Simple Pin Podcast: Simple ways to boost your business using Pinterest

In this episode of Kate's Take, I tackle a question I hear constantly: "I know I should be doing Pinterest, so why haven't I started?"

It kicks off after a call with a conference organizer who admitted she'd been curious about Pinterest for years but never acted on it. That conversation is the jumping-off point for a bigger idea: business owners are surrounded by noise about what's "working" for everyone else, and it's easy to confuse someone else's success story with your own strategy.

I break down why every new platform, whether it's Pinterest, Instagram...

One of the things that we talk about here at Simple Pin Media is that photography makes one of the biggest differences on Pinterest because pinners don't read. They connect with the image right away, and it lets them know whether or not it's relevant to them, whether they want to click, or whether they want to scroll on by. I brought in somebody today who is really good at taking amazing images that get people to click.

Make sure you’re following Ashley -  https://healthylittlepeach.com/ 

If you’re looking for a way to tak...

Hey, it's Kate. This one's a little different. I’ve mentioned a few times that I have needed to step back for a few things, and I’m finally ready to share more about what’s been happening behind the scenes.

In April, I was diagnosed with breast cancer via a routine mammogram. I've kept it private until now, and since it's October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it felt like the time to share.

I’ve been in the midst of surgery, radiation, and a million doctor's appointments, but I’m coming up for air, and that f...

Pinterest ads can feel like a black box — so we're pulling back the curtain. In this episode, I sit down with Erin, our Ads Director, to talk through the real wins we're seeing across client accounts right now: what's working, what surprised us, and what we'd tell any business considering Pinterest ads for the first time.

Whether you're running ads yourself or thinking about handing it off to someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes Pinterest strategy, this episode pulls from real, current client results — not theory.

Hire Erin for a consult call with our team if y...

Lately I’ve been having fun uing Pinterest personally and it got me thinking about how we view a platform for personal use vs our business marketing. Sometimes we’re so segmented about the two that sooner or later things feel really stale and we wonder if the platform is doing anything for us. Here’s a bit about my recent experience. 

Link to Insiders

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newslet...

Struggling to keep up with everything running your business demands? In this episode, we're breaking down how to use AI tools for small businesses. From analytics and scheduling to image creation so you can reclaim hours every week for the work only you can do.

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the serv...

I've been on a hunt lately.

Not for a new strategy. Not for a new platform.  For shortcuts.

Real ones. The kind that save you actual time. Without costing you the impact.

Let's be honest. Most "shortcuts" in marketing? Just corners getting cut. This isn't that.

This is me trying to find where the busywork ends. And the real thinking can start.

Here's the specific one I've been chasing.

I want a tool. Something that looks at our Pinterest content. And tells me, fast — what's trending up. Wha...

Pinterest is often talked about like a platform you have to constantly feed — but what happens when you stop? In this episode, I talk with a former TpT seller turned travel creator who hasn't touched Pinterest for her shop in ages... and it's still sending her sales.

We dig into why Pinterest content keeps working long after you walk away, what she built early on that's still paying off, and what this means for anyone building a TpT, Etsy, or digital product business who's worried about keeping up with Pinterest forever.

If you've ever wondered wh...

You got the email, you're confused, let's break it down

So Tailwind sent out an email about something called an MCP server, and if you read it and thought "what does that even mean," you're not alone. Let's break it down simply. MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. Think of it as a translator between AI assistants, like Claude or ChatGPT, and the software you already use. Before this, if you wanted an AI to help with a task, you'd copy information out of one app, paste it into your AI chat, get a response...

In this episode, we're tackling something every Pinterest creator needs and almost nobody has set up properly: an organized Canva account. I sit down with Brenda Cadman, one of the few Canva Verfied Experts in the world, to walk through exactly how to structure your Canva workspace so you can create Pinterest graphics faster, stay consistent with your brand, and stop losing time hunting for templates you know you made somewhere.

Grab our Pinterest templates for just $7 - Pinterest Templates – Simple Pin Shop 

Brenda's Website: https://brendacadman.com

What to Do Fir...

There have been some tough things personally happening in the background. I always hate when people share things like this and don’t say what, but that they will share lately. Sitting firmly in that seat, I now understand why they say that. My apologies for adding to that noise. I promise is not a trend or a marketing ploy. 

Anyway, this tough season has prompted a project for me that has been years in the making. I think it’s lived rent-free in my brain and was waiting for the time to be released. That time is qu...

Pinterest just launched a game-changing update to its Amazon partnership — and if you're using Pinterest to sell or promote products, this is the feature you've been waiting for. In this episode, we're breaking down Pinterest's new Amazon Storefront linking tool, announced June 10, 2026. We’re going to be breaking down this and so much more. 

Resource Articles:

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the services we offer. Book a discovery call with our team. 

🎬 New to Pinterest → get started here with 4 videos! 

Other helpful links:

Simple Pin Insiders

Simple Pin Shop

Our YouTube channel – tons of Pinterest tutorials

DM us on In...

