Pinterest for Business: Strategies to Boost Your Brand

If your business isn’t leveraging Pinterest for marketing, you’re overlooking a valuable opportunity to connect with potential customers. Pinterest’s visually-driven platform captures attention and inspires users to explore further.

What’s more, a significant portion of Pinterest users actively search for products and services, with 85% of users making purchases based on what they find on the platform. This makes Pinterest a powerful tool for reaching customers who might not engage with your traditional marketing efforts.

Before you create an account and start sharing content, here’s a guide to using Pinterest effectively for your business.

Getting Started with Pinterest

Pinterest allows users to save and share content through virtual collections known as boards. With over 450 million users, the platform is predominantly female (over 76%, according to Statista).

While Pinterest covers a wide range of topics—from art to technology—it’s particularly popular for inspiration in areas like crafts, recipes, fashion, home decor, and health.

To promote your business on Pinterest, it’s essential to set up a business account. These accounts are free and provide access to valuable features like analytics.

If you already have a personal account, you can either convert it to a business account or create a new one specifically for your business.

Key Pinterest Terms to Know

Pins: These are the individual pieces of content shared on Pinterest. Each pin links to a website when clicked.
Pincodes: Similar to QR codes, Pincodes are unique codes that direct users to your business’s curated boards or profile.
Pinners: The term used to describe Pinterest users.
Boards: These are collections of pins, functioning like digital bulletin boards for organizing ideas.
Group Boards: Collaborative boards owned by one user, who can invite others to contribute. You can request to join, but approval is required.
Archived Boards: Boards you no longer use but want to keep without deleting. Archived boards are hidden from your profile and stop generating suggestions.
Feed: A personalized stream of pins based on who you follow or what Pinterest thinks you’ll like.
Hashtags: Used to categorize content and make it easier for users to discover your pins.
Lens: A feature in the Pinterest app that uses your smartphone camera to suggest pins based on images you capture. For example, taking a photo of a product can show similar items available for purchase.
Comments: Users can leave comments on pins.
Save: The option to save a pin to one of your boards.
Sending Pins: You can share pins with other users or non-Pinterest users via private messages.
Tagging: Mention other users in comments or descriptions using the @ symbol.
Messages: Private messages can be sent to other Pinterest users.

Benefits of Using Pinterest for Your Business

Pinterest offers several advantages for businesses looking to expand their reach and engage with customers:

Massive Audience Reach: Pinterest ranks as the seventh most popular social media platform in the U.S., with over 39% of American adults using it, according to Oberlo. This provides access to millions of potential customers.
Visual Appeal: As a highly visual platform, Pinterest is ideal for showcasing your products or services. It’s also the only major social media platform offering visual search capabilities, making it a forward-thinking choice for businesses.
Shopping-Friendly Environment: Many users turn to Pinterest to explore products and make purchasing decisions. The platform seamlessly integrates browsing and shopping, making it easy for users to transition from inspiration to purchase.
Customer Insights: Pinterest’s business portal includes the Insights hub, which provides data on trending topics, audience demographics, and predictions. This information can help you tailor your marketing strategies.
Increased Brand Visibility: Pinterest is a powerful tool for introducing your brand to new audiences. A majority of users report discovering new brands and products on the platform weekly, making it an excellent way to grow your customer base.

By incorporating Pinterest into your marketing strategy, you can tap into a vibrant community of users actively seeking inspiration and products, helping your business stand out in a competitive market.

Setting Up Your Pinterest Business Profile

Creating a Pinterest business profile is straightforward and can be done in three ways: adding a business profile to an existing personal account, converting a personal account to a business account, or starting a new business account from scratch. Follow these steps to set up your profile:

Visit Pinterest.com/business/create: If you already have a personal account, log out first. Enter your email and password—preferably a business email to keep accounts separate—and click “Create Account.”
Enter Your Business Details: Provide your business or brand name and include a link to your website. Select your preferred language and location.
Describe Your Business: Add a brief description of your business to help Pinterest tailor recommendations to your needs.
Decide on Advertising: Choose whether you want to run ads on Pinterest. You can update this preference later and provide contact information if you’d like a Pinterest ads representative to reach out.
Choose a Starting Point: You can begin by creating your first pin, setting up an ad, or building out your profile. Options include:
- Share Ideas: Create your first pin to share your brand story.
- Grow Your Audience: Set up an ad to reach more users immediately.
- Showcase Your Brand: Add a profile picture, cover photo, location, and other details to complete your profile.
Claim Your Website Analytics: From your profile page, go to Settings by clicking the arrow drop-down menu. Select “Claimed Accounts” from the left-hand menu and claim your website. If you use Shopify, you can also install the Pinterest app for additional features.
Start Pinning: Once your account is set up, you can begin creating boards and adding pins.

Creating Boards, Adding Pins, and Following Users

From your profile page, click the “Create” drop-down menu in the top-left corner. You can choose to create a standard pin or an idea pin (formerly called “Story pins”), which provides step-by-step instructions for recipes or creative projects.

Use the “Select” menu to add a pin to an existing board or create a new one. If you use Chrome, you can install an extension to pin directly from websites.

On the Pinterest mobile app, you can use your phone’s camera to find inspiration. Point the camera at an object, and the app will suggest similar items to pin. This feature works particularly well for home decor, clothing, and food.

Tips for Using Pinterest for Business

Share Engaging Pins: Pinterest thrives on visually appealing and inspiring content. Create pins that capture attention and encourage users to learn more. Vertical pins that demonstrate how to use a product or service tend to perform best.
Explore Trending Topics and Keywords: Stay updated on trending topics to guide your content strategy. For example, if DIY projects are popular, share related content to make your business more discoverable. Use Pinterest’s search bar to find relevant keywords and incorporate them into your pin titles and descriptions.
Advertise with Promoted Pins: Promoted Pins function like regular pins but are paid to reach a larger audience. You can target specific geographic areas and benefit from additional exposure when users repin your content. Ensure your Promoted Pins look natural and helpful to maximize their impact.
Analyze Performance with Pinterest Analytics: Pinterest Analytics provides insights into your audience demographics, popular pins, and engagement metrics. Use this data to refine your strategy and understand what resonates with your audience.
Add the Save Button to Your Website: The Pinterest Save button allows users to pin content directly from your website. Adding this feature makes it easier for users to share your content, increasing its reach.
Create Unique and Fun Content: Stand out by experimenting with creative content ideas:
- Gift Guides: Create boards for holidays or special occasions, featuring products from your brand and others.
- Playlists: Pin music videos or workout playlists to engage fitness or lifestyle audiences.
- Reading Lists: Share articles and books related to your industry to provide value to your audience.
- Giveaways: Promote contests or special offers through pins.
Use Rich Pins: Rich Pins provide additional information directly on the pin, making them more useful and searchable. Types include:
- Article Pins: Display headlines, authors, and descriptions.
- Product Pins: Show real-time pricing and direct links to purchase.
- Recipe Pins: Include ingredients, cooking times, and serving sizes.
Join or Create Group Boards: Group boards allow multiple users to contribute, making them ideal for collaborations or events. Participating in popular group boards can expose your pins to a larger audience.
Treat Pinterest Like a Search Engine: Many users turn to Pinterest to find specific ideas or products. Optimize your pins and boards with clear titles, descriptions, and keywords to improve discoverability.

Maximizing Pinterest for Your Business

Pinterest is a powerful platform for showcasing your products and services visually. Its tools, such as analytics, trend reports, and rich pins, make it easy for businesses of all sizes to connect with their target audience.

By creating engaging content and leveraging Pinterest’s features, you can attract and convert viewers into loyal customers.