A case-study of a successful Pinterest contest carried out for Hachette India; which increased interactions and doubled their followers on Pinterest.

1. www.ethinos.com It’s not just blah, blah & blah
Spreading some book love on
Pinterest!
A case-study
on our successful
Pinterest contest
for Hachette India

2. www.ethinos.com It’s not just blah, blah & blah
Objectives
Connect with a relevant target audience on Pinterest
Increase the number of Hachette India’s followers and interactions on
Pinterest

3. www.ethinos.com It’s not just blah, blah & blah
Challenges
Pinterest’s contest guidelines; which do not allow repins of a particular piece of content
for the purpose of a contest. This meant that all the standard formats like asking
members to repin their favourite pin, share a particular pin with their followers, etc.
could not be used.
We needed something that would add value to our presence rather than spam it with
multiple repins of the same piece of content.
Pinterest’s policy of requiring an email address to add pinners to a group board. So, we
couldn’t add followers to our group board directly. It ended up becoming an additional
step in the process; where participants gave their email address, we added them as
pinners, and then they participated in the contest.
A brand new presence for Hachette India, with not too many followers or interactions.
Low penetration of Pinterest in India, in general.

4. www.ethinos.com It’s not just blah, blah & blah
Strategy and Execution
We decided to carry out a Pinterest contest that led to the creation of interesting content and did not
breach any of Pinterest’s rules.
Knowing that our target audience was book lovers, we decided to get them to share what they prize
the most, their bookshelves.
The contest was promoted on other platforms well before it actually began, so our fans got a heads
up and the interested ones could join us on Pinterest. A rise in Pinterest numbers was visible from day
one.
We ran the contest ran for 3 days, and extended it over a weekend thanks to the encouraging
response we got.
This not only resonated very well with our target audience; but also caught the interest of followers
who might not be very avid readers, yet were still happy to browse through interesting bookshelves.
To ensure maximum participation and make up for the slightly complex process while participating,
we announced a prize of a Hachette Hamper of recent releases of the month.

5. www.ethinos.com It’s not just blah, blah & blah
Results
A 100% increase in the number of followers on Pinterest
100+ entries to the contest
Multiple entries from a some engaged participants
Conversation among the target audience with participants interacting with each other
and complimenting each other’s bookshelves
User generated content that could be shared across other platforms
Database that could be leveraged for future promotions

6. www.ethinos.com It’s not just blah, blah & blah
Interactions
among followers
100% increase in
the number of
followers
122 Entries and 86
followers for one
single board

7. www.ethinos.com It’s not just blah, blah & blah
Multiple entries from
participants
Content leveraged on other
platforms
Engaged Users Create Shareable
Content

8. www.ethinos.com It’s not just blah, blah & blah
What Worked for Us?
Targeting the right audience
Being able to connect with booklovers was one of
the main reasons why this contest succeeded.
Knowing how possessive ardent readers are
about their books and bookshelves; through this
contest, we decided to give them a platform to
show off their prized possession and interact with
others of their kind.
Choosing the right incentive
The prize for this contest was a Hachette Hamper
of latest releases. Considering that booklovers
love nothing more than new books, we made
sure that our incentive was irresistible to our
target audience. This ensure better reach, better
participation, and achievement of our objectives.
Novelty Factor
Since this was the first ever Pinterest contest for
Hachette India, our followers on Pinterest and all
other platforms were as excited about it as we
were. We created a buzz around the contest by
announcing it on other platforms and promoting
it through regular posts.
Simplicity
We kept the contest very simple. Neither was there a
complex process to register and participate, nor
were the requirements from participants too
difficult. It was a contest that the participants
enjoyed and it also gave us user-generated content
that we could leverage on other platforms.
Reasons
for Success

9. www.ethinos.com It’s not just blah, blah & blah
Have a Question?
Get in touch with the experts!
siddharth.hegde@ethinos.com
+91 – 9820217252
http://www.linkedin.com/in/hegdesiddharth
@siddhegde
http://www.facebook.com /EthinosDigital
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