If you have an Etsy shop, stick around for today’s episode because we are talking about how to grow Etsy email subscribers with Pinterest. 

The unique part about this episode is that my guest (Lauren from Creative Mom Boss)  is not only an Etsy seller herself, but also a coach for other Etsy sellers. She markets two different types of businesses on Pinterest. 

Throughout the episode, Lauren will share tips for growing your email list for both Etsy sellers and those who are teaching Etsy sellers. This episode piggy backs on the one we published a few weeks ago on creating a general Pinterest strategy for Etsy (Etsy shop owners — I’ve heard you loud and clear!)

For those of you listening who are you totally new to Pinterest, we have a newsletter series that is just for you. Our Start series will help you build a solid foundation on Pinterest to help you grow effectively. Join that newsletter series and we’ll get you up and running on Pinterest fast so that you can move on to our next level of DIY training, the Grow newsletter series. 

Turning a Side Gig Into a Business 

Lauren started selling on Etsy in 2012. Initially, she sold monogrammed baby items, such as burp cloths and bibs. About a year and a half ago, she branched off into the Business to Business side, where she coaches Etsy sellers on how to scale their shops. 

A lot of Etsy shop owners get stuck and aren’t able to grow their business beyond a hobby or side hustle. It’s hard for their businesses to really take off when they aren’t treating their shop like a business. Lauren helps shop owners improve their sales so that they can create consistent income and elevate it to a real business.

The Rollercoaster Ride 

It was a rollercoaster ride when Lauren first started selling on Etsy. During that time, she had a one year-old, was six months pregnant, and her husband was getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan. In the years after she started, she was inconsistent when it came to managing the Etsy shop. 

It wasn’t until 2015 that she really started to focus on building her business and make it into more than just a side hustle. In 2016, she started really diving into marketing and learning how to earn a more consistent income. This is the point when she started using Pinterest to market her Etsy products. 

The First Success Milestone for Lauren’s Etsy Shop 

Her husband left the military and he took a job in North Carolina. Their plan was to move from Portland, Oregon to the east coast and her husband was anticipating a pay cut.

Since it would take them a little while to get established in their new location and with a smaller income, Lauren knew that she either had to stop investing in Etsy altogether or she had to go all in and figure out a way to make a consistent income with her shop. 

The year before the job switch, Lauren worked every weekend. With the money she made from the shop, they were able to save up for a downpayment on a house. Achieving this business milestone enabled Lauren and her husband to see all the opportunity that was available with the Etsy shop (AND it would enable her to have the flexible schedule that she needed).

A Necessary Mindset Shift

One of the keys to Lauren’s success was the mindset shift she made from viewing her Etsy products as a creative outlet to focusing on the profitability of products she chose to make. There were items that she really enjoyed making, but those products didn’t make sense to sell in the shop because they took a long time to create.