How to use Pinterest for business marketing 

Pinterest isn't just for DIY projects and wedding inspiration anymore. It's a powerful visual search engine with over 450 million monthly active users actively discovering new brands, products, and ideas. If your business isn't leveraging Pinterest marketing, you're missing out on a platform that drives both brand awareness and sales conversions.

Pinterest users come to the platform with high purchase intent—they're actively planning, searching, and ready to buy. In fact, 89% of weekly Pinterest users use the platform for purchase inspiration, according to Pinterest's own data.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about using Pinterest for business marketing in 2025, from setting up your account to analyzing your performance and scaling your strategy.

What Makes Pinterest Different from Other Social Platforms

Pinterest functions as a visual discovery engine rather than a traditional social network. While platforms like Instagram and Facebook focus on social interactions, Pinterest users primarily use the platform to find ideas, plan projects, and discover products. This creates a unique opportunity for businesses:

• Longer content lifespan: Unlike posts on other platforms that disappear from feeds within hours, pins can continue driving traffic for months or even years

• Search-driven discovery: Users actively search for content related to their interests, making Pinterest more intent-based

• Shopping mindset: Pinterest users are typically in a planning and buying mindset, with 85% using the platform to plan new projects

This distinctive environment makes Pinterest an ideal channel for businesses looking to connect with consumers throughout their purchasing journey.

Featured Snippet: How to Use Pinterest for Business Marketing

Pinterest marketing for businesses involves creating a business account, optimizing your profile, researching keywords, creating high-quality pins with SEO descriptions, organizing content into strategic boards, implementing a consistent pinning schedule, utilizing Pinterest advertising options, engaging with the community, analyzing performance metrics, and continually refining your strategy based on results. Success requires understanding Pinterest's search algorithm, creating visually appealing content that aligns with your audience's interests, and maintaining consistency in your marketing efforts.

Getting Started with Pinterest for Business

Setting Up a Pinterest Business Account

Before diving into Pinterest marketing, you need to create or convert to a business account. This provides access to Pinterest Analytics, advertising capabilities, and other business features unavailable to personal accounts.

To set up a Pinterest business account:

1. Go to business.pinterest.com

2. Click "Create a business account"

3. Fill in your business details and create your profile

4. Add a profile picture (ideally your logo) and a keyword-rich description

5. Connect your website and verify it to unlock additional features

If you already have a personal account, you can convert it by navigating to settings and selecting "Convert to business account." This preserves your existing pins and followers while giving you access to business features.

Optimizing Your Pinterest Profile

Your Pinterest profile serves as your business's home base on the platform. Optimizing it properly increases your discoverability and brand recognition:

1. Business name and username: Use your actual business name for recognition. Keep it consistent with your other social channels.

2. Profile picture: Upload a high-quality logo that's recognizable even at small sizes (165 x 165 pixels is recommended).

3. Bio/description: Write a keyword-rich description (up to 500 characters) that clearly explains what your business offers. Include relevant industry terms that your target audience might search for.

4. Website link: Connect your verified website to enable rich pins and gain referral traffic.

5. Featured boards: Arrange your boards strategically, placing those most relevant to your primary audience at the top of your profile.

Understanding Pinterest SEO Fundamentals

Pinterest operates as a visual search engine, making SEO crucial for success. Unlike Google SEO, Pinterest SEO focuses on different factors:

• Keyword research: Use Pinterest's search bar to identify relevant keywords and phrases your audience is searching for

• Pin descriptions: Include relevant keywords naturally within 500-character descriptions

• Board names and descriptions: Name boards with searchable terms and include keyword-rich descriptions

• Alt text: Add descriptive alt text to your images for better accessibility and SEO

• Consistent pinning: Regular activity signals relevance to the Pinterest algorithm

For example, if you sell handmade jewelry, rather than naming a board "My Products," use a searchable term like "Handcrafted Silver Jewelry" that aligns with what users are searching for.

Creating Pinterest Content That Converts

Pin Design Best Practices

The visual nature of Pinterest means your pin design greatly impacts performance. Here are key design principles to follow:

• Optimal dimensions: The recommended aspect ratio is 2:3 (1000 x 1500 pixels). This vertical format displays best in feeds.

• Clear, high-quality images: Use crisp, well-lit photos or graphics that stand out in a crowded feed.

• Brand consistency: Incorporate your brand colors, fonts, and logo subtly to build recognition over time.

• Text overlay: Include concise, value-focused text on your images to explain benefits at a glance.

