This PowerPoint presentation was designed for the Spring 2014 New England Archivists Conference on March 22, 2014. This presentation walks you through the Who-What-When-Where-Why-and-How of using Pinterest to share archival and museum collections, and offers Do's and Don't's and Tips and Tricks. This is not a how-to guide for setting up a Pinterest account. Some prior knowledge of Pinterest may be required. ©Maine Historical Society

1. USING
TO SHARE
COLLECTIONS
DANI FAZIO
CREATIVE MANAGER, MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

2. WHAT IS ?
Pinterest is a visual discovery tool.
Pinterest is the fastest growing social media platform.
“Pinterest users can upload, save, sort and manage images, known as pins, and
other media content (e.g. videos) through collections known as pinboards.”
- Warner Spencer, Melanie (August 11, 2011). "Pinning: These are a few of my favorite things". Hearst
Communications.
“Pinterest is a tool for collecting and organizing the things that inspire you…
“No matter what you’re interested in, there’s a place for it here…”
- about.pinterest.com

3. STARTING OUT
Take the time…
o Set up a Business Account
o Include your organization’s logo
o Don’t use personal information…organization info only!
Think sustainability…
o Who will maintain the site?
o How often can you pin?
o Short-term and long-term goals?

4. WHAT SHOULD IT LOOK LIKE? banners

5. WHAT SHOULD IT LOOK LIKE? banners

6. WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW?
 WHO: Existing audience, new audience & organization staff
 WHAT: A social media platform that will help you provide public access
to your collections
 WHEN: You can start anytime, but use a plan. Only begin using
Pinterest when you can dedicate time to maintaining it.
 WHERE: Pinterest is a web platform, so you can work on it virtually
anywhere. Pinterest users are global.
 WHY: Your organization has fantastic collections. Share them with the
world! Generate dialogue about your collections, direct traffic to your
websites, and collaborate with others.
 HOW: Make a plan, choose staff/volunteers, set up your
account, maintain the site, and follow these do’s and don’t, tip’s and
tricks!

7. MUSEUMS ON
One surprising industry that has jumped on the
[Pinterest] bandwagon is that of museums. Several
of these venerable cultural institutions have proven
themselves masters of Pinterest’s social media
world. Museums of all kinds and sizes have created
profiles, and they're finding creative ways to bring
their programs to an online audience.
• See 8 Museums to Follow on Pinterest

8. DANI’S DOS AND DON’TS
DO
 Use strong imagery
 Use humor (but good
grammar)
 Make a pinning plan
 Link your Pinterest page
to your other social
media platforms; make a
Pinterest announcement
in your newsletter
 Follow lots of other
organizations
DON’T
x Use boring images
x Use overly complex language
x Pin willy-nilly
x Flood the pinboards
(i.e. pinning a lot of material all
at one time)
x Keep your Pinterest page a
secret!

9. DANI’S DOS AND DON’TS
DO
 Be copyright savvy;
share only what you
have rights to
 Share low-res,
watermarked images
 Include website links to
the material, collection
information, and/or
object IDs
DON’T
x Use images you don’t have
permission to share publicly
x Use high-res, non-
watermarked images that will be
easy to steal
x Share sensitive or offensive
material
x Repin material without
knowing the source
Government agency? Using Pinterest for Government Use.
Click on the Powerpoint for The National Archives on Pinterest.

10. DANI’S DOS AND DON’TS
DO
 Make several pinboards to
organize your pins
 Have boards that appeal to
different audiences
 Use tags and language to
generate search results
 Spy on your neighbors
(e.g., check out what other
organizations are pinning, how
they are organizing. Keep up
with trends from those in your
field.)
DON’T
x Pin without a destination (board)
x Have pinboards titles that only
reflect your collections (e.g., The
Weston Collection Board)
x Pin without any information or
searchable terms
x Get overwhelmed; take a break
when needed.

11. DANI’S DOS AND DON’TS
DO
 Search for pins with your
organization’s name or
identifiers—comment or
encourage folks to follow
you
 Thank people who re-pin
your pins, use their
@name
 “Like” pins from other
organizations and users,
follow them
 Tell your staff about
Pinterest; encourage
them to share
collection material
worth pinning!
 Track your website
metrics and see how
Pinterest is referring
traffic to your site

12. DANI’S DOS AND DON’TS
DO
 Use Pinterest to share
products that you sell.
Include links and include a
price in the description
 Play to your strengths!
Curate your material in a
way that reflects your
mission and values
 Revisit your initial
Pinterest plan: is it
working? Make changes if
needed.
 Search the web for more
tips and tricks
 Reach out for help when
needed

13. BOARD TIPS & TRICKS
CREATE BOARDS THAT
FOLLOW THE TRENDS
The top 10 most popular
categories are listed below:
Home (17.2%)
Arts and Crafts (12.4%)
Style/Fashion (11.7%)
Food (10.5%)
Inspiration/Education (9.0%)
Holidays/Seasonal (3.9%)
Humor (2.1%)
Products (2.1%)
Travel (1.9%)
Kids (1.8%)
 Use an eye-catching image as
the board
cover…Remember, Pinterest is
entirely image-focused!
 Don’t create too many or too
few boards… See what your
peers are doing.
 Commit to a new board only
when you have enough
material to fill it.

14. BOARD EXAMPLES: MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Showcasing the many faces of MHS

15. BOARD EXAMPLES
Maine Historical Society
Deerfield Area Historical
Society
Contemporary Jewish Museum
U.S. National Archives Harvard Art Museums

16. THANK YOU!
Dani Fazio, Creative Manager
Maine Historical Society
Portland, Maine
www.MaineHistory.org
Follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter
Sign up for our e-Connection
ORIGINALLYPRESENTED AT THE NEW ENGLANDARCHIVISTS CONFERENCE,
MARCH22, 2014
Find this PowerPoint on slideshare.net

17. HELPFUL RESOURCES
 http://www.amyporterfield.com/2012/06/the-10-
commandments-of-using-pinterest-for-business/
 http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31147/The-
Ultimate-Guide-to-Mastering-Pinterest-for-Marketing.aspx
 http://mashable.com/2011/12/26/pinterest-beginners-guide/
 http://blog.rjmetrics.com/2012/03/12/new-pinterest-data-
whats-everyone-pinning-about/#.UoUmDpRgZYg
 http://mashable.com/2014/02/06/pinterest-artificial-pinners/
 http://mashable.com/2014/01/29/pinterest-museums/
 http://www.pinterest.com/nolandhoshino/nonprofits-on-
pinterest/
 http://posterityproject.blogspot.com/2012/02/archives-
interest-in-pinterest.html