How To Use Pinterest For Your Etsy Shop

PinterestEtsy

Jan 21

Gone are the days where you can connect your Etsy shop and Pinterest. So if you can’t claim your Etsy shop on Pinterest, you might be wondering, how can I use Pinterest for my Etsy shop?! There are still a few ways you can leverage Pinterest for your shop, and honestly, I think these strategies are way better than just pushing your listings onto Pinterest!

Why You Should Do More Than Push Your Etsy Shop Listings to Pinterest

A pin that links directly to your Etsy listing is ok, however, most people that come across you on Pinterest are new to you and your brand. They may need a little more information and INSPIRATION before making a purchase.

And if your Etsy shop listing is not providing that all by itself, you could be leaving money on the table.

You can pin your listing on Pinterest, but also add in another layer that gives your potential buyer more insight into the product, the shop, and inspiration for how to use the product.

There are two ways you can share your Etsy shop listings on Pinterest that can provide that additional nurture that can turn someone from a window shopper into a buyer. Using Idea Pins and Regular Pins with the methods below, you will optimize Pinterest for your Etsy shop.

Strategy For Using Pinterest for Your Etsy Shop

Etsy can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you when it comes to ads and marketing your product for you, but layering Pinterest into your marketing strategy for your Etsy Shop can help you reach another audience AND give you time back from social media so you can focus more on your next product launch! Or hell, so you can put your feet up a little more 😉

Leveraging Idea Pins and Regular Pins with the right keywords and the right context within Pin will help you reach the right audience that is on Pinterest searching, planning, and shopping for their next big idea.

Idea Pins can help you quickly build trust with your audience and directly from an Idea Pin, someone can make a purchase. Or, if your audience needs more nurture to build up to making a purchase, using Idea Pins and Regular Pins will give you a second chance at nurturing the Pinner off of Pinterest and in your blog, YouTube, or email marketing strategy.

Sections You Can Find In This Blog

1) Using Idea Pins For Your Etsy Shop

What Are Idea Pins

Using Idea Pins that provide more context around the products you sell on Etsy is probably one of my favorite ways to use Pinterest for your Etsy shop!

But first, short tangent on what are Pinterest Idea Pins.

Idea Pins are almost like Instagram Stories, EXCEPT, they last longer than 24 hours AND are searchable! This is excellent news for you because that means all content you post on Pinterest has the ability to be discoverable for months and years.

I like to describe the content that belongs in an Idea Pin, similar to the non-funny/relatable content you see on TikTok, or like the content you would see in an Instagram Carousel post. You can mix and match 1 min or less short videos OR slides with text-overlay to create a carousel feature.

There really isn’t a right or wrong way to create Idea Pins for your Etsy products, however, you want to keep in mind that the Pinner is searching for a solution. They have typed in the Pinterest search box looking for something, and you want your pins to be their answer!

Put yourself in the shoes of your ideal client on Pinterest. What questions do they have, what are they planning for, and how can you give them inspiration as they are planning.

What Type Of Idea Pins Should You Create For Your Etsy Shop:

Show behind the scenes of creating your product
Demo how someone would use your product / style your product
Show the before and after of someone using your product
Showcase client wins and testimonials
Use seasonal trends to provide inspiration
Answer questions someone has about your product
Compare and contrast different products
Share the “why” behind your product
Create a collection of inspiration using the “pages” feature

If you’re already doing this with your TikToks or Instagram Reels, checkout this blog post that walks you through how to repurpose your Reels.

For example, I work with a Pampered Chef Consultant & Food Blogger. Her Idea Pins show how to use the Pampered Chef products by demoing how to create different recipes. Doing this, you’re giving your audience something (a recipe, a time-saving hack, inspiration, etc.), but also showing off your product and how it makes life a hell-of-alot better! (Shout out to all my Pampered Chef’s out there!!)

Another example is if you sell earrings on Etsy. You can share 3 earrings to wear for the current season. Using the “pages” feature on Idea Pins, you can have a different style of earring showcased on 3 different pages, giving the Pinner the option to swipe-through for inspiration.

How to Link Your Idea Pins to Your Etsy Shop Using a Product Tag

Now that you know what type of Idea Pins you should be sharing on Pinterest for your Etsy Shop, the real power in using Pinterest Idea Pins is to use the product tagging and linking features.

