Get your story out— one pin at a time

It's no surprise that social media is a vital part of public relations. The newest social media craze is Pinterest, a virtual pin board where users "pin" items they find interesting on various boards.

Some of the most popular items you will find pinned are hair and makeup tips, D.I.Y. crafts and recipes. If you're like me, you enjoy looking through the different pins, promising yourself to try that slow cooker recipe or the D.I.Y. jewelry organizer— but of course you never find the time.

The sites popularity prompts the discussion of how to make it useful for public relations. Here are some fun ways to incorporate Pinterest into client projects or campaigns:

• Pin news clips - Instead of just collecting your news clips in a binder at the office or putting them on your web site, create a pin board to keep them organized.
• Pin clients – Create a board for each one of your clients to keep track of clips, industry news or competition. Your followers might see these pins, which increases exposure.
• Project Boards – Create separate boards for specific projects a client is working on. Pin important information links, photos and ideas for promotional campaigns.
• Pin events–Use Pinterest as a photo album, pin photos from company events or pin creative ideas to use when brainstorming ideas for the next event.
• Employee boards - Start an agency Pinterest account and let each employee have their own board. Keep it fun, and think of it as a way to showcase your corporate culture.

Don't forget, Pinterest is a visual tool, so try to use an interesting photo to grab attention instead of just text. The pin should be linked to what you want your audience to see; if they have to search for it, they will lose interest. Keep your pins fun and relatable!

Happy pinning! Be sure to weigh in by taking our poll on the sidebar!

This post was contributed by our intern, Erica Baldwin.

Get your story out— one pin at a time