The Roast of Emma Chamberlain
Pinterest teamed up with Emma Chamberlain for its first-ever co-branded product. Here’s what it means.
Welcome back to Sell! Sell! Sell! 🛍️
If you’re new here — hello! 👋 Sell Sell Sell is your weekly hit of everything happening in the world of social commerce: platform shifts, creator moves, brand plays, and the trends reshaping how we buy (and sell) online.
This week, China continues to dominate live commerce, but new data shows that scaling profitably in that market is tougher than it looks.
Meanwhile, we’re spotlighting a first-of-its-kind collab between Emma Chamberlain and Pinterest that might just signal the platform’s next chapter.
Let’s dig in…
🚨 This Week’s Headlines
(July 22nd)
🌏 China still leads in live commerce — but scaling profitably isn’t easy
According to BoF and Goldman Sachs, over one-third of China’s beauty e-commerce will take place on live commerce platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou in 2025. But for global brands, tapping into that momentum isn’t plug-and-play.
Why? High traffic costs and local competition. Domestic brands move faster and understand platform nuance better. And while livestreaming in China is often dominated by KOLs, their fees can cut deep into margins.
The smarter move? A slower, in-house approach. Chinese consumers increasingly prefer brand-originated livestreams that feel official and behind-the-scenes. Meanwhile, in markets like India, shoppers still respond best to celebrity-led formats.
One size definitely doesn’t fit all.
📏 Measuring success is now the biggest challenge in influencer marketing
According to Brit Starr, CMO of CreatorIQ and eMarketer’s Chart of the Day, measurement—not budget—is now the top hurdle in creator marketing.
As brands get more serious about influencer strategy, the focus has shifted from “how much should we spend?” to “how do we prove it worked?” Engagement quality and ROI are now front and center—follower count alone won’t cut it.
🧹 Facebook announced it's cracking down on unoriginal content
Meta is cracking down on Facebook accounts that repeatedly repost unoriginal content. Offenders risk losing monetization and reach. So far, Meta has removed 10M impersonators and penalized 500K spammy accounts. It's also testing links to credit original creators. The update comes amid criticism over Meta’s overuse of automated enforcement.
TL;DR, authenticity wins!
🎤 Seller Spotlight
Pinterest × Emma Chamberlain coffee collab
Emma Chamberlain for her coffee collaboration with Pinterest. Photo: Courtesy of Chamberlain Coffee
This week’s seller spotlight goes to a familiar face: Emma Chamberlain.
Pinterest partnered with her to launch its first-ever co-branded physical product—a Sea Salt Toffee coffee blend under the Chamberlain Coffee label. But the product is only part of the story.
The idea was sparked by Emma’s genuine love for the platform—calling Pinterest the “only safe space” online. From there, Pinterest didn’t just sponsor a product—they built it with her. The flavor, packaging, aesthetic, and storytelling were all shaped inside Pinterest, using trend data and moodboarding tools directly from the app.
The launch earned 1,500 press mentions in week one, a full in-store experience at Peter’s Cafe in Century City, and a wave of shoppable Pins and branded content.
And it wasn’t pushed through traditional ad channels—it came from Pinterest’s comms team. That shift says a lot about where commerce is headed: collaborative, narrative-driven, and architected by creators from the inside out.
On the topic on Pinterest. Let’s do a
🤿 Deep Dive
Why Pinterest might just be the most underrated creator platform
Will Pinterest be a social commerce darling?
Brett Dashevsky, founder of Creator Economy NYC did a piece on Pinterest following the “Pin It to Win It” event the other week. His hot take, “we’re all sleeping on Pinterest…”
Here’s why:
1. Pinterest users come with intent.
Unlike passive scrollers on TikTok or Instagram, Pinterest users are planners—they’re searching, saving, and ready to act. As Brett noted: “They’re already in action mode.” That makes every Pin a high-intent touchpoint.
2. Pinterest wants to send traffic off-platform.
Where most platforms hoard attention, Pinterest drives it to your blog, links, or shop. Brett highlighted real creator revenue from outbound clicks, affiliate links, and newsletter traffic—metrics that actually correlate with sales. This is the opposite to most other social media platforms (I’m looking at you TikTok…!)
3. Repurpose and optimize.
No need to start from scratch. Sync Instagram, tweak your SEO titles (“my morning vibe” → “5-minute routine for busy moms”), and repackage content for long-tail discovery.
In short: Pinterest drives high-intent traffic, sends users off-platform (unlike most), and rewards smart content reuse—making it a perfect social commerce combo.
And, on top of this, Morgan Stanley just upgraded the Pinterest stock based on it’s performance in AI and ads.
I’m definitely with Brett. I think most brands are sleeping on Pinterest…
See you next week. In the meantime, Sell! Sell! Sell! 🫡