Episode 69: Pinterest for Podcasters: How to Grow Your Podcast Without Posting 15x a Day with Andi Smiley

Pinterest for Podcasters: How One Pin a Day Grew a Podcast by 74% in One Year (with Andi Smiley)

Listen on Apple Podcast | Listen on Spotify | Watch on YouTube

What if you could grow your podcast without showing up on social media every single day?

That’s exactly what Andi Smiley has done with Pinterest, and in this episode of Podcast Growth Tools, we dive into her entire strategy.

I've been Pinterest-curious for a while now. I mentioned it in my newsletter, started experimenting on my own, and immediately had a million questions: How long does it take to see results? How many pins do I actually need to post? Should I use video or static images? Where should the pins link to? Is Pinterest even worth it for podcasters?

When one of my clients pointed me toward Andi, the host of the Friendly Podcast Guide Podcast and a Pinterest strategist who works specifically with podcasters, I knew we needed to have this conversation.

Andi started with just one pin per week. One year later, her podcast had grown by 74% and she'd added over 200 email subscribers, with Pinterest as her primary marketing channel. No Instagram hustle. No daily content treadmill. Just consistent, strategic pinning.

If you've been wondering whether Pinterest belongs in your podcast marketing strategy, this episode answers every question you didn't even know you had.


Here's a glance to the episode:

  • Why Pinterest rewards podcasters more than almost any other platform

  • The real timeline for Pinterest results: what to expect at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year

  • How Andi grew her podcast 74% and added 200+ email subscribers with just one pin per day

  • How long it actually takes to batch a week's worth of pins (the answer might surprise you)

  • Where your pins should link: your website, YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts

  • Static pins vs. video pins vs. carousel pins: what's actually working for podcasters

  • How Pinterest SEO differs from Google SEO and why that matters for your keywords

  • How to use Pinterest Trends and the search bar to find what your audience is actually searching for

  • Why Pinterest works best for evergreen content and how to tell if your podcast is a good fit

  • The 70% stat: why Pinterest is especially powerful for podcasters with a female audience

  • How to track your Pinterest results and which metrics actually matter (hint: it's outbound clicks)

  • Whether you need a scheduling tool like Tailwind or if Pinterest's native scheduler is enough

  • How Andi uses AI to generate SEO keyword ideas and then validates them inside Pinterest

Timestamps:

  • 04:02: Why Pinterest works so well for podcasters

  • 05:32: The power of evergreen content on Pinterest (pins that work for a year+)

  • 07:27: How long it takes to batch a week's worth of pins

  • 09:35: The real timeline: how long to see Pinterest results

  • 11:22: Andi's results: 74% podcast growth, 200+ email subscribers in one year

  • 12:03: One pin a day vs. 15 pins a day: what actually works

  • 13:05: Can you reuse templates? How many do you need?

  • 15:02: Where should your pins link? (The gold standard answer)

  • 16:17: Does Pinterest punish you for taking a break?

  • 18:32: How to track your Pinterest results

  • 19:57: The most important Pinterest metric for podcasters

  • 22:04: Should your audience know it's a podcast episode?

  • 25:03: Static pins vs. video pins: what's working right now

  • 27:00: Getting started: Andi's advice for beginners

  • 28:54: Which podcasts are the best fit for Pinterest (and which aren't)

  • 30:34: The Pinterest audience: 70% women in the U.S.

  • 32:36: How to use Pinterest Trends and the search bar for keyword research

  • 38:00: Pinterest boards: how to organize them for your podcast

  • 40:00: Tailwind vs. native Pinterest scheduling

  • 41:20: How Andi uses AI for Pinterest SEO keyword research


If You're Asking These Questions, You're in the Right Place:

  • Is Pinterest worth it for growing my podcast?

  • How many pins per day do I actually need to post?

  • How long does it take to see results from Pinterest?

  • Should I use static pins or video pins for my podcast?

  • Where should my Pinterest pins link — my website, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify?

  • How do I do keyword research specifically for Pinterest?

  • Can I batch Pinterest content and schedule it in advance?

  • Is Pinterest better than Instagram for podcast growth?


Why Pinterest Works So Well for Podcasters

Most social media platforms reward recency. You post, it gets seen for a day or two, and then it disappears. Pinterest is the opposite.

Pinterest is a search engine first. When someone searches "how to grow a podcast" or "marketing tips for entrepreneurs," your pin can show up months or even years after you posted it. Andi shared that she has pins from over a year ago that are still bringing in new leads and listeners today.

This makes Pinterest and podcasting a natural match. Most podcast episodes are evergreen — the advice you gave six months ago is still relevant. And Pinterest rewards that kind of content by continuing to surface it to new people long after you hit publish.

The other key difference is that Pinterest users are there to take action. They are searching, clicking, and learning, not just scrolling for entertainment. That means when someone finds your pin, they're already in a mindset to click through, listen, and engage.


The Real Timeline for Pinterest Results

Andi was refreshingly honest about this: Pinterest is a long game. Here's the realistic timeline she shared:

Month 1 is about laying groundwork. You're setting up your account, getting your first pins out, and building your board structure. Don't expect much here.

Months 2–3 are when things start to pick up. You'll see impressions growing and maybe some early clicks.

