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Voices of Pinterest Tokyo: Chloe Wu, Creator Growth Manager, Japan

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In Life at Pinterest’s new series, Voices of Pinterest Tokyo, get to know the Pinployees doing incredible work at our Tokyo, JP office.

Hi Chloe! Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us about your experience as a Pinployee on our Tokyo team. Can you share a bit about your role here?

I was just promoted into a Creator Growth Manager role, and my main job is to grow the pool of Japan-based Creators at Pinterest. Previously, I did similar work on the Pinner side, working to build up the amount of Pinners on our platform. As a Pinner Marketing Manager, I ran marketing campaigns, TVC ads, and promotional events. I also conducted market research and acquired sign-ups for Pinterest in Japan by working with the engineering team to improve top-of-funnel processes. I’m so excited to dive into my Creator marketing role.

You recently led an important Creator education initiative. What are the challenges that motivated you to create that program? How is it going currently?

I was really excited to start Creator Academy for our region. This was an education initiative intended to build up our creator pool. Most Pinners come to Pinterest for inspiration, but we also want Creators to publish their own ideas and content on the platform. Our two biggest challenges are: 1) Users don’t realize that they can post on Pinterest; and 2) they don’t know what is expected of creators on Pinterest. To address this, I decided to start with education. Creator Academy was a three-month online education program to encourage people to watch videos, submit homework, and enter competitions all with the goal of learning how to use Pinterest’s Creator tools. From this program we were able to help many people develop their skills and become macro -creators on Pinterest. We had over 2,000 people sign up for the first round. I’ve since handed it off, but we’ve had over 17,000 signups and more than 4,000 graduates.

Let’s talk more about how you began your career here at Pinterest. How long have you been here? How did you originally learn about Pinterest and discover the opportunity to work here?

I’ve been here for two years, transitioning from Pinner Growth Marketing Manager to my current role as Creator Growth Manager. I first learned about Pinterest when I was in college doing photography with my friends. I’ve always loved the platform. A couple of years ago, I saw an opening through a LinkedIn job posting. I didn’t realize that Pinterest existed in Japan until I saw the LinkedIn ad. My cousin had interned at Pinterest in San Francisco, so I looked it up and found that we had an office in Tokyo. I found a great opportunity for me and have been here since!

There are a number of global companies that you could have chosen as an employer. What stood out about Pinterest that inspired you to join the team?

I had a very specific idea in mind for an ideal workplace and Pinterest checked all of the boxes. That was so rare for me, and joining was a no-brainer. I wanted to work at an international company because I’m trilingual and I wanted to use both English and Japanese at work. I also wanted to work at an office that still had room to grow in Tokyo, but had a big established headquarters in their HQ country. Pinterest was a magical find. Working for a smaller office was great because I could wear many hats and have the intimacy of a small team. When you’re small, you’re part of the growth. I really wanted to be part of that, which is why I decided to join Pinterest.

Also, at Pinterest, we want to do things right. We feel the pressure of growth and competitors and know companies are trying their best to grow in every way they can, even when decisions to expedite growth can jeopardize their brand value. Pinterest is not that way. We do things right and root all decisions in our values. We always want to do a job that people are proud of.

We’d love to know how you’ve created a (work) life you love. What are your favorite things about your job and about Pinterest?

People at Pinterest really like the product, and they really like each other. I very much enjoy the type of work I do and it’s great because working on something you already like leads to natural motivation. I’ve always been in marketing, and I’m able to use my marketing skills, but also get exposed to other areas of the business, because of Pinterest’s workplace nature. I’ve had the chance to learn about product and data analysis despite my role being in marketing. This facet of touching on all aspects of Pinterest’s exciting growth phase is very interesting to me. Also, everyone is so nice! I think when joining a company, the people you work with are the most important part. People are a really big factor for me.

How has your experience been with the people and the culture of the company?

The people are very nice. It feels very global, and because of the bilingual nature, everyone speaks English. We have a diverse team which is super cool. Pinterest values work-life balance, so people have time to focus on their hobbies and passions. This is likely why people are so nice!

What are some challenges that might come up as a Pinterest employee here in Tokyo?

We’re constantly changing as a team and the product is changing every day as well, so that can definitely be a challenge. We’re always figuring out how we want to grow and taking actions toward it, which is a different environment compared to companies that are more established here. It’s a positive aspect for me, but I see how it can be difficult.

It’s been such a joy learning about your experiences, Chloe. Before we let you go, can you offer some advice for someone who wants a career in marketing or wants to join the Pinterest team?

Stay curious! I’ve never met a great marketer who wasn’t curious. Curious about people, about trends, about different worlds. All of this curiosity leads to great ideas and fresh recommendations. This thinking drives marketers’ careers.

For more information on Pinterest’s job opportunities in Tokyo, explore our careers page.

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