Tuesday, May 18, 2021
This review of Tailwind Create contains affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I was also compensated to create this content, but the opinions and perspectives I provide are 100% my own.
It used to be that Pinterest was one of the easiest places to do content marketing. The network was small enough that it was easy to get noticed. You could use slightly altered versions of your Instagram posts, and even post links with them. Pins which did well could be boosted occasionally and still get shared regularly. And best of all, the algorithm didn’t care if your content was commercial or not. In short, Pinterest was an easy to please network.
Unfortunately, Pinterest has made things more difficult. While the algorithm still doesn’t penalize content made by a business account, it does encourage fresh content. The algorithm has made it more difficult to see the older Pins. Why is that important? In short, we marketers must now use more resources on Pinterest for marketing.
That’s where Tailwind, and its new tool Tailwind Create, comes in. With Tailwind, you can both elevate your content creation and the effectiveness of that content on Pinterest. The app’s data bears this out: According to their January 2021 figures,
Pins created in Tailwind Create got saved (or re-pinned) 373% more often than existing content.
Furthermore,
Tailwind Create users spent less than two minutes making each design. This compares with 15 minutes for users of conventional drag and drop editing software.
What is Tailwind?
These eye-popping numbers lead us to the next question: what is Tailwind, anyway? Unless you use Pinterest or Instagram, there’s a good chance you have never heard of it. With that said, here is what you need to know about this awesome marketing app.
First, you need to know that Tailwind was primarily built for scheduling and analytics on Pinterest and Instagram. While it isn’t a comprehensive social media management utility (it only does those two networks) it still has a lot of valuable tools for these networks.
Save time scheduling to Pinterest and Instagram
Posting content on social media can be time consuming. This is especially true if you must do most of the work manually, though few marketers have this problem. Tailwind makes the process easier and far more efficient. And, like other management apps, it lets you schedule the content to post at a particular time.
Post at the best times for engagement
Speaking of scheduling ahead of time, Tailwind lets you choose the posting times for whenever your intelligence says the Pin will get the most engagement. This is true even if the targeted posting times are incompatible with your work schedules. So, if a member of your team is located in Europe somewhere, they can still schedule a post for midday in California.
Grow together with Communities
If you’re like most marketers, you love to network and collaborate with colleagues. Tailwind Communities lets you do this in an online forum. However, these Communities are geared more towards content creators. In other words, Pinterest has found a way for content creators to do more than compete-or collaborate-from a distance. This really sets them apart.
If you’re involved in digital or social media marketing, feel free to join my own Tailwind Community:
Blogging, Digital & Social Media Marketing Pros
Get more actionable analytics
With a specialist app comes specialist analytics. Tailwind is fully focused on making your branded pins as successful as possible. To that end, they not only include present performance analytics, but also log historical data. This way, it’s easier to see how your Pins are doing over time.
Besides this, Tailwind gives you actionable tips on how to improve your Pinterest stats. This includes suggestions on how to optimize your Pins so they have a better chance of going viral. In other words, Tailwind offers you the best information to help your Pins perform better than ever.
Need more convincing? Tailwind is an official marketing partner for Pinterest and Facebook. This means that using this app for your marketing efforts presents no risk to your account.
What is Tailwind Create?
Tailwind create is a brand new tool from Tailwind. In fact, they are barely out of Beta testing. Tailwind Create helps content creators and marketers compensate for the algorithm changes. Testing has shown that even a small change in a Pin before reposting removes the algorithm penalties for not being “new” content.
The trouble, of course, is that traditional photo editing software takes a while to use. This shift to an emphasis on new content increased the workload of Pinterest marketers significantly. Tailwind Create was designed to let content creators make new Pins quickly and easily. Best of all, it’s a specialized tool for Pinterest and Instagram only.
Many of us marketers and content creators have become raving fans of Tailwind Create. And with good reason. Users of Tailwind Create can enjoy easy-to-use graphics editing functionality built right in to the Tailwind app. In fact, for most of us that are used to generalized graphics programs this functionality is a major game changer. Plus, it’s convenient. Here are some other killer characteristics of this tool.
Time saver
The algorithm changes last year didn’t quite create an existential crisis for Pinterest content creators, but it sure was inconvenient. Creating Pins using traditional editing software takes quite a bit of time: many users report spending 15 minutes or more. If you are making one of these in a day then this isn’t a big deal. But for agencies and marketing departments, having the time not go as far as it once did is a major problem.
Fortunately, with Tailwind Create you can make a new Pin in a couple of minutes. One reason for this is that all the Pinterest-specific settings are programmed in so that they don’t have to be set each time. Without the features that nobody needs in Pinterest, and the simplification that this brings, users don’t need to switch them off or make different selections. This is true both for commercial content and non-commercial content.
