Pinterest was founded in March 2010 and has quickly become one of the top social media platforms.

It’s great for businesses, because most Pinners (Pinterest users) use the site for making purchasing decisions. Plus, its 450 million users spend more time on the site than on Twitter, Instagram, and even Facebook.

If you are not using Pinterest what are you waiting for?

This Ultimate Guide to Pinterest Marketing walks you through the benefits of Pinterest and setting up and using Pinterest the right way.

Pinterest is a  visual-heavy social media platform that can build traffic to your website for little to no cost at all.

Even though women make up the majority of users, it is still a powerhouse when it comes to marketing and reaching your audience. 

• 90% of Pinners use the platform to make purchase decisions.
• 50% of Pinners make a purchase after seeing a Promoted Pin (paid ad).
• Pinterest influences what users buy, brands they choose and how much they spend. 

It works for all businesses because most of the Pinterest marketing can be automated. It's more of a search engine than a social network. 

You can create your content and schedule it with a tool like Tailwind, and basically sit back and watch your site traffic grow.

Pinterest is a great place for your business to be found! Pinterest says they’re actually a visual search engine, not a social site. And it’s an easier one to master than Google!

Pinterest allows users to organize images and videos into personalized collections known as boards. Pinterest is more geared toward social discovery than other social networks.

Users can create boards and pin images showcasing everything from quotes to favorite products, as well as browse through public pins and boards created by other users.

Pinterest can be a great tool for business owners. You can easily engage customers and do market research to gain information on your audience such as interests and passions. 

Pinterest is an asset:

How Does Pinterest Work

When you pin an image on Pinterest, it creates a clickable link to the website where the image is located. So if someone pins an image from your blog or website, you will get free traffic every time a Pinterest user clicks on it.

By getting people to pin or repin images from your website on Pinterest on a regular basis, you are guaranteeing a steady stream of traffic for months (even years!) to come.

It's also acceptable for you to pin your own content. Start pinning right after you publish no need to wait for other to pin you first

Pinterest has confirmed that they actually give higher priority to pins saved by the content creator, and that you should save your pins to relevant boards. 

One of the best things about Pinterest is that you don’t need a lot of followers to see results – because your pins will be seen by Pinterest users who don’t even follow you!

Remember, Pinterest is a visual search engine. Your goal is to provide enticing images with descriptions that are keyword-optimized for search. And always with a good call-to-action!

Create a Pinterest Strategy

Don't confuse yourself, Pinterest and your audience by using Pinterest without a strategy. Using Pinterest without a strategy leads to mixed messages, attracting the wrong audience, wasted time and no results.

Having the right strategy when you use Pinterest leads to clarity in your audience, purpose, and goals with a cohesive message. 

Before you set up your Pinterest business account and decide on the the tactics you use to grow your business with Pinterest you need a Pinterest strategy.

• Why are you using Pinterest?
• What specific goals do you want to achieve? When do you want to achieve them?
• Who is your preferred client and how are they using Pinterest?
• What search phrases/keywords are they using?
• How can you help your preferred clients on Pinterest?

Keywords Are Essential to Your Pinterest Success

If you are not using the right keyword on Pinterest your results are probably lacking. Your reach, engagement, traffic and conversion suffers. 

Pinterest relies on keywords to categorize and pull up relevant content as search results. Using the right keywords in right places (profile, boards, and pins) is essential for making your content visible and findable.

You have to put in the work with your preferred client and create content they want and use the keywords they use to search for it. 

Get Started on Pinterest

1. Create a Pinterest Business Account

If you want to use Pinterest for commercial purposes: 

“you must create a business account and agree to our Business Terms of Service.” ~ Pinterest

Using a business account on Pinterest doesn’t put you at a disadvantage, like it does on Facebook, and possibly Instagram. You can get access to analytics and insights, as well as take advantage of features such as promoted pins and buyable pins.

Pinterest business account cost? $0.

It’s not only free – it comes with benefits too:

• Display your business name instead of first/last name.
• Get a live website link in your profile.
• Access Analytics, Rich Pins, and Promoted Pins (ads).

Using the Pinterest business account can only benefit your business. Go ahead and set up a Pinterest business account, or convert your personal account to a business account, here.

2. Optimize Pinterest

Be sure to optimize your profile for search! Use relevant keywords in your:

• Display name
• Bio

At this time, you can only use 30 characters in your Display name if you set up on desktop. Some people have found more characters available on the mobile app, though.

You can copy your bio info from Facebook or Instagram, or tweak it  for this platform. I recommend you create a bio specific to Pinterest with a call to action for your Pinterest profile. 

3. Claim Your Website

Claiming your website allows you to get attribution and analytics for your content on Pinterest, so be sure to do this in your profile settings!

