Pinterest Has Been Sending Licensing Enquiries Directly to My Inbox, Here's How You Can Make It Work Too
Most surface pattern designers are posting their work on Instagram and hoping someone notices. A brand art director. A licensing contact. Someone who could say yes.
But Instagram moves fast. Your post is gone in a few hours. And the algorithm decides who sees it.
Pinterest is completely different, and it's one of the best-kept tools in a surface pattern designer's toolkit.
I know this because it's been quietly working in the background of my own business for the past year, sending licensing enquiries directly to my inbox from people who found my work through a pin.
Not a story. Not a reel. A pin I created and forgot about.
Here's what I want you to understand: a pin you make today can still be bringing people to your portfolio two years from now. That's not how any other platform works.
Why Pinterest Works Differently for Artists
Pinterest is a search engine, not a social platform. People go there looking for something specific, a mood, a style, a colour palette, a pattern direction. They type in what they want and they find you.
When I started approaching Pinterest with an actual strategy, everything changed. I had pins ranking at the top of search results in my industry. Art directors and brand contacts found my work without me chasing them. And yes, licensing enquiries started arriving in my inbox from Pinterest.
This is exactly what I want for you. Not more hours spent on content that disappears. A platform that keeps building momentum in the background, even on the weeks when you're too busy to post anything new.
The Person Who Taught Me How to Use Pinterest Properly
I've been teaching Pinterest to surface pattern designers in my own workshop for a while now, but I want to be honest with you: Meagan Williamson is the one who taught me.
Meagan is a Pinterest specialist who has worked with businesses across every industry. Her program, PinPotential, completely changed how I think about and use the platform. She doesn't just teach you to post more, she teaches you how the algorithm actually works, what makes pins rank, and how to build a presence that compounds over time.
I did an interview with Meagan a while back where we talked specifically about how artists and designers can use Pinterest to grow their visibility and attract the right people. You can watch it here, it's worth an hour of your time if Pinterest has been on your radar.
The Free Pinterest Growth Challenge, And Why This Is the Last Time It's Running for Free
Meagan runs a free Pinterest Growth Challenge a few times a year, and this is the last time she'll be offering it at no cost.
If you've been curious about Pinterest but haven't known where to start, or if you've been posting but not seeing results, this challenge is exactly what you need.
Sign up for the free Pinterest Growth Challenge here
Here's what the challenge covers:
Day 1. Your Pinterest Plan The quiet growth strategy that keeps working long after you post. This is where it all starts.
Day 2. Q+A Bring your questions. Meagan answers them live.
Day 3. The Discovery Shift How to turn your existing content into something Pinterest keeps surfacing for new people. This is where the compounding starts.
Day 4. Your Conversion System Visibility is only half the equation. This is about turning that visibility into actual enquiries, subscribers, and opportunities.
Day 5. Live Coaching + Implementation This is where you actually put it into practice, with Meagan there to help.
Bonus Sunday, The 3 Mistakes Keeping You Stuck on Pinterest These are the things most people are doing without realising it. Fixing them changes your results fast.
The core trainings are pre-recorded so you can watch them on your own schedule, then join live for the Q+A and coaching calls. If you're time-poor, that matters.
What to Expect if You Actually Do This
I'm not going to tell you Pinterest is magic or that you'll wake up to a hundred enquiries the day after the challenge ends.
What I will tell you is what happened for me.
I went into PinPotential already using Pinterest casually. After working through Meagan's strategies, I started seeing pins rank at the top of search results in my niche. Licensing brands started finding me on Pinterest and reaching out directly. I built a presence on the platform that keeps growing without me posting every single day.
For surface pattern designers, this matters because you already have the work. You have the images. You have the designs. Pinterest is one of the few platforms where that content can keep working for you indefinitely, you're not starting from scratch every time.
This Is the Last Time It's Free
Meagan has confirmed this is the final time the Pinterest Growth Challenge will run for free. If you've been sitting on the fence about Pinterest, this is the moment to sort it out.
If you want to go further after the challenge, PinPotential is her full program, and it's worth every bit of it.
Affiliate note: this is an affiliate link, which means I may earn a commission if you enrol. I only ever promote things I've taken myself and found genuinely useful. Meagan's teaching is the reason I use Pinterest the way I do today.
