Whether you’re a design professional or a homeowner, Pinterest is one of my favourite platforms for finding inspiration. Here are a few of my best Pinterest tips for growing your business or starting your next design project.
Celebrating a Pinterest Milestone
Woohoo! Huge milestone alert: I’ve reached 100K followers on Pinterest!
I want to pause here for a moment to really feel and share the gratitude it fills me with. YOU are all SO AMAZING!!
Thank you so much for being here and part of my colourful community. Can you feel that? I’m sending you BIG love.
Don’t resist trying something new
I started writing this blog in 2008. But when Pinterest arrived on the scene in 2010, I actually resisted signing up for Pinterest (gasp!). I thought to myself, I can’t do everything!
In fact, it took me a year to create my own account after I realized I was already using it daily to search for images.
And today, it remains the biggest driver of traffic to my site and my blog.
And why not? My content is visual. Combine colour education with decorating and styling inspiration, and that makes Pinterest a perfect platform for showcasing visual content.
Plus, I try to help answer some of your most pressing questions and address common colour and decorating mistakes on this blog… and likely many start by searching Pinterest or Google for those answers first, before landing here. 😉
Show up where your people hang out
One lesson I’ve learned, more than once actually, is that you need to overcome your resistance to jumping on a new social platform or channel. That isn’t to say that EVERY social media channel is right for you. For instance, I don’t spend any time on Twitter these days. But as a designer, educator and creative, certain platforms lend themselves to my specific content as well as the audience I’m trying to reach.
And it’s important to recognize where your people hang out.
MY FABULOUS PEOPLE (that’s you!) tend to hang out on Pinterest and Instagram. And increasingly on TikTok. BTW, it seems we’re all a little guilty of going down the rabbit hole that is TikTok?!
Did you know that TikTok is no longer mainly used by 12-year-olds? The main demographic on TikTok is now 35 to 55-year-olds! Isn’t that amazing? If you are offering aesthetic and creative content, trust me, your people are over there too!
Learning to do video was pivotal for me
And speaking of Insta and TikTok, I resisted video for way too long. It just seemed like SUCH an undertaking to learn and get comfortable with – you have to appear on camera, eeek! (don’t worry – filters!) Plus, it’s easy to assume that social media videos need to be highly produced and perfect. (they don’t)
So I finally resolved to figure it out. It involved updating my outbuilding studio to create a nice backdrop, good acoustics and lighting for video. It was one of the BEST moves. I’m so glad I overcame my inertia and started shooting videos! It was the missing piece I need to increase the speed of my following growth on Instagram and TikTok.
Did you know that you can create video pins on Pinterest too? Just in case you needed another reason to start creating videos.
Pinterest content needs to be pretty
Early on, I figured out that I had to get good at snapping and editing photos. And ultimately, that was the skill that made my Pinterest feed look both pretty and professional. As a creative or designer, you might think of Pinterest as an extension of your portfolio.
Because on Pinterest, pretty also means clickable – and that’s the goal, right? Oh, and it helps if you can make some of your pins helpful and informative while you are at it. This skill is essential if you want to build a following for your business on Pinterest.
Eventually, I hired a social media manager to focus on growing my social media accounts, which included helping me create all the pretty (and many helpful) pins you see all over my feed now. If you have a blog, don’t be afraid to create new pins for old posts that are still relevant. It can be a great way to increase site traffic.
Pinterest is the best place to find inspiration
Even after all these years and many changes to the Pinterest platform itself, I still find it the best place to begin looking for inspiration for any decorating or renovation project.
I have my eDesign clients share an inspiration board with me so I can get a good feel for the kinds of rooms, colours and details they are drawn to. And if you don’t know what your design style is, Pinterest is a great place to begin to find out!
Here are some of my most popular Pinterest boards. If you aren’t following these boards yet, click on the image below, then tap the three dots next to the board title to follow.
Best Backsplash Ideas on Pinterest
Classic & Timeless Tile on Pinterest
Timeless Cabinet Hardware on Pinterest
Start your next decorating project on Pinterest
And if you aren’t already an eDesign client, you might not know that Pinterest is also a great tool to gather ideas for any decorating project.
Here’s how to start your next decorating project on Pinterest like a pro. First, set up a brand new board dedicated to your project. Then simply pin items and colours you are considered to your project board. This makes it super easy to be able to see how things are relating and working together – before you create your mood board.
And if you aren’t sure where to start – be sure to visit my Pinterest boards for some timeless inspiration.
I share more about how to do this in my Shop Online with Confidence course here.
Once I finally go all in, after I’ve resisted trying a new social media channel or platform, or learning a new skill, I never regretted it. It always brings growth.
So tell me, what have you been resisting? What skill do you just know you need to learn this year? What successes have you had jumping into something new? We can always learn from each other too.
Did you find me on Pinterest?
One last thing… I’d love to know if you found me on Pinterest? If so, what were you looking for at the time? Please comment below!
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Outfit should have black pumps! Nix white shoes!!
Honestly Maria I don’t remember where I first came across you. I don’t use any social media at all except for Pinterest. I don’t use Facebook either. I am passionate about design and decor and love color. I have purchased your e-books and have found them incredibly helpful. I love Pinterest because it’s all about the pictures and I don’t have to see a lot of “comments” made by others and feel no need to comment myself. Now I’m laughing because ironically that’s exactly what I’m doing, commenting. But I do follow your blog and Laurel Bern’s and that’s about it. Thanks again for all your awesome content. And congratulations on reaching the100,000 mark!!!
Maralee, I actually found Maria’s blog from reading Laurel Bern’s blog! They are the only two design blogs that I follow consistently :]
I’ve been a LONG time follower Maria. In fact, I think of you as a friend (not in a creepy way, lol). You have always done a good job of sharing and teaching what you know and I just want you to know how much I appreciate you. Big love from me in New Jersey.
But wait, I say, Maria is doing TikToks?!!! OMG I have to get on TT now!
Please don’t stop, you’re fab
I was referred to you by another designer who I do not remember but she was saying how amazing you were with color choices and undertones.
I did find you on Pinterest about two months ago. I was changing the tile in my primary bath and was extremely stuck on what to choose. We have a lot of 1990s orangey-wood floors throughout the house. You convinced me not to do wood tile near the real wood floor. I read a ton of your old blogs. Using your advice, I chose a beautiful simple almost white tile, a white subway for the shower and it turned out beautifully. The wood and tile floors look like they could have been put down at the same time. I also have now embraced my orangey floors as neutral as a pair of jeans. Thank you!
Yes I believe I did find you on Pinterest several years ago! I was looking at examples of kitchens that had wood maple cabinets because I wanted to update my kitchen without painting mine. I found your post about your sister’s house with similar cabinets. I ended up updating my kitchen with white subway tile and white quartz counters. Then I bought an e-book, then another, then the Exterior Course, then the Shop Online Course, and finally I became a True Color Expert this past fall and I’m starting my own side gig. Thanks Maria!
I started following you in your early days on the blog. Then took your course and have kept checking your Instagram because I continue to learn more all the time. Even though I have retired my design business I still enjoy the knowledge I get from your content. I’m a follower and a fan. Congratulations and thanks Maria.
Came across your blog on Pinterest while trying to find inspiration for my living room curtains to go with my dark sofa. Been reading this blog since then. Still searching for the curtains… 😀