How To Grow Your email list through pinterest

I say it all the time but I really do think Pinterest is the dream platform for introverts, highly sensitive people and gentle solopreneurs who want to grow a slow but impactful business without the need for constant screen time or visibility.

This is especially true if growing your email list is one of your current business goals. Pinterest allows you to create content that gently builds momentum, even when you’re not actively showing up and if your content guides your audience to where they can join your mailing list, this can be a really powerful way to grow that still feels gentle on your sensitive system.

In this post, I’ll share exactly how you can use Pinterest to grow your email list as a gentle business owner as well as my own experience of doing so.

In this post:

• Why an email list is the perfect tool for HSP’s & introverts

• Creating a gentle sequence that builds your list on autopilot

• How I grew my email list from zero solely using Pinterest

• Getting started with Pinterest marketing for mailing list growth

Why an email list is the perfect tool for HSP’s & introverts

As someone with a more sensitive nervous system, you might find yourself at odds with a lot of typical marketing advice that promotes high visibility, chasing virality and creating content daily.

You know that you have a passion for what you teach or sell and a deep desire to build something that has real value and impact. Yet, you don’t enjoy the experience of audience-building through social media or the pressure that comes with it.

This is where an email list can be really powerful: it’s a way to create a closed community of people who are genuinely interested in what you have to say.

They’ve taken the steps to find your mailing list, self enrol and become a part of your world. For HSP’s, it can bring more comfort and felt safety to have that deeper connection with those who see your work. Not to mention, you are then able to choose what you share with your email list members and know they are more likely to resonate.

Finally, an email list doesn’t require you to constantly have something to say. In fact, I’d bet most people would rather receive 2-3 emails per month that are value packed and well thought out than daily content that feels more overwhelming than helpful - I know I would!

Creating a gentle sequence that builds your list on autopilot

Where Pinterest wins for me as a gentle solopreneur, is that you are able to build at a much more relaxed and calm pace. There is no need to create daily, spend time engaging with other content or even show your face if you don’t want to.

In terms of your email list, you can create pins that link directly to your mailing list sign up page or to other content, for instance, a blog post with your email list signposted within it. It’s such a simple but effective sequence that doesn’t overwhelm us sensitive souls:

Pinterest - Blog Post - Email List

It allows you to step back and for your audience to be proactive if they feel called to learn more. 

What’s also great about this approach is that your content on Pinterest has an extremely long lifespan. It’s not like an Instagram post that’s dead after 24 hours. Pins can continue to build momentum for months or even years after posting.

For HSP’s, this completely removes the pressure to always be coming up with something new. I know for me personally, that the idea of being consistent with content is the biggest drain on my energy. Whereas, with Pinterest I know I can create when I feel inspired and in between, my pins continue to be pushed out and I see regular new sign ups to my mailing list.

How I grew my email list from zero solely using Pinterest

I have to be honest, for the first couple of years in my business I completely avoided learning how to build an email list because I felt like I should put all of my energy into social media.

I also thought it would be clunky and technical to set up an email list and as someone who values simplicity, that was not high on my list of priorities.

However, I couldn’t have been more wrong. The platform I choose to use for my mailing list is Mailerlite and I was able to set up a simple landing page where my audience could sign up within an hour.

I knew I wanted to experiment with Pinterest instead of social media so I created a few different freebies to encourage people to join my list and I started sharing pins.

My simple strategy was (and still is) to batch create pins weekly and then use Pinterest’s scheduling tool to share them daily.

Each pin gently directs my audience over to my blog where they can learn more about me and get a feel for my work. 

Within each blog post, there are links to my freebies which my audience can access if they decide to join my email list.

This approach works so well for me because once my weekly pins are pre-scheduled, the rest happens without my input so I can take time off or focus on other work without that nagging voice telling me I haven’t posted content yet today.

The best part of Pinterest for email list growth is that once your pins start to gain momentum, you’ll see growth naturally, even without new pins. At the time of writing this post, I haven’t created any new pins in almost 5 months and my email list still receives regular sign ups!

Getting started with Pinterest marketing for email list growth

If you are completely new to Pinterest marketing, I’d recommend joining my email list community where I share semi-regular content around growing your business without social media as an introverted solopreneur.

I also suggest playing around with Canva’s Pinterest templates to get a feel for the type of content you’d like to share and how much time you’re able to commit to creating pins.

To get started, I do recommend having a valuable, free resource to encourage sign ups especially if you’re starting your list from zero as this can help with early growth.

Finally, I’d encourage you to devote a bit more time to your Pinterest account for the first 1-2 months to help it get off the ground. You don’t have to spend hours on it but posting more regularly (or pre-scheduling) and keeping your profile up to date definitely help build that initial momentum and get your pins in front of more people.

Don’t be discouraged if your first week or so feels slow - in my first 1-2 weeks, my pins were only being seen by less than 5 people but by week 3, they were into the 100’s and have continued to grow ever since.

If you would like to join my email list where I share ideas, things I’m trying out and more ways that you can lean in to your craving for a slower life & business, then you can do so here.

Till next time,

Caitlin.