Pinterest vs Instagram: Which is better for your business in 2023?
Are you wondering which platform is best for marketing your business – Pinterest or Instagram?
Perhaps you’re feeling burnt out on Instagram, you’re not sure if you should carry on, and you’re exploring other options.
Or you may be curious about how Pinterest works and want to tap into some of the magic of the Pinterest platform, but you’re not sure if you’re ready to leave Instagram just yet.
In this blog, we’ll be exploring the similarities and differences between Pinterest and Instagram, and the questions you need to know to make an informed decision about which platform is best for your business in 2023 and beyond.
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How are Pinterest and Instagram similar?
Pinterest and Instagram are both visual and inspiring platforms, but that is really where their similarities end.
When marketing your business, it’s really important to remember that people use both platforms in completely different mindsets.
Pinterest users are using the platform with the intention of finding ideas and purchase inspiration for personal projects and plans.
“Forget vanity metrics. The people on Pinterest actually want to try your ideas or shop in your store. It’s a deeper, more meaningful kind of engagement than you’ll find on other platforms.”
pinterest.com
People use Instagram to connect with their community, share what’s happened in their day and discuss news and events that are impacting their daily lives.
Pinterest is a search engine and needs to be treated completely differently from Instagram when thinking about marketing your business.
Pinterest vs Instagram key differences
| Visual search engine | Social sharing platform |
| Used for saving personal ideas and inspiration | Used to connect with others |
| Pins link directly to your website | Grid posts don’t link directly to your website |
| Pins have discoverability that lasts months and years | Posts/Reels have a limited shelf life to be discovered on someone’s feed |
| Access to in-depth audience insights and trends | Limited analytics and resources about how the algorithm works |
| Users have a higher purchase intent | Users are less likely to buy on the platform |
| Pins can take months to gain traction | Posts can go viral quickly |
Is Pinterest still relevant in 2023?
Yes! Pinterest has never been more relevant, or needed, than in 2023.
Pinterest is proud to be a safe space for creators and pinners to share content without FOMO or finding negative posts on their feeds.
Pinterest really understands the people who use the platform, and it uses its search data to help creators and brands create content that they know will benefit their users.
At the start of each year, Pinterest releases a trend prediction report for the year ahead (80% of these have been proven to be correct for the past 3 years) you can see the trend report for 2023 here.
Is Pinterest better than Instagram for business?
When considering Pinterest vs Instagram, focus on your own goals for your business and what you want to achieve.
Pinterest is brilliant for evergreen long-term visibility and getting quality traffic into your funnel, whereas Instagram is better for building relationships with your followers.
Pinterest isn’t a social media platform; it’s a visual search engine and needs to have a completely different, evergreen strategy.
If you want to share reactive posts and day-to-day musings about what is happening in your business and connect with your community directly, then Pinterest probably won’t be the right platform for you.
If you would prefer to strategically create evergreen content and pins that people will be searching for throughout the year, that drive traffic to your blogs and get people on your email list, then Pinterest is seriously worth your consideration.
How to use Pinterest and Instagram together
Even though they are different platforms, it is completely possible to have a Pinterest strategy that compliments the work you are doing on Instagram.
Here are a few ways you can incorporate the work you do on Instagram into your Pinterest strategy:
- Repurpose reels into Idea Pins (and vice versa) – try to remove the watermark if possible
- Repurpose carousel posts into idea pins
- Link to your Instagram post URL in your pins – this technique can be used to help to grow your Instagram following
How to take a break from Instagram to focus on Pinterest (without losing followers)
You might decide that it’s time for you to take a break from Instagram while you try your hand at Pinterest.
It can be hard actually to make that leap, the worry of losing followers or missing out is real!
The good news is that it’s completely possible for you to have an extended break without losing followers – I did it last year for 5 months, and it did wonderful things for my business. Read my blog about how I protected my Instagram account before my break and how I still attracted new subscribers to my email list even though I wasn't active on the platform!
Take a look at my short course (complete with Canva templates): Evergreen Your Instagram
Finally, please remember that it can take months to start seeing results from Pinterest, so don’t be disheartened if you don’t see an increase in your analytics for a while.
Next steps
If you're keen to learn more about Evergreen marketing or you want some accountability to help keep you on track to stay consistent, we'd love it if you joined us inside the Evergreen Marketing Club!
You'll get access to a content library to help you craft marketing content that gets seen again and again, as well as the support of a community who are all working towards the same goal.
Read all about the Evergreen Marketing Club here!
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