Pinterest Secret Boards: When and Why to Use Them

Pinterest Secret Boards: When and Why to Use Them (A Beginner's Guide)

Most of the time, you want your Pinterest boards to be as public as possible. You want them to be seen, followed, and to drive traffic to your content. But there are some moments when you need a little privacy. What if you're planning a surprise party? Or building a new brand identity? What if you're just testing ideas and aren't ready to share them with the world?

That's where Pinterest secret boards come in. Hidden from everyone except you (and anyone you invite), secret boards give you a private space to plan, curate, and create behind the scenes. They're a powerful, often overlooked tool for both personal and professional use. This guide will walk you through what they are, how to create one, and all the reasons why you should be using them.

What Is a Pinterest Secret Board?

A Pinterest secret board is a private collection of saved pins that is hidden from public view. Unlike a public board, which anyone can see and follow, a secret board is only visible to its creator and any invited collaborators.

The key distinction between a Pinterest secret vs public board lies in its visibility and its impact on your profile.

• Pins on a public board appear in Pinterest search results, your follower's home feeds, and on your public profile. They are a primary tool for discovery and traffic.

• Pins on a secret board, on the other hand, do not show up anywhere on your public profile or in search. They are effectively invisible to the world, and any activity you do on a secret board (like saving a pin) is not broadcast to your followers.

This privacy makes secret boards an invaluable tool for everything from personal projects to advanced business strategies, offering a safe space to gather and organize ideas without public scrutiny.

How to Create a Secret Board (Step-by-Step)

Creating a secret board is as easy as creating a public one, with just one simple toggle. Follow these steps to set up your first private space.

1. Go to your Pinterest profile. From your home feed, click your profile picture in the top-right corner to go to your profile page.

2. Click the “+” button. In the bottom-right corner of your profile, you'll see a red circle with a plus sign. Click it and select "Create Board" from the menu that appears.

3. Toggle on “Keep this board secret.” You'll see an option to "Keep this board secret" at the bottom of the pop-up window. Click the toggle to make it private. The toggle will turn green to confirm it's now a private Pinterest board.

4. Name it, add a description, and start pinning. Give your board a name that is clear and descriptive for your own organizational purposes (e.g., "New Blog Post Ideas" or "Summer 2025 Wardrobe"). You can also add a description to give it more context. Once created, you can start saving pins to it just as you would any other board.

A great bonus feature is that a secret board isn't permanent. You have the flexibility to make it public at any time if you decide to share your ideas with your followers.

4. When to Use Secret Boards (Real Use Cases)

The power of a secret board isn't just in its privacy; it's in the strategic opportunities it creates. Here are some of the most effective ways to use them, for both personal projects and business growth.

Planning in Private

Secret boards are perfect for all stages of your content creation process, allowing you to brainstorm and plan without the pressure of a public audience.

• Content You’re Not Ready to Share Yet: Use a secret board as a sandbox for new ideas. Save pins for blog post inspiration, design aesthetics for a future project, or marketing ideas you're still developing.

• Organizing Content Ideas by Theme or Project: Before you create a public board, build it out in secret. Fill it with enough high-quality pins to make it look professional, and then flip the switch to public. This prevents followers from seeing a half-empty board.

• Curating Ideas Before a Product or Blog Post Launch: Pin research, images, and links related to an upcoming launch. It's a single source of truth for all your pre-launch planning.

Product Development & Business Strategy

For business owners and marketers, secret boards are an invaluable tool for behind-the-scenes work.

• Competitor Research Boards: Keep a private board where you can save and analyze your competitors' pins, website designs, and content strategies without them knowing you're watching.

• Mood Boards for Branding: A secret board is the perfect place to collaborate with your team or a designer to build a brand identity. You can privately pin color palettes, font inspiration, and photography styles.

• Client-Specific Boards: As a designer, marketer, or consultant, you can create a private board for each client to collaborate on project ideas. Only the client and your team will have access, ensuring confidentiality.

Personal Projects & Events

For personal use, secret boards are a lifesaver for planning events and gathering ideas.

• Wedding Planning: A classic use case. Collaborate with your partner and planners on dresses, venues, decor, and more, keeping it all private until the big reveal.

• Home Remodel Inspo: Gather ideas for a new kitchen, bathroom, or living room without bombarding your followers with endless renovation pins.