You’ll receive a snippet of code which must be added to your website, or  you can choose to download an HTML file and add it to your root server via an FTP client.

How to claim your website on Pinterest with Yoast

The easiest way to add the HTML tag is with the Yoast SEO plugin.

If you have this installed on your WordPress site, then visit SEO > Social page from your WordPress admin area.

Be sure that open graph settings are enabled under the Facebook tab.

Now, go to the Pinterest tab. In the Pinterest confirmation field, paste HTML tag provided by Pinterest.

When done, click on the Save Changes button.

Claim your Instagram and more

In addition, you can claim your Instagram, Etsy, and YouTube. This allows Pinterest to attribute Pins from your claimed accounts to you. You’ll get stats about each Pin. They also use claimed account information to help distribute your content and offer you additional Pinterest features and content.

Rich Pins

The rich pins feature can be used to showcase additional information including details about products, recipes, and locations.

Add a “pin it” buttons to your website to allow Pinterest users to pin your images instantly without having to leave your site. This lets users share your images with ease, as well as directing traffic back to your website from Pinterest.

4. Set Up Pinterest Boards

Think of Pinterest as a search engine, and stay on topic – just like you would on your blog or store.

Create boards that are informative and that reflect your business.

Be sure that your boards are laser-focused on your target market, and use keywords in your:

• Board titles (these will become the URLs to the boards).
• Board descriptions.

Set up several relevant boards to save your content to.

For instance, if you blog about healthy eating, set up healthy recipe boards for your own content:

• Healthy breakfast recipes (lunch, dinner, dessert).
• Healthy recipes for families (singles).
• Healthy recipes for vegans (paleo).
• Fast healthy recipes.

If you already had a personal account, you may need to clean up the boards you have.

Consistently Create Fresh Pins for Pinterest

In the latest update Pinterest announced that their algorithm loves relevancy and recent content. It favors fresh pins and always prioritizes them over duplicate pins. 

This update does not mean you need to amp up your content strategy and start pumping out new posts. New content has always been a part of Pinterest marketing and Pinterest rewards quality over quantity.

Fresh pins are new images or videos that have not appeared on Pinterest before. A fresh pin can link back to new content (blog post, podcast, video, landing page, etc.) or a previously published piece of content.

A Fresh Pin Is Not

– An existing image with a new description or title.

– Small changes in an existing image (such as moving the background image a few pixels, slightly rotating the position of the URL or design elements).

Focus on Content Creation Over Content Curation

In the past my Pinterest strategy has been content curation. Wth the new update Pinterest is moving away from curation to creation and wants Pinners to do the same. 

In the past it was about getting your pins on as many boards as possible and getting them saved. That has changed. Currently Pinterest puts more emphasis on fresh images with new layouts, photos, and copy.

The best Pinterest image size, recommended by Pinterest (as of June 2021) is 1000 x 1500 pixels or any 2:3 aspect ratio

A good pin attracts your target audience and stands out in the smart feed. It should be easy to understand and compels pinners to save and click.

A well-written pin description helps Pinterest understand, categorize, and distribute the pin.

• Research keywords and hashtags before you start
• Develop keyword-optimized description in complete sentences
• Put the most relevant information first 
• Use 2-5 Pinterest relevant hashtags
• Include a strong call to action
• Always link back to the appropriate web page, lead page or product.

Use Tailwind Create, to create your images. It's easy and you don't have to worry about your lack of design skills, or fret about picking a template. Tailwind Create will do the designing for you!

It automatically generates hundreds of posts optimized for Pinterest, IG, and FB. No design skills required.

Instead of starting from scratch, you start from “almost done” when this tool generates hundreds of designs you can choose from to use as is, or tweak to be just as you like.

Use Tailwind to Manage Pinterest

Tailwind is the complete Pinterest marketing toolkit for bloggers and small businesses. This Pinterest scheduler has everything you need to drive traffic, leads, and sales from Pinterest – with a minimal investment of time and money.

And now you can use Tailwind for free forever, if you like!

Tailwind’s Pinterest marketing tool does all this:

• Designs engaging Pins with Tailwind Create.
• Schedules your posts with Smart Schedule.
• Posts at the best times for engagement.
• Reposts your content at an interval you choose.
• Discovers related content you can share.
• Connects you with Pinners to share content in Tailwind Communities.
• Amplifies your reach.
• And measures your results!

Use Tailwind for Massive Pinterest Growth

Pinterest has also made it clear that the optimal number of pins is different for everyone, but for the most part, 15-25 times a day is enough.

More than 50 times per day is generally not recommended due to increased risk of suspension and smaller reach. 

