Pinterest, the content-sharing site that allows users to pin (share) images and videos to their digital pinboard, is currently one of the most popular social media websites on the Internet. In 2016, Pinterest had 110M monthly users & over 50 Billion pins. The question that we are trying to answer in this post is that how did Pinterest get its initial set of growth/users? After reading around the web, I was able to figure this out:
1.
Pinterest’s initial users hailed from the home town of Pinterest's founder. They started using the site after coming to know of it from the founder’s family.
2.
3 months after launch, Pinterest found itself stuck at 3k users. To boos Pinterest’s population, the founder decided to find others like himself – “power users” who would use Pinterest as often and love it as much as he did. For this, the company organized meetups at local boutiques, handed out Pinterest invites, and turned the participants into the forerunners of their word-of-mouth efforts. Pinterest’s initial userbase comprised mainly of people involved in handicrafts. These are social hobbies, known for having active communities. A single member of a neighborhood sewing club at a Pinterest event could potentially spark an entire suburb into using Pinterest. Pinterest found the right audience who just so happened to already have tightly-knit communities in place forward to spread.
A woman named Victoria helped the founders organize a program called pin-it-forward, which was like a chain letter where users circulated different pinboards about what their homes meant to them. Pin-It-Forward was a campaign that utilized bloggers to publicize Pinterest. Bloggers each assembled boards based on a theme (- 'what home means to us') accompanied by a blog post. These blog posts were linked to posts from other bloggers, therefore pinning-it-forward. These bloggers also released invites to Pinterest. Readers were encouraged to make use of their Pinterest invites and remix the bloggers’ boards into boards of their own. At the moment, Pinterest has evolved into a major player for fans of DIY and handicraft content, with viewership rivaling the DIY bloggers that once ruled the segment. These same bloggers were the participants of Pin-It-Forward. Pin-It-Forward was essentially a transition of Pinterest’s grassroots word-of-mouth effort onto the internet, using community leaders to spread the word of Pinterest to their fans, followers, and contemporaries.
4.
Pin-It-Forward made a comeback in 2013, this time targeting potential Pinterest users in the UK by featuring a lineup of influential bloggers from all over the country. Pinterest also added a UK English option to the site so users would feel more at home. The 2013 version of Pin-It-Forward used a similar strategy, using local stars and community leaders to bring users to Pinterest.
5.
In order to join Pinterest, users couldn't just visit the website and join. Instead, they were supposed to request an invitation to the site, making it feel like an exclusive club to which you actually want to belong. People always want to be a part of something that they're not initially included in. The invitation email used strategic wording and content, as well, to help bolster its image, calling Pinterest a small community and offered rules about how to behave while there.
6.
Pinterest initially had an automatic link with Facebook. Once users joined the Pinterest, instantly they were given the option to sign up with their Facebook account, making it easy for users to start using the site without jumping through a million hoops and more likely that they'll start using the site right away as opposed to putting off use because of all the bureaucratic stuff. This also connects users to their Facebook friends immediately, so that they don't start with an empty social media profile page. Rather, Pinterest's Facebook connection allows new users to see a page full of people they know, which is an incentive to keep using and exploring further.
7.
When a user first starts using Pinterest he goes through an interest survey. Pinterest shows users a variety of images and asks which ones appeal to them. Based on a user's responses, it follows some related and popular boards that match the user's choices, automatically generating content and information that makes users feel like they are already part of a community and in turn, encourages them to explore the site further.
Source:
logoopenstock.com/user/634/pinterest
businessinsider.com/the-secret-to-pinterests-astounding-success-a-brilliant-sign-up-process-you-should-copy-2012-1
techcrunch.com/2011/11/26/pinterest-viral/
referralcandy.com/blog/pinterest-marketing-strategy/
growthdevil.com/pinterest-get-so-big/
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