Passports, Profits and Pixie Dust

Passports, Profits and Pixie Dust Podcast Episode 32: Uplevel Your Business with Pinterest feat expert Tammy L Jones

Published on

Pinterest Power: How to Use Pinterest to Grow Your Direct Sales & Network Marketing Business

An interview with Pinterest expert, Tammy Jones

Hi, friend! Welcome back to the Passports, Profits and Pixie Dust community. I’m Lindsay Dollinger—high school Spanish teacher, dog mom, world traveler, direct seller, and someone who’s obsessed with helping women run their direct sales businesses the right way so you can earn what you deserve and live a life full of freedom, fun, and travel.

Today’s post? Oh girl… it’s a GOOD one.

I recently had the chance to sit down with Pinterest expert Tammy Jones, and the knowledge she dropped about Pinterest for business BLEW MY MIND. Whether you’re a network marketer, direct seller, or online entrepreneur, this interview is going to open your eyes to the massive (and underused!) opportunity Pinterest offers.

Let’s dive in.

https://pod.co/the-social-selling-sisterhood/up-level-your-business-with-pinterest-feat-expert-tammie-l-jones


⭐️ Meet Pinterest Expert, Tammy Jones

Tammy Jones lives in sunny Corpus Christi, Texas, where she’s a wife, mom, grandmother, and—just keeping it real—the proud human to some very barky dogs who love to interrupt her Zoom calls.

She’s been working in Pinterest marketing for 3.5 years, serving everyone from brand-new entrepreneurs to multi-million-dollar companies with both organic and paid Pinterest strategies. She has experience managing ad budgets from $100 to $10,000+ per month and has seen everything—what works, what doesn’t, and what too many entrepreneurs are missing.

Tammy started using Pinterest after deciding she wanted more freedom from corporate life, and once she saw how powerful Pinterest could be for business growth… she went ALL IN.


🎯 Why Pinterest is a Goldmine for Direct Sellers & Network Marketers

As I told Tammy during our conversation: most of us have a Pinterest account… but we’re using it for hairstyles, recipes, and maybe a cute nail inspo board before our next salon appointment.

But Pinterest is actually one of the BEST platforms for product sellers, network marketers, and service providers—and Tammy completely agrees.

Unlike Facebook or Instagram, Pinterest is:

✨ A search engine, not a social platform
✨ Designed to lead people off the platform
✨ Built for long-term visibility (your pins live forever)
✨ Packed with buyers actively searching for solutions

It’s a completely different landscape, and most direct sellers aren’t using it at all—which means there is zero saturation and massive opportunity.


✨ Step 1: Should You Switch Your Personal Pinterest to a Business Account?

Short answer?
Not anymore. Start a brand-new business account.

Here’s why:

Pinterest already knows what you’ve been pinning on your personal account—recipes, nail ideas, hairstyles, DIY projects, etc. Their AI has decided “who you are” based on your personal pins.

Trying to convert that into a business profile confuses the algorithm.

A fresh business account grows faster, ranks better, and stays more focused on your niche.

So if you’re thinking:

“But I already converted my personal account a few years ago…”

Tammy’s recommendation?
Start fresh. Your future Pinterest results will thank you.


🔍 Step 2: Do Your Market & Keyword Research Inside Pinterest

Pinterest works like Google.

If you want people to find your pins, you must use the right keywords.
And Pinterest tells you exactly what people are searching for.

Search inside Pinterest for keywords related to:

  • Your company products
  • Your niche
  • Your ideal customers’ problems
  • Seasonal trends

Pro tip from Tammy:
If your company has an official Pinterest account, follow it and study what they pin. Share their content too—it helps you fill your boards while you build your own pin inventory.


📌 Step 3: How Much Should You Pin?

This depends on your bandwidth.

If you can create original, fresh content consistently, amazing.

But if you’re just beginning?

✔️ Start with a mix of your content + relevant repins
✔️ Over time, aim for 75–80% original content
✔️ Build slowly, consistently


🌀 The MOST Important Pinterest Ranking Factor: Fresh Pins

This one surprised a LOT of people:

Pinterest cares more about “fresh pins” than brand-new content.

A fresh pin =
A new graphic, new colors, new headlines, or new layout—even if it points to the exact same URL.

So if you have a blog post, product page, live video, or offer:

Create multiple pin designs for it
→ different pictures
→ different colors
→ different calls to action

All of them lead to the same link, but Pinterest sees them as brand new.

