How to Use Pinterest Marketing for Authors: Debbie Gonzales’ Evergreen Strategy

This post was adapted from Writing Off Social: The Podcast, Episode 66. You can listen in here!

Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing Debbie Gonzales, an award-winning children’s author, career educator, and the founder of Pin Lit Marketing, where she specializes in boosting book visibility and engagement through Pinterest.

Debbie’s slow and steady system highlights the significance of evergreen content, strategic keyword usage, and a structured approach to building an audience and selling books. Her perspective had us rethinking our whole aversion to Pinterest as a marketing option—and may or may not have us dusting off our own boards.

If you’ve felt burned by social media but still want a sustainable, God-honoring way to get your books in front of readers, this one’s for you.

Why Debbie Doesn’t Consider Pinterest “Social Media”

Debbie is very clear: while Pinterest often gets lumped in with social media, it’s not social media in how it functions or feels.

“Pinterest is in the category of social media, but it’s not social media. It’s a search engine. And that is what makes it safe for me.”

Here’s how Pinterest is different:

It’s not about you; it’s about your audience.
On Facebook or Instagram, a book launch post is basically, “My book is out! Come to my thing!” On Pinterest, that same book becomes content that solves a problem or meets a felt need.
It’s evergreen, not fleeting.
A launch post on social media disappears in hours. A well-optimized pin can keep sending traffic years after you create it.
It’s a search engine.
People go to Pinterest to search for ideas, solutions, and inspiration—“picture books about female athletes,” “kids conflict resolution,” “financial literacy for children,” “sourdough starter tips.” Your job is to show up in those searches.

And unlike platforms that thrive on outrage and comparison, Pinterest is intentionally designed to be a more positive and selective space. You decide what you see and what you create.

How Pinterest Actually Serves Authors

Debbie describes Pinterest as a tool that is built to attract a cold audience—people who have never heard of you or your book.

Here’s the basic flow:

A reader searches Pinterest for something they care about
– “books about teamwork for kids”
– “Christian picture books about courage”
– “devotions for overwhelmed moms”
Your pin shows up in their feed
If it’s visually appealing, clearly titled, and uses the right keywords, they click.
That pin sends them to your website, not your social profile
This is where all your Writing Off Social training kicks in:
- A clear, inviting homepage
- Strong book pages
- Easy newsletter signup
- Helpful blog posts or resources
Over time, that cold audience becomes:
- A subscriber to your email list
- A buyer of your books
- A fan who sticks around

Debbie sees Pinterest as the top of the funnel:

“Pinterest will get users to come to your website. But we have to give our users a little time to fall in love with us.”

It’s a slow-burn platform by design—perfect for writers who are playing the long game.

The Power of Evergreen, Theme-Driven Content

Debbie’s own picture book, Girls with Guts, is about female athletes. If she showed up on Pinterest saying, “Come to my launch party!”, that content would expire almost instantly.

Instead, she focuses on themes like:

History of female athletes
Olympics and women in sports
Encouraging a young girl’s athletic spirit

Those are evergreen topics people will be searching for long after the launch party is over.

She gave another beautiful example from a client who writes children’s books about teamwork. One of the themes they teased out together was conflict resolution—how kids fight, make up, and learn to work together.

“We looked at the analytics and the keyword that’s performing best is conflict resolution. We nailed it. Her message—helping families and kids—is what we’re riding on. That’s what makes me so excited.”

On Pinterest, it’s not just about selling your book.
It’s about sharing your message in ways that help real people.

Debbie’s Four-Step Pinterest Strategy

Debbie’s Pinterest system follows the same four-step process she once used to help her students clean and organize a chaotic school library:

Analyze
Strategize
Implement
Assess

She calls it “library-level” Pinterest thinking.

1. Analyze: “What do I actually have?”

Start with an honest look at:

Your message
Your book’s themes
Your current content (blog posts, freebies, podcasts, guides, etc.)
Your reader’s needs

If you don’t have much yet, that’s okay. This is where you think, dream, and define.

2. Strategize: Create your “Dewey Decimal System”

Just like her students learned to sort books into fiction, nonfiction, and categories, Debbie helps authors:

Identify core categories (e.g., “female athletes,” “kids conflict resolution,” “Christian parenting,” “financial literacy for kids”)
Name subcategories that will become boards
Brainstorm keywords your ideal reader might type into Pinterest or Google
Clarify the message and promise behind each theme

This becomes your Pinterest ecosystem.

3. Implement: Boards, pins, and keywords

This is where you start building:

Boards for each category and subcategory
Pins that:
- Use strong, clear titles
- Include keyword-rich descriptions
- Link to focused pages on your website (not just your homepage)

Debbie shared a super practical starter exercise:

Choose 1 main category your book is strongest in
Create 4 subcategory boards from that main theme
Design 4 pins
Schedule each pin to each board over time

That gives you 16 pins from just one idea—without constantly reinventing the wheel.

