Simple Pin Podcast: Simple ways to boost your business using Pinterest

I went to Smart Marketer last week and walked in feeling like a fish out of water. Very few content creators. Lots of ecom brands. And Pinterest? Way down their list, behind Meta, Google, TikTok, and YouTube.

Day one, I was so worried about pitching myself the "right" way that I couldn't connect with anyone. Day two, I flipped it. I stopped talking and started asking questions.

In this episode, I share:

• Why I put myself in rooms that feel uncomfortable, and what that taught me about where Pinterest is headed
• A 5-minute networking table conversation with a Meta-only jewelry maker and a scrapbooking brand that changed how I think about Pinterest's role for ecom
• Why Pinterest ads can be the steady "workhorse" when Meta spend feels shaky
• The one thing business owners in every industry are saying right now (hint: it's uncertainty)
• What that means for how we'll show up at Simple Pin in 2027: more stories, more examples, more real context

If you're heading to a conference soon, this one's for you. Get curious. You'll learn more listening than pitching.

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the services we offer. Book a discovery call with our team. 

🎬 New to Pinterest → get started here with 4 videos! 

Other helpful links:

Simple Pin Insiders

Simple Pin Shop

Our YouTube channel – tons of Pinterest tutorials

DM us on Instagram

Julie Ciardi made some big moves when she decided to go all in on Substack. It wasn’t just an easy move for her but also for her community. Now she’s leveraging Pinterest as well as other platforms to drive traffic to her long-form content, podcasts, and videos.

Follow Julie on Substack - https://substack.com/@julieciardi 

A big thank you to Lulu for sponsoring this episode. If you’re interested in self-publishing they are a fantastic company to work with. 

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the services we offer. Book a discovery call with our team. 

🎬 New to Pinterest → get started here with 4 videos! 

Other helpful links:

Simple Pin Insiders

Simple Pin Shop

Our YouTube channel – tons of Pinterest tutorials

DM us on Instagram

In this episode of Kate's Take, I tackle a question I hear constantly: "I know I should be doing Pinterest, so why haven't I started?"

It kicks off after a call with a conference organizer who admitted she'd been curious about Pinterest for years but never acted on it. That conversation is the jumping-off point for a bigger idea: business owners are surrounded by noise about what's "working" for everyone else, and it's easy to confuse someone else's success story with your own strategy.

I break down why every new platform, whether it's Pinterest, Instagram, or Substack, requires a real investment before it pays off. You won't usually see forward movement for six to nine months. That's the time it takes to figure out what content resonates, which images perform, and which keywords actually drive traffic. There's no shortcut around that ramp-up period, no matter which platform you choose.

I also dig into the trap of "right way" analysis paralysis: watching what everyone else is doing and assuming their approach must be the correct one, instead of asking what your own business actually needs right now. I share a moment of watching two business owners on Instagram build a "marketing strategy" that was really just an Instagram strategy in disguise, and why that distinction matters.

The episode closes with a practical gut check for anyone weighing whether to invest in Pinterest (or any new platform): Do you have the time to create content consistently? The patience to wait six to eight months for traction? And are you chasing likes and views that feel good but don't convert, versus the slower, real kind of growth?

I also mention I'm looking to get back into conference speaking in 2027 after taking a year off, so if you know of an event that would be a good fit, reach out to [email protected].

In this episode:

• Why every new marketing platform takes 6-9 months before you see real traction
• How to stop comparing your strategy to everyone else's highlight reel
• The difference between a real marketing strategy and just "doing one platform well"
• Questions to ask yourself before committing to Pinterest (or any new channel)
• Why dopamine hits (likes, views) can mask a lack of actual conversions

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the services we offer. Book a discovery call with our team. 

🎬 New to Pinterest → get started here with 4 videos! 

