Hi Reader,
Welcome to the final week of the August Q4 Audit. We've done your keywords, refreshed your pins, and rebuilt your board structure. This week is the step almost everyone skips, and it's the one that determines whether you'll actually know if any of this worked: setting your Q4 analytics baseline. You cannot measure impact if you don't know what your starting numbers looked like.
In this week's newsletter…
- Why an August analytics baseline is worth more than most people realize
- The 6 metrics to screenshot before September 1
- Pro tips for tracking what actually matters (not what looks impressive)
- SEO fun fact about how Pinterest reports lag your real performance
- Registration for the Back to School workshop with Nina Addeo opens soon
The Board & Content Structure Audit
January and February are when most creators finally look at their Pinterest analytics and wonder whether all that Q4 effort actually moved anything. The problem is they don't have a baseline to compare against, so "growth" becomes a feeling instead of a number. Setting a proper baseline in August takes 15 minutes and gives you a real measuring stick for every strategy shift you're about to make.
Here's what to capture before September 1: monthly views, engagement rate, outbound clicks, top-performing pins (top 10), audience size, and which boards are driving the most traffic. Save these as screenshots or in a simple spreadsheet with today's date. Come January, when you're evaluating what worked, this snapshot will tell you the true story: not just whether your numbers went up, but which specific changes moved which specific metrics.
PRO TIP
- Track outbound clicks over impressions. Impressions are a vanity metric on Pinterest because the platform inflates them; outbound clicks tell you who actually visited your site.
- Note your top-performing boards, not just pins. Board performance shifts quarterly, and knowing which boards drove Q3 traffic helps you double down (or diversify) in Q4.
- Set a reminder to re-screenshot at the end of October. A mid-Q4 checkpoint tells you what's working while you still have time to adjust for November and December.
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Reply and tell me the one Pinterest metric you wish you understood better. I'm collecting these to shape September's newsletter series, so your question might be the one I answer next month.
You've just spent a month getting Q4-ready in a way most creators won't. When engagement season hits, you'll be glad you did the quiet work in August.
Talk soon,
Dana
Resource Recommendation
Pinterest Analytics for Wedding Pros: Stop Pinning Blind
This post walks through exactly which metrics to pay attention to and which to ignore, and it's the perfect companion to today's baseline audit. If you've ever stared at your Pinterest dashboard and had no idea what you were looking at, this one is for you.
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A little fun fact:
Did you know?
Pinterest analytics typically lag actual performance by 24 to 48 hours, and some metrics (like engagement rate) update weekly rather than daily. This is why checking your dashboard every morning is a waste of time, and why a monthly baseline is far more useful than daily obsession.
Upcoming Events
From Pin to Pipeline: Why Pinterest Is Content Marketing's Most Underrated Discovery Engine
September 16
In this WICMA Connect session, we'll discuss how Pinterest differs from traditional search and social platforms, where it fits within a modern content ecosystem, and how marketers, consultants, and agencies can use it to support visibility, traffic, thought leadership, and business growth.
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Back to Booked Social Media & Pinterest Workshop
September 17
Join me and Nina Addeo of I Do Wedding Marketing for a free live workshop to get your social media and Pinterest visibility dialed in before Q4. Show up live and you'll snag your first month of the Styled Pin Collection at 50% off plus an invite to our Pinning Party.
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Pinterest is Better with Friends
Know a fellow creative who's guessing at their Pinterest performance instead of measuring it? When they book a service with me, you'll get a $50 thank-you and they'll get the strategy and data they've been missing. Just have them mention your name.
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