That reframes everything — you're not adding offerings on top of VA work, you're replacing it. That's a smart strategic shift, and it makes sense that the digital product and group offerings need to come first. Let me search for the latest on Pinterest for authors so I'm giving you current, actionable info.
That context changes everything — you're not layering new things on top of VA work, you're building your exit strategy. Every hour you spend on the digital product, workshops, and Pinterest is an hour moving you away from the time-for-money trap. That's the right priority order.

Here's your practical punch list for Pinterest — designed to get you fluent enough to help your August client and market your own business:

Phase 1: Foundation (Week 1 — Do This Now)
1. Convert to a Pinterest Business Account

• If you already have a personal Pinterest, convert it at pinterest.com/business — it's free
• If starting fresh, create a business account from scratch
  
• This unlocks analytics, rich pins, and the Pinterest Trends tool
  

2. Optimize Your Profile (For Poppy & Oak Creative)

• Profile photo: Your logo or a professional headshot
• Bio: Include keywords like "fiction author support," "book launch strategy," "author virtual assistant," "self-publishing help"
• Claim your website (poppyandoakcreative.com) — this gives you access to analytics on pins that link to your site
• Link your Instagram if you have one

3. Understand the Mindset Shift

• Pinterest is not social media — it's a visual search engine
• People go there to plan and discover, not to scroll mindlessly
• This means: keywords matter more than followers, and pins have a long shelf life (months or years, unlike a tweet that dies in hours)

Phase 2: Keyword Research (Week 1–2)4. Build a Keyword Bank Use Pinterest Trends (free in your business account) and the Pinterest search bar to discover what people are actually searching. Type in a word and watch autocomplete suggestions appear.
Search terms to start with for your business:

• "self-publishing fiction"
• "book launch tips"
• "author newsletter"
• "StoryOrigin"
• "BookFunnel setup"
• "KDP publishing"
• "Amazon A+ content"
• "author marketing"
• "cozy mystery books" (or whatever genre your client writes)

5. Document 50+ Keywords Group them into themes:

These keywords go into board titles, board descriptions, pin titles, and pin descriptions.Phase 3: Board Structure (Week 2)6. Create Your Boards
For Poppy & Oak Creative, I'd suggest 5–7 boards to start:

---

7. Write Keyword-Rich Board Descriptions Each board description should be 1–2 sentences with relevant keywords. Example: "Book launch strategy tips for fiction authors — ARC management, promo stacking, launch day checklists, and marketing plans to help your novel succeed."
8. Set Board Covers Create simple, branded cover images in Canva (2:3 vertical ratio, e.g., 1000×1500px). Keep them consistent with your purple/green branding.

Phase 4: Pin Creation (Week 2–3)9. Set Up Your Design Workflow

• Use Canva (free version works fine) to create pin designs
• Pin size: 1000 × 1500 pixels (2:3 ratio, vertical)
• Create 3–5 reusable pin templates so you're not starting from scratch each time

10. Create Your First Batch of Pins (10–15 pins)
Pin types that work well for author-support businesses:

11. Write Pin Descriptions With Keywords Each pin description should be 2–4 sentences with 3–5 relevant keywords naturally woven in. Every pin links back to your website, a blog post, or a landing page.

Phase 5: Pinning Strategy (Week 3+)12. Pin Consistently

• Aim for 3–5 fresh pins per day to start (this is the sweet spot for growth)
• You do NOT need to create new designs daily — reuse the same article/post with different pin designs

13. Use a Scheduler

• Tailwind is the most recommended scheduler for Pinterest — it suggests optimal times and automates pinning
• Alternative: Pinterest's native scheduler (free, but more limited)
• Batch-create 15–20 pins on one day, schedule them for the next 2–3 weeks
  

14. Mix Your Content Types

15. Join Group Boards

• Search for author-related group boards on Pinterest
• Use sites like Pingroupie.com to find group boards in your niche
• Follow the board owner, then follow their instructions to join (usually involves emailing or DMing them)
• Group boards dramatically expand your reach since your pins show to all board followers
  

Phase 6: For Your August Author ClientOnce you understand the above for your own business, applying it for an author client follows the same framework but with different content:

Phase 7: Measure & Adjust (Ongoing)16. Watch Pinterest Analytics Weekly Look at:

• Impressions — Are your pins showing up in search?
• Saves — Are people saving your pins? (This signals relevance)
• Outbound clicks — Are people clicking through to your website?
• Top performing pins — Double down on what works

17. Refresh Old Pins Every 4–6 weeks, create a new pin design for an older blog post or page and repin it. Pinterest rewards fresh content but you can reuse the same URL with new images.

Free Resources to Speed Your Learning

• Pinterest Trends — Built into your business account, shows trending searches
• Pinterest Business blog (business.pinterest.com) — Pinterest's own best practices guides
• Jane Friedman's article on Pinterest as an author marketing secret — a good real-world case study
• Heather Farris has a free Pinterest Strategy Guide and YouTube videos specifically for authors

The beautiful thing about learning Pinterest for your own business is that it becomes another service you could eventually offer — Pinterest setup for authors is a natural extension of what you already do. But for now, keep the focus narrow: get the fundamentals down for yourself, apply them to your August client, and let it quietly drive traffic to Poppy & Oak while you finish that digital product.
Want me to help you draft your first batch of pin descriptions, create a keyword list for your specific niche, or outline a Pinterest strategy document you could hand to your August client?