DIY vs Hiring a Pinterest Manager – Which One Is Right for You?

Pinterest isn’t just another social media platform—it’s a traffic-driving powerhouse that way too many online entrepreneurs sleep on.

With over 450 million active users and a search-first focus, Pinterest can deliver consistent, high-quality traffic to your blog, coaching biz, or online shop long after you hit publish.

We’re talking months. Sometimes years.

But here’s the big question: should you DIY your Pinterest marketing or hire a Pinterest pro to take the wheel?

It’s a decision that affects your time, your budget, and your business growth—so yeah, it’s kind of a big deal.

By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly which path makes the most sense for your business.

I will break down what a Pinterest manager actually does (because I do this daily!), how the DIY route stacks up, and how to choose the right fit based on your goals.

What Does a Pinterest Manager Actually Do?

Spoiler alert: it’s way more than designing a few pretty pins.

A Pinterest manager is your go-to strategy partner who handles all the behind-the-scenes magic:

Core Responsibilities:

Profile Optimization: Crafting SEO-rich descriptions, setting up biz features, creating branded board covers.
Profile Audit: Analyze what works and what doesnt, and integrate it into an overal account strategy.
Keyword Research & SEO: Finding trending keywords, optimizing boards and pins, testing SEO strategies.
Pin Design: Static pins, video pins, idea pins—all branded, all on point.
Scheduling: Tailwind magic or native tools to keep your content flowing.
Analytics & Strategy: Tracking, testing, tweaking—because data is queen.

Here are some thing that you can’t expect your Pinterest manager to do:

create any original content for your website
update your on-page SEO for Pinterest
create your posting strategy and draft content ideas (I do provide my clients with a list of low competition keywords just FYI)
be active on your profile every single day (most managers bulk-schedule pins in advance, and do other work in batches)
go beyond any scope originally agreed in the contract

Pinterest Manager vs. Pinterest VA

A Pinterest VA is like your reliable assistant.

Virtual assistants generally need quite a bit of training, and tend to be more flexible to follow your lead in terms of how you want to run your account.

A Pinterest Manager is a strategic partnership.

A manager will take full ownership of your account, so its a completely hands-off solution for Pinterest marketing. A manager also brings advanced tactics to the table, and pivot when needed.

It’s less “tell them what to do,” and more “they tell you what’s working.”

The DIY Route: What It Involves

Want to manage Pinterest yourself?

You absolutely can—just know what you’re walking into.

Your Weekly DIY Routine Might Include:

Designing 5–10 fresh pins per article (1 hr)
Keyword research (1 hr)
Scheduling pins with Tailwind or native scheduler (1–2 hrs)
Reviewing analytics + adjusting your plan (1 hr)
Updating your profile with new boards, optimizing existing content, researching new ideas for low competition content
Continue learning and adapting your strategies to what’s currently working with the algorithm

Tools You’ll Likely Use:

Canva Pro
Tailwind Scheduler or Pinterest native
Pinterest + Google Analytics

Time Commitment? Around 5–8 hours/week. That’s 20–32 hours/month.

Pros and Cons of DIY Pinterest Management

Pros:

Total creative control
Lower upfront costs
You learn the platform inside-out
Instant implementation when you get new ideas

Cons:

It’s a lot. Learning curve + time = commitment
Design, SEO, copy, analytics… it’s a lot of hats
Takes longer to see growth if you’re learning as you go

Real Talk: Many creators see results 3–6 months in. It can be worth it. But it’s not instant.

Pros and Cons of Hiring a Pinterest Manager

Pros:

Expert-level strategy & faster growth
Time to focus on revenue-driving work
Someone who actually likes SEO and analytics (bless them)
Real-time pivoting when Pinterest updates its algorithm (again)

Cons:

Monthly investment ($400–1,500, depending on experience/content volume)
Less direct control over your day-to-day content
Need to find someone who gets your niche and brand vibe

Cost Breakdown: DIY vs Pinterest Manager

Factor	DIY Approach	Hiring a Pinterest Manager
Monthly Cost	$20-50 per month for tools	$400-1,500
Time Investment	20-32 hours monthly	1 hour monthly for updates
Software/Tools	You pay directly: $150-300/year + any Pinterest courses ($300 and up)	Often included in management package
Typical Traffic Results	3-6 months for noticeable growth	noticeable growth possible much faster
Long-term ROI	Higher if you master the platform	Higher if you reinvest your time in other business activities

To calculate your potential ROI from hiring a Pinterest manager, consider:

Value of your time per hour × Hours saved monthly
Additional revenue from increased traffic or leads
Cost of Pinterest management
Learning curve time saved

Here is a real life example I used a few times:

Let’s assume you’re one of the few lucky ones and earn a full time income from your blog, which is approximately $15,000 per month.

