Promoting Your Etsy Shop on Pinterest vs Instagram: What Works Better?
There is a correct answer and it will save you HOURS each day.
How much work goes into promoting an Etsy shop on Instagram…VERSUS promoting with Pinterest?
Which platform makes SALES faster? Let’s see what it takes to make sales on social ⬇️
By now, you’ve come across those Etsy marketing guides, courses, and programs that GUARANTEE you’ll boost your sales with social…
But what if you don’t even know WHERE to start? How can you get results if your sh*t is ALL over the place to begin with??? 😱
Let’s calm the chaos a bit.
Today we’re gonna decide — right here, right now — which social media platform is the RIGHT option for your Etsy shop.
The TRUTH about Instagram: Let’s Talk Numbers
Since 2012, Instagram is THE site where (everyone and their mother) posts pictures of your pets, your lunch, your products, and your brand.
Instagram is so successful that it’s led to the Age of the Influencer — I know you’ve heard about people making millions through the platform.
It probably won’t surprise you that Instagram is Facebook’s younger, cooler sibling.
More than half of Instagram users are under 34, and they’re on Instagram for almost an hour a day.
Instagram has around 1.15 billion monthly active users as of October 2020.
That means that 69% of ALL internet users are sitting in the palm of your hand.
And the bit that has to do with promoting your Etsy biz?
90% of accounts follow at least one business on Instagram, and around 51% of the audience are women.
So if you’re thinking that Instagram is the ultimate way to promote your business, you’re definitely not wrong.
The numbers are there…And they’re looking MIGHTY FINE.
Eighty-three percent of Instagram users discover new products and services on the platform.
Instagram TL;DR
- Best time to post: Wednesday at 11 a.m. and Friday from 10 a.m.-11 a.m.
- Best day to post: Wednesday
- Worst day to post: Sunday
But (spoiler alert!!!!) there’s an even better option out there.
Haaaaave you met Pinterest?
If you’re not already Pinning everything under the sun… Chances are you’ve come across Pinterest when doing an image search.
I just want to STOP this Etsy train for a sec and point something out…
The fact that Pinterest posts ALWAYS come up in image searches, but Instagram (a PICTURE-based PLATFORM!!) posts almost NEVER come up in image searches…
Is hella revealing about how search-friendly Pinterest is compared to Instagram!! ⬇️
Alright, now that I’ve hit on the hypocrisy of Instagram for you, let’s return to our regularly scheduled Pinterest programming…
Pinterest is a social search engine that has around 367 million active users.
Instead of posts, users view and save ‘pins’. If you’re a damn good marketer, those pins people are saving should point to your website. (Or Etsy shop).
Research shows that Pinterest reaches an amazing 83% of US women aged 25–54.
So while Instagram might have more PEOPLE, what’s super important to remember is that you want to get to the RIGHT people.
What Does it Take to Succeed on Instagram?
In order to drive traffic and sales on Instagram, you need to do these things…SEVERAL times a week:
😑 Make time to like, comment, message, and engage with your followers (DAILY) 😑 Take AMAZING videos that people want to watch, share, and comment on 😑 People basically don’t care about photos on Instagram anymore
And you need to do all those things ⬆️ WEEKLY in order to see any kind of benefit on Instagram.
Notice I said you’ll see “benefits” — not SALES.
Benefits might mean 10 new people follow you each week. That DOES NOT a successful Etsy shop make.
What you need to know about social platforms is this: until you figure out what works for YOUR followers, you are just sending posts into the void for a while.
So don’t expect to see big numbers or great results no matter HOW GOOD your content is.
Your account is gonna bomb for a while. And it’s ok — it happens to ALL of us!
When you use ANY social network to promote your Etsy shop, it’s a matter of COMMITMENT.
You are NOT going to see results (aka more sales) in the first month. In fact, you probably won’t even see results in the first SIX months.
So if you want social to WORK, you need to commit for the long haul.
If filming non-stop reels and answering comments feels like a PAIN in the ASS, then Instagram is NOT for you!!
On the other hand, Pinterest is about creating a “catalog of ideas”.
So you can build graphics on a site like Canva, and schedule them to go out when you want.
Pinterest is the ultimate commitment-phobe platform. You can schedule everything, and you DON’T need to show up weekly…
You can batch that shit and watch it GROW! ⬇️
It’s MUCH easier to create months of content for Pinterest, schedule it all, and sit back and relax.
Things you DON’T need to do on Pinterest:
🤩 There’s no commenting needed 🤩 You don’t need a SINGLE follower to get found on Pinterest. If your pin is GOOD, Pinterest will show it in SEARCHES (which is what most people are doing on Pinterest…searching instead of FOLLOWING!) 🤩 You don’t really need to interact with your followers at all… 🤩 You can use TEMPLATES to create videos and pins on Pinterest…no need to film yourself!
