Pinterest Marketing 2025: What’s Working Now with Pinterest Strategist Elaine Timms

Pinterest isn’t a social app; it’s a visual search engine. In this episode of The Self Made Life Podcast, I sat down with strategist Elaine Timms to unpack what’s working right now for Pinterest marketing 2025—so your evergreen content keeps pulling traffic while you run your business and, you know, live your life.

Key Takeaways

• Keywords beat volume. One well-optimized pin outperforms five rushed ones.
• Static pins still win. Mix in video and carousels; skip Communities and SmartLoop.
• Tailwind is still handy. Use it to schedule and create pins; Metricool or the native scheduler also work.
• Repurpose with intent. Reframe IG content for a cold audience and tie everything to real search terms.
• Timeline: Expect meaningful momentum around 6–9 months (earlier signals often show up by month 3).
• Top mistakes: weak keywords, cutesy board names, and inconsistent pinning.

Why Keywords Matter More Than Pin Count

Pinterest is driven by search intent. Your keywords tell the platform who should see your content. If performance is flat, check these first:

• Board names use target keywords (not clever labels).
• Board descriptions include relevant secondary/long-tail terms.
• Pin titles and descriptions match the search terms people actually use.
• Descriptions read like a human wrote them—no keyword stuffing.

Pin Types That Work in 2025

• Static pins: Still the workhorse.
• Video pins: Great for demos, tutorials, and movement in the feed.
• Carousels: Worth testing; they’re newer and can increase saves/clicks.
• Idea pins: The tool exists, but don’t make it your focus.

Bottom line: diversify, but put most energy into static + video, backed by strong keywords.

Tailwind in 2025: Use It Wisely

• Use: Smart scheduling, creation tools, quick copy-helpers.
• Skip: Communities (time-sink) and SmartLoop (repeats can hurt reach).
• Cadence: ~5 pins/day is a healthy target if you have content. If not, focus on quality over quantity.

Repurpose the Right Way

Instagram speaks to people who already know you. Pinterest is a cold audience. When repurposing:

• Keep the idea, rewrite the framing for searchers.
• Tie the pin directly to a clear query and a useful destination (blog, podcast, landing page).

A Simple Pinterest Workflow You Can Stick With

1. Collect links: Drop every blog post, podcast episode, case study, and key landing page into Airtable/Notion/Sheets.
2. Map intent: Tag each link with a content category and funnel stage.
3. Do keyword research: Use the Pinterest search bar to pull primary + secondary keywords. Save them with each link.
4. Design fast: Use 3–5 templates. Swap background colors/images; test close-ups vs. mockups.
5. Write smarter: Use AI to draft 300–500 character descriptions—with your chosen keywords—then edit.
6. Schedule weekly: Batch pins for the week (~5/day if possible).
7. Review monthly: Note what’s getting saves/clicks and create fresh variations on those winners.

Quick Starter Checklist

• ▢ Rename boards to keyword targets
• ▢ Add human board descriptions with secondary terms
• ▢ Create 3–5 reusable pin templates
• ▢ Draft 10–20 pin titles per core topic (slight keyword angle shifts)
• ▢ Build a 2-week queue, then keep rolling

Common Pinterest Mistakes to Avoid

• Vague or cute board names → use clear keywords instead
• Inconsistent pinning → batch weekly so you stay steady
• Keyword stuffing → write for humans; keep it natural
• Reusing the exact same image/title on repeat → refresh visuals and angles

Realistic Results: What to Expect with Pinterest Marketing 2025

You can see encouraging signs in ~3 months, with stronger momentum around 6–9 months, especially if you’re consistent and keep optimizing for intent. Think of Pinterest like building a library people browse when they’re ready—not a loud party you have to shout over.

Tools Mentioned

• Tailwind (scheduling + creation)
• Metricool or Pinterest native scheduler (alternatives)
• Airtable/Notion/Sheets (content + keyword tracker)
• ChatGPT (pin title/description drafting)

Work With Us

Want someone to build the strategy and creative so your content keeps working while you’re off making school lunches or meeting clients?

• Monarch Design Co.: brand, Showit websites, and growth support that turn clicks into clients.
• Guest expert: Connect with Elaine Timms for Pinterest strategy and her Evergreen Impact newsletter.