create a Landing Page

Next up you’re going to want to create a landing page. This is a web page where people can sign up for your lead magnet freebie by entering their email details!

There are a couple of ways you can do this:

1. Add a page to your existing website specifically for your lead magnet
2. Use a landing page from your email provider

If you don’t have a website or aren’t tech savvy, you might prefer to use a landing page hosted by your email provider. The provider I use (Flodesk) has a number of landing page design options and they make it super simple to set up!

Don’t forget that you can get 50% off Flodesk using my affiliate link! I couldn’t recommend them highly enough and love using them for my own email marketing.

However, if you’d prefer to host your own landing page, you can set up a page on your existing website!

What to Include on Your Landing Page:

• Clear headline (displaying the lead magnet)
• Description explaining the value of the lead magnet
• Opt-in form for your audience to provide their email address
• Call to action
• Social proof (if you have any feedback from people about your lead magnet!)

5. Create Eye-Catching Pins in Canva

Canva is my secret weapon as a Pinterest manager. In fact, it’s the only platform I recommend to people to create their pins for Pinterest. It’s so quick and easy to create eye-catching, professional pins.

I use Canva to create all of my pins. The free version is amazing and has plenty of fonts, stock imagery and sticker elements available. But if you want access to everything, you’ll need to sign up for the paid version. You can get a free trial using my affiliate link!

In Canva, you’ll need to create a pin that displays your lead magnet. Make sure to use those keywords you found earlier in the title on your design! I recommend adding a subtitle with a call to action to really encourage pinners to click through to your website.

If you want to save time or don’t feel creative enough to create your own pin designs – I’ve got you covered. My etsy store has a number of Pin Template Packs. They’re super easy to use and they work with the free version of Canva!

6. Upload Pins to Pinterest

Once you’ve finished creating your pin. It’s time to upload it to Pinterest.

Make sure to use keywords in your Pin title and description! This will help Pinterest to rank it correctly so people can find it in search.

Before you post, add a link to your landing page. This way when someone clicks on the pin, they’ll be taken straight there.

Make sure to pin them to a board that’s relevant to the lead magnet. For example, if your lead magnet is a 7 day workout challenge for moms, you might want to pin it to your ‘Workouts for New Moms’ board.

7. You’re Done!

Once you’ve posted you pins, you just need to wait for the magic to happen. It can take a little while for Pinterest to index the pins correctly so that they show up in search. So try to be patient!

So long as you’ve:

• Done your keyword research
• Used these keywords correctly on your pins
• Created an irresistible lead magnet
• Created a quality landing page

Your email list should be growing in no time!

Bonus Tips

1. Create a cover photo
2. Build an opt-in specific board
3. Create relevant blogposts

Create a Cover Photo to Grow Your Email List

A lot of people don’t upload a cover photo to their Pinterest profile. This is a huge missed opportunity!

I’d recommend creating a cover photo in Canva that displays the opt-in freebie you’ve created. Add some text telling them how they can get hold of it. That way, whenever someone comes to your profile, they’ll see that you offer an amazing free resource that’s right up their street!

Create a Lead Magnet Specific Board

If you create more than one lead magnet, I’d recommend creating a specific board for them. This way when someone comes to your profile, they can take a look at the free resources that you have on offer, all in one place!

Just make sure that you pin your pins to subject specific boards first. THEN pin them to your lead magnet board.

Create Relevant Blogposts for an Extra Boost!

Once you’ve created a lead magnet, I’d recommend writing some blogposts that fit with the same theme. So if someone is interest in one, they’re probably interested in the other.

You can mention and link your lead magnet in these blogposts. If it’s providing value and is relevant to the pinner’s pain point, they’ll probably click through to your landing page!

You can then create pins on Canva for each of these blogposts. This creates an extra opportunity for people to find your lead magnet and join your email list.

Still Feeling Lost?

Why not book in for a power hour session with me. I’ll help you decide on the perfect lead magnet for your audience and create a strategy for building your email list using Pinterest.

Whenever I create a Pinterest Strategy or manage someone’s Pinterest account, I always include a plan to build their email list using Pinterest. In my opinion, it needs to be a priority!