Note: Pinterest continues to update the Idea Pin feature, so please keep in mind that if this does not work for you something on the platform may have changed. I am always testing, and try to keep this up to date for you!

Instead of directly pinning a listing from your Etsy shop, you can create an idea pin that answers questions, demos the product, or provides inspiration AND still link to your listing so someone who is ready to purchase can do that directly from your Idea Pin.

Use the Product Tag in the Idea Pin To Tag Your Etsy Listing

When you create an Idea Pin you have the option to add a sticker that is a product tag.

You can only do this through your mobile phone at this time!

First, head to your Etsy listing and copy the URL to your listing
In the Idea Pin editor, click on the “page” that has the product you want to tag
In the bottom toolbar, click “Stickers”
Choose the “product” sticker
Choose the “Use a link” option
Paste in your Etsy listing into the search
Pinterest should find your listing and display your listing images for you to choose
Choose an image, then click “Create”
When you create a product tag, a product pin is created in a secret board on your account AND your Idea Pin is tagged with your product.

After you publish your idea pin, anyone who views this has the option to click right on the product tag and navigate to your Etsy listing to make a purchase.

When you use Pinterest Idea Pins like this for your Etsy listings, you provide more context around your products increasing the trust between you and your customers, while still giving someone an EASY option to make a quick purchase.

How to Link Your Idea Pins to Your Etsy Shop Using the Idea Pin Link (Beta Feature)

The Idea Pin Linking feature may or may not have hit your account yet. But If it has, this has opened up an entire other level of being able to provide your audience with additional information, not just a direct link to the product listing.

With the product tag, you can ONLY link product listings from a catalog/shopping site. However, your customers may need another step to be nurtured, because remember, most Pinners are probably cold to you and your business.

With the possibility of a link that can go ANYWHERE, you now have the ability to link your idea pins (that answers questions, provides inspiration, inspires action) to a blog, free download, gift guide, etc. This allows you to provide additional nurturing and build more trust with your audience before they make a purchase.

Let me show you how to do it.

You can only do this if you have the beta feature, and it’s available on Mobile and Desktop (Pinterest will be rolling this feature out to everyone throughout 2023)

Copy the link that you want to lead the Pinner to when they view your Idea Pin
Create your Idea Pin (Use the same tips for creating Idea Pins on Pinterest, as you did with the product tagging)
Click the “Next” button in the Idea Pin editor
Within the Idea Pin metadata, you should have a Link field. Paste your link.
Complete the other Idea Pin metadata (Title, Notes, tags, save to a board, and turn off similar posts in the advanced settings)

I don’t know about you, but I’m on Pinterest searching for answers and inspiration for my next project and business moves, and so is your future customer. A short 1 minute video sometimes does not cut it! Being able to provide an additional link, beyond a product link is sooo powerful in the Pinners journey. I mean, no other platform lets you do this!

2) Use Regular Pins To Link to Your Etsy Listings And Nurture Your Audience

This option is to use the Pinterest Pins we all know and love. The regular ‘ole joes that have been around since the beginning of Pinterest. These types of pins don’t get as fast of a reach as Idea Pins, however, they are still very much useful for getting your Etsy shop discovered on Pinterest.

The strategy with these is going to depend on what type of content you have. For example do you only have your Etsy listings and Instagram/TikTok content or do you also have freebies, blogs, emails, etc.

If you only have your Etsy listings and Instagram/TikTok content, I would recommend leaning into the Idea Pins. This is going to bring you a lot of brand awareness and help you to reach a broad audience. However, the tips below can still help you!

I just don’t think linking to your Instagram/TikTok accounts works as well as it used to on Pinterest because it’s not an account you can claim, Pinterest prefers you create pins from accounts with a domain you own, like your own website

What Type of Pin Graphic Should You Create?

To know which Pin Graphics to create will highly depend on the resource you are linking to. For example, if you are linking to a product listing, I would recommend you create a Pin graphic that includes a product photo.

If you are linking to an email opt-in landing page, I would recommend you create a Pin graphic that has some text overlay, and can also include your brand photos / stock photos. The text in this case is going to provide context to the user on what it is that they are clicking on.

