Zero Leads from Pinterest? Let’s Talk About Why—and What to Do Instead
You’ve probably already heard me rave about Pinterest as a great marketing tool for wedding and elopement phoographers. Maybe you’ve even downloaded a freebie (👀 hi, mine’s pretty great), watched a couple webinars, or pinned a few things with fingers crossed... but if you’re sitting there thinking, “I’ve gotten zero leads from Pinterest—WTF am I missing?” this blog is for you.
Because, let’s be real, there’s no such thing as an easy marketing win. But there is a sustainable, long-game strategy that actually works, and YES, it includes Pinterest. So let’s break down what might be going wrong and how to start turning those pins into actual wedding bookings.
Pinterest Is a Search Engine, Not a Slot Machine
Pinterest isn’t going to magically spit out dream clients just because you pinned a few pretty photos. It’s not luck, it’s strategy! Pinterest is a visual search engine, and that means keyword research is non-negotiable. You wouldn’t write a blog post with no SEO, right? Same goes here.
If your pins don’t have keywords in the right spots (title, description, file name, board title, board description… you get the idea), they’re not going to show up in search. And if no one sees them? No one clicks. Which leads us to…
👉 P.S. My free Pinterest guide breaks this all down for you step-by-step. You’ll be golden if you actually follow it. Get it here!
Pinterest is The Traffic Driver, But The Rest of Your Content HAS to Convert
If Pinterest is sending people to your site but you’re still not getting leads? That’s not a Pinterest problem—it’s a client journey problem.
If someone clicks a pin and lands straight on your contact page, they’re probably thinking “Wait, who even is this?” (and clicking away). Your pins should lead to value-packed content like blog posts, guides, or resources—things that let potential clients explore more, fall in love with your work, and then be ready to inquire.
🧠 Pro Tip: Blog posts like “Best Wedding Venues in [Dream Location]”, “Fall Wedding at XYZ Venue”, or “ X location elopement guide” make great pin destinations. They help, they inspire, and they build trust. You can get more blog topic ideas here!
Pinterest Takes Time
Unlike Instagram, where posts fade after 48 hours and the algorithm changes every five minutes, Pinterest will keep working for you in the background for way longer. A well-pinned blog post can bring you traffic for months (even years!) without you lifting another finger. Seriously. Some of my clients still get traffic from posts we pinned two years ago.
So yes, consistency matters. But even if you skip a week (or a few), those older pins can keep showing up for people searching.
1–3 Leads a Year? That’s Not “Low”—That’s $15K You Wouldn’t Have Otherwise
Let’s say you book 1–3 weddings a year from Pinterest. That might not sound like a flood of leads, but think about it: if your packages are $5K, that’s $15K in your bank that you didn’t have to chase on Instagram. In fact, you probably woke up to an unexpected lead in your inbox and were likely surprised to see the word PINTEREST in the referrals section. A pretty sweet surprise if you ask me.
That’s 1–3 couples who found you because you showed up in search with intention. Who were already planning their wedding or elopement and wanted to see what you offer. Is it a slow burn? Absolutely. But it’s a sustainable, scalable one. (And one that doesn’t require being glued to your phone 24/7.)
So… What Actually Drives Leads from Pinterest? Here’s the TL;DR:
✔️ Do your keyword research. Like actually do it. Put those keywords in your pin titles, descriptions, and boards.
✔️ Pin with a purpose. Every pin should lead somewhere helpful, not just to your homepage or contact form.
✔️ Support your blogs. Pinterest and blogging are the ultimate SEO power couple (hello, Duo Management 😉).
✔️ Track what’s working. Look at your analytics—what’s getting clicks? Saves? Impressions?
✔️ Be patient. Pinterest rewards consistency over time. You may need to put around 6-12 months in it. But why sit on that gold when you could make your photos work overtime for you on Pinterest.
Pinterest Isn’t The Problem
If you’ve been feeling like Pinterest just “doesn’t work for you,” take a step back and look at the big picture. Are you including keywords in your content and showing up in search? Have you been giving it enough time to work? Are you guiding people through a journey once they land on your site? Are you giving them something juicy to click on, read, save, or sign up for?
No shade if the answer’s “not yet.” That’s literally what I’m here for.
✨ Want to get off the content hamster wheel and start getting actual leads from your website? Check out my free Pinterest guide or reach out to chat about Duo Management—Pinterest + blogging = the SEO dream team your biz deserves.