Other helpful links:

Simple Pin Insiders

Simple Pin Shop

Our YouTube channel – tons of Pinterest tutorials

DM us on Instagram

One of the things that we talk about here at Simple Pin Media is that photography makes one of the biggest differences on Pinterest because pinners don't read. They connect with the image right away, and it lets them know whether or not it's relevant to them, whether they want to click, or whether they want to scroll on by. I brought in somebody today who is really good at taking amazing images that get people to click.

Make sure you’re following Ashley -  https://healthylittlepeach.com/ 

If you’re looking for a way to take your beautiful photos and put them into Pinterest templates that convert, grab our Pinterest templates in the Simple Pin Shop: simplepinshop.com

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the services we offer. Book a discovery call with our team. 

🎬 New to Pinterest → get started here with 4 videos! 

Other helpful links:

Simple Pin Insiders

Simple Pin Shop

Our YouTube channel – tons of Pinterest tutorials

DM us on Instagram

Hey, it's Kate. This one's a little different. I’ve mentioned a few times that I have needed to step back for a few things, and I’m finally ready to share more about what’s been happening behind the scenes.

In April, I was diagnosed with breast cancer via a routine mammogram. I've kept it private until now, and since it's October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it felt like the time to share.

I’ve been in the midst of surgery, radiation, and a million doctor's appointments, but I’m coming up for air, and that feels good. A different version of Kate, but still me. 

I'm not going to tell the whole story here. I recorded a longer video on YouTube where I walk through what happened, what I learned about my own business when I couldn't be in it, and why it's shaping the book I'm writing with Lulupublishing. There are two ways to follow this journey – on my website kateahl.com or via Substack (it’s free) https://kateahl.substack.com/ 

But if you only hear one thing from me today, let it be this. If you're due for a mammogram, book it. Don't wait for the business to slow down. It won't.

Thank you for listening, all these years. It means a lot.

Talk soon.

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the services we offer. Book a discovery call with our team. 

🎬 New to Pinterest → get started here with 4 videos! 

Other helpful links:

Simple Pin Insiders

Simple Pin Shop

Our YouTube channel – tons of Pinterest tutorials

DM us on Instagram

Pinterest ads can feel like a black box — so we're pulling back the curtain. In this episode, I sit down with Erin, our Ads Director, to talk through the real wins we're seeing across client accounts right now: what's working, what surprised us, and what we'd tell any business considering Pinterest ads for the first time.

Whether you're running ads yourself or thinking about handing it off to someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes Pinterest strategy, this episode pulls from real, current client results — not theory.

Hire Erin for a consult call with our team if you want to run ads yourself but need guidance and direction. - https://www.simplepinmedia.com/pinterest-ad-strategy/ 

Or book a discovery call with our team to talk about us taking over full management. - https://www.simplepinmedia.com/pinterest-ads-management

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the services we offer. Book a discovery call with our team. 

🎬 New to Pinterest → get started here with 4 videos! 

Other helpful links:

Simple Pin Insiders

Simple Pin Shop

Our YouTube channel – tons of Pinterest tutorials

DM us on Instagram

Lately I’ve been having fun uing Pinterest personally and it got me thinking about how we view a platform for personal use vs our business marketing. Sometimes we’re so segmented about the two that sooner or later things feel really stale and we wonder if the platform is doing anything for us. Here’s a bit about my recent experience. 

Link to Insiders

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the services we offer. Book a discovery call with our team. 

🎬 New to Pinterest → get started here with 4 videos! 

Other helpful links:

Simple Pin Insiders

Simple Pin Shop

Our YouTube channel – tons of Pinterest tutorials

DM us on Instagram

Struggling to keep up with everything running your business demands? In this episode, we're breaking down how to use AI tools for small businesses. From analytics and scheduling to image creation so you can reclaim hours every week for the work only you can do.

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the services we offer. Book a discovery call with our team. 

🎬 New to Pinterest → get started here with 4 videos! 

