Part of the reason why I started doing these blog posts was to help new VA’s, Pinterest and IG managers. I wanted to be a resource, someone you could look to for help and advice. So, in an effort to be more transparent with my followers, I’m going to give you some advice as to how I find and retain clients!

To find new clients, you have to look. I know, easier said than done, but it’s the truth. It took me eight months to get to where I am now. It was a tireless journey but I’ve come out the other side and now consistently booked with five plus clients a month. I recommend you start looking for an online community of people who are all engaging in the same kind of content creation as you. You can do that in one of two ways. By either joining a Facebook group in the same niche as you are;or by a Facebook group  managed by service providers as these usually have hundreds of job postings for you to choose from. By joining a community of people doing similar work they can refer new clients to you when they are unable to take them on.

In order to retain them, I adhere to a strict schedule, that way they’ll always have new content being published and they don’t have to worry about losing their engagement. I also work extremely hard to communicate often with my clients so they feel like they can always reach me. I want my clients to know that I’m always available to talk, and answer any questions whenever they need me. I also like to go the extra mile for my clients. I like to send them progress reports, little gifts, and referral discounts. Anything that you can do to stand out from the rest and make your clients feel like they matter to you is also a really good way to keep them! Lastly, I have found that offering custom packages to new clients in order to work with them anyway possible has greatly improved my retention rate and intake rate.

Now, you’re probably wondering how I stay booked out. I have included a clause in all my contracts that any client must provide me with fourteen days notice before they cancel my services. This allows us time to wrap up any pending work, and allows me to find a new client to replace them. I work hard to communicate regularly with any new potential clients, and I have a few client applications waiting for a second look at any given moment.

There you have it! These are the tips and tricks that I have found have worked the best for me and my business. I hope that they can help you with yours! Every business is different! But if you’re new to VA or Pinterest and IG management and you’re looking for a little bit of guidance you can book a strategy session with me via this link. We can talk about all things VA. I’ve been exactly where you are before. Or feel free to DM me on IG if you have any other questions or are looking to chat!

PS if you’re a VA or small business looking for Pinterest coaching or guidance, I’m launching a new “Pinterest Support” service in August! I will be offering voxer and loom support 5 days a week to anyone that signs up on a month to month basis! If you sign up in July as a beta tester, your first month will be heavily discounted! This is a great option for anyone that is interest in learning Pinterest but just can’t seem to figure it out on their own! Click here to inquire!

What does it take to make a successful pinterest post?

Let me give you the magic formula! If you’re wondering how to create successful Pinterest posts, keep reading!

1. Bold, vertical graphics: Pinterest is a super popular platform & your main goal is to hold your viewers attention for as long as possible. This is why bold, vertical graphics are so important. The more space your post takes up on your viewers screen, the higher your engagement rate will be because the longer your audience will spend looking at your post. Horizontal posts on Pinterest are the worst thing you could post for reach.

2. 500 Character Pin Descriptions: Pin descriptions are so important. They’re a great opportunity for you to implement as many keywords as possible into your Pinterest posts. Keywords make your post more searchable, which is super important because at the end of the day, Pinterest is a search engine. You want to use all 500 of your pin description characters so that you know that you’re using as many keywords as possible. The catch: you should never keyword stuff! Try to make descriptions sound as conversational as possible!

3. Keyword research: In order to write successful pin descriptions, you have to do keyword research! You can do this in app via Ads, your search bar or via the Pinterest trends website! I have a great post explaining how to do keyword research on both my IG and my tik Tok!

4. Fresh Links: Fresh links are NEW links. It is super important that you use as many fresh links as possible when you’re posting your content to Pinterest because they REALLY value new and exciting content right now. It is super easy to use fresh links if you have a blog because you’re putting up new posts all the time. If you don’t have a blog, you can use Instagram, however, I have never had as much luck with client accounts that don’t have blogs as I have with client accounts that do have blogs. A blog is a super valuable asset.

