Pinterest Advertising for Churches
As you develop your church marketing plan for this year, does using Pinterest come to mind? If the answer is no, don’t worry—you’re not alone. By and large, churches don’t use Pinterest… but should they? Pinterest is a well-established, growing platform with a large user base. It has proven to be an effective place to run advertisements and generate significant traffic to your website. So don’t overlook the possibilities available by harnessing Pinterest advertising for churches. In fact, your church may be missing out on massive lead generation by not developing a presence on Pinterest. Here’s why:
What is Pinterest?
According to the company website, Pinterest was started in 2010 by three entrepreneurs with a dream. They wanted to create a place where people could collect all their favorite things from across the internet. What started as a simple idea quickly gained traction. Today, Pinterest has over 400 million active monthly users. The vision-board-like platform is the ultimate place to share ideas and inspiration for recipes, DIY projects, home decor, outfits, and so much more.
What is found on Pinterest?
Because the platform has such a large user base, it is not limited to any one niche or interest. However, it is filled with ideas that inspire and provide practical information to make your vision board a reality. People go to Pinterest when they want to do a project, try a recipe, make a life change, or learn a new skill. The people using this platform are already intent on taking action, which makes it an ideal place to run ads and generate leads.
How is Pinterest used?
Pinterest is primarily used as a search engine. Users type a keyword like “easy dinner recipe” into the search bar and then scroll through the results. When they find a result they like, they click on it and save it to their own Pinterest board. Then when they click on the picture or graphic, the link takes them to an external website with the content they want to reference.
What is the demographic of Pinterest?
While the male and Gen Z user base is growing 40% year over year, Pinterest reports that 60% of its users are women. This is not surprising since most people associate the platform with feminine interests, but the demographic breakdown is slowly shifting as people realize the platform has more to offer. Recent data also says that 45% of people with a household income greater than $100K are on Pinterest. This statistic is significant for advertisers because it shows which users might make purchases and take action based on what they see on Pinterest.
How Churches Can Use Pinterest
While churches aren’t trying to make a sale, there are some compelling ways ministries can connect with people using this platform. More than others, Pinterest advertising is a great way to generate leads and collect contact information in exchange for valuable resources. But not every type of church content translates well on Pinterest. For example, people don’t go to Pinterest to read your statement of faith. And the kind of content Google results prioritize are not the same material Pinterest promotes. So, as a church, think strategically about what activities people are searching for. They probably aren’t going to Pinterest to find “children’s Sunday school near me,” but they might be exploring “faith-based activities for kids.” Church resources like children’s activity packs filled with coloring sheets, games, and Bible stories are perfect for Pinterest.
Here are a few more examples of ways to use Pinterest for churches.
| Instead of posting | Try offering |
|---|---|
| VBS Program Near Me | VBS Crafts for Kids |
| Local Women’s Bible Study | Downloadable Women’s 5-Day Devotional |
| Sermon Podcast About Jonah | 3 Lessons We Can Learn From Jonah |
| >Alcoholics Anonymous Group | Free Quiz To Identify If You Need AA |
| Parenting Class for Single Moms | Single Mom Starter Pack |
| How to Forgive | 7 Bible Verses About Forgiveness |
| Marriage Counseling | Healthy Marriage Checklist |
How to Use Pinterest for Your Church
Your church’s marketing strategy using Pinterest should look different than other strategies in your marketing plan. For example, your Google SEO goals probably encourage people to visit your church location. But for Pinterest marketing, your objective instead may be to acquire contact information. Then when Pinterest marketing leads traffic to your website, your goal can be to collect their email address in exchange for a helpful resource. Next, you can develop funnels and systems to follow up with your leads through personal emails and messages. Pinterest advertising for churches can also be centered around evergreen blog posts on your website. For example, if you have blog posts based on your weekly sermons, they can be formatted to be Pinterest-friendly. Pinterest for churches should not be used in place of local Google SEO, but it is a great tool to connect people with the resources they need to help them grow in their faith.
Pinterest Advertising for Churches
Beyond curating church pins and boards, advertising is arguably the primary way to use Pinterest for churches. As a local entity, you can run ads for people in your vicinity by directing them toward a specific city or zip code. You can also build your advertisement around common keywords or search terms people in your area use. For example, if you have a marriage assessment quiz or a blog post about raising kids to follow Jesus, use keywords to get your content to the right people. While Pinterest offers a few different ad objectives on the back end, most churches should select the “conversion” option and try to generate contact info from Pinterest users in their area. Like other ad functions, you can set a daily or ongoing budget for your ad and determine whether to run it continuously or within specific dates. You will be asked to set demographics for your target audience, select their interests, and correlate keywords. Once you add an eye-catching graphic and intriguing description, you’re on your way to effective conversion.
Generating Leads Through Pinterest
When your church advertising is effective, do you have a follow-through plan about what happens next? For example, if you collect 100 new email addresses, what will you do with them? This is arguably one of the most critical parts of your marketing campaign. Rather than leaving these new leads on a list somewhere, you need a follow-up plan. Sending a personalized welcome email is always a great way to connect. You can also include them on invitations to Christmas, Easter, or other special services or events. The important thing to determine is how you will connect with them personally. They have your downloadable PDF that meets their felt need, but how will you transition from just an online entity to someone they have chatted with personally? That’s the next step in lead generation, and it makes all the difference.
Pinterest Advertising for Churches: Next Steps
As you meet with your team to establish a marketing plan for the year and discuss creative ways to connect with people online, Pinterest is a tool you should consider. There are various ways you can connect with people through this growing platform, and meet others in your community who are hungry for Jesus. By providing valuable resources to help people grow in their faith, you are establishing your church’s expertise and credibility in your area, and people may come back to your page every time a new problem arises. By obtaining their contact info and connecting with them personally, you are establishing a relationship that may lead to meeting face-to-face one day. If this is your goal, start with a small budget and experiment with Pinterest advertising for churches to see what works best for you. It’s always the right time to find creative ways to build God’s kingdom!