When we tell craft shop clients that our Pinterest package includes 400 pins per month, the first question is usually: “Why that many? What does that actually do?”
Fair question. Here is the full answer.
How Pinterest’s Algorithm Works (The Relevant Part)
Pinterest is a search engine, not a social network. Pins get indexed and show up in search results for months or years after they are published. Unlike Instagram posts (which die in 24–48 hours) or Facebook posts (which die in 3–6 hours), a Pinterest pin can drive traffic continuously for 2–3 years if it ranks for the right terms.
The algorithm rewards:
- Fresh content — new pins outperform repins in feed distribution
- Consistent activity — accounts that pin daily get better distribution than accounts that pin in bursts
- Keyword relevance — pins with keyword-rich titles and descriptions rank for searches
- Click-through rate — pins that earn clicks signal to Pinterest that they are valuable, and the algorithm shows them more
400 pins a month works out to roughly 13–14 new pins per day. That level of activity signals to Pinterest that your account is an active, reliable source of content — which earns better distribution across the board.
Where the 400 Pins Come From
400 pins per month does not mean 400 new blog posts. It means 400 pin images, typically distributed across your existing and new content:
- 3–5 pin images created for each new blog post published that month
- 2–3 pin images created for older high-performing posts (updated designs or new angles)
- 1–2 pins for product pages where relevant
- Pins for seasonal content well ahead of the season
A shop publishing 4 tutorial posts per month generates 12–20 pins from new content. The rest come from mining the existing content library — repurposing strong posts with new designs and updated keywords.
What the Traffic Numbers Look Like
Pinterest traffic builds slowly for 2–3 months, then starts compounding. A typical craft shop starting from a small or inactive Pinterest account might see:
- Month 1–2: 500–1,500 monthly Pinterest sessions (building the base)
- Month 3–4: 2,000–5,000 monthly sessions (pins start gaining traction)
- Month 6+: 8,000–20,000+ monthly sessions (compounding from older pins still circulating)
These numbers vary widely depending on your niche, the quality of your tutorial content, and how competitive your Pinterest category is. Macrame, embroidery, and watercolor painting are highly active on Pinterest — you will see results faster. Some more niche crafts take longer to build but often have less competition.
What to Do With the Traffic Pinterest Sends
Pinterest traffic is cold traffic — these are people who found you through a pin, not people who already know your shop. Your blog and product pages need to be ready to convert that traffic into subscribers and buyers.
The highest-converting path for Pinterest traffic:
- Pin leads to tutorial post
- Tutorial post has a relevant content upgrade (free pattern, supply checklist, mini guide) that captures their email
- Email sequence introduces them to your shop and products
- They return to shop when ready to buy
Without the email capture, you are sending traffic to your blog and hoping people click through to shop on their own. Some will. But you are losing most of them.
The Full Pinterest System We Build for Craft Shops
Our Content + Pinterest package handles the full cycle: tutorial content, pin creation, keyword research for pins, daily scheduling, and monthly performance reporting. We track what is driving clicks and traffic, and adjust the strategy quarterly.
If you want to see what 400 pins a month could do for your specific shop’s niche and current content library, book a discovery call. We will give you a realistic projection based on where you are starting from.