5. Fresh Content: This one goes hand in hand with fresh links, but basically you just want to make sure that you’re switching up graphics, keywords, and all other elements of your posts weekly! Don’t use the same images or phrases over and over again!

If you want more daily tips and tricks, follow me on Instagram or Tik Tok (@gracejohncreative)! If Pinterest is overwhelming you, then fill out a client app and let me do it for you!

Tailwind Communities

*disclaimer* there has been talk recently that tailwind communities may be a bit outdated; however, they have always worked wonders for me and my clients so I still feel like it’s important to explain what they are to people that may benefit from using them and don’t know how to.

You probably hear Pinterest Managers talk about Tailwind Communities ALL the time, but do you really even know what they are?

If not, here’s your explanation.

Tailwind Communities are like group boards! They are groups of people on Tailwind within your niche that are incentivized to share your posts because for each post you submit, you typically have to re-share at least one post from someone else!

This means that if people want their posts to be shared, they have to share other users content!

This is a great way for you to get your content in front of the eyes of other pinners that might not be following you. You get to advertise other community member’s audiences as well as your own!

How do they work?

In order to use Tailwind communities, you have to have a tailwind account! You can sign up for a free trial to see how you like it; however, I recommend doing the monthly $14.99 plan so that you can buy power ups as needed!

Once you buy the $14.99 a month plan, you can submit 30 of your pins to Tailwind communities; however, if you decide that you want more submissions you can add power ups.

What are power ups?

Power ups give you the ability to submit MORE pins to communities! This means that you have that many more chances for your content to be shared and seen! There are three different power up levels and for each you also get to join more communities. The first power up level offers 80 more submissions per month & 10 communities. The second power up offers 200 submissions and unlimited communities. The third power up offers unlimited submissions and unlimited communities!

I typically stick with the 200 submission power up for my clients because this tends to be plenty for the month. Also, with great power comes great responsibility: remember, for every submission you make to a community, you have to share a fellow community member’s content as well! If you don’t, you may get kicked out!

Tailwind can be a bit complicated—if you don’t feel like learning a new program, I can manage your Tailwind & Pinterest for you! Click here to fill out a client app & click here to follow me on Instagram for daily tips and tricks!

You can do a lot but you can’t do it all

Girlie, I see you trying to work every facet of your business on your own and I can feel the burn out coming FOR you. No one can run a whole ass successful business alone. You have to ask for help every once in a while and THAT’S OKAY!

I learned this the hard way. I am a headstrong, stubborn, uber-independant DOUBLE Aquarius and the things I hate most in this world are 1. Asking for help and 2. Surrendering control.

I started my business back in September of 2020 and at first, doing everything myself was a breeze. I only had one or two clients a month, I had a ton of time to educate myself, come up with stellar content, do engagement, build my own website, manage my own finances, write my own copy, do my own marketing, etc etc etc. However, at a certain point, more inquiries started coming in. My business started growing & by February, I was drowning.

I couldn’t keep up with my own business anymore. I was working 30 hours a week corporate, 30 hours a week split between 7 clients and my business was majorly suffering. I didn’t’t have time for engagement or outreach anymore, I couldn’t manage my own Pinterest, and I struggled to make time for content creation. So, I did what I never thought I would do & I hired help.

In February I hired a Virtual Assistant to do engagement for me and in March I hired a copywriter. It was such a relief. Such a weight off of my shoulders. I didn’t have to worry about engagement or copy anymore and I started to feel more in control again.

So, if you’re feeling burnt out or like you just don’t have time to do everything on your own anymore, if your business is growing at a rate that you can’t sustain alone, this is your sign to outsource.

Lucky for you, you’re in the right place. I am an Instagram and Pinterest manager! I offer full Instagram management services—content creation, planning, caption writing, and hashtag research. I also offer full Pinterest management—Blog writing, post scheduling, content creation, e-mail marketing and analytics reports. So, if you just don’t have time to market your business anymore, fill out a client application and let me take something off of your plate.