• Visual hierarchy: Direct attention to the most important elements through size, color, and positioning.

• Minimal clutter: Keep designs clean and focused on a single message or value proposition.

Fashion retailer Anthropologie excels at pin design, using consistent aesthetic elements across their pins while maintaining the vertical format that performs best on Pinterest.

Types of Pins to Create for Business

Pinterest offers several pin formats, each serving different marketing objectives:

• Standard pins: Regular image pins that link to your website or blog content. These are the foundation of any Pinterest marketing strategy.

• Video pins: Short videos (up to 15 minutes) that autoplay in feeds. These capture attention and can demonstrate products in action.

• Idea pins: Multi-page content similar to Stories on other platforms. Great for tutorials, step-by-step guides, or showcasing multiple products.

• Product pins: Enhanced pins that include real-time pricing, availability, and product details directly from your website.

• Collection pins: Feature a primary image with smaller product shots below, perfect for showcasing product collections or complementary items.

A well-rounded Pinterest strategy incorporates multiple pin types. For example, a home decor brand might use standard pins for blog content, video pins for styling tutorials, and product pins for specific furniture pieces.

Writing Effective Pin Descriptions

Your pin descriptions serve two critical purposes: they help your pins get discovered through search, and they convince users to click through to your website. Here's how to write descriptions that accomplish both:

1. Front-load keywords: Place your most important keywords at the beginning of your description

2. Write naturally: Avoid keyword stuffing; incorporate terms organically in readable sentences

3. Include a clear call-to-action: Tell users what to do next (e.g., "Click to learn more" or "Shop the collection now")

4. Add relevant hashtags: Include 2-5 specific hashtags at the end of your description

5. Consider searchable details: Mention colors, styles, occasions, or solutions your content addresses

For example, rather than "Check out our new summer collection," write "Discover our breathable linen summer dresses perfect for beach vacations and outdoor weddings. Click to shop our complete collection of sustainable summer fashion. #sustainablefashion #linendresses #summerstyle"

Strategic Pinterest Marketing Tactics

Creating and Organizing Boards

Your Pinterest boards are essentially categories that help organize your content and improve discoverability. Strategic board creation involves:

• Keyword research: Name boards using terms your audience searches for, not clever or branded names.

• Focused themes: Create specific boards rather than overly broad ones. Instead of "Fashion," use "Summer Workwear" or "Minimalist Jewelry Styling."

• Comprehensive descriptions: Write detailed board descriptions (up to 500 characters) that include relevant keywords.

• Cover images: Select eye-catching cover images that represent each board's theme.

• Strategic organization: Place your most important and active boards at the top of your profile.

Most businesses benefit from having 10-15 well-maintained boards rather than dozens of sparsely populated ones. Quality and relevance trump quantity.

Developing a Pinterest Content Calendar

Consistency is key to Pinterest success. Develop a content calendar that includes:

• Pinning frequency: Aim for 3-5 pins daily (a mix of your content and relevant curated content)

• Optimal timing: Schedule pins when your audience is most active (Pinterest Analytics can help determine this)

• Seasonal content: Plan pins around upcoming holidays, seasons, and events relevant to your industry

• Content variety: Balance different pin types and topics to maintain audience interest

• Content repurposing: Plan how to transform existing blog posts, products, or other content into multiple pins with different designs or angles

• Tools like Tailwind can help automate your Pinterest scheduling, ensuring consistent activity without daily manual pinning.

Pinterest SEO Strategy for Maximum Visibility

Building on the SEO fundamentals mentioned earlier, here's a more detailed approach to Pinterest SEO:

• Conduct thorough keyword research: Use Pinterest's guided search, related pins, and tools like Pin Inspector to identify trending keywords and phrases in your niche.

• Create content clusters: Develop multiple pins around related keywords to establish topic authority (similar to content clustering in traditional SEO).

• Optimize all elements: Include keywords in your profile, board names, board descriptions, pin titles, pin descriptions, and image file names.

• Link your Pinterest account to other platforms: Connect your Instagram and YouTube accounts to your Pinterest business account for enhanced cross-platform visibility.

• Track performance: Monitor which keywords and content types drive the most engagement and traffic, then adjust your strategy accordingly.

Remember that Pinterest SEO is an ongoing process. The algorithm rewards consistent activity and fresh content, so maintain regular pinning habits even as you optimize existing content.

Advanced Pinterest Marketing Strategies

Pinterest Advertising Options

Pinterest offers several paid advertising options that can amplify your organic efforts:

• Promoted pins: Standard pins that you pay to display to a wider audience based on targeting parameters.

