V. When to Hire a Pinterest Strategist vs. a Pinterest Manager

Deciding which type of expert to hire depends entirely on your business’s current needs, resources, and stage of growth.

Hire a Pinterest Strategist when...

• • You're a new business: You have a product or service but no clear plan for how to use Pinterest to attract your audience. A strategist can build the entire foundation from scratch.

  • You're in a growth phase: Your business is established, but your Pinterest presence is stagnant. You need an expert to analyze what's not working and develop a new, data-driven plan to scale your traffic and conversions.

  • You're undergoing a rebrand: You need to completely overhaul your content, keywords, and audience targeting. A strategist will ensure your new brand identity is effectively communicated on Pinterest.

  • You're looking for expert guidance: You have the capacity to do the day-to-day work yourself but need a professional to provide a long-term roadmap and regular performance audits.

Hire a Pinterest Manager when...

• • You have an established strategy: Your brand already has a solid plan for Pinterest, and you need someone to handle the consistent creation and publishing of content.

  • You lack time or resources: You know what you need to do on Pinterest but are too busy to do it yourself. A manager ensures your account stays active and engaged without draining your team's time.

  • You need consistent content delivery: You've had a successful run with a temporary strategist and now need a dedicated person to maintain the momentum and execute the long-term plan.

• Budget Considerations and Business Size: A strategist, due to their higher-level, analytical work, may charge a higher fee, often on a project or retainer basis for a set period (e.g., a three-month strategy plan). A manager’s fees may be lower, focused on ongoing monthly retainers for consistent services. Smaller businesses might find a hybrid professional or a manager who can perform basic strategic tasks to be the most cost-effective option. Larger businesses with dedicated marketing budgets can benefit from hiring both roles for optimal results.

Check out our related articles:

• What is a Pinterest Strategist? An In-depth Guide to a Modern Marketing Role 

• Top Skills Every Pinterest Strategist Should Have 

• Pinterest Strategist vs. Pinterest Manager: Understanding the Difference for Your Business 

• Pinterest Strategist

VI. Skills & Qualifications Comparison

Role

Essential Skills

Commonly Used Tools

Pinterest Strategist

Pinterest SEO & keyword research, analytics & data interpretation, strategic planning, paid ad management, and trend analysis.

Pinterest Analytics, Google Analytics, Pinterest Ads Manager, and third-party tools for advanced research.

Pinterest Manager

Content creation & graphic design, copywriting, scheduling, community management, and organization.

Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, Tailwind, Buffer, and the native Pinterest Scheduler.

Export to Sheets

As you can see, the skills and tools reflect the different focuses of each role. A strategist works with data and planning tools, while a manager works with creative and automation tools.

VII. Impact on Business Outcomes

The impact of a strategist and a manager on your business outcomes is distinct yet interconnected.

• Strategist’s Impact: A strategist drives growth through insights and strategy. They are responsible for the foundational, high-impact results. For example, a strategist might identify a new, untapped niche and develop a keyword-rich content plan that leads to a significant increase in organic website traffic and conversions. Their success is measured by high-level KPIs like traffic growth, email sign-ups, and sales attributed to Pinterest.

• Manager’s Impact: A manager sustains growth and ensures daily account health. Their impact is on the consistent, day-to-day operations that keep the business's Pinterest engine running smoothly. A manager ensures that the Pins are always on-brand, scheduled for optimal times, and that the account is consistently generating engagement. Their success is measured by metrics like consistent impressions, outbound clicks, and overall account vitality.

Hypothetical Scenario:

• A strategist for an e-commerce brand analyzes data and discovers that users searching for "sustainable home decor" have a high conversion rate. They create a new strategy centered around this keyword.

• A manager then takes this strategy and creates 50 new Pins featuring sustainable products, schedules them for consistent delivery over the next month, and uses the new keywords in the descriptions.

• The combined effort leads to a 30% increase in sales directly from Pinterest. The strategist gets the credit for the idea, but the manager gets the credit for making it happen.

VIII. FAQs Related to Pinterest Strategist vs. Pinterest Manager

• Can one person do both roles effectively? Yes, one person can and often does fill both roles, particularly for small businesses. However, it's crucial that this individual has a hybrid skill set and dedicates time to both strategic planning and day-to-day execution to avoid burnout and a focus on one area over the other.

• What’s more important for small businesses? For a small business with a new or stagnant Pinterest account, a strategist is often the best first step. They can create a foundational plan that the business owner or a manager can then execute. Once the plan is established and working, a manager becomes more valuable for sustained growth.

• How do the costs compare? Costs vary widely based on experience and location. Generally, a strategist's fee may be a higher one-time or project-based cost, while a manager's is typically a recurring monthly retainer. A hybrid role may fall somewhere in the middle.

• How do these roles fit within broader digital marketing teams? In a larger marketing team, the Pinterest strategist reports to the marketing director and collaborates with the content and SEO teams. The Pinterest manager reports to the strategist and works closely with the graphic design or content creation team to source and schedule assets.

IX. Conclusion

Understanding the distinction between a Pinterest strategist and a Pinterest manager is not just about semantics; it's about making a strategic decision for your business. The strategist is the architect, the visionary who builds the roadmap for success. The manager is the builder, the hands-on expert who brings that vision to life.

Before you hire, take the time to evaluate your business's needs. Do you need a plan, or do you need someone to execute the plan you already have? By choosing the right expert for your current stage of growth, you can ensure your investment in Pinterest leads to the results you’re looking for.

CTA: Ready to determine which Pinterest expert is right for your business? Download our free "Pinterest Expert Hiring Checklist" to evaluate your needs and find the perfect fit.