Me In Sunny Carolina: How I Created a 1M Pinterest Pin and Why You Shouldn’t Care

Sunday, January 2, 2022

How I Created a 1M Pinterest Pin and Why You Shouldn’t Care

UPDATE 2/15/22: Pin is now over 1.5 million and the exposure significantly brought up reach and engagement on our other most popular pins (which have nothing to do with elves)!

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Don’t misunderstand, I absolutely bought champagne when we crossed one million. I sent texts with multiple exclamation marks. I interrupted people’s Sunday afternoon with excited phone calls.

We hit one million with a ten-image idea pin showing simple Elf on the Shelf ideas posed with ceramic tile backgrounds. I am the creator and curator of a Pinterest channel for Why Tile, a public relations campaign to promote the benefits of using ceramic tile. The Why Tile initiative is more than just a bunch of beauty shots of ceramic tile but we certainly recognize that a strong vehicle for sharing the sustainability and durability advantages of ceramic tile can come in a beautiful package. Why Tile did not initially have a presence on Pinterest when I started working with them. I created the channel built on a strategy of sharing inspiring images of how to use ceramic tile. My singular goal was brand exposure that could lead users to WhyTile.com.

Why Tile’s first Pinterest boards covered rooms (e.g., kitchens), then projects (e.g., backsplashes), then more specifics (e.g., colorful laundry rooms) then trends (e.g., biophilic), and topics (e.g., sustainability), as well as related information (e.g., grout colors). I followed trends reports from Pinterest and other social channels, website traffic, time on page data, and input from our member companies to inform my next board creation. I created over 200 boards in less than four years. These boards are meant to inspire consumers shopping for tile and anyone specifying tile for a project, such as a designer, architect, or contractor, and are not meant as a path to purchase.

I knew from previous years of posting a few seasonal Elf pins that we would gain exposure and new users would see our brand but this explosion has been unexpected. The pin ultimately gre to 1.42 million

I remember when we received our first 100 followers on Why Tile and when our platform “reach” hit 10K. These milestones were just as much a celebration for me as when we hit our first thousand followers and our first pin reached 100K. But nothing compares to hitting one million, except maybe hitting two million (we also achieved over 2.1 M platform reach for the month).

The Elf pin keeps growing. I can share why I chose one image over another and why I posted the pin on a particular day. I could tell you how I ransacked my boss’ new house to take some of the photos and how I tore my clothes crawling around on the floor. I could rationalize that my expertise led to this success but I’d be laughing too hard to carry that off. This pin, mostly by chance, hit the right content at the right time. But, granted, I worked for it.

I monitored the growth of the pin day and night. I cross-checked data to understand the most popular days and hours, I researched authors of re-pins and responded to comments. I made new pins that were similar to compare how they would perform. Most importantly, I tracked new followers that were attributed to this pin. I’ve celebrated it all in my little party of one. No one else particularly cares. You shouldn’t either.

Our Elf on the Shelf pins are fun but they have nothing to do with our mission. It is whimsey created as a nod to the season with a huge shot of my own personality (sometimes most of the time I’m corny and believe everyone wants to have fun).

I know, and you know, this huge leap in our audience is temporary. I should get back to the important work of promoting ceramic tile as made of naturally-occurring materials (unlike plastic surfaces), that ceramic tile doesn’t give off toxic fumes or have VOCs, and that ceramic tile is actually a waterproof system you can count on. That’s the message I want you to care about.

If you happened to see our Elf pins, took note of our brand, and maybe visited our website (I’ll know more about that when we churn the website traffic numbers) then I fulfilled our mission via a unique path. Nothing wrong with that! We gained almost 200 new followers through this campaign and that’s the number with the promising future.

Cheers to the New Year!

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References

I have known and worked for Cindy Faber Smith since 1998 when she, as the art director for Science magazine, commissioned me to do the cover art for the magazine. It was a bit of a surprise since my artwork is geared towards the children’s market. Typical of Cindy, she wanted to bring a different approach to that month’s cover of a rather dry, technical publication. What at first seemed to be a rather impossible assignment (a “hidden picture” type of piece, incorporating many diverse elements) turned out to be one of the most satisfying assignments I have had in my career. She contacted me again a couple of years later with another fresh approach to the cover art utilizing the red queen from Alice in Wonderland as the theme.

I was surprised, when a few years later, she contacted me as the new art director of Highlights. As a child I had a subscription to Highlights, so I had quite an affection for this magazine. Cindy has brought her many skills as a designer to give this 60+ year-old magazine a fresher, more updated look, while still keeping the trademark Highlights style.

Working with Cindy is always a pleasure. She is simply the best art director I have worked with in my 30-year career. She does not over direct and she allows the artist enough freedom to make them feel that they are adding something of their own selves to the illustrations. She is not heavy handed with her suggestions which produces a very positive collaboration.

Because Highlights hosts an annual party for their illustrators, I finally was able to meet Cindy in person. She is a delightful person, filled with humor, intelligence and warmth. I cannot sing her praises more boldly.

David Galchutt

Illustrator

I’ve known Cindy Smith for 25 years. Over the years, I’ve come to rely on her for her humor, earnestness, and enthusiasm in countless situations.

Aside from being an artist, she is a keen observer who thrives on the challenge of dissecting problems and always seems to find a creative solution. She also has the ability to guide others in solving problems that seem insurmountable. In many ways, I’ve become a better person through observing her at work, in our community, and at play.

I admire the way Cindy experiences life and am proud to count her among my closest and most trusted friends. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her for any job. I know she would embrace any challenge and undoubtly rise to any occasion.

Sincerely,
Dolores Motichka

“In the cynical world of illustration, I hold Cindy as a ray of light, a turning point in my hopes of a career in illustration. The über belief she had in my work encouraged me to chase after my dreams. My illustrations have now appeared in The New Yorker, for Major League Baseball, in hosts of magazines and children’s books.”

David Leonard