http://hellosociety.com/blog/pinterest-contests-101-for-pinners/ Why a Pinterest Contest? Pinterest contests and sweepstakes are a great way to learn about new products, share your creative skills, and win great prizes. Pinterest contest prizes can be as small as a gift card to as large as a world trip — the possibilities are endless! By following these guidelines, the contest process should be a fun and easy way to get your hands on some amazing prizes and have fun. To win a Pinterest contest you have to make a board that represents the brand’s aesthetics, tells a story, and connects with the brand through beautiful and high-quality pins. Note: Don’t get a Pinterest contest confused with a Pinterest sweepstakes. A sweepstakes is won by luck when your name is chosen at random. A Pinterest contest is won by skill. A Pinterest contest takes time, planning, and careful pinning to achieve a win. Follow these steps to increase your chances of winning a Pinterest contest and some awesome prizes – and don’t forget to have fun while doing it! Check the Rules First Before you jump right into making your board, first make sure you are eligible to enter. Sometimes there are geographic, age, or other demographic requirements or limitations. Next, check the official rules. Go over the rules to see if they have any pinning requirements or restrictions. Also make sure to review how to submit your board to enter into the contest (is it by emailing the link, filling out a submission form, etc.?) Each brand and contest is different. Now that you know you’re eligible and know exactly what you can and cannot pin, you need to do a little homework on the brand next. Know the Brand As someone who has won a few Pinterest contests, I know how important it is to do a little investigating before starting your board. Before making your board, check out the brand’s Pinterest profile and website. See what kinds of pins and products they have and see how they integrate their products with other images on their boards. After you’ve checked out their Pinterest aesthetic you can start making your board! Pin Mindfully When you start pinning, keep in mind that you need to keep a good mixture of their products and images amongst other random high-quality pins. Pinning one of their product pins per five total pins is a good ratio to strive for (but whatever you do, make sure it coincides with the rules). It’s important to pin high quality, large, bright pins that are pleasing to the eye. Variety is also key – you want to share the brand’s products amongst other lovely pins in order to tell a story. Enter On Time & Correctly Make sure you’ve re-read the rules before submitting your board for a contest. Each contest is different and you need to make sure the time you’ve taken to make this amazing board is worthwhile. http://hellosociety.com/blog/pinterest-contests-101-for-pinners/

1. THE PREMIERE FULL-SERVICE PINTEREST
MARKETING SOLUTION
Pinterest Contests 101: For Pinners

3. Why A Pinterest Contest?
Pinterest contests and sweepstakes are a great way to
learn about new products, share your creative skills, and
win great prizes.
Pinterest contest prizes can be as small as a gift card to as
large as a world trip — the possibilities are endless!
By following these guidelines, the contest process should
be a fun and easy way to get your hands on some
amazing prizes and have fun.

4. To win a Pinterest contest you have to make a board that
represents the brand’s aesthetics, tells a story, and connects
with the brand through beautiful and high-quality pins.
Note: Don’t get a Pinterest contest confused with a Pinterest
sweepstakes.
A sweepstakes is won by luck when your name is chosen at
random. A Pinterest contest is won by skill.
A Pinterest contest takes time, planning, and careful pinning to
achieve a win.
Follow these steps to increase your chances of winning a
Pinterest contest and some awesome prizes – and don’t forget
to have fun while doing it!

5. Check the Rules First
1. Before you jump right into making your board, first
make sure you are eligible to enter.
Sometimes there are geographic, age, or other
demographic requirements or limitations.

6. Check the Rules First
2. Next, check the official rules.
Go over the rules to see if they have any pinning
requirements or restrictions.
Also make sure to review how to submit your board to
enter into the contest (is it by emailing the link, filling
out a submission form, etc.?)
Each brand and contest is different!

7. Know the Brand
3. Do Your Homework!
As someone who has won a few Pinterest contests, I
know how important it is to do a little investigating before
starting your board.
Before Making Your Board – check out the brand’s
Pinterest account, products, website and aesthetic!
Now you’re ready to make your board….

8. Pin Mindfully
4. Keep a good mixture of the brand’s products with a
wide array of high-quality and related pins.
Pin high quality, large, bright pins that are pleasing to the
eye.
Variety is key!
Tell a story with your pins and the product.

9. Pin Mindfully - Example
5. You are entering a Pinterest contest for a blender
company.
Pin images that tell a story around the blender.
You could narrow your story down to a baby shower –
include blender recipes (salsas, drinks, soups, etc),
baby shower décor, crafts, and baby shower games!
Giving the product a story can inspire the judges and
keep you in the front running!

10. Give Them What They Want
6. Adding a description to your board and every pin is a
great way to share your board’s story and how each pin
ties into the product and brand!
Whether or not the brand has established a hashtag for
the contest, make sure add hashtags to each of your
pins!
If there isn’t one established already, choose one that’s
short and sweet, derived from the contest name, brand
name, or product name!

11. Enter On Time & Correctly
7. Before you officially enter your board into the
contest, reread the rules to make sure you haven’t
missed a rule or entry requirement.
Next, make sure you read how to enter into the contest
correctly – some contests require you to email your
board to them, comment on their official contest pin, or
enter it into their website contest page.
Also, don’t delete your board until well after the contest
ending date just in case! Each contest and brand is
different so always double check everything.

13. One site I love to use to find new Pinterest contests is
Sweepstakes Advantage. I sort it by ‘date added’ and
descending so I can check up on it every few days
without seeing repeats.
Are you interested in learning more about running a
Pinterest contest for your business?
See our blog post last week “Pinterest Contests 101: For
Brands.”
Also, check out our HelloBuzz Pinterest contest platform
feature and email us at info@hellosociety.com to learn
more!

14. Want to learn more about our network of Pinterest
tastemakers?
Check out: hellosociety.com

15. HelloSociety is a full-service Pinterest marketing
and technology firm that helps brands optimize
their efforts through strategic partnerships with
influential pinners, robust Pinterest analytics,
creative consulting and more.
HelloSociety evolved from its roots in
HelloInsights, a comprehensive analytics platform
that launched in April 2012. For additional
information, please visit www.hellosociety.com/

16. HelloSociety is a full-service Pinterest marketing
and technology firm that helps brands optimize
their efforts through strategic partnerships with
influential pinners, robust Pinterest analytics,
creative consulting and more.
HelloSociety evolved from its roots in
HelloInsights, a comprehensive analytics platform
that launched in April 2012. For additional
information, please visit www.hellosociety.com/