Month 6 is when you will likely start seeing real, measurable traction, including consistent outbound clicks, new listeners finding your show, and email signups.

At the one-year mark, Andi's podcast had grown by 74% and she'd gained over 200 email subscribers, with Pinterest as her main marketing channel. And she started with just one pin per week before eventually scaling to one pin per day.

The beauty of this timeline is that it mirrors podcasting itself. If you already understand the long game of building a podcast, you'll have the patience Pinterest requires.


How Many Pins Do You Actually Need to Post?

This was one of my biggest questions. I'd taken Jenna Kutcher's Pinterest course and heard recommendations of 10 to 15 pins per day. I was doing six or seven and still finding it overwhelming, even with AI and professional templates.

Andi's approach is different: one pin per day, done really well. She focuses on making sure each pin has strong Pinterest SEO, looks clean, and links to the right place. That one-pin-per-day strategy, combined with consistency, is what produced her 74% growth.

She can batch a full week of pins in about 45 minutes on a Monday. And when she first started, she was only doing one pin per week. Even that produced noticeable results after a couple of months.

The takeaway: you don't need to post 15 pins a day. Start with one per week. Scale to one per day when you're comfortable. Consistency matters more than volume.


Where Should Your Pinterest Pins Link?

Andi's recommendation: your own website is the gold standard.

When you claim your website on Pinterest, the platform recognizes that you own the content and gives it a boost in distribution. This is especially powerful if you have blog-style show notes on your website. The pin drives traffic to your blog, which has your podcast player, your email opt-in, and your offers all in one place.

That said, she's flexible about this. If your current goal is growing your YouTube subscribers, send some pins to YouTube. If you want Apple Podcast downloads, link there sometimes. But for the best Pinterest performance, your own website wins.


Static Pins vs. Video Pins: What's Working for Podcasters

This one depends on your audience, but Andi shared some helpful patterns from her own experience and her clients':

Static pins have been the most consistent performer for her personally. They're also the easiest to batch and template.

Video pins have worked well for some of her clients, particularly in the personal development space. Solo talking-to-camera clips tend to perform better than split-screen interview clips on Pinterest.

Carousel-style pins (which Pinterest auto-plays as a slideshow) have shown strong results for clients who already create carousel content for Instagram. It's easy to repurpose.

Her advice: start with static pins since they're the simplest to create and scale. Test video once you have your system down.


Pinterest SEO: How It Differs from Google

One of the most valuable parts of this conversation was Andi's breakdown of how Pinterest SEO works differently than Google SEO.

For example, on Google, people search "how to grow a podcast audience." On Pinterest, they're more likely to search "how to grow a podcast" or "podcast marketing" — shorter, slightly different phrasing.

Andi's keyword research process combines AI and Pinterest's own tools. She uses a custom AI bot to generate a broad list of potential SEO keywords for a podcast topic. Then she takes every keyword and manually checks it in two places: Pinterest Trends (to see search volume over time) and the Pinterest search bar (to see what auto-complete suggestions come up). The Pinterest data is what she actually uses because it reflects what real people are searching for on the platform.

This is a small but important distinction: what works for Google SEO may not be exactly what works for Pinterest SEO. The search bar dropdown is your best free research tool.


Is Pinterest Right for YOUR Podcast?

Not every podcast is a perfect fit. Andi shared a simple test: would someone click on a pin six months from now for an episode you published today and still get value from it?

Great fit for Pinterest: Evergreen, how-to, educational, strategy-based, personal development, parenting, health and wellness, business, anything where the content stays relevant over time.

Not ideal for Pinterest: Daily news podcasts, highly timely or trending content, pop culture commentary that has a short shelf life.

The audience factor: About 70% of Pinterest users in the U.S. are women. If your podcast targets women, which is the case for most of the podcasters I work with, Pinterest is an especially strong channel.

Andi has a free resource called "Is Pinterest Right for Your Podcast?" that walks you through the assessment. I'll link it below.


Getting Started: Andi's Advice for Beginners

If you're Pinterest-curious and want to give it a try, here's Andi's starter framework:

Set up a Pinterest business account (not personal — you need the analytics). Claim your website. Create boards that align with your podcast topics. Start with one pin per week using a template from Canva or your own brand kit. Use Pinterest-specific SEO keywords in your pin title, description, and tagged topics. Link to your blog show notes. Be patient and consistent for at least three months before evaluating results.

You can schedule pins up to a month in advance using Pinterest's native scheduler — no paid tool required. Andi uses Pinterest's built-in scheduling instead of Tailwind because it gives her access to tagged topics and product tagging that third-party tools don't support.


Your Next Steps

If you want weekly insights on podcast growth, marketing strategy, and turning listeners into subscribers, join the newsletter → here

Grab the show notes template and podcast marketing playbook → here


Resources & Links

Connect with Andi

Connect with Kylee


Let’s Connect!

Share your favorite trend from this episode or ask questions by DMing me on Instagram at @thepodcastmarketinghub.


Subscribe & Review

If you loved this episode, don’t forget to hit subscribe and leave a review! Reviews help more podcasters like you discover this show.

Previous
Previous

Episode 70: Your Podcast Content Ecosystem: 15 Ways to Get More Listeners Without Recording More Episodes

Next
Next

Episode 68: How to Use AI as Your Podcast Marketing Assistant (Without Losing Your Voice)