Use this reference table to help you decide what type of graphic to create

Create a seasonally appropriate Pin Graphic that showcases the product or free resource, OR use text-overlay on the image. Incorporate a call to action to download the free resource.
The link should go to an email opt-in.
Create a seasonally appropriate Pin Graphic that showcases the product, with a call to action to purchase or shop.
The link should go to a product listing.
Create a text-overlay Pin Graphic that uses keywords within the text-overlay. Use your product stock photos, stock photos, or branded photos within the Pin. Use a call to action like “read more”, “learn more”, or “get the guide”.
The link should go directly to the blog or gift guide.
Create a text-overlay Pin Graphic that uses keywords within the text-overlay. Use your product stock photos, stock photos, or branded photos within the Pin. Use a call to action like “watch now”, “learn how to…”, “watch on YouTube”.
The link should go to the YouTube video.
Create a text-overlay Pin Graphic that uses keywords within the text-overlay. Use your product stock photos, stock photos, or branded photos within the Pin. Use a call to action like “learn more”.
The link should go to an Instagram/TikTok post.

No matter the graphic you create, I recommend that you always ask yourself… is the Pinner going to understand where they are going and what to do once they click on the Pin?

Pin Graphic tips when creating a regular Pin,

Know your intention with the Pin and where you are sending the Pinner. This will help you develop cohesion between the Pin graphic, and what the Pinner will see once they navigate off of your Pin and to your resource – WE DO NOT WANT CLICK BAIT!
Use your keywords on the graphic if you are using text-overlay. Pinterest can read the text on an image and this helps with being discovered on Pinterest
Use the Pin dimensions 1000px x 1500px
Use a call to action on your Pin that describes what you would like the Pinner to do. If you are linking to a product listing use something like “shop now”, so that we can filter out DIY’ers.
Add your logo and brand colors to create brand recognition
Incorporate seasonal trends into the Pin graphic OR keywords

Pin Templates To Speed Up The Design Process

Often I get asked if there are any templates or tricks. Honestly, custom designed Pin templates are not my area of expertise! I ALWAYS use Canva, and highly recommend you use Canva if design is not your expertise either!

You can use Canva for free, but if you find that you have other uses where a graphics tool like Canva will be helpful, I highly recommend purchasing Canva Pro.

With Canva Pro you get options to use more of their stock photos and video/animation features which I highly recommend! Not to mention, adding your own branding kit with the Pro feature makes tweaking the templates even easier. I have my logos and color palette available right in the designer, and I’m ALL ABOUT saving a few extra minutes.

Oh, and did I mention you can also schedule your pins from Canva, with Canva Pro!? Whhaat!?

You can try Canva Pro here. Just search Pinterest within Canva templates area and they will have example Pin templates for you that you can tweak. I love that Canva has made the design part extremely accessible.

The other option I often use (also paid) is to search on Etsy or find more Pin Templates on Creative Market for less than $30.

Note: I make a small commission on the Canva Pro or Creative Market affiliate links if you decide to purchase. I will never link you to products I don’t also use myself and find extremely helpful. In this case YOU DO NOT need these products to be successful on Pinterest, they have been helpful to me in my journey.

Link A Regular Pin To Your Etsy Shop

Once you have your Pin Graphic set, you can use the Pin metadata template to add the link to your Etsy shop listing or another resource, like a blog, email opt-in, or gift guide.

Let me show you how to link a Regular Pin. This is available through the Desktop or Mobile

Have your Pin Graphic downloaded onto your desktop or phone.
Copy the link that you want to lead the Pinner to when they view your Pin.
Create a new Pin (don’t use the Idea Pin option in the Pinterest toolbar)
Click the image to upload your Pin graphic.
Within the Pin metadata, you should have a Link field. Paste your link.
Complete the other Pin metadata (Title, description, save to a board)
You have the option to schedule your Pin for the future or publish right away!

Using Pinterest as an Etsy Seller

Using Pinterest as an Etsy Seller can be beneficial in diversifying your marketing, reaching a new audience, and increasing your product sales! You can do that using the strategy outlined in the blog and leveraging Idea Pins and Regular Pins to share your product listings and nurture resources.

Get More Pinterest Tips

If this strategy was helpful to you, checkout these 30 Pinterest Tips for Online Business Owners. This gives you 1 place to reference the Pinterest knowledge, and know that it is up-to-date! Don’t waste your time going from YouTube, to blog, to TikTok, I have them compiled right here for you.