Pinterest VA Group Interview (Part I): What Does a Pinterest VA Do?

So you've heard of people making an income, from home, working as a Pinterest virtual assistant (VA). But what does a Pinterest VA do, exactly?

If you love to Pin or browse Pinterest boards and you're the creatively organized sort, this might be a fantastic career for you!

Does that sound too good to be true? Well, if you are a whiz at knowing where to find Pinterest boards that are just what your friends were looking for, or if you've looked at Pin designs and thought, “I could do that so much better,” you may have just what it takes. You can help others realize the benefits of Pinterest for business. And, you can build your own business at the same time.

Even better, this flexible career plays well with family life, too.

What does a Pinterest virtual assistant do – and who on earth would need to hire one?  

There is more demand than you might think. According to these fascinating Pinterest statistics from HootSuite, Pinterest had over 445 million visitors in September 2022. And 80% of those users bought something they saw on one of the visual search engine's boards.

That's why Pinterest VAs are able to earn anywhere from a couple hundred dollars a month to a full time income, depending on how much work they want. They can show a business owner how to optimize Pinterest for business. They can set up boards, handle the creation or scheduling of pins, or audit accounts. Some Pinterest VAs take care of the entire process, from start to finish.

Who better to answer those questions than the VAs who are providing Pinterest services to the entrepreneurs who are either baffled by Pinterest or simply don't have time to market their business with it?

The following is Part I of my classic Anywhere & Anytime Pinterest VA Group Interview Series. Read Part II of this series.

Meet the Interviewees!

These three work-from-home entrepreneurs all may have different goals, Pinterest niches, and lives, but they have plenty in common as well.

• Gessica Tastove
• Kellie Evetts 
• Melissa Sasser

All three women learned their Pinterest VA skills in part from the Become a Pinterest VA Today! program and they are also current members of The Pinterest Post, the accompanying paid support community that complements it. Learn how to become a PVA here.

They're all busy building a business that fits their life while making a real income from home as a Pinterest virtual assistant, and they were all gracious enough to share the ins and outs of life as a Pinterest VA:

The term ‘Pinterest Virtual Assistant’, or even more ’Pinterest VA’, is familiar to many people and completely bewildering to others. What does a Pinterest VA do?

Gessica:

A Pinterest Virtual Assistant is someone who helps a client utilize their Pinterest account for a multitude of desired outcomes, like more page views, more sales, more email subscribers, and other goals of that nature.

As a PVA, I create images for my clients that are beautiful and eye-catching, use scheduled intervals for higher audience control, and figure out how their analytics can help them become more successful with Pinterest.

Kellie:

Honestly, VA always bewildered me too. That’s why I call myself an Online Assistant. Anyway, a PVA is someone who helps businesses establish and grow their presence on Pinterest. What I do is make sure the businesses I serve are getting their products seen by the people who would most likely buy them.

Melissa:

A Pinterest VA works with Pinterest accounts for different niches. The main job is to schedule the client’s pins to boards. Most PVA’s use the scheduler Tailwind that automatically posts those pins to the selected boards throughout the day.

There are also other tasks that involve Pinterest a VA might offer such as creating pins, adding keyword-rich descriptions, an audit of your Pinterest account, and other tasks. I also provide a monthly Pinterest/Tailwind Analytics report to all my clients.

Because of the niche I serve (TpT), I can’t look at Google Analytics to decide about pin performance but if you have a blog, most PVA’s will dive into those analytics as well to make suggestions to the client on what is working and what isn’t.

Kellie:

Melissa, what is TpT? I haven’t seen that before.

Melissa:

TpT is a website called Teachers Pay Teachers.

Gessica:

That is a really cool niche, Melissa! I have thought about selling on there before since I used to be a music teacher!

Could you give us a little background about yourself and how you ended up becoming a Pinterest VA?

Gessica:

I am a SAHM with two littles, I live in rural Kansas, and quit my school-teaching job to be with my kids. I was stuck with needing to do something and also suffering from half the income that we previously had. So, Become a Pinterest VA Today! popped up in my feed somewhere sometime in February, and I put myself on the waitlist because who doesn’t want to make money working on Pinterest? No brainer, and super flexible hours for a busy mom like me!

Kellie:

17 years ago, my world started spinning (literally) and I was eventually diagnosed with Complex Migraines. My work as an Administrative Assistant was at an end. Fast forward to 3 years ago, I found out about Virtual Assistants and established my business. One of my first teachers was Gina Horkey, who sent me an email about her new course to become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant – and here we are!

Melissa: 

I took an early retirement from teaching and at first it was wonderful to be at home and not have to go to work. But I soon found that you can only do household chores so long before you start climbing the walls. I absolutely love the internet. So I started looking for something to do online to supplement my retirement and keep me busy.

I tried the typical VA route for a while. But I soon found that I didn’t have the technical skills that were really in demand. I wanted to work with teachers in some capacity because it’s what I know. I stumbled across a post that Leslie Auman had put in a FB group. She was working with TpT teachers in their stores and created a course to teach others.

She was a godsend! I ended up never working in the actual TpT store but interning for her working on her client’s Pinterest accounts and decided that was the route to go.

Gessica: 

Melissa, I totally understand the needing to do something, even if it’s just for a few hours of the day. Pinterest VA is perfect for that!

Do you feel that this line of work would easily fit into the schedule of a work-from-home mom or dad?

Gessica:

Yes. Of course, there are always certain challenges and sacrifices that being a VA bring to the table, but the flexibility is really up to you.

Kellie:

Absolutely! That is one thing I love about being a PVA. The flexibility. Fitting it around my migraines is so easy. Whether it’s 2 a.m. or 7 p.m. – I can be at work when it suits me.