Today we are diving into what makes great Pinterest descriptions and how to write one. This is by far one of the most powerful SEO tools you have for Pinterest. That little section of text tells the Pinterest algorithm and sometimes even Google exactly what your Pin is about. Knowing what makes a great pin description could be the difference between getting your content seen on Pinterest and not.

This is a previously aired episode. 

To join the conversation and get more support go to simplepinmedia.com/spm-insiders 

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Here are some...

Pinterest is a long game, and this episode is proof that it pays off. Kate shares a real client win from one of SPM's clients, walking through the exact strategy that took a bumpy start to year-over-year session growth. If you've been wondering whether Pinterest is actually worth it for your business, this one's for you.

Links mentioned:

simplepinmedia.com

SPM Insiders

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make...

Lately, there’s been a lot of chatter about Pinterest traffic trending downward, and with it comes a whole slew of theories, including algorithm changes, technical glitches, and even the dreaded “AI slop” taking over. I get it. It’s frustrating to watch your numbers dip and not know where to place the blame. But here’s my question: are we spending too much time chasing low-value, $1 tasks like deleting pins or mass-joining group boards, when we should be focusing on higher-return, $10 tasks? In one client case, by leveraging Pinterest trends intentionally, we saw a 119% increase in traffic. It was a remi...

One of the most common questions I get from my community is, “How do I get my pins seen on Pinterest?” Visibility on Pinterest doesn’t just mean more clicks, it can lead to more sales, more email signups, and more traffic overall. Over the years, I’ve learned that quality content always wins. Without it, even the best strategies can fall flat. Recently, as part of the Pinterest Educator Program, I had the opportunity to meet directly with the Pinterest team to learn exactly what they look for when deciding which pins to show. What I discover...

During the summer we have run story series, taking breaks, run replays, etc. Honestly there isn’t a perfect rhythm and what we have learned is to be flexible. Due to some circumstances this summer I’m unable to record the story series, but I hope you’ve enjoyed all the interviews I’ve done so far. There will be more of those to come! 

Over the next 3 episodes we plan to air replays of some of our favorite interviews from the past or episodes that a lot of people have enjoyed or listened to. 

We hope th...

Substack has been around for a few years now but there’s more interest in how to connect is to Pinterest. More importantly how to drive traffic to Substack with Pinterest. We have a few beta clients going through our services for us to test it and so far the results are great. 

Chef Carla emailed me about Substack when I shared this experiment in one of my newsletters. As a result, we had a chat, she shared her history, and where she plans to go from here. And how it includes Pinterest. Here’s more of that...

Notes to come

There is a lot of talk about selling products on Pinterest, but what are the real-world examples, and what does the setup look like? Tara Jacobsen is on that journey, so we wanted to start with an interview with her as she is starting out, and then our plan is to revisit this project in the next 6 months to see if it’s actually working. 

Tara didn't figure this out overnight; she had support, a strategy, and a community around her. That's what SPM Insiders is built for. If you want that same kind of guidance for you...

Think of Pinterest's home feed like a TV channel.

Pinterest's job is to keep people watching. Not just for five minutes today — but coming back tomorrow, next week, next month. So they've spent years building a system that figures out the best mix of content to show each person.

Here's what they learned and changed:

Variety keeps people watching. Repetition drives them away. They actually tested this. When they showed people more of the same type of content (even stuff the person seemed to like), engagement went up for on...

 I’ve used the Hubbub plug in before it was owned by Hubbub. From social pug, to grow owned by mediavine to now being owned by Nerdpress and called Hubbub. This powerhouse Pinterest shares plug in for websites has been through a lot of iterations and now it’s going through another one. With the move away from visiting websites do plugins for social shares still matter? That’s what we will dive into today. 

Intro - Call to Action: 

If you want to learn more about Hubbub and how to install the plug in on your s...

I shared this with a friend recently and thought, why don’t I share it here. Pinterest is now calling itself an AI-powered search platform with an emphasis on shopping. No doubt you’ve seen more and more products in your feed. But not all products get the same exposure or sales. So here’s what we’ve seen within our agency that might help you gauge how much emphasis to put on growth when it comes to Pinterest marketing.

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Si...

It’s been a long, confusing topic for content creators to figure out how to work with brands leveraging their Pinterest content. Most brands want the virality of the latest trending platform, and the long-tail traffic from Pinterest doesn’t seem appealing. But Kaya Mariott

Intro - Call to Action: Quick question — when Pinterest makes a change, where do you go to figure out what it actually means for your account? If the answer is Google, ChatGPT, or a random Facebook group... I've got something better. SPM Insiders is my $9/month community on Skool where you get my unf...

My two guiding principles right now in business – where is the money flowing and where do people need transformational wins – big or small. I started out in 2010 with Facebook and the boom of affiliates. Coupon clicks, prints, and it basically feeling like the wild wild west of the internet. The joke in the 2010’s is you could basically print money. A lot of people got rich off courses, affiliates, and the easy money. 

