Pinterest: What’s In It for Radio
With new social networks popping up daily, it’s easy to tune them out. However, there is one newbie you can’t ignore, and that’s Pinterest.
What is Pinterest?
It’s a virtual pinboard that allows you to organize and share (or “pin”) things you find on the web. Common uses for Pinterest include wedding planning, home decorating, fashion, and cooking. It’s social because other pinners can comment, like, or repin your pins.
What’s in it for Radio?
A recent article in Radio Ink by Mike Stiles stated that because Pinterest is a visual medium, there isn’t much opportunity for an audio medium like radio. While I agree that Pinterest shouldn’t be a station’s first priority for online presence, it does offer some creative opportunities for both radio stations and personalities.
According to Tech Crunch, Pinterest just hit 11.7 million unique monthly U.S. visitors, crossing the 10 million mark faster than any other standalone site in history. Only Facebook and Tumblr have more social media time on site than Pinterest. 18-34 year old upper income American women are propelling the success and popularity of Pinterest.
If 18-34 women are within your target demo and you are looking to expand your online presence, Pinterest may be worth your effort. As Mike Stiles pointed out in his article, it is a visual medium. Be prepared that translating your station brand or personality brand to a visual-only medium may take some creativity.
Pinterest for Personalities
Your Randy Lane Company consultants work with you to define your personality brand. Remember those passion topics you listed? Remember asking yourself what makes me unique? Use those on-air character definition exercises to determine what makes you pinteresting (I’ve been dying to say that!). Here are some ideas to jumpstart your brainstorming:
- Use Pinterest to share your interests with listeners (and friends). Do you love cooking? Motorcycles? Fashion? Hi-tech gadgets? Sloths? (You never know- Kristen Bell may read this.) Create a pinboard for each of your passion topics. For an example, check out JohnJay and Rich on Pinterest. They’re sharing fitness and diet plans, as well as another show player’s wedding ideas.
- Pin pictures of you with different artists or artists you’ve met in radio.
- Create a pinboard for pictures with listeners, and open your settings so that listeners can pin their own pics with you on the board.
- Create some drama by creating a pinboard for weird (I said weird, not horrible) pictures of your co-host.
- Create a pinboard for your entertainment feature, stupid news, or a general one for heard on the show. Post pictures for the stories you share on-air.
Pinterest for Radio Stations
While it is admittedly easier for personalities to pin, there are endless opportunities for stations, as well. Here are a few to get you started:
- Create a music pinboard. Add the album cover of songs you add weekly so listeners can keep up with new music.
- Tie-in Pinterest to your Street Team promotions. Pin pictures of the locations for a scavenger hunt. Let Pinterest be the exclusive source of hints for where the Street Team is headed next.
- Create an Events pinboard where you pin pictures of the locations. Include the date, time and event description in the caption.
- Integrate Pinterest into on-air features. For example, post pictures for your “Pump It or Dump It” songs and tell listeners they can also vote by commenting on Pinterest.
- Use Pinterest to create visual clues for an on-air trivia contest.
- Pin pictures from your station website of concerts and events.
- Create a visual lineup of your on-air talent. Post pictures of both live and syndicated shows. Include the time it airs in the photo description.
Are you on Pinterest? Follow me at Pinterest.com/StephanieWinans. I would love to see how you’re pinning.