Melissa:

I definitely think you can do this if you’re a work-at-home mom or dad. Every FB group I’m in that are dedicated to VA’s, are full of stay-at-home moms and dads.

Gessica:

Since becoming a Pinterest VA, I have also noticed how many people in FB groups that are also VAs. It’s really cool!

What do you enjoy and not enjoy about being a Pinterest VA?

Gessica:

I enjoy creating beautiful images, and also seeing clients have success and their goals being met. No greater feeling than that. The only thing that does get mundane is also creating images and doing some of the same tasks over and over. Some days my creativity is not there at all, and it’s tough to work through that when I have a deadline.

Melissa: 

I love creating pins too but I have the same thing happen to me that Gessica does, some days the creativity isn’t there. That’s the beauty of being your own boss and able to be flexible, you just move on to another task or client until inspiration hits you!

Kellie:

I really enjoy the excitement my clients get when they realize that I can take this off their plates for them. As small businesses, they just don’t have the time, energy, or skills. When I tell them I can do it for them – the relief is palpable. What I don’t enjoy – the isolation. I am online for work – no colleagues to chat with (except my dogs who don’t talk back).

Melissa:

The isolation is definitely a drawback. I enjoy being around other people in the workplace and working from home, there’s only you. It helps to talk to and share knowledge with people in Facebook groups doing what you do and I feel I have friends in those groups, but it isn’t the same as forming real-life friendships.

Gessica:

I agree with the isolation aspect. Though I don’t have much time for just messing around and talking to people online for fun, it has been amazing the different relationships and understandings you find from those other people online. Especially in VA Facebook groups, they understand your work life better than anyone else, even your family at times.

Melissa: 

What I enjoy most about being a PVA is working with the clients. I’m not lying when I say that I have been blessed with having the nicest and most understanding clients ever. I also get a kick out of signing a new client and getting their account set up the way I need it to be so I can pin for them. It’s really hard to find a downside other than it gets a little bit tedious to schedule pins, so I take lots of breaks when scheduling so I don’t get burned out.

Kellie: 

Good idea, Melissa. I try to take breaks but will schedule them more often when scheduling as that can get very monotonous.

What characteristics have you found to be the most useful for being a sought-after Pinterest VA?

Gessica:

Flexible, reliable, pleasant, humble (in admitting mistakes, fixing them!)

Kellie:

It sounds contradictory but organization and flexibility are the most useful. The clients I work with tend to be artistic types, so they are thrilled when they see how organized I get their boards and pins for them. And flexibility is key because not every client is the same and I need to adjust to fit their goals and work ethic.

Melissa:

I agree with Kellie about being flexible and organized. I have a system that I use when scheduling pins and most clients are fine with that, but then I have some that want it done a little bit differently. It isn’t a problem but you have to listen to your client and make the changes they want or explain to them why it might not be a good idea but in the end, it’s their account.

I absolutely agree about admitting when you’ve made a mistake. I feel it only helps to build more trust between you and the client if you admit a mistake was made but that you’ve fixed it.

Gessica:

Those are all excellent attributes of a good Pinterest VA! You have to make it about your client, yet still bring what you have to the table in order to help them.

Melissa:

I think you have to love what you’re doing and let it be known. You have to keep up with Pinterest changes so you know what you’re doing. I also think that being honest with your clients and willing to go the extra mile is very important. One more thing: If you don’t like repetitive work, this isn’t for you.

What was your experience in terms of finding clients for your services?

Gessica:

My first lead came from the Pinterest Post community. I am cold-pitching and finding many, many potential clients. They just might not be ready for my services at the moment.

Kellie:

So far, it has been fairly simple. My first client was also my VA client who wanted to add Pinterest to her online presence. My other clients have been referrals or I have pitched them.

Melissa:

I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve been referred by others in the business that work with TpT sellers. I also monitor FB groups I’m in that have my target client almost obsessively, so if anyone is looking for a PVA, I know about it ASAP!

Gessica:

Referrals are gold, I am gathering more of those to hopefully make it easier to attain clients.

Do you feel that becoming a Pinterest VA can really provide financial freedom?

Gessica:

Potentially, yes. I am only working ⅓ of the hours that some people are able to, so my income is very small. But if I had more hours in the day, I know I could replace or increase my previous income.

Kellie:

Yes – if you are willing to approach it as you would any other business. It works well as a side hustle if that’s all you need it for. But it can be expanded as you see fit to work it.

Melissa:

I think you can have financial freedom working as a PVA. I know several people in my groups that are definitely making a living doing nothing but PVA work. You have to be willing to put in the time and effort and keep current. Pinterest changes often, and in the last six months, it seems like they change by the hour.

What were your initial goals when you started? How close have you come to achieving them?

Gessica:

My goal is to have 2 clients by the end of the year to maintain steady part-time work with kiddos running around. And I’m half the way there, so success so far!

Kellie:

My goals were to be able to offer my existing clients a new service, which I have done. Now, my financial goals have expanded and I am determined to get off of Disability payments and pay my own way. I am halfway there already.

Melissa:

I’ve actually exceeded my goals. I thought that having 5 clients would be wonderful but I’ve more than doubled that and I'm loving every minute of it!

Thank you, Gessica, Kellie, and Melissa!

Conclusion: What does a Pinterest VA do? Want to know more?

Now that you have the answer to the question, “What does a Pinterest virtual assistant do?”, are you interested in becoming one? When someone asks, “How can Pinterest help my business?”, do you want to have the skills to show them? Would you love to earn money on Pinterest doing work you love?

Are you ready to learn more about Become a Pinterest VA Today? Check out our in-depth course review. And, while you're here, you can also read the interview with Kristin Larsen, creator of Become a Pinterest VA Today!

What was your favorite part of learning the answer to “What does a Pinterest VA do?” We love questions and comments, so please leave yours below.