Hey everyone! In today’s blog post, I’m going to share why I’ve decided to give up on Pinterest as a way to drive traffic to my Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers stores, where I sell my resources.
A Little Background
First, a little background: I created a Pinterest account for one of my stores, where I sell classroom decor on both Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers. I’ve been using it for about three years but recently decided to let it go. Here’s why…
Reason #1: Inability to Claim Your Site
On Pinterest, if you pin something from a marketplace platform like Etsy or Teachers Pay Teachers, you cannot claim your site. This means that when you pin something that links to somewhere off Pinterest, Pinterest makes it really hard for you to gain reach. It’s not impossible; I’ve had a pin go pretty viral. However, it didn’t produce much income for me, and it actually hurt my conversion rate because it drove traffic, but not the right traffic. People were clicking but not favoring or buying, which is part of why I’m letting go of Pinterest for now.
Pinterest openly favors pins that lead to unique websites. So, if you have a blog or your own website, it’s a great time to use Pinterest. But if you sell exclusively on platforms like Etsy, TPT, or Classful, I believe your time could be spent better elsewhere.
Reason #2: Redundant Marketing Efforts
When you sell on a platform like Etsy, you’re already paying transaction fees and for them to market your products. If you check your stats on Etsy, you’ll see that Etsy has already created a Pinterest account for you, which has a much larger reach than any account I could create. Pinterest has become inundated with spammy content, making the algorithm favor accounts that have a claimed website. I realized that by creating a separate Pinterest account to push my stuff out, I was almost just competing with myself.
Moreover, when you pin something that links to Etsy, you’re essentially sending potential customers to a platform where they’re immediately shown products similar to yours, which they might prefer. So, in a sense, you’re driving traffic to your competitors.
Reason #3: Opportunity Cost and Time Investment
The opportunity cost and the time required for Pinterest are just more than I can give. As a full-time teacher, this isn’t my only job. Looking back at the time I’ve invested into Pinterest, I’m convinced that had I spent that time creating high-quality thumbnails, resources, bundles, or amazing video previews for old listings, I would have seen better results. For my life and needs, Pinterest just doesn’t make sense. I sell on platforms like Etsy and TPT because I don’t want to be responsible for driving my own traffic.
Common Mistakes New Teacher Sellers Make
A common mistake I see, especially with new teacher sellers, is feeling the need to do everything. They feel they need to have a store with everything that comes with it, an email list, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and more. But by trying to do everything, you end up doing everything halfway and nothing really well.
Who Should Use Pinterest?
So, who is Pinterest for? If you’ve grown your store and are making regular income from your products, if your product lines are robust and bundled comprehensively, and if you already have an email list, then it might be time to think about Pinterest. But here’s the caveat: start a website and pin back to that. I know it can feel overwhelming, but if you can get your own website up and running and pin to that, you can see success.
Keep in mind that this will be a long-term journey, taking six months to a year or more to get off the ground. Selling on your own website or starting a blog and pinning to drive traffic is a great strategy, but it’s not as immediately satisfying as posting a product to Etsy and possibly making a sale a few days later.
Final Thoughts
If you feel like you’ve outgrown your little online store and want to take things bigger, branching out with Pinterest and your own website and email list is the way to go.
If you want to chat more about this, check out my website at Teacher Seller 411. You can set up a time to meet with me, and we can chat all things TPT, Etsy, Classful, or wherever you sell. I’d love to help you grow your teacher business.
Thanks for checking out my blog, and I hope this post helps you make the best decision for your business!