What’s your name and where are you from?
Kayla Watkins, and I’m from Tampa, Florida.
Tell us a little about the services you provide for bloggers?
I am the owner of Pinterest for Bloggers and I’m an organic Pinterest Marketing strategist. My team and I help lifestyle, fashion and beauty bloggers make more money and grow their community by strategically growing their website traffic from Pinterest.
What can bloggers expect when they work with you?
I am fully versed in the blogging industry and what it takes to grow a sustainable content-creating business. I have had so many clients in the industry and, since it’s our specialty, we really know how to serve our clients well. We also know that bloggers have like 5 million things they have to focus on (including much more needy platforms, ahem Instagram). It’s always our goal to take it all off their plate so Pinterest becomes a sustainable marketing tool for their business that doesn’t need their time or creative efforts. We just repurpose what you’re already making and make it work for a platform full of your ideal readers.
How did you get started in this, what was the moment that you realized you need to provide this resource to bloggers and influencers?
I actually had a couple little blogs of my own back in the day. I grew both a lifestyle and wedding blog with very few Instagram followers because I enjoyed Pinterest and was naturally sharing my content on the platform. At the time (this was back in 2016), I realized the platform was being severely underutilized by bloggers.
I moved back home to Tampa from a few fun years in New York City in 2018 and decided to make a business out of my expertise and experience on the platform. I worked hard to hone my skills on Pinterest, started getting paid by blogging friends I had made in the city and then after about 8 months, I had enough clients to replace my previous income. It was a crazy leap of faith that I’m glad I made!
Give us your best tip for staying on top of the blog/work/life balance?
I know you already know this as a TBS member or reader, but I fully believe that repurposing content is key to working smarter not harder in your blogging business. Instead of being everywhere, doing all the things, focus on what you own and what can support you long term. Outsource as you’re able to for the rest.
And turn off the dang notifications to email and Instagram.. that’s my work/life balance tip. I’m not sure if it’s a good tip for bloggers, but it’s helped me immensely.
Fill in the blank. What people don’t realize about Pinterest is….
It’s a search engine full of people who want to find the content you create. They’re not just scrolling past a photo of a woman in a shacket and thinking “oh, maybe I want a shacket now.” They’re typing into a search bar “plaid shacket” and looking to spend money on what they find. It’s a platform full of people searching for your content directly.
What are three things you wish you knew about Pinterest before you started?
- It was going to change a lot in 2021 so make the most of traffic before then.
- Consistency is key. You will see long-term success by being consistent.
- It’s not about who follows you. It’s about who saves your content or clicks through to your site.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out in the blog world?
Niche down! Maybe because Pinterest works so much better with niches, but I really feel that a niche is crucial to finding success if you’re just now hopping into the blogging world.
What does a typical work day for you look like for you?
It looks like a hot mess for me right now. I have a 2 ½ year old and 8 month old twins. My husband and I both work from home and both work full time. There is no such thing as typical! I’ve learned that I just need to make sure I have focus time to work on revenue-generating tasks and CEO stuff. I’ve also learned that having a talented, supportive team is imperative in this season of my life.
What’s your most recent win with your business?
I took a 6 month paid maternity leave this year! Seeing as I took 2 weeks with my daughter… that was a huge win.
What is one thing in the blogging industry that frustrates you that you wish you could change?
I’m frustrated for bloggers about the constant platform changes. I feel like once everyone gets their footing with the new direction of a platform, everything shifts and that focus is no longer working. I think that’s why I love Pinterest for bloggers so much. Yes, it’s a platform that doesn’t belong to them, BUT it’s a platform that actually sends them traffic and people that they can then convert to email subscribers, fans, etc.
Besides Pinterest, what other platforms or services do you swear by to help run your business?
I’m a fan of Asana for managing my tasks, Dubsado for managing my leads, invoices, contracts, and so on, and Slack for team communication. I also think I am learning more and more about the beauty of outsourcing tasks that others can do (likely better than me) so that I can focus on my zone of genius.