4. Assess: Read what the numbers are saying

Pinterest analytics become your feedback loop:

Which pins are getting impressions?
Which ones are getting clicks?
Which keywords are actually working?
Where are people dropping off on your site?

Debbie looks at what’s ranking, what’s not, and where new opportunities are. You adjust, refine, and keep going.

What Works on Pinterest (and What Really Doesn’t)

What works:

Evergreen content.
Content that answers timeless questions and needs—not just “my launch is next Tuesday.”
A clear, usable website.
If Pinterest is your storefront window, your site is the inside of the shop. If it’s chaotic, confusing, or broken, people walk right back out.
Patience and consistency.
Debbie sees many pins begin to “mature” at around 2–3 months. This is not overnight growth—it’s slow, sustainable, and cumulative.
A service mindset. “Keep going with an attitude of service for your audience. How can you best help your audience?”

What doesn’t work:

Chasing quick wins or viral moments. “The people that want to become viral in a month—it’s just not going to happen.”
Treating Pinterest like Instagram.
It’s not about daily selfies and behind-the-scenes; it’s about searchable content that keeps working.
Messy websites and unclear messaging.
If a reader lands on your site and thinks, “I don’t know where to go from here,” you’ll lose them—no matter how great your pin was.

Who Can Pinterest Work For?

Short answer? Almost any author who’s willing to play the long game.

Debbie rattled off examples:

Trains
Composting
Sourdough bread
Financial literacy for kids
Teamwork and conflict resolution
Female athletes
Christian discipleship

“If you’ve got something you’re interested enough about to write the book for, there is somebody out there for you.”

One of her clients writes niche picture books about financial literacy for children. Years after they worked together, Debbie Googled her name and discovered:

“Her Pinterest boards are ranking higher than her website.”

Because every pin and board was loaded with relevant keywords, Pinterest and Google are still surfacing that content—all based on work they did years ago.

A Simple First Step (You Can Take This Week)

If you’re Pinterest-curious (or ready to give it another chance), Debbie suggests starting small and focused:

Pick one strong category from your book or message
- e.g., “Christian encouragement for overwhelmed moms,”
- “middle-grade books about grief,”
- “picture books about friendship,” etc.
Create four subcategories
These become your first boards. For example, if your main category is “kids and teamwork,” subcategories might be:
- Kids conflict resolution
- Classroom teamwork activities
- Picture books about friendship
- Family teamwork routines
Create four pins
Each pin:
- Has a clear title that includes keywords
- Links to a specific page on your site (not just the homepage)
- Has a helpful description (not just “new blog post!”)
Schedule each pin to all four boards over time
No need to spam everything at once. Spread them out. With that one idea, you now have 16 strategically placed pins in circulation.

Then? Give them time. Keep showing up. Keep building.

The Question We Forgot to Ask (About Video Pins!)

After our call with Debbie, we realized we forgot one of our biggest Pinterest questions—about video pins and carousels. So we emailed her and she graciously answered.

Mary K:

“One of the main reasons I left Pinterest was because they were beginning to roll out video pins and carousel pins, and these felt a lot like the reels I had left behind on Instagram… Can an author see success on Pinterest if they only ever create and share static pins?”

Debbie:

“Honestly, about 95% of what we post for our clients are static pins. At Pin Lit, we focus on creating long-lasting, evergreen content, rather than chasing flashy trends or algorithms. While video and carousel pins can be fun, they’re not a must for success.”

She adds:

Pinterest still rewards well-made, keyword-rich static pins
Her team helps authors lean into what feels doable and true to them
For most of her clients, that means simple, strong static pins that keep working over time

And then this gem:

“It’s steady as she goes over here in Pin Lit Land. We’re all about using your life’s work as the foundation for what we call ‘legacy marketing.’

Pinterest is the perfect space for that kind of slow-burn, soul-driven visibility. No dance trends or flashy edits required—just meaningful content that keeps reaching the right people over time.”

Can we get an amen?

A Word of Encouragement for Weary Writers

As we wrapped, Debbie shared this verse:

“I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
— Philippians 1:6

If God has given you a message, a book, a burden, or a story, He’s not careless with that. Your calling is not dependent on going viral. Your impact is not defined by your follower count.

“Sometimes you don’t know the successes that you’ve had because you didn’t know they happened.”

Your book might help someone you never meet. Your words might land in a heart you never hear from. Pinterest—or any platform—is just one tool God may use along the way.

Your job?
Keep showing up. Keep serving. Keep writing.

And if Pinterest feels like a gentle, sustainable next step, Debbie and her “steady as she goes” approach might be exactly the guide you need.

Connect with Debbie

Find Debbie on Pinterest or connect with her on LinkedIn.
Learn more about her Pinterest marketing services at pinlitmarketing.com.

This post was reformatted from our original transcript by ChatGPT and edited for accuracy by Mary K.