• Promoted video pins: Video content boosted to reach more users, ideal for product demonstrations or brand storytelling.

• Shopping ads: Product pins promoted to users with high purchase intent, featuring pricing and availability information.

• Collections ads: A featured image with several smaller product images below that users can click to see more details.

• Carousel ads: Multiple images users can swipe through, perfect for showcasing product variations or telling a visual story.

When setting up Pinterest ads, you can target based on:

• Demographics (age, gender, location)

• Interests and keywords

• Specific audiences (website visitors, customer list uploads)

• Actalikes (Pinterest's version of lookalike audiences)

Start with a small budget ($5-10 per day) to test different pin designs and targeting options before scaling up your investment.

Using Pinterest Analytics to Improve Performance

Pinterest Analytics provides valuable insights to refine your strategy:

• Audience insights: Understand your followers' demographics, interests, and behaviors.

• Pin performance: Track impressions, saves, clicks, and engagement rates for individual pins.

• Website traffic: Analyze which pins drive the most traffic to your site and which content resonates best.

• Top boards: Identify which boards generate the most engagement to guide future content creation.

• Video metrics: Measure video completion rates and engagement if you're using video pins.

Review your analytics monthly to identify patterns and adjust your strategy accordingly. For example, if you notice certain topics or image styles consistently outperform others, create more content following those successful patterns.

Tools to Enhance Your Pinterest Marketing

Several third-party tools can streamline and enhance your Pinterest marketing efforts:

• Pin Inspector: Provides detailed analysis of top-performing pins in any niche, helping you identify successful content patterns and keyword opportunities. This tool is particularly valuable for competitive research and trend identification.

• Tailwind: Offers scheduling, analytics, and community features specifically designed for Pinterest marketing. Their SmartSchedule feature recommends optimal pinning times based on when your audience is most active.

• Canva: Provides templates specifically sized for Pinterest, making it easy to create professional-looking pins even without design experience.

• Later: Offers visual planning tools that help maintain aesthetic consistency across your Pinterest boards.

• Hootsuite: Allows scheduling and managing Pinterest alongside other social platforms for streamlined social media management.

Investing in at least one dedicated Pinterest tool can significantly increase your efficiency and effectiveness on the platform.

Pinterest Marketing by Business Type

Strategies for E-commerce Businesses

E-commerce businesses have a natural advantage on Pinterest given the platform's shopping orientation:

• Product pins are essential: Set up product pins that sync automatically with your inventory, showing current pricing and availability.

• Create lifestyle context: Don't just show products; demonstrate them in use or styled in aspirational settings.

• Seasonal planning: Build boards and pins around major shopping seasons (holiday, back-to-school, etc.) 3-6 months in advance.

• Shopping campaigns: Invest in shopping ads during high-intent purchasing seasons.

• User-generated content: Encourage customers to pin products they've purchased and tag your brand.

Furniture brand West Elm excels at Pinterest e-commerce marketing by creating lifestyle pins that show their products in beautifully styled spaces, inspiring consumers to imagine the products in their own homes.

Strategies for Service-Based Businesses

Service businesses can also thrive on Pinterest by focusing on educational content and visual results:

• Before-and-after content: Showcase the transformation your service provides (particularly effective for design, landscaping, or personal services).

• Infographics: Create informative graphics explaining your process, benefits, or industry tips.

• Client testimonials: Design visually appealing pins featuring client quotes and results.

• Educational series: Create multi-pin series teaching aspects related to your service area to establish expertise.

• Lead magnets: Design pins promoting free resources that collect email addresses for further marketing.

For example, financial advisors can share infographics on retirement planning, while interior designers can showcase project transformations through before-and-after pins.

Strategies for Content Creators and Bloggers

Content creators can use Pinterest as a major traffic driver:

• Multiple pins per post: Create 3-5 different pin designs for each blog post to maximize reach.

• Optimize for clicks: Use curiosity-driven headlines and designs that encourage click-through.

• Rich pins: Enable article rich pins to display your blog title, author, and description directly on pins.

• Content refreshing: Update older blog content and create new pins to revitalize traffic.

• Group boards: Participate in relevant group boards to expand your content's reach.

Food blogger Pinch of Yum demonstrates this strategy perfectly, creating multiple visually distinct pins for each recipe post, significantly multiplying their Pinterest traffic potential.

Measuring Pinterest Marketing Success

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Track

To evaluate your Pinterest marketing effectiveness, monitor these metrics:

• Impressions: How many times your pins are displayed.

