People will do just about anything to get their friend’s stamp of approval via the thumbs up on Facebook or the mini heart on Instagram. So it’s no surprise that these platforms are the focus of most social PR campaign strategies. However, that is one of the many reasons why Pinterest is sneaking up on its social media competitors. Throughout the day, people log onto Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to update their friends on their current mood, latest accomplishment, or to showcase their most recent purchase.
Pinterest’s 70 million users, however, normally log on when they are looking for new home décor, outfit, wedding, or recipe inspiration. This makes them incredibly susceptible to PR campaigns because they are instantly put in a buying mood and the ads are hard to distinguish from the other visuals posted on the site.
Similar to a visual bulletin board, Pinterest allows users to share pictures, videos, and to discover new products or interests by browsing other people’s themed boards. A new feature on the site, “guided search”, helps users refine their search results by pulling up subcategories that make it more specific. This makes it incredibly beneficial for companies that are trying to sell their products or increase their brand awareness.
Since Pinterest is commonly used as a shopping discovery tool for women between the ages of 19-39, it’s the perfect platform for any apparel or accessory company. For example, Guess’ ‘Color Me Inspired’ campaign invited fans to create Pinterest boards
inspired by four spring colors for the chance to win a pair of colored denim from their spring collection. The campaign was so successful that the brand decided to run more Pinterest contests in a similar fashion.
Unfortunately, this does not mean that Pinterest is the right fit for every company. In order for a PR campaign to be successful on Pinterest, the client’s product or idea needs to be visually appealing. For instance, meatpacking and pest control companies are not the best candidates for Pinterest based campaigns. Although their work is important and necessary, it does not paint the prettiest picture for visual press. For clients that fall under similar categories it would be best to stick with a text-based campaign.
With so many different social media platforms to choose from understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each one is imperative to the success of any PR campaign. Pinterest may not be the best fit for every client, but it has definitely proved to be worth more than a quick glance when in need of a decent cookie recipe.
-Jordan DiPietro