This is way easier than creating brand-new content every week.


🔗 Where Should Your Pinterest Pins Lead?

Pinterest LOVES outbound links.

You can send traffic to:

  • Your Facebook group
  • Your website
  • Your blog
  • Your freebie
  • Your YouTube videos
  • Your Instagram
  • Your podcast
  • A direct sales shopping link
  • A Messenger conversation starter

Unlike Facebook, Pinterest wants people to leave the platform.

This is why it’s SUCH a powerful tool for lead generation.


🖼 The Anatomy of a High-Performing Pin

Tammy shared some incredible tips:

✔️ Use bold, easy-to-read fonts

Avoid fancy scripts—they’re pretty, but unreadable on mobile.

✔️ Add text to your pin images

Your graphics should clearly state:

  • What the pin is about
  • Why someone should click
  • What problem it solves

✔️ Put your logo or URL at the top of the pin

Most people put it at the bottom—but Pinterest revealed it performs better at the top of the image.

✔️ Use colors that stand out

Your pin should catch the eye among a sea of soft pinks, whites, and neutrals.

✔️ Ideal pin sizes:

  • Standard pins: 1000×1500 px
  • Story pins: 900×1800 px
  • Videos: any size (Pinterest pushes video heavily)

⚡️ Story Pins: The New (and Powerful) Feature

Not everyone has access yet, but if you do:

🔥 They boost impressions
🔥 They grow your profile fast
🔥 They allow reactions (engagement!)
🔥 They introduce your brand to new audiences

The only downside?
They’re not clickable yet.

So include your URL in the last frame or in the description.


📉 Should You Worry About Impressions?

Not really.

Impressions = how many times your pin was shown
But they don’t equal clicks.

Some accounts have millions of impressions but only a handful of link clicks.

Others have modest impressions but thousands of clicks because their audience targeting is on point.

Focus on keyword relevance and click-throughs, not vanity metrics.


🤝 How to Grow Your Followers

Pinterest followers aren’t like Instagram followers. You don’t need thousands.

Still, if you want to grow them quickly:

  • Create story pins
  • Follow relevant accounts (many follow back)
  • Use Tailwind Tribes
  • Add a “Follow me on Pinterest” popup to your website (Tammy recommends MiloTree)

🎨 Do Your Pins Need to Match Your Brand Aesthetic?

Good news: NO.

Pinterest isn’t Instagram.

Tammy recommends:

  • Use colors that stand out
  • Use seasonal colors
  • Don’t stress about perfect brand cohesion
  • Use your logo for consistency, but feel free to experiment

Your goal is visibility and clicks, not a perfectly curated grid.


📈 Is Pinterest Always a Season Ahead?

YES!

Pinterest users plan early.

You should begin pinning:

  • Holidays → at least 45 days ahead
  • Seasonal offers → at least 45 days ahead
  • Travel-related content → months ahead
  • Product launches → as soon as you know the date

Use Pinterest Trends to see what’s trending, when, and how people search for topics throughout the year.


💰 Pinterest Ads: Are They Worth It?

According to Tammy?

Absolutely. Pinterest has the lowest cost per conversion of any major platform right now.

But it works differently than Facebook:

  • Ads take longer to approve
  • Ads take longer to optimize
  • You should NOT make changes for at least 7 days after launching
  • Pinterest ads require patience—but the payoff is incredible

Even $30–$50/month can make a big impact.


✨ Final Pinterest Motivation from Tammy

If Pinterest feels overwhelming… you’re not alone.

But here’s Tammy’s best advice:

“Do it anyway. A year from now, you’ll be grateful you started.”

Pinterest exploded from 319 million to 425+ million active users this year alone. People are actively searching right now for the products and services you offer.

You don’t need to master everything today.

Just start.


💕 Connect with Tammy Jones

You can find Tammy here:

  • Facebook: Tammy L. Jones
  • Free group: Empire Builders
  • Freebie: Pinterest Audit & Optimization Checklist

Tammy also offers paid toolkits, templates, and full-service Pinterest management.


🌟 Final Thoughts

This interview had me READY to overhaul my Pinterest strategy immediately—there were so many gems and “I never knew this!” moments.

If you’ve been underusing Pinterest… now is absolutely the time to change that.

Want more interviews, trainings, and strategies like this? Stay connected here on the blog and inside the Passports, Profits and Pixie Dust community.

Here’s to building your empire—one pin at a time. ✨