Marketing & Getting Clients

How to Get Clients for Your Pinterest Marketing Business

Getting your first clients as a Pinterest marketing specialist requires a different approach than traditional marketing agencies. Your clients are typically small business owners and e-commerce brands who understand Pinterest drives traffic and sales but don’t have the time or expertise to manage it themselves. Your challenge is reaching business owners who recognize the value of Pinterest before they’ve already hired someone else.

The good news: Pinterest marketing is still underused by most small businesses, which means less competition than you’d find in social media marketing or general digital marketing. Your marketing strategy should focus on demonstrating results, building credibility quickly, and reaching business owners where they’re already looking for solutions.

Who Your Ideal Clients Are

Your best clients are small to mid-sized e-commerce brands, online course creators, home and lifestyle brands, and service-based businesses in niches like fitness, beauty, home décor, and wellness. These businesses already understand that Pinterest users have high purchase intent—they’re actively looking for products and solutions when they search on the platform. Many have tried Pinterest themselves but don’t have consistent results, spending hours pinning without measurable traffic or sales increases.

Beyond e-commerce, target coaches, consultants, and local service providers who want to drive traffic to their websites or generate leads. Look for businesses with $50,000 to $500,000 in annual revenue that can afford $500–$2,000 monthly for Pinterest management. They’re past the bootstrapping stage but don’t have large marketing departments. Many are women-owned or run by founders who are active on social media themselves, which makes them more likely to value your expertise once you show them the data.

Your Best Marketing Channels

Pinterest Itself

This is your strongest channel. Create pins that showcase case studies, statistics, before-and-after metrics, and behind-the-scenes content from your own client work (with permission). Pin to boards about marketing, small business, and entrepreneurship. Use Pinterest to drive traffic to your website, blog posts about Pinterest strategy, and case studies. If you’re not actively using Pinterest to market your own services, potential clients will question your expertise immediately.

Your Website and Blog

Build a simple website with a clear services page and start publishing blog posts targeting keywords like “how to grow Pinterest followers,” “Pinterest marketing for e-commerce,” and “how to increase website traffic with Pinterest.” These posts should include real metrics from your own testing or client work. Search traffic is slower to build but brings highly qualified leads—business owners actively searching for Pinterest solutions are ready to buy.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is where many business owners and e-commerce managers spend their professional time. Post about Pinterest strategy, share short case studies (anonymized), and engage with content from your target audience. Join groups focused on e-commerce, small business, and entrepreneurship. Direct messaging to business owners in your target niches can work, but only if you’ve first provided value through posts or meaningful engagement.

Email Outreach

Find e-commerce businesses, coaches, and consultants in your target niche and send personalized cold emails offering a free Pinterest audit or strategy call. Mention a specific result you achieved (such as “helped a similar brand increase website traffic by 45% in three months”) and keep the email short. Expect a 1–3% response rate, but responses tend to be qualified. Track which niches respond best and double down on those.

Collaboration and Partnerships

Partner with complementary service providers like web designers, email marketing specialists, or branding agencies. They often have clients who need Pinterest management. Offer referral fees (20–30% of the first month’s contract value is standard) or create package deals where you manage Pinterest as part of a broader strategy they pitch to clients. This channel can generate consistent referrals without you having to do the sales work.

Speaking and Workshops

Offer free Pinterest strategy webinars or workshops to small business groups, female entrepreneur networks, and online communities. Provide real, actionable tips (not generic advice), and include one case study or specific metric. Attendees who find value will reach out for one-on-one services. This also positions you as an expert and builds your email list for future outreach.

