Tracking Your Pinterest Results (Simple Analytics for Beginners)

Great!; you’re putting in the work – crafting those enticing pins and strategically placing your opt-in forms. But how do you know if it’s actually paying off in growing your email list and ultimately, your online business? That’s where tracking your results comes in. Don’t let the word “analytics” scare you; we’re going to keep it simple and focus on the key numbers that will give you a clear picture of what’s working on Pinterest.

Tracking Your Pinterest Performance (The Beginner-Friendly Way)

Think of tracking your results as checking the temperature of your lead generation efforts. It tells you what’s hot, what’s lukewarm, and what might need a little tweaking. Even as a beginner, understanding a few key metrics will empower you to make smarter decisions and focus on what’s actually driving those valuable email subscribers.

A. Decoding the Basics: Understanding Pinterest’s Own Insights

Pinterest provides some straightforward analytics right within your business account. These numbers can give you a quick snapshot of how your content is performing:

• Impressions: This is simply the number of times your pins have been seen by Pinterest users. Think of it as your initial reach. A high number of impressions means your pins are getting in front of people.
• Clicks (Outbound Clicks): This is the number of times users have clicked off your pin and onto the link you attached – ideally, the link to your lead magnet landing page. This is a crucial metric because it shows that people are interested enough in your pin to take the next step.
• Saves: This indicates how many times users have saved your pin to one of their boards. Saves are a good sign that your content is resonating with your audience and they might want to refer back to it later. While not a direct lead, saves can contribute to longer-term visibility.

How to Use These Numbers:

• High Impressions, Low Clicks: This might suggest that your pin’s visual is grabbing attention, but the title, description, or the perceived value of your lead magnet isn’t compelling enough to make them click. Experiment with different headlines or highlighting the benefits more clearly.
• High Clicks: This is the sweet spot! It means your pin is effectively driving traffic to your landing page. Analyze what makes these high-performing pins stand out (the visuals, the headline, the offer) and create more like them.
• High Saves, Low Clicks: This could mean your content is valuable for later reference, but the call to action to visit your landing page isn’t strong enough. Try adding a more direct call to action on the pin itself or in the description.

Where to Find Your Pinterest Analytics (The Simple Steps):

1. Log in to your Pinterest business account.
2. Click on the “Analytics” tab at the top of the page.
3. You’ll likely see an overview. Explore the different sections, such as “Overview,” “Performance over time,” and “Content.”
4. Pay attention to the metrics mentioned above for your individual pins.

B. Connecting the Dots: Using Website Analytics to See Pinterest Traffic

While Pinterest’s own analytics tell you how your pins are performing on Pinterest, website analytics tools like Google Analytics help you see what happens after someone clicks on your pin. This is where you can truly track how many visitors from Pinterest are landing on your precious lead magnet pages.

• Use tools like Google Analytics to see traffic sources, etc.: Google Analytics is a free and powerful tool that tracks all the traffic coming to your website. Once set up (and there are many beginner-friendly tutorials online for this!), you can see where your visitors are coming from.
• Focus on identifying how many visitors from Pinterest are landing on your lead magnet pages: The key here is to track the traffic specifically coming from Pinterest to the exact page where people can sign up for your free lead magnet.

How to (Simply) Check Pinterest Traffic in Google Analytics:

1. Log in to your Google Analytics account.
2. Go to “Acquisition” in the left-hand menu.
3. Click on “Overview” or “All Traffic” and then “Source/Medium.”
4. Look for “pinterest” in the list of sources. This will show you the number of visitors coming to your website directly from Pinterest.
5. To see which pages those Pinterest visitors are landing on, you can add a “Secondary dimension” of “Landing Page.” This will show you exactly which pages on your website received traffic from Pinterest. Look for the URL of your lead magnet landing page.

What This Tells You:

• High Pinterest Traffic to Your Landing Page: This is a great sign! It means your Pinterest strategy is effectively driving interested people to your opt-in form.
• Low Pinterest Traffic to Your Landing Page: This suggests you might need to work on your pin design, titles, descriptions, or targeting on Pinterest to get more clicks.
• High Pinterest Traffic to Your Landing Page, Low Email Sign-Ups: If you’re getting a lot of traffic to your lead magnet page from Pinterest but not many people are actually subscribing, it might indicate an issue with your landing page itself. Perhaps the headline isn’t compelling, the benefits aren’t clear, or the sign-up form is too complicated.

By keeping a simple eye on these key metrics – impressions, clicks, and saves on Pinterest, and the traffic Pinterest sends to your lead magnet landing pages in your website analytics – you’ll start to understand what resonates with your audience and where you can make improvements to turn those Pinterest browsers into valuable email subscribers for your online business. Don’t get bogged down in all the numbers; focus on these basics, and you’ll be well on your way to Pinterest success!