Pinterest is one of the go-to social media platforms to promote handmade products because of its unique advantages that make it a great match for Etsy sellers.
But there are some tips you need to know if you want to maximise your chance of success on Pinterest.
In this guide, you’ll learn the strategies to leverage Pinterest to drive traffic to your Etsy shop.
Let’s get started.
Pinterest is a great social media platform for Etsy sellers for a few reasons. For starters, Pinterest has a predominantly female user base of about 69.5%, which aligns with Etsy's user base where nearly 6 out of 10 users are female. So Pinterest is especially good for you if your handmade product appeals to a female target customer.
Also, Pinterest users have relatively high buying intent than most social platforms. Many people use Pinterest as an inspiration or planning tool to collect ideas. 61% of users turn to Pinterest to kick off new projects, and 46% use it to find new brands or products. This makes it a great place to showcase your products in a way that appeals to users looking for inspirations.
Another reason for Etsy sellers to use Pinterest is that successful pins have a longer life-span compared to other social media platforms like Instagram or Tiktok. Successful pins can rank well in search results for months or years, compared to days if not hours in other social media platforms.
Avoid the temptation of starting social media marketing too soon. Instead, focus on refining your core product offering and optimise your Etsy listings including listing photos and product description. Rushing into Pinterest marketing can take precious time away from those essential parts of your Etsy business.
Imagine if you are bringing traffic to your Etsy shop, if your listings are not well made, those traffic is not likely to convert and buy, or worse, buy from your competitor.
So, before you start Pinterest marketing, it’s important to make sure your Etsy shop has a strong foundation - Compelling product offering and optimised Etsy listings.
Here are some best practices for creating engaging pins on Pinterest:
You can upload your photos or videos yourself, but a more popular method is to save the images directly from Etsy. Here’s how to do it:
But keep in mind that you can schedule pins that are created this way.
Most Etsy sellers are familiar with standard image pins, but Pinterest offers other pin formats, and using them can help you diversify your content, see which format resonates better with your audience, and ultimately extend your reach.
Idea pins are photos or videos that have multiple 'slides', kind of like Instagram stories. Perfect for showing a behind-the-scenes look of how you craft your product, or a mini “how-to” that intrigues viewers enough to click.
These automatically update details like pricing or product descriptions from your Etsy listing (if you have a compatible website or blog). Even if you can’t claim your Etsy shop directly, you can still use these features if you have an external site that Pinterest can pull product information from.
A quick clip of you making that gorgeous soap bar or painting that custom print can hook potential buyers looking for unique, handmade items.
It’s easy to pin everything at once and then go silent for weeks. But maintaining a steady stream of fresh pins usually works better than a single pinning spree.
What I do is I make a collection of pins in bulk in tools like Canva, usually 30-50 pins, and then use the native Pinterest scheduler to spread them out over the next month (You can only schedule pins one month ahead).
Of course, you don't need to create that many pins to begin with. Even pinning 2–3 pins a week can keep your content showing up in fresh feeds and related searches.
If you want to expand the reach of your pins, there are some SEO and optimisation strategies specific to Pinterest that you need to know.
There are some similarities of SEO on Pinterest compared to Etsy SEO. One of the major difference is that the intent of Pinterest users - Pinterest users are more likely to be looking for inspirations, instead of a purchase.
For example, if my listing on Etsy is a “coffee bag label template”, then the same image of Pinterest could become “coffee packaging inspirations” or “coffee bag label design” to fit the search intent of Pinterest users better.
There are simple ways to look for keywords that Pinterest users use.
Now that you have relevant keywords for your content, it’s time to optimise your pins, specifically the pin title and pin description.
In your pin title, describe your content concisely and mention some key product features and characteristics. For example, if you are selling an amethyst ring, you can describe the cut of the gem, metal used for the ring, etc. Also, you can add some keywords like “designs” and “aesthetics” that you get from your keyword research if they fit your product.
Your pin description should be natural and written for your audience. Describe your product and what’s special about the product in the pin. Include a call-to-action which can be like “click here to see this amethyst ring in action” or “click the link to get yourself this ring”.
To stand out on Pinterest, it helps to give your profile a cohesive, branded look. Doing that can help interested people a clear reason to press the follow button.
Start by adding a profile picture that reflects your Etsy shop’s vibe. This could be your shop icon/logo or a photo of you the maker. Next, your Pinterest profile name should include your shop name with a short description of what you sell/do. And then, pick a cover photo that showcases your handmade creations in action. And don’t forget about your board covers! Curate or create images that match your style and help your boards look neat and appealing, and that makes people easier to follow your account.
Here are two examples from Angele Kamp and Robert Gordon Pottery:
Joining popular group boards is a great way to speed up your growth on Pinterest. Group boards are collaborative Pinterest boards that allow multiple people pinning to the same board. Pinning to group boards allow your pin to be seen by the audience that follow the group board, even if they don’t follow you.
Finding group boards on Pinterest could be a bit tricky as Pinterest no longer displays the multiple profile icons next to the board which indicates group boards. That means you need to actually click into each board to see whether that is a group board, and whether it’s open for new members to join. Alternatively, you can use paid tools like Pingroupie to speed up the process.
I have created a group board specifically for Etsy sellers, providing a space for you to showcase your handmade products. You’re welcome to join this group bard simply by repinning 3 pins from other sellers and follow me on Pinterest:
Not anymore. Pinterest users can only claim their own websites, but not Etsy shops.
So for Etsy sellers, if you don’t have your own website (for example, on Wordpress or Shopify), you can’t claim your Etsy shop and add your shop link to your profile.
But you can still link your pins to your shop or a particular listing. That’s how the majority of Etsy shops will get their traffic from Pinterest.
Yes, it gives you access to Pinterest analytics and other useful information to grow your account. Also doing so gives you the option to run ads on Pinterest in the future. And it’s free to convert to a business account.
Pinterest read your whole pin title and description for relevant keywords to understand what your pin is about. So as long as you write the pin description naturally and include relevant keywords about your pin, you don’t need to add hashtags to your pins.
As I mentioned in this guide, setting up a strong foundation can be more important than promoting on Pinterest. To do that, read this guide to maximise your conversion rate on Etsy. Or if you are serious about growing your Etsy shop, consider joining GYC Etsy Academy 2.0 where you’ll get all the resources you need to build a profitable Etsy business while saving time with the GYC Resources Library.