Other helpful links:

Simple Pin Insiders

Simple Pin Shop

Our YouTube channel – tons of Pinterest tutorials

DM us on Instagram

I've been on a hunt lately.

Not for a new strategy. Not for a new platform.  For shortcuts.

Real ones. The kind that save you actual time. Without costing you the impact.

Let's be honest. Most "shortcuts" in marketing? Just corners getting cut. This isn't that.

This is me trying to find where the busywork ends. And the real thinking can start.

Here's the specific one I've been chasing.

I want a tool. Something that looks at our Pinterest content. And tells me, fast — what's trending up. What's trending down. And what we should make next because of it.

Not a vague vibe check.  An actual answer.

Here's what that process looks like right now. Without the tool.

Someone pulls Pinterest Analytics. Someone pulls Google Analytics. Someone's tracking Pinterest Trends by hand — because there's no public API for it.

Then all of that gets stitched into a spreadsheet. Someone writes up what it means. And then, finally — we get to the fun part. Deciding what to create next.

That's hours. Every single week. For every account.

I've heard whispers of people doing this. Testing it on their own workflow. Their own content. Their own accounts.

That's one thing.

What I'm trying to figure out — is whether it holds up for client accounts. Multiple accounts. Different niches. Different goals. Different baselines for what "normal" even looks like.

And here's my worry. I want to say this part out loud, instead of pretending I've got it solved.

Gaps.

What happens when the tool doesn't know a 20% dip in saves is totally normal for this account in July? But for that account, in that same month? It's a five-alarm fire.

What happens when it flags something as trending, and it's really just noise?

A good report doesn't just save you time. It has to be right. Or it's actually worse than doing it by hand — because now you're making decisions off something that looks trustworthy. And isn't.

So here's what I'm building toward, behind the scenes.

A weekly report. Pulls the analytics. Pulls the performance data. Flags what actually moved in a meaningful way. And hands it to us in something short.

Bullet points. Something you can read in under a minute. Not a ten-tab spreadsheet you have to sit and interpret.

I don't have it fully solved yet. I'm not going to stand here and tell you I cracked it, and here's the seven-step system.

I'm in it right now. That's kind of the point of this take.

So here's what I actually want from you.

Have you seen anyone doing this well? Not just talking about automating reporting — actually running a tool like this against real accounts. Getting a report they trust.

What did it get wrong? Where were the gaps?

I want the real version of this story. Not the highlight reel.

Because if we get this right — the payoff isn't just saved hours.

It's that the time we get back goes straight into the part of this work that actually needs a human. Deciding what to create. Reading the account, not just the data.

That's the shortcut worth chasing. Not less work for the sake of less work. Less time on the parts a machine can do accurately. So there's more time for the parts only we can do well.

If you've tested something like this — or you're testing it right now — I want to hear about it.

If you’re in SPM Insiders, Drop it in the group. Let's compare notes.

If not, email me, [email protected]

That's my take. Talk soon.

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the services we offer. Book a discovery call with our team. 

🎬 New to Pinterest → get started here with 4 videos! 

Other helpful links:

Simple Pin Insiders

Simple Pin Shop

Our YouTube channel – tons of Pinterest tutorials

DM us on Instagram

Pinterest is often talked about like a platform you have to constantly feed — but what happens when you stop? In this episode, I talk with a former TpT seller turned travel creator who hasn't touched Pinterest for her shop in ages... and it's still sending her sales.

We dig into why Pinterest content keeps working long after you walk away, what she built early on that's still paying off, and what this means for anyone building a TpT, Etsy, or digital product business who's worried about keeping up with Pinterest forever.

If you've ever wondered whether Pinterest effort actually compounds — this is the proof.

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the services we offer. Book a discovery call with our team. 

🎬 New to Pinterest → get started here with 4 videos! 

Other helpful links:

Simple Pin Insiders

Simple Pin Shop

Our YouTube channel – tons of Pinterest tutorials

DM us on Instagram