Is Pinterest Marketing Worth It for Service Providers? (Plus, Your First 100-Day Plan)

If we’re being honest, most of us have a love-hate relationship with social media marketing.

We love the idea of visibility, but we hate the reality of the hamster wheel. The pressure to trend, the need to show our faces on video when we’d rather be working, and the sinking feeling when a Reel we spent three hours editing flatlines after 24 hours.

It’s exhausting. And if you’re trying to build a sustainable business in 2026, relying solely on an algorithm that demands your daily presence isn't just tiring—it’s risky.

That’s why we were so excited to sit down with Coley (@itscoleylane) from Life Goals Marketing on the podcast (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube). She’s what we call the "Pinterest Queen," and she shared a perspective that honestly felt like a breath of fresh air:

What if you could create a piece of content today that brings you leads three years from now?

It sounds like a pipe dream in the age of 24-hour Stories, but on Pinterest, it’s the norm. Coley shared that one of her very first viral pins—created years ago—is still circulating and driving traffic today.

So, is Pinterest marketing worth the effort for creative service providers? Or is it just for recipe bloggers and wedding planners? Let’s dive into the strategy, the mindset shift, and the exact 100-day launch plan Coley gave us.

The Mindset Shift: Stop Trying to Be "Social"

The biggest mistake we see creatives make with Pinterest is treating it like Instagram.

We go in thinking about engagement, likes, and comments. But Coley put it perfectly: Pinterest isn't social media. It’s a search engine.

Think about your own behavior. When you open Instagram, you’re usually looking to be entertained, distracted, or connected. But when you open Pinterest? You’re planning. You’re looking for a specific solution, an idea, or an answer.

That "search intent" changes everything.

On social media: You have to interrupt someone’s scroll to get attention.
On Pinterest: People are actively searching for what you offer.

This means you don't need to be the loudest person in the room. You just need to be the most helpful. It allows you to move away from the "churn and burn" content cycle and start building a library of assets that work for you while you sleep.

"Pinterest gives you a full resource to send people to... I don't really see that in any other spaces because of it being a search engine." — Coley

The Core Strategy: Click-Worthy vs. Save-Worthy

If you’ve ever felt like your Pinterest efforts were shouting into the void, you might be mixing up your goals. Coley broke down a brilliant strategy for service providers: knowing the difference between a Save-Worthy Pin and a Click-Worthy Pin.

1. Save-Worthy Pins (The Visibility Play)

These are the pins designed to stay on the platform. Think aesthetic photos, inspirational quotes, or infographics where all the value is right there in the image.

The Goal: Get the algorithm to notice you. When people save your pin to their boards, it signals to Pinterest that your content is valuable.
The Result: Pinterest pushes your content out to more people, warming up your account.

2. Click-Worthy Pins (The Traffic Play)

These are the pins designed to get people off the app and onto your website.

The Goal: Traffic and leads.
The Secret: You have to give them a clear reason to leave. A pretty picture isn't enough. Your graphic needs a call-to-action (CTA) like "Get the Checklist," "Read the Full Guide," or "Watch the Free Training".
Pro Tip: Coley recommends layering value. For example, create a pin with a helpful tip on it, but include a text overlay that says "Plus, grab the free guide" to encourage the click.

Your First 100 Days on Pinterest: A Launch Plan

We love a good system (obviously), so we asked Coley to break down exactly what a new service provider should do to get started without getting overwhelmed.

If you’re ready to give Pinterest a shot, here is your First 100 Days Plan:

Month 1: The Setup & Research Phase

Don't worry about posting yet. This month is about laying the foundation.

Clean House: If you’re converting a personal account, make your irrelevant boards (like "Dinner Ideas 2018") secret.
Optimize Your Bio: Add keywords that describe what you do and where you are (especially if you’re a location-based business like a photographer).
Keyword Bank: Start a document and list out the search terms your clients might use. You don't need fancy tools—just use the Pinterest search bar to see what auto-completes.
Board Mapping: Create your first 10 boards based on your content pillars and the keywords you found (Coley has a free tool for this).

Month 2: The Creation & Experimentation Phase

Now we start pinning. But here is the permission slip you didn't know you needed: Treat this as an experiment.

Create Graphics: Start designing pins. Use templates to speed this up—you don't need to reinvent the wheel every time.
Repurpose Like a Pro: Take one blog post or resource and create 10 different pins for it. Change the headline, swap the image, or tweak the colors. You can schedule these out over weeks so you aren't spamming.
Focus on "Saves": Go harder on "save-worthy" content this month to help Pinterest understand what your account is about.

Month 3: The Data Phase

Check Analytics: Coley recommends waiting until Month 3 to even look at your analytics. You need enough data to see patterns.
Spot the Winners: Look for which designs or headlines are performing best, then double down on those styles.
Consistency: Aim to get to a cadence of pinning at least once or twice a day (using a scheduler like Tailwind makes this manageable!).

The Big Question: "But... Do I Need a Blog?"

This is the question everyone asks. Do I really have to write blog posts?

The short answer: Yes, it helps immensely.

Pinterest wants to verify that you are a legitimate source of information. A blog post gives the user a destination that matches the promise of the pin.

However, if "blogging" feels like a dirty word to you right now, reframe it. You don't need to write 2,000-word essays every week. You just need discoverable content.

Podcast Show Notes: If you have a podcast, create pins that lead to the show notes.
Lead Magnets: Pin graphics that lead to a landing page for a free guide or checklist.
Video Summaries: If you’re great on video, embed your YouTube video on a blog page with a short summary.

The goal isn't just "blogging"—it's providing a resource that answers the searcher's question.

The Long Game (And Why It’s Worth It)

Here is the hard truth Coley shared: Pinterest is a slow burn.

We are so conditioned to the instant dopamine hit of Instagram likes that waiting 3–6 months to see results can feel like failure. But it’s not. It’s investment.

When you post on Instagram, you’re renting attention for 24 hours. When you post on Pinterest, you’re building real estate. You are investing time now for traffic that will show up for you next month, next year, and maybe even three years from now.

So, if you’re feeling the burnout of the social media grind, maybe it’s time to stop chasing the algorithm and start building a search strategy.

Ready to go deeper?

This conversation was just the tip of the iceberg. If you want to hear the full interview with Coley—including her thoughts on video pins and how to use trends without being "trendy" you can listen here (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube).

And if you’re ready to actually implement this? Inside The Break Room, our member community, you can access the replay of Coley’s exclusive masterclass: Pinterest Like a Pro in 2026. She breaks down the tech, the design, and the strategy in a way that makes it impossible to fail.

Join The Break Room to Watch Coley’s Masterclass