• Engagement rate: The percentage of people who save, click, or interact with your pins.

• Click-through rate: The percentage of impressions that result in clicks to your website.

• Referral traffic: The number of visitors Pinterest sends to your website (measured in Google Analytics).

• Conversion rate: The percentage of Pinterest visitors who complete desired actions on your site.

• Revenue attributed to Pinterest: The actual sales generated from Pinterest traffic.

• Follower growth: The rate at which your Pinterest audience is expanding.

• Saves-to-impressions ratio: A higher ratio indicates content that resonates strongly with your audience.

Different businesses should prioritize different metrics. E-commerce brands might focus on conversion rates and revenue, while content creators might prioritize click-through rates and referral traffic.

Setting Realistic Expectations and Timeframes

Pinterest marketing typically requires more patience than other platforms:

• Initial traction: Expect to see meaningful engagement after 1-3 months of consistent pinning.

• Traffic growth: Significant website traffic generally begins after 3-6 months of strategic effort.

• Seasonal factors: Pinterest activity spikes around planning seasons (January for health goals, spring for home projects, fall for holiday preparation).

• Compounding returns: Unlike other platforms, your Pinterest content continues working for you over time, with some pins driving traffic years after publication.

The most common mistake businesses make is abandoning Pinterest too quickly. The platform rewards persistence and consistency, with results typically building over time rather than appearing immediately.

Common Pinterest Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Pitfalls That Limit Your Pinterest Success

Even experienced marketers make these common Pinterest mistakes:

• Inconsistent activity: Pinning in bursts followed by inactivity confuses the algorithm and limits visibility.

• Poor image quality: Low-resolution or poorly lit images perform significantly worse than professional-looking visuals.

• Neglecting mobile optimization: Over 85% of Pinterest usage happens on mobile devices, so pins must look good on small screens.

• Insufficient keyword research: Creating content without understanding what your audience is searching for wastes effort.

• Ignoring analytics: Failing to track what works and adjust your strategy accordingly limits growth.

• Over-promotion: Pinning only your products without providing value-added content creates an unbalanced, less engaging presence.

• Neglecting board organization: Poorly organized or sparsely populated boards create a negative impression of your brand.

Businesses that avoid these pitfalls and maintain a consistent, strategic approach typically see substantially better results from their Pinterest marketing efforts.

Advanced Tips from Pinterest Marketing Experts

Insider Strategies for Maximizing Results

Experienced Pinterest marketers recommend these advanced tactics:

• The 80/20 rule: Spend 80% of your time promoting your best-performing pins and only 20% creating new content.

• Pattern interruption: Occasionally use designs that break from your standard templates to capture renewed attention.

• Seasonal keyword updates: Refresh descriptions on evergreen content with seasonal keywords throughout the year.

• A/B testing pins: Create multiple versions of pins for the same content to identify which design elements drive more engagement.

• Niche hashtags: Research and use highly specific hashtags with less competition but strong relevance to your content.

• Pinterest communities: Participate in Pinterest communities to increase visibility among highly engaged users.

• Cross-platform promotion: Encourage your Instagram or email subscribers to follow you on Pinterest for cross-platform growth.

These advanced strategies work best once you've established a foundation of consistent, quality content and a clear understanding of your Pinterest audience.

Conclusion: Building Your Pinterest Marketing Roadmap

Pinterest offers unique marketing opportunities that no other platform can match. With its combination of search engine functionality, visual discovery, and high purchase intent, it's an invaluable channel for businesses looking to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, and generate sales.

Success on Pinterest requires consistency, visual excellence, strategic keyword usage, and patience. Unlike platforms that deliver quick but fleeting results, Pinterest builds sustainable traffic and engagement over time, creating a valuable marketing asset for your business.

Start by implementing the fundamentals: create a business account, develop visually appealing pins, optimize for relevant keywords, and maintain a consistent pinning schedule. As you gain traction, incorporate more advanced strategies like Pinterest advertising, detailed analytics tracking, and specialized tools like Pin Inspector to refine your approach.

Your Next Steps

Ready to leverage Pinterest for your business marketing? Here's your action plan:

1. Create or convert to a Pinterest business account today

2. Set up 5-8 strategically named and keyword-optimized boards

3. Design 10-15 pins linking to your most important website content

4. Establish a regular pinning schedule (use Tailwind or similar tools to automate)

5. Monitor your Pinterest Analytics after 30 days and adjust your strategy based on what's working