Easily create great looking content in a variety of styles for any project
Tailwind Create was designed for both personal and business accounts that create content for Pinterest. Other graphics apps do a little bit of everything. However, just because Tailwind Create is geared exclusively to Pinterest content doesn’t mean it is without features. Rather, users can create any size of campaign or project with it.
In practice, this ability to do any size of project means that Tailwind Create users can design a single, stand alone Pin or a large series of them. If you just like to make simple Pins which advertise your latest blog post, this app won’t be too heavy for you. At the same time, Tailwind Create has adequate functionality to make elaborate branded Pins.
Content made with Tailwind Create might be more effective than your own.
According to Tailwind, the Pins made with their Create functionality do around 47% better in terms of getting shared than others posted with Tailwind. These “competing” Pins are made with other graphics applications which are not specialized.
This has a few implications. First, a purpose-built app like Tailwind Create has an edge over the competition. Developers of the generalized apps are primarily interested in making their product suitable for many uses. This means that they don’t have the time to fully optimize their app for every social network. And since Pinterest is less popular than some others, it typically isn’t the biggest priority.
How to Use Tailwind Create
Well, this wouldn’t be a proper review unless I told you how to use this valuable new tool. Although Tailwind Create is easy to use, each feature deserves some explanation. Hopefully these instructions will help you get started and see how impressive it is.
Tailwind Create is part of your Tailwind subscription
Now that it has exited Beta, Tailwind Create has been integrated into everyone’s Tailwind account. This means that if you are a current subscriber then you have access to it, whether you’re aware of this or not. If your dashboard has looked a bit different lately, this is the reason.
Accessing Tailwind Create
You can find it by going to the green button in your account toolbar. Then, you’ll select “create image” in the drop down menu. Once you have done this, you are in the Tailwind Create ecosystem. It’s worth noting that the “create” option wasn’t available before. You used to need the image finished before Tailwind would let you do anything.
Setting up your Tailwind Create space
Once you’re within the Tailwind Create functionality, you first need to set up the branding kit. For individual Pinterest members this can be something that they like. On the other hand, most commercial accounts will select the options they use in other advertising.
First, choose the colors you’ll set as default. This is super easy with click-and-select functionality. Next, you’ll select the fonts which will be defaults. Whatever your style (or your brand voice) is, you can find an appropriate font. Each of these settings will be added to your brand kit so you only need to select the color and font sets once. Keep in mind, you can change them later if needed. These are only default settings.
Finally, add your company or branding logos. For individual content creators, these can be any graphic you include in all your posts. It doesn’t have to be a “corporate” logo. This is one of the few times you’ll need-or perhaps want-to upload files into Tailwind Create. You are now ready to design.
Click here to try Tailwind Create!
Designing a Pin with Tailwind Create
When you’re ready to make a Pin, Tailwind Create is easy to use. As with most graphics design applications, you have access to clip art and stock photography in-app. There’s no need to upload one every time you wish to make a Pin.
To select a picture, you can either browse the complete selection or search by keyword. Once you’ve found the perfect one, you can select it. Then, you’re ready for Tailwind Create to do its magic. First, select the frames (if any) you want to use, and then the colors. All of your common choices can be loaded as presets to make content creation faster.
Next, you’ll insert text and logos. The logos are click and drag, and the text goes into pre-proportioned text boxes. These boxes are optimized for maximum impact on Pinterest, so you don’t have to worry about making them the perfect size yourself.
Finally, you’ll insert text. This is as simple as typing text into a PowerPoint presentation: the text automatically takes the shape of your box. Play with your font, if necessary, until you like it. Once you’re happy with the Pin, select it.
Click here to try Tailwind Create!
Customizing for various audiences
One of the best things about Tailwind Create is that you can easily make multiple Pins with the same picture. This allows you to target different audiences with minimal effort. To do this, pick another thumbnail of the chosen picture. It will have the same frames and logos already preloaded. Then, change the text and/or text style. You will now have two usable Pins. Repeat as many times as necessary.
Once you have finished all your Pins, you can schedule them for posting as normal. Easy, right?
Click here to try Tailwind Create!
Is Tailwind Create Free?
Yes, it is. Tailwind Create is included with all Tailwind subscriptions, including the “free forever” plan. However, before you run out and try to create years’ worth of content for free, you should know that your access to Tailwind Create is limited based on your plan. Each Tailwind subscription tier has a limit on the number of Pins you can make. The only exception to this is the “Max” subscription, which offers unlimited everything.
Keep in mind, though, that some changes are coming. Tailwind is developing this tool for Instagram and Facebook graphics. In addition, there is talk of some extra-premium features in the future. Here’s the bottom line: Tailwind Create is one of the best new Pinterest tools I’ve seen in a long time. Its ease of use and inclusion with the Tailwind subscription makes it an excellent choice that even beginners can maximize. Finally, the early effectiveness metrics on this tool are stunning. You simply must try it.
Click here to try Tailwind Create!
Photo by Fahim R. on Unsplash