How Pinterest can boost your press release results

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How Pinterest can boost your press release results

By Carrie Morgan | Posted: September 21, 2012
Pinterest is taking over social media. Why not? It’s fun, highly addictive and newly announced as the third-most-popular social network in the world. It’s creeping up on Facebook with 11-plus million users.How can you use that popularity to expand the reach of your press releases? Try these tactics:

1. Add an infographic to your release, then pin it.

Including a relevant infographic with your press release is a fantastic way to give media and news outlets a visual to go with your story, plus it takes advantage of one of the most popular ways to share data.

For inspiration, try searching wire service websites like BusinessWire.com or PRNewswire.comusing the keyword “infographic.” It turns up examples like these: Kronos, PayAsUGym, Ebates, andBackPainRelief.

This may seem obvious, but don’t just run the infographic with your wire release, nor embed it in your email. Be sure to upload it on Pinterest, then add a hyperlink to the full release with a short summary and a few keyword hashtags.

2. Create a Pinterest newsroom

If you are pinning one press release, why not create a corporate newsroom pinboard to showcase it, along with your other media/news assets? It can mirror your website’s newsroom, or enhance it with fresh material. Here is a great example from Cisco.


In addition to press releases and infographics, your newsroom pinboard can include news clips, company blog posts, short pitches or expert opinion comments, video—even executive headshots and logos. Just make sure that anything pinned to your newsroom is legible enough to entice clicks, properly trademarked, and approved for public use.

Another powerful media tool is an executive staff pinboard, which links headshot photos to biographies, bylined articles, and other content that demonstrates their credibility as an expert resource.

When you quote them in a press release, try linking their name directly to their pinboard for added oomph.

3. Create a pinboard that fits your infographic or news topic.

This capitalizes on search traffic and creates a natural platform for your news and/or infographic.

For example, if your press release is about a fabulous new bridal store, or a new wedding reception service offered by a local resort, create a pinboard relevant to brides-to-be. Many look online for inspiration, so a pinboard on “Most Popular Wedding Dress Styles” or “The Perfect Table Centerpiece for your Reception” might target your audience nicely and complement the topic of your release/infographic.

If your press release launches a new software product, then pinning screen captures and packaging photography might be a great start to your board.

4. Optimize the pin using the same keywords optimized in your press release.

SEO is your best friend on Pinterest. I’ve had boards rank highly in Google within 48 hours, even for keywords that have been difficult to rank using traditional methods. Including keywords can magically propel your pin visibility—and thus your press release—so it’s well worth the minor time investment.

Amplify your news results when you optimize your pins for the same keywords used in your release. How? Just include the same primary keyword in the title of your pinboard, wrap them into the description of each pin, then add them as a hashtag.

5. Use Pinterest for free market research.

Not only is Pinterest valuable as a post-distribution strategy, but it can spark great ideas for trend releases and bylined article topics. First, use Pinterest to identify what is being repinned and liked. Create a pinboard around a popular topic, optimize it for search, then support it with a trends or expert opinion press release that links right back to your Pinterest board. Voila—newsworthy content on a very hot topic!

PR Consultant Carrie Morgan is a 20-plus-year veteran of marketing and public relations in Phoenix. A version of this post first appeared on Convince and Convert.

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Pete E Cento was born in Havana, Cuba. He's an alumnus of Archbishop Curley Notre Dame College Prep, Miami-Dade College, Florida International University, and U.S. Fire Administration, Emergency Management Institute, (EMI), Emmitsburg, Md. Peter Cento is an experienced film and digital photographer, and multilingual MarComm, Social Media and Public Relations strategist with more than 30 years of experience helping clients, academia, government, ​and not-for-profit organizations. Cento is the principal & founder of Wild Cats Photography (formerly Atlantis Photography & Design), The Cento Group, & Wild Cats Enterprises, Inc. Cento first made a name for himself in broadcast journalism in the late 80s as a writer, news assignment desk editor/planner/manager, news producer, special project producer and managing news editor at CBS Miami 4, ABC 7 Fort Myers, NBC/Telemundo Miami and Univision Miami WLTV 23. Cento is also a disaster survivor in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, a category 5 hurricane impacted south Miami-Dade County in the early morning hours of August 24, 1992. While working at WFOR CBS 4, he was a part of the station’s community rebuilding through Neighbors 4 Neighbors which recently celebrated its 20th Anniversary. Cento was also part of the award-winning Univision Arizona news team that was honored with a newsroom Emmy in 2003 for developing a comprehensive bilingual water safety and drowning prevention campaign aimed at educating the Hispanic/Latino community in Arizona. Cento has successfully managed crisis situations for BURGER KING® Corporation, University of Miami, BellSouth, AT&T Wireless, USACE Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority during the annual Atlantic hurricane season. From 2005 to 2013, Cento was deployed as Multilingual PIO and External Affairs Field Specialist with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) covering more than 45 natural disasters from California to Massachusetts and has managed crisis communications for numerous clients. As the face of Wild Casts Enterprises, Inc., clients are assured that Peter Cento will be heading their team and getting them the quality results they expect. Cento’s well-earned reputation, extensive multi-industry background, ability to “pitch” the media and uncanny ability to connect people, presents a great benefit to all of his clients.