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SALT LAKE CITY — Several Utahns are turning pins into financial success. Pinterest is an online world of visual bookmarking, discovering ideas and sharing your own. In Utah, some women have used this free online social media site. Not to plan just the next best Elmo-themed birthday party, but to make cold hard cash.
Megan Moore, 31, is the owner of Moore Hair Design in Cottonwood Heights. She was named one of the top two beauty bloggers in 2014 by Allure Magazine. Online, she's The Beauty Snoop, with tutorials and pictures going viral.
"I definitely noticed Pinterest right away because I use it as a consumer and love what it does for there," said Moore. "So I thought, ‘I've got to start tapping into this as a business owner as well.' "
About 80 percent of Moore's blog traffic comes from what she posts on Pinterest. One post about how to get the perfect curl has almost a million re-pins. That's a million sets of eyes directed to her website, where cash is generated through advertising.
"Your brain can just absorb those images so fast, so I think a ton of blog traffic comes from the pictures," said Moore. " That's what intrigues them to click over."
Several other Utah bloggers are seeing similar success. Stephanie Brinkerhoff of Ogden is known around the world for her beautiful bridal hair designs. On Pinterest, her account Hair and Makeup by Steph has over 5 million followers.
Emily Taylor is a fabric designer from Sandy with more than 200 unique designs. She's also the creator of Pattern Jam, an online startup where you can design elaborate quilts. According to Taylor, 20 percent of her business comes directly from photos posted on Pinterest.
"With Pinterest, it ages well," said Taylor. "The longer it's on there, the more pins, the more reception it's going to get."
According to ComScore, there are more than 70 million monthly users on Pinterest, with 30 billion pins. With Utah's do-it-yourself attitude and history of blogging success, it's no wonder Utah was one of the first places Pinterest took off and where the Pinners Conference and Expo established by one of our own.
Last year, 8,000 people attended the Pinners Conference at the South Towne Expo Center. This year, that number is expected to double.
