The document provides tips and best practices for using Instagram and Pinterest to promote brands, including choosing clear goals and themes for Instagram posts, using high-quality images on both platforms, and leveraging features like hashtags, captions and user tagging on Instagram as well as rich pins, boards and curation on Pinterest. It also gives statistics on user engagement for each platform to help brands understand their audiences.

1. Instagram + Pinterest
Ashley Northington
DENOR Brands & Public Relations

2. About Ashley Northington
Ashley Northington is determined to help people,
organizations and brands share their stories with the
world. She is an award-winning public relations
consultant, entrepreneur, writer and media
connoisseur. She is the founder and director of the
boutique public relations firm,
DENOR Brands & Public Relations.

3. The Rundown
Class 5: Instagram & Pinterest
Class 6: Your Plan

4. Let’s Break the Ice!
Step 1: Log In to your Instagram account.
Step 2: Introduce yourself to one person you do
not know and take a picture with that person.
Step 3: Post that picture on Instagram. In the
caption, use the hashtag,
#NBICSocialMedia101
Step 4: Search for @DENORPR. Connect with
my business!

5. Do it for the ‘Gram
Every Brand has a Point of View.
Instagram is unlike any other platform in its
singular focus on captivating imagery, giving
brands an avenue for rich visual storytelling.
When considering how you will use Instagram,
think about what's unique about your brand
and how will you share it with the world?

6. The Facts
Here are the statistics.
300M 70%+
Monthly Active Users People Outside the U.S.
30B+ 2.5B
Photos Shared Likes Daily
70M
Photos Per Day

7. Getting Started on the ‘Gram
Start with clear goals.
Consider how Instagram fits into your overall brand
marketing strategy.
Is your objective to increase awareness, shift
perception, or reach a new audience?
Pick a goal or two that can be achieved by
connecting with Instagram's highly visual and creative
community.

8. Getting Started on the ‘Gram
Choose themes to tell a cohesive story.
Choose story lines that are authentic to your brand and
are best conveyed through captivating imagery.
Create posts that follow these themes for a diversity of
content that also remains consistent over time.

9. Getting Started on the ‘Gram
Take the time to create
high-quality content.
Work with your brand or creative team to produce
images and videos that are well-crafted and feel at
home on the platform.
Or, if you're a one-person shop, take some time to learn
from other brands and popular Instagrammers and
follow their lead.

10. Quick Pic Tips
Account Name
Choose an account name, ideally your business name, that's easily tied to
your brand.
Profile photo
Simple is best! Use your brand's logo or a graphic symbol. Keep in mind it
will be cropped into a circle and appear as a 150 x 150 pixel image (that's
pretty small) on most phones.
Text
Keep captions short and fresh. Incorporate a few hashtags (a max of
three so they don't detract from the simplicity of the post). Ask questions
to engage people.
Commenting & liking
Use hashtags, location and Photos of You to find others' images of your
brand. Engage with them by liking and commenting on their images.

11. Getting Started
Tagging
Include the location of your photo or video when it helps tell the
story of the image. Use the Add People feature to tag accounts in
your image when they will help you reach a broader audience.
Image tools
Edit your images with filters and other tools available in the
Instagram app. These effects give images that unmistakable
"Instagram" look that people respond to.
Image subjects
Post photos and videos of beautiful and unexpected moments
that also feel authentic and immediate. Whether your subject is a
person or an object, capture it in a context that gives a sense of
your brand's identity or point of view.

12. More Tips for Instagram
More Info:
http://blog.business.instagram.com
Advertising on Instagram:
https://business.instagram.com/advertising/

13. It’s action time!
Let’s Post a Pic!
Post one picture to Instagram. Use the
caption and picture to tell your story
from today.
Use the hashtag #NBICSocialMedia101
ASHLEYNORTHINGTON.COM

14. Pin and Win!
Let’s Pin and WIN!
Pinterest is a visual bookmarking tool that
allows you to find and save ideas for all of
your projects and interests.
The platform gives brands the opportunity to
be discovered by millions of people looking
for things to plan, buy and do.

15. The Facts
Here are the statistics.
70M 80%
Users Women
42% 13%
Adult Women Use it Adult Men Use it
8%
European Internet Users

16. Here’s What...
The Pin Cycle
Pins can be almost anything—a gift, recipe, or even a quote. They’re like little
bookmarks people add to Pinterest that always point back to the sites they came
from (like yours!) If you add the
Pin It button to your site, people can use it to add your stuff to Pinterest.
Beautiful boards
Boards are where people collect and organize their Pins. Each board tells a unique,
hand-crafted story about what that person cares about. People can follow boards
whose Pins they like—like yours!
Simple discovery
Pinterest helps people discover things in a simple, visual way. Pinners might find
something they love while browsing your boards, scrolling through a category
you’re listed in or searching for you directly.
Connecting interests
Pinterest connects people through shared interests—their passions, hobbies, tastes
and values. You can inspire them by using Pinterest in a personal, authentic way.

