Pinterest is hot, its emails are not

Last week I was reading about Pinterest, an online pinboard site that allows users to create what are essentially online collages to share with fellow Pinterest folks. I read all about the site and "why it's hawt," and I was intrigued to check it out. I thought I might discuss how the site is taking the idea of content curation, a topic covered by my colleagues at Tendo, to a new level. The power of visuals as a key component to content would've inevitably come up, too ("a picture is worth a thousand words" is a cliché for a reason).

I might also have mentioned that's what old seems to be new again—just revamped for the Internet age. Our parents clipped coupons, we use Groupon. Our parents had garage sales, we have Craig's List and eBay. We used to make collages, and now we make them online, using sites like Pinterest. However, I can't really discuss these topics with (Pinterest) authority because I'm still waiting for my invite to join the Pinterest community. When I requested an invitation last Thursday, here's the message I received:

Hi! Thanks for joining the Pinterest waiting list. We'll be sure to send you an invite soon. In the meantime, you can follow us on Twitter. You can also explore a few pins. We're excited to get you pinning soon!

- Ben and the Pinterest Team

They get points in my book for giving me more information—"pins" to explore and a link to the site's Twitter feed. The email isn't just a dead-end. However, I found the message to be a big missed opportunity. Here's why:

I requested an invitation, but that doesn't mean I know much—or anything—about the site. This is Pinterest's chance to tell me why it's cool and why it's worth waiting for. It doesn't need to be five paragraphs—I appreciate short and snappy—but give me something. And give me a clue about when I'll get an invite and why there's a waiting list in the first place. Is it to create more buzz and excitement? Is it because the servers can't handle the potential onslaught of traffic caused by the site's increasing popularity? There might be strategic reasons that the company doesn't want to share with users, but it can't be too tough to think of a customer-friendly explanation to provide to people who have expressed an interest in your business.

Also, who's Ben? Clearly, he's an informal kind of guy, but should I have to do a Google search to find out that he's most likely Ben Silbermann, one of the site's cofounders? A little context in the email would have been helpful.

Lastly, and most importantly, the email omits the fact that if you have a friend who's already joined, that person can send you an invite. Wouldn't it make sense to mention that? Had I known, I would've emailed a handful of friends or posted something on Facebook to find out if anyone I knew had already joined, thereby spreading the buzz about the company.

Every communication with your customer is an opportunity, especially if it's potentially your *only* communication with that customer. Don't blow it.