If you’ve ever thought about using Pinterest for your business, you’ve probably wondered how long it’ll take to see results on Pinterest. And I get it!
Whether you’re DIYing your Pinterest marketing or investing in a Pinterest manager, you want to make sure that investment — of time, energy, money, whatever — is worth it! Having a clear expectation of when you’ll see results from Pinterest and what to look for is essential, and it’s something I see a lot of business owners get confused about.
I’ve worked with dozens of clients on their Pinterest accounts over months and years, which is why I feel pretty good about telling you how long it takes to see Pinterest results based on what I, myself, have actually seen.
Why do Pinterest results take so long?
One of the first things you’ll likely hear about Pinterest marketing is that it’s a long-term marketing strategy. Pinterest isn’t the place for instant growth or quick results.
While that can be discouraging to hear at first, when you learn why it takes so long to see results on Pinterest, you’ll understand it’s all for the best.
The Pinterest algorithm functions a lot more closely to Google’s than it does to other social media platforms that it usually gets lumped in with. You wouldn’t publish your brand new website and expect to start ranking on page one instantly, would you?
Pinterest is the same way.
It takes time and consistency for Pinterest to learn about your content and start distributing it in the home feed and search results. Buuuut once that content does start picking up traction, it will keep living on practically forever, sending you traffic and sales longer than your average social media post.
So… how long does it take to see results on Pinterest?
That’s the question you’re really here for — how long will it take to see results from Pinterest? Starting from a brand new account and pinning consistently, you can expect to wait at least 6 months to see results from Pinterest.
Disclaimer: what “results” you’re looking for will depend on your particular business and goals, but this is an average expectation for Pinterest results.
Typically, the first 3-6 months are when you’ll really see growth start to happen on Pinterest. You’ll be establishing your niche on the platform and seeing what content resonates with your Pinterest audience. Along the way, you should be seeing all of your Pinterest analytics grow, particularly impressions, saves, and outbound clicks.
The 3-6 month timeline for Pinterest results is what you’ll see pretty much everywhere online, even though there’s no official word from Pinterest on that.
Based on what I’ve seen with my clients, though, it seems to be the 9-month mark where we see the most growth. I don’t have a definitive reason why this is, but consistently, 9 months into Pinterest management is when my clients’ accounts absolutely explode.
Whether it’s a viral pin taking off overnight like on this social media manager’s account, a direct-from-Pinterest booking for this Showit designer, or an end to a slow plateau, it almost always happens around 9 months.
How long should I wait before giving up?
I completely understand how discouraging it can be putting all your time and effort into a platform that’s not giving you the results you expected.
If you hear that it takes 3-9 months to see results from Pinterest, it’s very likely you’ll subconsciously anticipate the best-case scenario of 3 months. Then, when that third month hits and you haven’t blown up on Pinterest, it can be tempting to throw in the towel. Take it from me — stick with it.
I wouldn’t give up on Pinterest marketing altogether until at least 9 months have passed. At 6 months, you can definitely reevaluate and see if there’s something more drastic that might need to be done, but I’d encourage you giving it a full 9-12 months to see the full potential of Pinterest for your business.
What Pinterest Results to Expect in Your First 3 Months
So now you know that Pinterest takes at least 3-6 months to really start showing results, but how do you know you’re on the right track at the beginning? If you’re not putting in the right stuff, you can’t expect results to magically appear 6 or 9 months down the line.
I won’t lie, one of the trickiest parts of developing and implementing a Pinterest marketing strategy is that the things you do today won’t truly show up in your analytics for 30-45 days. Pinterest isn’t a platform that you can go willy-nilly with the strategies on and expect to be able to analyze the data critically.
When you start Pinterest marketing for your business, stick to one strategy for a few months before you start changing things up. While you’re sticking to that strategy, here are some things you should look for to make sure you’re moving in the right direction.
1. Increasing impressions
Your impressions are a measure of how many times your pins have been seen on screen, and they’ll be the first metric to start increasing when you take your Pinterest marketing seriously. This lets you know that your SEO is working and your pins are getting distributed.
2. Non-zero saves and outbound clicks
Saves and outbound clicks are important measures of engagement on your pins, but they’re often slow to accumulate when you first get started on Pinterest. Particularly if your account and content is brand new, it’s going to take more time to get engagement.
That being said, you want to make sure you’re getting at least some saves and clicks across your account as a whole. If you’re not, you might need to go back to the drawing board of your content strategy, target audience, and/or pin design.
Here are two different examples of clients’ Pinterest analytics after one month and two months, respectively, of Pinterest management.
You may think that 9 clicks isn’t all that much, but for a brand new account not even a full month into consistent pinning, it’s pretty dang impressive. Plus, look at that growth rate of 167%; that’s more than a 2x increase from the previous month!
Looking at a Pinterest account’s rate of growth is often a more telling metric than the numbers themselves, as it gives you an idea of the overall trajectory of the account.
Slow growth is still growth
When it comes to waiting for Pinterest results, keep your eyes set on consistent growth more than any particular number. Even if growth is slow at first, it’s still growth, and it’s still contributing to your overall success on the platform.
Pinterest marketing isn’t an overnight, Cinderella story of success; it’s more like the tortoise and the hare. And if you remember the outcome of that fable, you’ll know that slow and steady wins the Pinterest race.
So as long as you’re still seeing growth and checking in with your analytics to guide you, you’re on the right track.
Every person’s journey with Pinterest marketing will look different depending on your niche, your content, your strategy, etc. Try your best not to judge your performance based on other accounts, but based on your own account’s historical data. There’s no sense in burning yourself out trying to match someone else’s month 30 when you’re still in month 1.
And remember, you never know what’s behind someone else’s Pinterest strategy; if they’re paying for ads, or if they just had the magic combination of right timing!
If you’ve been in the Pinterest marketing race for a while and still aren’t seeing the results you think you should be, here are a few different ways I can help:
- This blog post detailing some of the most common reasons you aren’t seeing results from Pinterest
- This free guide on increasing your conversions from Pinterest
- This Pinterest audit service to identify opportunities for improvement
