This month, 26 people visited my website from Pinterest. Just 26.
After watching Pinterest webinars promising millions of views and instant success, I realised something important about the difference between what sounds impressive and what actually builds a sustainable creative business.
The Reality Check
My actual September numbers: Pinterest impressions grew to 14,905 (a 26% increase from August’s 11,821). Strong numbers for a newly reactivated account.
But what really matters is that 26 people came to my website from Pinterest this month.
When you’re watching webinars with people proclaiming hundreds of thousands of views, 26 can feel embarrassingly small. But there’s something I do that helps: I visualise what that number actually looks like in real life.
Twenty-six people in our kitchen would be a massive dinner party – we’d probably need to spill out into the garden. When you humanise those statistics, you start to understand something important.
Those 26 people represent real human beings who saw one of my pins and thought, “That looks interesting. I want to know more.” They took time to click through and explore what I offer.
Is spending roughly two to three hours per week (around eight to twelve hours total) to welcome those 26 people worthwhile? Absolutely.
Why Small Numbers Matter
Unlike social media where posts disappear quickly, Pinterest grows over time. Every pin I create keeps working, remains relevant, and continues appearing in searches months after creation.
Next month, if I’m doing things right, another 26 or more people will find my website from existing pins, plus more from new ones. It’s steady, compound growth that builds over time. Nothing glamorous. Nothing that would make for an exciting webinar slide.
But it’s real and it’s sustainable.
What Actually Happened
At the end of August, I got excited about AI agents to analyse Pinterest performance. After spending a couple of days exploring them in September, I realised they need far more setup and maintenance than I have capacity for right now.
So I created the simplest system possible instead – a 30-minute weekly routine. Every week, I spend half an hour looking at what performed well, spotting patterns and making small adjustments.
Through this simple approach, I’ve discovered clean, elegant designs work best for my audience. Quote pins are efficient and effective. Ultra-specific board names get much more engagement than generic ones.
The Foundation That Matters
When those 26 people arrived at my website from Pinterest, my website was ready for them.
I’ve always updated my website frequently – sometimes something significant, sometimes tiny adjustments. I do this because I want it to be a place where creative business owners feel inspired and like they belong.
That foundation… having a website that supports people well when they arrive, is what makes every Pinterest effort worthwhile. It’s what makes those 26 visitors meaningful instead of just a statistic.
What Really Matters in Marketing
Whether it’s Pinterest, Instagram or email marketing, the principles are the same:
Focus on bringing the right people into your world rather than chasing impressive numbers. Make sure your foundation is solid before worrying about scaling. Build systems that work with your natural energy and strengths. Measure success by meaningful connections and sustainable growth, not vanity metrics.
Every person who finds you through marketing chose to be there. They saw something that resonated and decided to learn more. That’s intentional connection and it’s worth far more than passive views that lead nowhere.
Your Takeaway
Twenty-six people finding your perfect-for-them website is worth more than a million views that lead nowhere.
Stop chasing other people’s numbers. Stop comparing yourself to those who have entire marketing departments. Instead, care about the right people finding you. Focus on creating valuable content. Make sure your foundation is solid.
Your creative business doesn’t need millions of anything to succeed. It needs the right people to find you and it needs you to be ready to look after them well when they do.
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