While many content creators focus on platforms likeInstagram or TikTok, others are starting to use pins to make money. Zeny Shifferaw, the new Creator Inclusion Lead atPinterest, has joined others in setting goals to "uplift and empower historically marginalized creators."
One of the people who found their piece of the pie is Oyin Edogi. When she only had a few thousand followers, she began to monetize her account on the board.
I had 5,000 followers before I started my first paid campaign. Edogi told Insider that he was pinning for fun and didn't know the power of the platform. Edogi says she was able to position herself as a top pinner because she was able to pin other creators' work as well as her own. Edogi says they reached out to her to offer her the first paid campaign.
In October of 2020, Pinterest made an open commitment to amplify creators and businesses from underrepresented communities. In May of 2021, the platform rolled out the Creator Fund, which offered creators from underrepresented communities a $25,000 grant, a four-week training program, and creative strategy consulting. The creators were hand-selected to join the fund.
Edogi told Insider that the experience helped her network with other creatives, learn new tools of how to build and scale her personal brand, and understand more about how pins work.
The Creator Code, a content policy that aimed to minimize troll, hate speech, and negativity across the platform, was introduced in April 2021. The code says that creators must be kind, fact-check, be aware of potential visually sensitive material, and practice inclusion.
Once simply a place to go for fashion ideas or arts and crafts, pins now include more travel hacks, entrepreneurship tips, daily motivation, parenting inspiration, and even live shows.
Edogi says she went from having 100,000 monthly views to over 600,000 in a few months after joining the Creator Fund. She says she's also begun creating pins with brands.