17. Pin Like a Pro
Put Pinners first
Before you get started, consider what Pinners really care about. Check out your
web analytics to see what they like best, or talk to them directly. Tailor your Pins for
them.
Whole Foods has boards for gardening, DIY products and volunteer work for their
sustainability-conscious followers.
Curate your collection
Create a few boards to start your collection. The very best boards are inspiring,
with beautiful images that draw people in. They’re also about a specific topic, like
travel or recipes.
Madewell curated a beautiful board with Pins for every color of the rainbow.
Show what inspires you
Instead of just showing off your products, show what inspires them. Create boards
for the ideas, places, people and moods behind your brand.
UGallery invites artists who inspire them to help curate their boards.

18. Pin Like a Pro
Be authentic
Use your boards to show your values, personality and taste. It’s okay to
get creative and be yourself.
The Pioneer Woman is a popular food blogger who knows how to be
herself. Her boards make you feel like you’re right there with her, cooking
on her ranch.
Share your Pins
Once you’ve started to grow your community, you can promote your
Pinterest account and even showcase your Pins on your own site.
West Elm helps people discover and share their most popular Pins right on
westelm.com.

19. Pins Should Be...
Thoughtful and Detailed.
Every Pin should have a description that gives context. The best
descriptions make Pins more inspirational and also provide extra
information so people can figure out if something’s right for them. They
should mention the most compelling aspects of the Pin and inspire
people to do something. They also use correct capitalization and
punctuation.
Images shouldn’t contain promotional information (“10% off” or “Two for
$9.99!”), calls to action (“Call now!”) or references to Pinterest
functionality (“Click here to pin!”).
Don’t include hashtags in either the image or description.
While only about 75-100 characters of your description will appear in grid
view, you can include up to 500 and they’ll all appear when people click
to see the Pin close-up. Generally speaking, more characters mean more
helpful details and more opportunities to show up in search results.

20. Pins Should ...
Offer instructions and how-tos
Step-by-step instructions and other tutorials help break down complicated
projects and make it easier for people to bring their creative ideas to life.
Use lists to help curate
Curated lists are totally save-worthy because they cut out some of the work
in searching for the perfect recipes, products and more.
Lists are a good way to create Pins that appeal to different audiences—see
which ones take off and make more like them.
Add simple, clear text overlay
Text overlays can give Pinners a clear takeaway with a quick glance -
especially when a Pin’s purpose isn’t obvious from just the image. Minimize
the amount of text in an image, though, and if it’s there, make it part of the
design.

21. Pins Should ...
Keep branding and logos tasteful
Done well, branding can add credibility to your Pin without being
distracting or overly commercial. Use Rich Pins wherever possible so
your brand stays on the Pin as it gets repinned. Avoid talking too much
about your brand in the description.
Use colors and settings that convey your brand
Showcase products in an inspirational context by placing them in a
background that conveys the tone of your brand.
Avoid time-sensitive information
Pins last forever, so steer clear of including prices or words like “new”
that won’t always be relevant.
Link out to places that help people
For example, a movie Pin should lead to the trailer or a review, and a
product Pin should lead to where a Pinner can make the purchase.

22. Pins Should ...
Use high-quality images
Use high-resolution, professional-quality photographs and illustrations.
Don’t use images that are poorly lit, out of focus or otherwise appear
amateurish.
Size and shape matter
Pins look best when they’re vertically oriented. An image aspect ratio of
2:3 to 1:3.5 and a minimum width of 600px is recommended. Pins get cut
off in feeds if the ratio is greater than 1:3.5, so make sure the image isn’t
too tall. For example, an image that is 600px wide should be between
900px and 2100px tall.
Don’t use more than four separate images in a Pin.
Images should have a focus or a clear theme—not just an assortment of
random products. Don’t add a border or other alteration (like rounded
corners) to Pin images.

23. Do More with Rich Pins
Rich Pins are Pins that include extra information right on the Pin
itself. There are 6 types of Rich Pins: app, movie, recipe, article,
product and place.
Help people get your app.
App Pins include an install button, so Pinners can download your
app without ever leaving Pinterest. (For now, App Pins are
compatible with iOS apps only.)
Take travelers to their next adventure.
Place Pins include a map, address, and phone number.
Help Pinners create their reading lists.
Article Pins include headline, author and story description, helping
Pinners find and save stories that matter to them.

24. Do More with Rich Pins
Make it easy for people to buy your stuff
Product Pins include real time pricing, availability and where to
buy. Pinners also get notifications when product Pins they've
added drop in price.
Teach foodies to make recipes from your site
Recipe Pins include ingredients, cooking times and serving info to
get Pinterest cooks excited to hit the kitchen.
Show film buffs their favorite movies
Movie Pins include ratings, cast members and reviews to help
Pinners learn about new flicks.
More
on
Rich
Pins:
h.ps://business.pinterest.com/en/rich-­‐pins

25. More Tips for Pinterest
More info:
https://business.pinterest.com/sites/business/
files/how-to-make-great-pins-guide-en-01.pdf
Advertising:
https://about.pinterest.com/en/advertising-
rules

26. Ask me anything.
Here’s your chance to ask me
anything you want to know about
what we learned today.
ASHLEYNORTHINGTON.COM

27. ASHLEYNORTHINGTON.COM
Ashley Northington
DENOR Brands & Public Relations
700 Craighead Street, Suite 107
Nashville, Tennessee 37204
Office: 1.855.809.6697
Email: info@denorbrands.com
Twitter & Facebook: @ashnorthington | @DENORPR
ashleynorthington.com | denorbrands.com