Getting Your First 3 Clients

1. Audit your own Pinterest presence. Set up a professional Pinterest business account for your marketing business if you don’t have one. Create 10–15 pins about Pinterest marketing, pin them consistently for two weeks, and track the traffic. This gives you data to reference with prospects and proves you know what you’re doing.
2. Identify 20 businesses in your target niche. Make a list of e-commerce brands, coaches, or service providers that could benefit from Pinterest. Check if they have an active Pinterest presence. If they do but aren’t pinning consistently or getting much engagement, they’re good prospects. If they don’t have one at all, they’re also prospects (you can help them start).
3. Send personalized outreach to 10 of those businesses. Don’t use a template. Research each business, mention something specific about their products or services, and explain why Pinterest marketing makes sense for them. Offer a free 30-minute strategy call or Pinterest audit. Aim for a response rate of 2–5 people willing to chat.
4. Run a free strategy call or audit. During the call, ask about their current traffic, sales, and goals. Review their Pinterest account (if they have one) and identify 2–3 specific improvements. Provide genuine, actionable advice even if they don’t hire you. This builds trust and often leads to a proposal.
5. Present a simple proposal. Outline what you’ll do monthly (create and schedule pins, optimize boards, monitor analytics), the cost ($500–$1,500 depending on scope), and the expected outcomes. Include a one-month trial period if they’re hesitant. Your first clients may take a discount in exchange for a case study and testimonial.
6. Ask for referrals from your network. Email your existing contacts—friends, family, former colleagues—and ask if they know any small business owners who could benefit from Pinterest marketing. Offer a $200–$500 referral bonus for introductions that become clients.

Building Referrals and Word of Mouth

Your best long-term client source is referrals from existing clients and partner agencies. Once you deliver measurable results, ask for testimonials and case studies. Offer to give your clients a one-month discount or referral bonus (usually 20% of the first month’s contract) for any business they refer who becomes a paying client. Make the referral process easy by providing a simple link or email they can forward to contacts.

Build relationships with other service providers—web designers, email marketers, content creators, and brand strategists—who already have clients willing to invest in growth. Position yourself as their go-to Pinterest specialist. Attend local business networking events and online entrepreneur communities where your ideal clients gather. Consistency and genuine results create word-of-mouth momentum faster than most marketing channels.

Your Online Presence

You need a professional website with clear information about your services, a portfolio of case studies (with permission and anonymization if needed), and client testimonials. Include specific metrics: “Grew client’s monthly Pinterest traffic from 500 to 2,500 in four months” lands better than “helped clients grow traffic.” A simple portfolio site built on Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress is sufficient—this business doesn’t require a fancy design.

Maintain an active Pinterest account for your own business that demonstrates your expertise. Post consistently and show results from your own pinning strategy. Potential clients will check your account before hiring you, and an inactive or poorly organized Pinterest profile damages your credibility immediately. Your website should also have an email capture form to build a mailing list of interested prospects.

Social Media Strategy

Pinterest and LinkedIn are your two primary social platforms. Instagram can work for certain niches (especially if you work with lifestyle or home brands), but don’t spread yourself thin across all platforms. Your time is better spent on Pinterest (where you demonstrate expertise daily) and LinkedIn (where decision-makers spend time). Post 2–3 times weekly on LinkedIn sharing tips, case studies, and small business insights. On Pinterest, aim for 5–10 pins weekly, either original designs or curated content from your blog and client case studies.

Paid Advertising

Hold off on paid advertising until you have at least 3–5 clients generating good results. Once you have case studies and testimonials, Google Search ads and LinkedIn ads become effective for reaching business owners actively looking for Pinterest marketing help. Start with a $500–$1,000 monthly test budget on Google Ads targeting keywords like “Pinterest marketing agency” and “Pinterest management services.” LinkedIn ads (particularly targeted at entrepreneurs and e-commerce managers) can also work, though they typically cost more per lead.

Client Retention

• Provide monthly performance reports showing specific metrics: pins created, impressions, clicks, traffic, and conversions. Make results visible and easy to understand.
• Schedule quarterly strategy calls to review goals, discuss changes in their business, and recommend adjustments to the Pinterest strategy.
• Deliver consistent results in the first 60–90 days to avoid early cancellations. Set realistic expectations upfront so clients don’t expect overnight growth.
• Stay updated on Pinterest platform changes and feature updates. Share relevant information with clients so they see you’re actively staying current in your field.
• Offer upsells like email capture optimization, conversion rate improvements, or expanded board management only after core services are delivering value.
• Build a community or group (private Facebook or Slack group) where you share tips, updates, and success stories from your client work. This increases perceived value and connection to your service.

Learn more about the fastest ways to get your first 10 Pinterest marketing business customers, discover the best marketing tools for your Pinterest marketing business, and explore local marketing strategies for your Pinterest marketing business.