For many photographers, Facebook and Instagram are the platforms where they spend the most time. However, as a visual search engine, Pinterest is a fantastic platform for gaining exposure and promoting your work. Unlike Instagram, where the algorithm constantly changes and posts have a short lifespan, Pinterest offers a more enduring way to showcase your work.
One big difference with Pinterest over other social media platforms is that content you share has a longer life span. A post on Instagram or Facebook will be shown on a persons feed for a few hours and then quickly disappear. Pinterest pins can be found and viewed without the date and time stamp affecting them; a pin from months or even years ago can still be discovered and clicked on today. In contrast, a post on Instagram from a year ago is unlikely to have been seen again.
Pinterest Tips for Wedding Photographers
Here are our tips and guide to getting the most from Pinterest and using it to gain more leads and bookings.
Why should wedding photographers be using Pinterest?
For any bride or couple planning their wedding, Pinterest is the go-to place for inspiration, offering thousands of images full of ideas. The wedding category is one of the most popular on the platform, which is no surprise. It serves as an online mood board and idea book for any couple planning their wedding.
Pinterest can drive significant traffic to your website, whether it’s from blogs about recent weddings or stunning photographs of particular venues. Users who see and click through may then get in touch to inquire about booking.
Optimise your profile
Keep your profile on brand by using your logo or the same image you use on other social platforms, and ensure your brand name matches your website and other social accounts.
Switching to a business account provides more options, including analytics, data, and profile enhancements. You can edit your business profile to include the term “wedding photographer” near the start and add your location. This helps with discoverability and SEO.
Finally, make sure to “Verify Your Website.” Linking your account to your website adds credibility and displays a small tick next to your URL.
Photos to pin
It’s important to pin photos that will interest potential couples and your audience, such as beautiful dress shots, table decor, detail shots, groom and groomsmen’s attire, or reception photos. There’s no need to pin every photo you have.
Tall portrait photos stand out and are more visible than landscape photos, so consider this when pinning your images. You might want to crop a shot to optimise it for Pinterest.
Although many photos are typically landscape, cropping them to be square or portrait can enhance their visibility. For example, table decor shots could be cropped to highlight specific details in a portrait format, and dress shots could be adjusted similarly. Search for yourself on Pinterest to see which photos stand out to you.
Pin Captions
This is where things differ from Instagram, where you write captions for readers. On Pinterest, you should write captions that describe your image and its context.
Make sure to include relevant keywords, such as “wedding photographer in London” or “wedding photos from London in front of the London Eye.” You can also add hashtags like #londonweddingphotographer and #londonweddingphotos.
As shown in this image, an engaging title with keywords like “Santorini” and “fairy lights” is effective, and these keywords should also appear at the beginning of the description.
Including the name of the venue where the photo was taken helps couples searching for ideas and photos of their venue on Pinterest. This can make your photos more discoverable and potentially lead to inquiries if they are still looking for a photographer.
Be sure to include your name, such as “Photo by [Your Name],” and link to your website, whether it’s your homepage or a blog post featuring more photos from the wedding.
Organise your Boards
Pinterest boards allow you to group images, which is great for your followers or potential couples to see your style and various shots you’ve taken. You could create boards for elopements and engagement shoots, and then break down a wedding day into categories like getting ready shots, first look, ceremonies, the kiss, reception, speeches, and first dance.
You could also have boards for different types of venues you’ve shot at, such as barns, country houses, and destination weddings. Ensure your boards have clear names and well-written descriptions using relevant keywords to improve discoverability.
Scheduling with Tailwind
It can take time to keep uploading and pinning photos. However apps such as Tailwind make this very easy with their scheduling tool. It can also provide lots of useful data to help you improve your boards.
Using Tailwind, you can schedule your pins gradually rather than posting 10 images all at once and then repeating the process a few days later. Tailwind can post your pins throughout the day at optimal times, helping to maximise your exposure.
Tailwind can be used with your Instagram too, allowing you to manage both accounts via one tool.
Benefits of Using Pinterests
Being active on multiple social media platforms is beneficial, but Pinterest offers some distinct advantages. It’s quick and easy to set up, and you don’t need to build a following to be discovered. Additionally, your pins have a longer lifespan compared to posts on other platforms.
You don’t have to spend much time managing Pinterest. Tools like Tailwind can handle your scheduling. Since Pinterest functions more as a visual search engine than a social media platform, you won’t need to spend a lot of time managing and responding to comments or messages, unlike on platforms like Instagram.
Finally, while you can promote pins on Pinterest, you can achieve significant long-term exposure without spending any money.
Are you using Pinterest as a wedding photographer?