Pinterest is different from other social platforms. People come to plan and to buy, and Pins can send traffic for months.
On most social networks a post lives for a day. On Pinterest, people search for ideas ("easy autumn table decor", "small garden ideas", "wedding budget spreadsheet"), save them to boards and click through to websites to learn more or buy. A good Pin can keep sending visitors for months or even years.
And unlike Instagram, every Pin can link to your website. That makes Pinterest one of the best free traffic sources for businesses in home, food, fashion, beauty, weddings, crafts, travel, parenting, fitness, education and many other visual topics.
- Pinterest is a visual search engine
- Every Pin can link to your site
- Good Pins send traffic for months
A free business account gives you analytics, ads and the ability to claim your website.
- Use a free business account
- Claim your website
- Add keywords to your profile name and bio
Pinterest runs on keywords. Find the exact phrases your customers type, and use them everywhere.
- 1Type your topic in the Pinterest search bar and note the suggestions that appear.
- 2Click a search and note the coloured "guided search" bubbles: these are popular related keywords.
- 3Use Pinterest Trends (trends.pinterest.com) to see when searches peak during the year.
- 4Make a list of 30 to 50 keywords and group them by topic.
| Keyword type | Example | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Broad | garden ideas | Board names |
| Specific | small garden ideas on a budget | Pin titles |
| Seasonal | autumn planters for front door | Timely Pins, posted early |
People search for seasonal ideas 1 to 3 months before the season. Pin Christmas content in September and summer content in April.
- Use search suggestions and guided search
- Check Pinterest Trends for timing
- Pin seasonal content months early
Boards help Pinterest understand your topics and help people find more of your content.
- Create 10 to 15 boards named after keywords, not clever names.
- Write a short board description using related keywords.
- Put your own Pins on the most relevant board first.
- Mix in some useful Pins from others so boards look complete.
- Name boards with keywords
- Write keyword-rich descriptions
- Pin to the most relevant board first
Pins are tall images or videos with a clear promise. Design matters more on Pinterest than almost anywhere else.
- Use a 2:3 portrait image, such as 1000 × 1500 pixels.
- Add a bold text overlay that promises a benefit.
- Use bright, high-quality photos.
- Put your logo or website small at the bottom.
- Make several different Pins for each page you want to promote.
I'm promoting this page: [title and summary]. My keywords: [keywords]. Write 10 Pinterest Pin text overlays (under 8 words each), 10 Pin titles (under 100 characters) and 5 Pin descriptions (2 to 3 sentences, keyword-rich, natural). British English.
Canva and Pinterest's own tools have Pin templates. Make 3 or 4 templates in your brand style and reuse them.
- Tall 2:3 Pins with bold text overlays
- Several fresh Pins per page
- Use templates to stay consistent
Every Pin's title, description and link destination tell Pinterest what it's about.
- ✕Title: "Our new blog post!"
- ✕Description: "Check it out 😊"
- ✕Links to your home page
- ✓Title: "7 Small Garden Ideas on a Budget"
- ✓Description: natural sentences with 2 or 3 keywords
- ✓Links to the exact matching page
- Put the main keyword at the start of the title.
- Write descriptions as helpful sentences, not lists of hashtags.
- Add alt text describing the image.
- Make sure the page you link to matches the Pin exactly.
- Keywords at the start of titles
- Helpful, natural descriptions
- Link to the exact matching page
Pinterest rewards accounts that add new, original Pins regularly.
| Activity | How often |
|---|---|
| New Pins of your own content | 3 to 10 a week |
| New Pin designs for older pages | Every few weeks |
| Save others' useful Pins | A few a week |
| Check analytics | Weekly |
You can schedule Pins in advance directly in Pinterest or with tools like Tailwind or Buffer. Steady and regular beats lots in one day.
- Pin fresh designs every week
- Schedule in advance
- Consistency beats bursts
Short vertical videos stand out in the feed and can link to your site just like image Pins.
- Keep videos short, around 6 to 30 seconds.
- Show the result first, then how to get it.
- Add a text overlay with the promise.
- Reuse your Reels and TikToks, removing other apps' watermarks.
- Short vertical videos stand out
- Show the result first
- Repurpose videos without watermarks
The best Pinterest traffic goes to pages built to be saved: guides, lists, ideas and free downloads.
"15 cosy living room ideas"
Step-by-step tutorials with photos.
Checklists, planners and calendars.
Gift guides and "best of" lists.
- Add a tall, Pinnable image inside each blog post.
- Add a "Save" button to your images.
- Offer a free download to turn visitors into email subscribers.
- Create pages built to be saved
- Include Pinnable images on your pages
- Turn visitors into subscribers
Promoted Pins look like normal Pins and can bring steady traffic for a small budget.
- Promote Pins that already get saves and clicks.
- Use the consideration (traffic) objective for website visits.
- Target by keywords and interests.
- If you sell products, upload a product catalogue to create shoppable Pins.
- Promote proven Pins
- Target by keywords
- Use a catalogue for shoppable Pins
Pinterest Analytics shows which Pins people save and click. Make more of those.
- Watch outbound clicks and saves, not just impressions.
- Make new Pin designs for your best-performing pages.
- Check Google Analytics for visitors from Pinterest.
- Be patient: it often takes 2 to 3 months to build momentum.
- Track outbound clicks and saves
- Create new designs for winners
- Allow 2 to 3 months for momentum
One task a day gets your Pinterest traffic engine started.
Set up your business account, research your keywords and publish your first 10 Pins this week.