Elizabeth has been a storyteller throughout her entire career. In school, she studied communications and photography and after a short stint going on tour and photographing metal bands, she fortuitously ended up working in the craft beer world.
When the craft beer movement first started, it was really important to share the story behind its artistry and what “craft” truly meant. Elizabeth loved the challenge of finding new ways to stand out in the market against other well-known and established beers. Most importantly, getting people to try something new, with branding and packaging being their first impression.
After her endeavors in the marketing industry, Elizabeth found herself at Pinterest. During her time there, she designed content on their Pin Factory, also known as their in-house content creation team. She wanted to work at Pinterest because there she could strategically tell different stories within multiple industries rather than focusing on just one brand or campaign.
Pinterest tips from a pro
While working at Pinterest, Elizabeth learned how exactly people search for content and how the algorithm works. Because the platform is always evolving, it’s important to keep up with best practices to ensure your content is optimized. For example, she recommends always taking into consideration how the Pin UI is going to crop your artwork. Also, make sure that your Pin copy and descriptions are strategically using SEO-friendly keywords and also legible on mobile as most Pinners visit the platform on their phones.
Pinterest can feel overwhelming at first and it may sometimes feel like a platform for moms sharing recipes, in Elizabeth’s opinion. But she suggests rethinking Pinterest completely, because it’s actually a great opportunity to connect with an audience that is already searching for what you’re creating! Think of Pinterest as a visual search engine and not a social platform.
When looking to work with brands on Pinterest, there’s a few things that Elizabeth always sticks to:
- Put yourself in the audience’s perspective of the brand you are working with and think about what they would be searching for: What inspires them? How can the product or service you are selling them help solve their problems? If your audience is a busy mom, give her an easy way to pack her kid’s lunch in 3 steps with the help of “X” brand of snacks. Always create content that showcases the value of what you are featuring.
- Share your own inspiring content or valuable tips and tricks in order to be discovered as a creative for opportunities. For example, if you’re a photographer you can share helpful photo apps you like using to edit your content. This not only helps build the Pinterest community but also helps brands trust in your skills and want to learn more about what you offer. Set yourself up as the expert!
- Use Costco’s 5×5 rule. (Elizabeth learned about this when designing packaging for craft beer) The shopper needs to know within 5 seconds, from 5 feet away, what the product is and its value. You can apply this rule to any form of content you are creating. You want to ensure you get the Pinner’s attention right away as they are quickly scrolling. Make sure the content is captivating! You want them to be able to know exactly what you are advertising in a legible, clear, and concise way. Help them imagine what their lives will look like if they follow your Pin’s call to action.
Elizabeth’s favorite Pins
One thing Elizabeth always advocates for in her content is inclusivity. In her most recent partnership with adidas, she proudly featured her diverse friends of different shapes and sizes as models for the campaign. While it is important to stick to brand guidelines, she encourages creators to feature authentic and attainable storylines and real people that consumers can identify with. Forget “Pinterest Perfect”.
Elizabeth has worked on creating content for over 400+ campaigns. With each brand partnership, she loves the idea of trying new things and thinking outside the box. During her partnership with Native, Elizabeth played with a new concept of a click through “unboxing” carousel Pin experience which she had never done before but felt perfect within a holiday gifting theme.
Whether it’s editing or creating net-new content for brands like McDonalds, adidas, Home Depot, Charlotte Tilbury, or Native, Elizabeth finds joy in telling a story through Pins. When editing existing assets, she always keeps in mind the importance of “repurposing with purpose.” While she may not be the one capturing the image or creating the graphic elements, Elizabeth ensures the content feels fresh, on brand, and most importantly optimized to succeed on Pinterest.
Why Pinterest?
During lockdown, Elizabeth noticed that the type of content that was successful on Pinterest slowly started translating into other social networks. For example, we started seeing all kinds of DIY hacks and how-tos all over TikTok. Pinterest was the original hub for all that “valuable” or “worth-saving” and not just “trending” or “viral” content that tends to disappear quickly. She believes Pinterest is the “cozy nook” of the internet as it is more inclusive, positive, and a place to plan and gather inspiration. When users are on Pinterest, the content and ads are strategically tailored to their target audience, therefore they don’t feel like spam, they feel like “aha!” moments.
Elizabeth, like many of our creators on Popular Pays, is truly one of a kind and definitely worth sharing. Testing out your Pinterest skills can be a leap of faith, but we hope that you can take some tips from this interview with our Pinterest Pro. You can follow along Elizabeth’s journey on her Pinterest!