TPT Seller Advice: Creating Product Pins on Pinterest that Drive Traffic to your Teachers Pay Teacher's Store

Hi TPT Teacher author friend,  

Today I'm going to share what I've been learning about designing Pinterest pins that drive traffic to my Teachers Pay Teacher's store. I started this journey a few years ago pretty half-heartedly. I didn't put much effort into my pins, and they floundered. Recently, I've been inspired by other sellers who have a successful Pinterest strategy, so I've started researching ways to spruce up my Pinterest account. 

Here's what I've been learning: 

1. Create a FREE account on Canva to design eye-catching pins 

I'm obsessed with Canva's templates, stock photos, fonts, illustrations, and other resources. If you don't have money to invest in other design programs, Canva is a great app to start with. Although some of their resources require a premium membership, I've been able to create many Pinterest designs with an unpaid account. 

2. Plan out a brand strategy for your Canva templates 

Developing a brand strategy will help your Pinterest boards feel cohesive and also reduce decision-making fatigue while creating future designs. Although it takes a lot of work on the front end, it's totally worth it! 

Elements that should be included in your brand strategy: 

• PNG Logo - Once you've uploaded the file to Canva, you'll have access to it for future projects.
• 2-3 Colors - Beyond black and white, select 2-3 colors to use in your posts. 
• 2-3 Fonts - Make sure that your fonts are readable and pair well together. Determine which fonts you will use for headings and which fonts you will use for body copy. I recommend including at least one serif font and one sans serif font. 
• Imagery Plan - Decide what type of imagery aligns with your brand. 
• Patterns - You do not need to have patterns, but if you decide to include them, try to stick with just a few for cohesion. 
• Brand Voice - Your brand tone and personality should be distinctive. Think about what you offer teachers and how you want to communicate that offer. 

After you select the basic elements for your branding, you can start building some template for Pinterest pins. These reusable layouts will create a consistent brand identity on your Pinterest account. To start with, try to create 2-3 layouts that can be repurposed for different content. 

A successful pin template should include: 

• An area for placing a headline 
• A section for a call to action 
• Visual white space (make sure the design isn't too crowded) 
• Vertical orientation with a 2:3 ratio (approximately 1000 x 1500 pixels) 
• High contrast between the text and the background 

3. Write a compelling, targeted title that makes viewers want to engage with your pin 

Often, I read Pinterest pin titles that are vague or, quite frankly, boring. 

• Example of a weak pin title: Classroom Decor 

Yawn! This pin title fails to grab my attention, and it leaves me with questions. After reading it, I wonder, "What type of classroom is being decorated? What does the decor look like? What is it made out of?" 

• Example of a strong pin title: 7 ELA Classroom Decor Printables to Teach Reading Strategies

This Pinterest pin title is SO much better. It lets me know what type of class the decor is for (sorry, math teachers...move on!) and the purpose of the printables. An ELA teacher who needs visual aids to teach reading strategies is likely to stop scrolling and engage with this pin because it has a solid title. 

If you want to create a successful pin headline, your title should be...

• Rich with keywords - Think about the terms that your target audience is searching for online. Make sure that the most important keywords are near the beginning of the title. 
• Brief - Try to aim for 40-60 characters in your headline. The headline should be long enough to get the main point of the resources across without boring readers. 
• Benefit-focused - What will the viewer get from clicking on your pin? 

If you need a formula for writing a title, here are a few ideas: 

• Number + adjective + keyword + result - (Example: "5 Engaging Comma Splice Worksheets to Stop Student Grammar Errors") 
• Adjective + keyword + guarantee - (Example: "Hilarious Writing Prompts to Revitalize Students' Creativity") 
• Question + guarantee - (Example: "Struggling to get students to stay focused during class read alouds? Here's how to grab their attention.") 

In addition to playing around with these formulas, I recommend scrolling through Pinterest and noting which pins stand out to you. What makes these pins compelling? Is there any strategy that you could use to inspire your pin creation? 

5. Incorporate high-resolution, eye-catching photos of your TPT products 

High quality photos of TPT products lead to increased sales. Teachers want to see what products look like in action before committing to buying them. Here are a few tips for capturing compelling product photos: 

• Set up your photoshoot in a room with large windows for natural lighting and pick a time of day with soft, diffused lighting (to avoid harsh shadows) 
• If you don't have access to a room with good natural light, consider investing in a lightbox online. (You can get some beginner lightboxes ranging from $10 - 40) 
• Experiment with the layout of the product and surrounding prompts. Consider using school supplies like colored pencils, scissors, tape, and erasers to frame printable resources and create a more interesting layout. 
• Think critically about the shape of the photo frame in the Pinterest pin design before taking the photo. (Square, vertical rectangle, circle, etc.) 
• Pick the camera settings that will help you capture the optimal image. Make sure that the resolution on your camera or phone is a high resolution. 
• Try taking the photos from different angles. Get down on your knees, lay on your stomach, stand on a ladder, etc. You'll be surprised how different angles will make your product photography more enticing for viewers! 
• Make sure your product is in focus. I've seen product photography in which the product is blurry, but the surrounding objects are crisp. Yikes! 
• Edit the photos after your photoshoot. Use a program like Canva, Photoshop, or Lightroom to brighten your photos, crop them to the correct dimensions, increase or reduce contrast, etc. 

6. Write a call to action that drives traffic to your TPT store 

Determine how you want potential customers to engage with your pin. Is your goal for viewers to follow your Pinterest account and see more of your work? Is your goal for them to go to your Teachers Pay Teachers website and buy your product immediately? Is your goal to provide a freebie in exchange for adding someone's email address to your email list? 

Once you've determined your goal, write a simple call to action. Here are some call to action examples: 

• "Save this ELA activity for later" 
• "Get your grammar game today!"
• "Download the vocabulary freebie!" 
• "Learn more by watching this classroom management tutorial" 
• "Shop the collection of grammar worksheets" 
• "Click to learn how to teach literary conflict more effectively" 
• "Read the blog post to learn how to grade homework faster" 

7. Implement SEO keywords into your Pinterest pin description 

If you want your Pinterest pins to get discovered by teachers, it's critical that you incorporate the SEO keywords that they are typing into their search bars. To understand your audience better, do some SEO keyword research by taking the following steps: 

• Start typing some general keywords you have in mind into Pinterest's search bar and see what other terms pop up. Study the related keywords and phrases that Pinterests offers and determine which ones to incorporate into your Pinterest pin description. 
• Use the "Related Searches" tool in Pinterest to get more keyword inspiration. 
• Study popular boards and viral pins on Pinterest to see what type of terms the content creators used. 
• Find an online keyword database to generate lists of keywords. Some of these databases require a paid subscription, but others allow a free trial for a limited time period. 

How have you increased Pinterest engagement? Share a comment with your advice for other TPT teacher sellers.