How to Find Great Clients as a PVA

As a PVA (Pinterest virtual assistant), you want to work with great clients. But how do you find them? There are a few things you can do to increase your chances of finding the right clients for you. First, let’s start by understanding what a great client looks like for a PVA. Then we’ll explore some active and passive ways to get in front of these clients.

Most of all, remember that every business owner and blogger has the potential to be a great client. Many people are just lacking experience in the world of Pinterest and need time to learn and grow along with their accounts.

What Makes a Great Pinterest Client?

When it comes to Pinterest, there are a few key things that make for a great client. First and foremost, they should be passionate about their business and willing to invest the time and effort required to ensure success on the platform. As a PVA, it's your role to make them understand that this can take time and a significant investment. That investment will ultimately have a good ROI if both parties are performing their tasks well.

Secondly, they should have a clear vision for what they want to achieve with their Pinterest account and be able to articulate this to you.

Thirdly, they need to be willing to work with you long enough to see results. A month isn't enough time.

Finally, they should be open to trying new things and experimenting with different content types and strategies in order to get the most out of the platform. If they are too rigid and it's their way or the highway, then it's likely not a good starting point. If you can find clients that meet all of these criteria, you’re well on your way to having a great working relationship!

Do Certain Niches Have Better Clients?

There is no definitive answer to this question, as with life, there are good clients in every line of business. Finding them and recognizing them will become a skill you acquire over time as a PVA. Starting out, it's good to know the following:

Businesses in the legal or financial industries may be more likely to have extensive experience working with VAs and other contractors. As such, they may be more familiar with the quality of work that a VA can provide and be more willing to pay for those services. These also happen to be relatively targeted niche markets on Pinterest, which can take longer to grow.

The food blogger is in a niche that is going to see a lot of traffic and is highly competitive. That means those clients may burn out before they reach the level they desire. Discussing the potential pitfalls with them will help gauge their long term mindset for Pinterest.

Ecommerce is taking off BIG on Pinterest. Be prepared to find ecommerce clients who want to dig deep into ads and get impatient with organic methods. Do your research. If they are a completely new business, they may not make an ideal long term client, as most businesses fail within their first year.

Home decor and DIY are HUGE on Pinterest, but again, with such a large audience base, there is a lot of competition. Will your new client be prepared to come up with new and exciting content on a regular basis? Minimum one new content piece per week is a good general rule of thumb.

It's not so much what niche you have a client in but what they see for themselves down the road that will play a part in whether or not they are a good client for you.

How Do You Find Pinterest Clients?

As a Pinterest Virtual Assistant (PVA), one of your main tasks is to help clients grow their businesses by managing their Pinterest accounts. How do you find a client if you are just starting out?

Here are a few tips for finding great clients as a PVA: 1. Use Facebook. One of the best ways to find potential clients is to use Facebook groups. Don't jump into a group and ask for clients, and don't PM people with cold pitches. Do interact regularly on posts. Work your helpful magic in groups that are in the niche you want to work in. 2. Check out jobs on LinkedIn. Another great way to find potential clients is to check out the jobs on LinkedIn. Make yourself a solid profile for potential clients to view. Add regular posts to it. comments in the groups on LinkedIn. Again, avoid cold pitching. 3. Use Instagram. Social media is another great way to connect with potential clients. Try searching for relevant hashtags on Instagram, related to Pinterest marketing or management. This will help you connect with other professionals in your field, as well as potential clients who may be in need of your services. Follow accounts that look like they may interest you. Comment on their posts. "Be present. Be a presence." is always a good motto.

4. Upwork over Fiverr.

Upwork is a great way to find clients. In fact, some of my best clients are on Upwork. Is it hard to get your foot in the door if you are just starting out? Heck yes! It took me a solid six months of pitching myself. I kept reading during this time. What did the potential client want to read in the proposal? How long should a proposal be? What tone should I use in my proposal? And yes, I bought more connects for myself. Boost your proposals.

Take the time to learn about Upwork and network in the communities it has. Add a paid project people can buy from you. Use the platform to its fullest.

Fiverr is not my recommendation. Why? It is saturated with low cost work contract offers and often spam.

5. Your website.

Have a presence on the web. It's more professional to direct potential clients to your site than to just expect them to rely on your words. Keep working on your site and keep it updated as much as possible. Offer free resources. Offer value. Let them see the real you on your site. Relationships are always built on knowing each other to a certain extent, and business relationships are the same.

It is said that just as you are about to give up, good things happen. It couldn't have been truer for me. I put out proposal after proposal. I started this blog and website. I spent six months with zero income as I struggled to find a client, any client I wasn't being picky. I worked on an account for free. I worked another account for peanuts. I worked a few accounts for peanuts. Peanuts are better than air. Peanuts offer value in other ways for the inexperienced PVA. They offer experience.

All the while, take the time to educate yourself. Read blogs, listen to podcasts, or take a course in management. One day, you will get a response.

If you've been trying to find a client as a new PVA with little to no success and would like to discuss some ideas, feel free to message!

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For more on Pinterest best practices, pinning strategy, and business, be sure to follow along with Blogatcha! Written by Pinterest manager and mom, Amber Flinn. My goal is to help educate those interested in Pinterest, small business, entrepreneurship, and social media. I welcome guest submissions, so if you think you have a great idea for an article, please reach out!