For simplicity, let’s assume that’s your profit.

If you work full time on your blog or business, your effective hourly rate is $93.75 ($15,000 / 160 working hours in a month – again just simplified version).

In my experience, you need to spend at least 3 hours per week on Pinterest to see any results (keyword research, canva designs, scheduling, updating content and boards, analytics review etc).

That’s 12 hours per month at $93.75 – which means you’re effectively paying yourself $1,125 every month to manage your own account.

This is a simple exercise which is missing another key factor: not all your time is valued equally.

If you spend two hours working on Pinterest, you’re making $187.50, but if you use those two hours to instead publish an affiliate article that makes you $1,500 per month, then you’re earning an equivalent of $750 / hour.

So your ROI (return on investment – your time) for writing affiliate articles is 4 times higher than ROI for DIY Pinterest marketing.

This is why – even if you earn much less per month – it is often better to outsource Pinterest management so you can invest your time back into your company, and work on high ROI tasks instead.

Tip:

I highly recommend reading Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell – it will change the way you think about time.

How to Decide: Key Factors to Consider

do you have available money to pay for the service?
is your time valuable to you or you have limited time to invest each day?
what is the opportunity cost of spending 3 hours per week on Pinterest vs on other core business activities?
do you have the skills and knowledge do go the DIY route?
do you actually enjoy Pinterest marketing with everything that comes with it?
do you have systems in place that you can stay consistent going forward?
do you have time to both write content / work on your business, and also on Pinterest marketing?
what are your long term business goals and where does Pinterest fall into the plan?
is Pinterest a critical traffic source for you? can you afford to DIY it and risk losing traffic?
how quickly do you want to see results?

Not Ready to Go All-In? Try These Instead:

One Off Audit or Strategy Session: Get expert advice, stay DIY – this is one off cost that will set you on the right path. You can check my service here.
Outsource Design Only: You do strategy + scheduling, and get an expert to create templates which you can reuse yourself for future. Check out my own here. Again, this is just one off cost that will set you on the right path.
Course + Templates: Learn Pinterest with pro tools (coming soon to my own brand).
Pinterest VA: Outsource part of the process to a new Pinterest VA – a lot of people starting in the space are looking for testimonials, and will be happy to offer the service at a lower cost.

Signs You’re Ready to Hire a Pinterest Manager

You’re likely ready to outsource your Pinterest management when:

You’re consistently creating content for your audience
You’ve monetized your platform through products, display ads, or affiliate marketing
You’ve reached a plateau in your Pinterest growth despite consistent effort
Your time is increasingly valuable and better spent on other aspects of your business
You’ve tried DIY and found it overwhelming or ineffective
Pinterest traffic impacts your revenue directly, making ROI measurement clear
You have sufficient budget to invest in quality management for at least 6 months

Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Pinterest Manager

When vetting potential Pinterest managers, ask these critical questions:

What niches do you specialize in?
Can you share case studies or results from similar clients?
What’s included in your monthly package?
How do you measure success?
What’s your communication style and frequency?
How do you stay updated on Pinterest changes?
What would you need from me to be successful?
Do you handle content creation or just scheduling?
What happens if we don’t see results?
Do you have a minimum contract period?

Final Verdict: DIY or Hire?

After weighing all factors, here’s a simplified recommendation framework:

DIY Pinterest Management might be best if:

You’re in the early stages of your business
Your monthly marketing budget is under $500
You have 5-8 hours weekly to dedicate to Pinterest
You enjoy visual creation and platform strategy
You’re willing to invest time in learning Pinterest marketing
Immediate results aren’t critical to your business model

Hiring a Pinterest Manager might be best if:

Your business is established and monetized
Your time is better spent on other revenue-generating activities
You have at least $400-600 monthly to invest in marketing
You have sufficient content to promote (30+ pieces)
You need faster results or strategic guidance
You find Pinterest technical aspects frustrating or confusing

Conclusion

Well, that was a lot to consider, wasn’t it!

I hope you have much more clear picture about Pinterest management, and whether its a good option for your or not.

In case you fall in the DIY group, don’t worry, I’m here to help!

You can join my Madpin Membership – an exclusive subscription community where I give one on one advice to my subscribers, and also share custom AI tools there. Plus a monthly freebie with new pin templates for Canva.

You can also take my crash course in Pinterest if you sign up to my newsletter below.

Thank you for reading!

Want to Learn More?

This PDF guide will give you a crash course in Pinterest Marketing – plus I included access to my free AI tool for creating SEO optimized titles & descriptions.

Love it? Save it for Later!

Save these for later so you can find this article when you need to refer back to it. You will also find lots of practical tips and guides on my Pinterest profile, so don’t forget to stalk me there.