Consumers are jumping on Pinterest like hands rubbing a belly-up Golden Retriever. No surprise... it's just too fun to resist. There should be a support pinboard group for people like me.
If you are in PR, it's silly NOT to leverage its popularity for your press releases. Try one of these simple ways to integrate infographics into your campaign mix, and expand your reach.
1. Create a newsroom pinboard. Since you probably already have a corporate newsroom on your website, why not clone it on Pinterest - then make it even better. Start it with your new press release and build it out from there.
You can keep it fairly traditional, like Cisco, and post media coverage, press releases and blog articles - or use it as a forum to actually pitch story ideas and provide media resources. Just pin your story idea with a relevant infographic or image, then tag the reporter on Facebook or Twitter. If you don't mind sharing your story ideas with the world, it can be pinned to your Pinterest newsroom.
It's also a great place to pin media images, such as logos and corporate headshots that link to their biography and bylined articles.
For added SEO value, be sure and link the executives name to their pinboard when you quote them in a press release.
On a related note - you can also create a pinboard that shares your corporate culture. Read this great blog post and example from Corporate Eye on the subject.
2. Distribute an infographic to go with your release. When you create a data-rich infographic to go with your press release, you can distribute it via wire service as a print-ready image for media to run with your story AND pin it to Pinterest. Search the keyword "infographic" on a few wire service websites for some wonderful inspiration.
Plus, it's like buy-one-get-four-free. Not only do the news outlets have a great visual, they can pin it, YOU can pin it, and it ends up on Facebook! Social viral awesomeness, here we come.
When you add a hyperlink to your pin, sending viewers back to the full release, and plug in a few keyword hashtags, you get to benefit from some nice Google juice to bolster your SEO. (Not sure how to integrate SEO into your pins? Learn how here.)
3. Didn't have time (or budget) to put your infographic on the wire? Create a pinboard that fits the topic, then pin your press release to the board - along with some other great resources or links on the same topic.
Does your press release announce a new restaurant menu, or a chef new hire? Create a pinboard with images of the new menu items - or the chef's specialties and photos of him/her whipping up something delicious in the restaurant's kitchen. Then, create a fun mix of additional pinboards such as "Chef X on The Ideal Burger" with pins of burger recipes and cooking tips or a burger contest, and perhaps a "Wine and Food Pairings" pinboard that partners menu items with the right wine.
Like any social media resource - remember to minimize blatant promotion and invite conversation.