Here’s the Kicker: People Actually USE Pinterest for Shopping…
This is where Pinterest REALLY SHINES over Instagram.
There’s a LOT of talk on the internet about “intent”.
This is basically a fancy way of saying “meet your customers where they already SHOP, and the sales will come!”
In simple terms, intent is your customer’s WHY. Why are people on Pinterest? What do they want to accomplish?
For all its fancy new “features”, Instagram is still, at its heart, a social media site.
Insta is more of a “scroll when you’re bored / keep up with friends / celebrities” kind of place.
People don’t GO to Instagram when they want to buy a new apple watch band, for example.
But Pinterest?
People ALREADY have their credit cards out.
They’re looking at ALL the apple watch bands…They want IDEAS for cute bands, they want a band for spring, summer, and fall…They want to find the best bands for workouts vs going out.
And if you’re selling something (like apple watch bands)? Well, that’s a match made in heaven.
Think about it this way:
Would you have more luck walking up to strangers on the street and asking them to buy your Etsy products? (Instagram)
Or would you see more sales by setting up a stall at a HUGE downtown market? (Pinterest)
The choice is yours 😉, but there’s definitely an obvious winner.
Pinterest TL;DR
- Pinterest users will spend 29% more money while shopping.
- 98% of Pinterest users have tried something new they discovered on Pinterest
- 61% of Pinterest users have purchased something after seeing a promoted pin
And the REALLY good news?
48% of US Pinterest users are on the platform to SHOP!
72% of Pinterest users are inspired to shop EVEN if they aren’t looking for anything in particular.
Here’s the final nail in the coffin: Pinterest marketers stand to make $2 for every $1 they spend on the platform.
Can Etsy ads get you that kind of return?? ⬆️
What to expect from an Instagram strategy for Etsy
When it comes to promoting your Etsy shop on Instagram, it’s not TOTALLY impossible…
Many talented sellers make it happen.
But it IS extremely hard work.
Algorithms change often, and each step of a successful Instagram strategy is demanding in its own way.
If you were a top Etsy seller on Instagram, here’s what your strategy would look like:
✅ Create and schedule 2–4 reels per day ✅ Answer comments ✅ Interact with your target customer on Insta to grow your following ✅ Rinse and repeat DAILY.
What to expect from a Pinterest strategy for Etsy
Pinterest is much MUCH simpler, and you’re going to see results pretty quickly (usually within your first 3 months).
If you were a top Etsy seller on Pinterest, here’s what your strategy would look like:
✅ Create about 10 pins a day using a tool like Pingenerator or Tailwind. ✅ Schedule a month’s worth of pins at once. ✅ Sit back and relax.
Not only that, but it’s easy to pivot when you notice a horrendous, insomnia-inducing downturn in traffic. (If you missed that post, here’s how Pinterest almost cost me my sanity).
When I lost tons of traffic on Pinterest, I learned that some minor tweaking won’t just get you minor improvements…
Instead, I got a holy SH*T, I SOLVED THE INTERNET level of success.
Which Platform gets bigger results for Etsy sellers?
When it comes to promoting your Etsy shop, I’m about that Pinterest life…
All. The. Way.
It’s just easier.
As a top Etsy seller coach, I have maybe FOUR sellers who are successfully making sales with Insta.
But I have HUNDREDS who are getting sales from Pinterest.
An easier platform means you can promote in a way that still leaves you time to… y’know, run your shop, live your life, and sell your products.
I’m not saying Insta isn’t worth it, but think back to what I said at the beginning:
Instagram is a social platform, and to win their game, you have to have a STRONG, constant presence.
But Pinterest is a catalog of ideas, which is A LOT less pressure.
And you know what? I think your ideas would look GREAT there!
Hi👋 I’m Jenni — I’m an e-commerce coach for top sellers 😊
Whether you know it or not, your business can grow as big as you want it. I see it daily, but you’re probably there, alone…Wondering if you’re crazy… I’m here to be a regular reminder that YOU’RE NOT. 🚀
🛍️ Slap that “Follow” button to get shop-specific advice (and make me your secret cheerleader!) 💌 Get my *slightly snarky* ideas delivered straight to your inbox
If you wanna straight up SEE what my sellers making $100,000/month are doing, I literally tell you in the articles linked below ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
Incredible Things my $100k/mo Sellers are Doing (Steal these ⬇️)
Article I’d Specifically Recommend After This One…
Wanna get your read on? This next article explains the exact strategy I used to get major traffic with Pinterest after all my traffic CRASHED ⬇️