• Gift Guides and Holiday Prep: Planning a surprise for someone? A secret board is the perfect place to collect gift ideas and holiday decor inspiration without spoiling the surprise for friends and family.

Testing Pinterest Strategy Without Public Eyes

If you’re experimenting with a new Pinterest strategy, secret boards are the safest place to do it.

• Trying New Pin Styles: Test new pin designs, headlines, or calls-to-action on a secret board. Pin them and see if Pinterest starts suggesting similar content to your home feed, which can be an indicator of how the algorithm is categorizing your content.

• Drafting Boards: Before you go live with a new board, fill it with at least 15-20 pins. This gives your board immediate authority and prevents users from being turned off by a sparse-looking board.

5. Benefits of Pinterest Secret Boards

The advantages of using secret boards are clear and impactful, helping you streamline your creative process and maintain a professional public image.

• Zero Pressure: You can pin without worrying about a consistent aesthetic, timing, or how the pin reflects on your brand. It's a no-judgment zone where you can simply save anything that catches your eye.

• Cleaner Public Profile: By moving all your personal, planning, and brainstorming boards to secret, your public profile becomes a curated showcase of only your best, most relevant content. This makes your account look more professional and easier for new followers to navigate.

• Allows Strategic Planning Behind the Scenes: Secret boards are the ultimate workspace. They enable you to do competitor analysis, collaborate with your team, and develop new ideas in a private, organized, and focused environment.

• Collaborate Privately: Whether it's with a client, a team member, or just a friend, secret boards provide a private space for collaboration, ensuring all your communication and ideas are kept confidential.

6. Pinterest Secret vs. Public Boards: Key Differences

This table provides a quick, at-a-glance comparison of the two main types of Pinterest boards.

Feature

Secret Boards

Public Boards

Visible to others?

No (only to you and invited collaborators)

Yes

Searchable?

No

Yes

Appears on profile?

No

Yes

Can have collaborators?

Yes

Yes

Good for planning/testing?

✅ Yes, perfect for behind-the-scenes work.

❌ No, your work-in-progress is visible.

7. Can You Make a Secret Board Public (and Vice Versa)?

Yes, the privacy settings of your boards are flexible. One of the best features of a secret board is that it's not a permanent state. You can easily switch a board's visibility at any time, which is what makes them such a powerful tool for strategic planning.

To change a board's visibility, simply:

1. Navigate to your profile and click on the board you wish to edit.

2. Click the "Edit" button (a pencil icon) located at the top of the board.

3. You will see an option to "Keep this board secret" with a toggle switch.

   • To make a secret board public: Toggle the switch to the "off" position.

   • To make a public board secret: Toggle the switch to the "on" position.

When you decide to make a secret board public, be sure to take a moment to review it first. Check that the title and description are keyword-rich and that the pins within it are high-quality and relevant to your public brand. This ensures your newly public board is ready to perform and get traffic.

8. Common Mistakes to Avoid

While secret boards are incredibly useful, there are a few common mistakes that beginners often make. Steering clear of these pitfalls will help you use secret boards to their full potential.

• Pinning Client Work to Public Boards by Accident: This is a critical mistake for designers, marketers, and other professionals. When working with clients, always ensure that your planning, inspiration, and mood boards are set to secret. Accidentally pinning a client's confidential project to a public board can be a breach of trust.

• Leaving Useful Boards Secret Forever: If you've spent weeks curating an amazing board for a blog post or a new product line, don't leave it in the dark! Once you've launched your project, make that board public. It's now a valuable resource for your audience and can start driving traffic to your content.

• Forgetting to Optimize Secret Boards if You Plan to Publish Later: Even if a board is secret, it's a good practice to give it a keyword-rich title and a descriptive description. This will save you time later, as the board will be optimized for Pinterest's algorithm the moment you make it public.

• Using Secret Boards for Things That Should Be Public: Don't use a secret board for content that should be part of your main content strategy, like your "Best Blog Posts" or "Product Catalog." These boards are designed to be public, searchable, and visible to your audience. The goal of secret boards is to support your public strategy, not to replace it.

By using secret boards intentionally and avoiding these common mistakes, you'll be able to leverage their power to plan, grow, and maintain a professional and effective Pinterest presence.