It’s harder now. Algorithms, discovery is more difficult and neither ads nor organic work 100% of the time. You have to stay curious, open to new pa...

It’s the Pinterest version of the Taylor Swift Eras tour – The eras of Pinterest. I had to go way back to gather some of this info, but for those interested in the history of this platform, this will be fun. 

Links in the description

Soures that helped me build this - Pinterest - Wikipedia 

The Aquired podcast - The Pinterest IPO | Acquired Podcast 

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on artic...

I’m embarking on a new adventure building a new site (in an ethical way) to help my husband share about his horrible habit of smoking cigars. And can I leverage Pinterest and a newsletter for growth. There are lots of challenges and assumptions I have for myself so I’m going into this with eyes wide open. 

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hi...

There has never been a better time to dive into Pinterest. Between their AI Automated Performance+ and building your own ads, there is a lot of potential. One of our clients got 90x ROAS on one of their campaigns. Mind blown. Today I’m talking with our direct or ads and design to go deeper into what’s working right now.

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Look...

Someone said to me recently that I might be putting on a happy face but Pinterest is going down. First, I would say, that might be a fair assessment as I always like to see the good. AND I have an entire community following me to understand how to view and navigate the platform. I take that very seriously so making sure i”m neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic. 

Let me address where I’m at. I think Pinterest has changed drastically in 2026 and I’ve not been shy about saying that. Maybe some people haven’t heard me...

Rachel Farnsworth started 2026 with an announcement that she was “quiet quitting” blogging. Not because she didn’t want to invest in the community that she had built over the last 10  years, but because she wanted to invest more. Learn why she changed course and what 2026 holds for her. 

Intro - Call to Action: 

You know, one of the questions I get asked most often is: "Kate, how do I actually make Pinterest work for my business without spending hours every single day on it?"

And here's the truth - Pinterest is one of the most...

Where is Pinterest going and how does it serve creators as their founding business adopters? Our team has actively been investing in e-commerce sellers, as Pinterest has given us signals since 2022 that it is headed in that direction. From the hiring of Bill Ready from PayPal and Venmo and his stacking of the C-suite team with other e-commerce-forward C-suite leaders, the writing was on the wall. But that leaves the big question of where do creators fit into all of this. Do people on Pinterest still find them discoverable? 

Lately, I’ve been playing around on Pinterest mor...

I love email marketing and think it’s really important, but other people hate it and have a hard time embracing why it’s important. Or even how to do it. 

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the services we offer. Book a discovery call with our team. 

🎬 New to Pinterest → get started...

In thinking through the best Pinterest strategy, I’m going in with blinders on. What can I learn from my data, my clicks, my saves, my images, my keywords? If I really sat with that, it would go counter to what the online world has trained me to do. Look at what other people are doing, who has the right answer, and how can I follow their rules. More of my thoughts on that.

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on...

This discussion with Ellen Yin was one for the books. Thought-provoking, very interesting use of Pinterest, and where to take your business in the next year. 

The Next Era of Cubicle to CEO: What's Coming in 2026

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Winning Mrs. Oregon America (and why I decided to compete in my first pageant)

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Hosting an Event? Our Pop-Up community Playbook to Elevate the Attendee Experience

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Founders' story and the need to tell that story, how, and what it looks like. I’m so fascinated by this movement in 2026 that I’m still thinking about how it can apply to Pinterest marketing. Here are my thoughts. 

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the services we offer. Book a discovery call with o...

When I first learned about Work Play Branding, I instantly loved their business model, but what made me fall in love with them even more is how they are creatively using Pinterest as a collaborative tool with their clients. To surface the clients' ideals in photos and pictures, to be able to support their photographers and designers to give the clients exactly what they are looking for. We’re going to dive into an interview with their founder and CEO Lyrik Fryer. 

WorkPlay Branding 

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒...

Human connection is still needed. Trust recession and AI picking up on nuance. In this quick take, I just want to remind you that you bring something valuable to the table that AI can’t replace. Lean into that big time as you go through 2026

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of the services we offe...

AI is taking over many conversations and platforms. It’s been an active conversation as it relates to Pinterest, but there is room for us to see it in a positive rather than a negative light. That’s what Meaghan Williamson and I are chatting about in this episode. 

Podcast we mentioned - The Last Intervention:

Meagan Williamson 

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Medi...

Your 5-minute dose of Pinterest marketing in real time. Twice a month, Kate Ahl shares her unfiltered thoughts on the latest Pinterest trends and updates that matter to your business. Quick insights from the founder of Simple Pin Media—because you don't have time for fluff.

Pinterest Predicts 2026

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Here are some helpful links from the podcast:

🗒️To get full show notes, visit Simple Pin Media and click on articles. 

🗞️Make sure you grab our newsletter – Pinterest Made Simple

📌 Looking to hire the best Pinterest marketing team? Here is a list of th...