What about group boards and Board Lists? The current Pinterest best practices guidelines also state that you share up to 10 relevant boards. If you want to share the same content to more than 10 boards, the best way to get around the recommended limit is to create more fresh pins.

Tailwind helps you stick to these best practice guidelines. 

• Maintains a constant presence on Pinterest without manually Pinning all day.
• Spaces out your Pins so they won’t appear spammy to Pinterest or annoy your followers.
• Pins at the best times for engagement (helping you crush the Pinterest algorithm!).
• Curates Pins from your favorite blogs in the Find Content feature, to save you time.
• Offers niche Tailwind Communities for another source of Pins to share.
• Joins you with Communities members who can share your content too.
• “Loops” your Pins so they keep posting to Pinterest automatically!

Tailwind is an approved Pinterest marketing tool that works closely with Pinterest to make sharing content on Pinterest simple, quick, and manageable for the Empowerpreneur.

Use the Tailwind SmartGuide, a free built-in feature that “lives” on your Tailwind dashboard and monitors your pinning activities in real-time. It will warn you if you’re putting your account at risk by over-pinning or sharing the same pins too close together.

SmartGuide will also give you recommendations and keep you up to date with changing Pinterest practices.

Pinterest Automation on Steroids

Keep your best content in circulation. Tailwind SmartLoop makes it easy to re-share your best Pinterest Pins at the best times for engagement!

• Add your Pins to SmartLoop once and they’ll re-circulate indefinitely.
• Set a loop to Pin year-round or within a season you specify.
• Customize limits to ensure you’re not spamming or breaking Group Board rules.
• Know what’s working & hone your performance with detailed stats on each Pin.

Tailwind worked closely with Pinterest to develop looping that works – without breaking any Pinterest rules!

NOTE 2021 UPDATE: Legacy “Plus plan” users have 250 looped Pins included and can upgrade to more by purchasing PowerUps. The Plus plan and PowerUps are no longer available to new signups. New Tailwind users will need to write into Tailwind’s support if they want to add SmartLoop to their plan.

Optimize Your Pinterest Boards 

This one area where I see many people just gloss over but it will benefit you to take the time to optimize your Pinterest boards as they are also searchable.

Choose a Board Category

Board categories often get ignored but should not be neglected. Board categories are searchable and give Pinterest an idea of what your board is about. Choose the most relevant category or closest match.

Create Keyword Rich Board Titles

Board titles help Pinterest users and Pinterest know what the board is about. Choose a search-friendly title and avoid using fun, cutesy or creative names that only make sense to you.

Board titles are searchable and unless your title includes a keyword, your board won’t show up in search results.

Board titles can be up to 180 characters long. Don't keyword stuff. Don’t go overboard – use Pinterest’s guided search to find a simple and relevant keywords that your target audience is actually searching for.

When I typed in Pinterest marketing. Based on the guided search, I could name my board Pinterest Marketing Tips or Pinterest Marketing Strategy. Keep it simple and use the recommendations from the guided search.

Write Keyword Rich Board Descriptions

Board description explains the content of a Pinterest board in 500 characters or less. It’s also very important from an SEO standpoint.

A well-written description includes relevant keywords and helps Pinterest rank it in search results. Just like when selecting a board title, avoid cutesy and creative wording and make sure to research your keywords.

What would your target audience be searching for? A good board description is conversational and keyword rich with a call to action. 

Should you create Pinterest board sections?

My answer is a simple NO. Board sections are there for organizational purposes. They do not optimize your boards for better results or help you get found by your preferred client. Also Pinterest has said  that board sections “don’t influence how your content ranks in search”.

Hide Unrelated Boards

While you’re on a board optimizing roll, evaluate your public boards to ensure they are relevant to your business, niche and target audience. Hide outdated, unrelated and personal boards.

Pinterest Group Boards are Not Dead

Before looking at group boards and their effectiveness ensure you have your own boards set up properly. Optimize your boards the right way.

Now for group boards, many have gone to spam and have gotten too big to be moderated. 

They key to using group boards is to do your research. Niche boards are the best. Free for all boards lead to spamming. You want to find active boards that are active in pinning and engagement. You also have to be on top of the boards effectiveness and that means monitoring the group board on a monthly basis. 

If you are willing to put in the work, you will find that group boards are not dead. 

Expand Your Pinterest Audience with Tailwind Communities

Tailwind Communities were formerly called Tribes. These Tailwind users share each others' content. You will get continuous quality content from a source you trust while saving time.

Tailwind Communities is a win-win for all users as you expand your reach to a qualified new audience.  

And it’s free to participate! All Forever Free and Pro Plan members can join 5 Communities and submit 30 of their own Pins for sharing each month.

If you love ‘em, you can upgrade for more.

Pinterest Analytics is Your Friend

Use Pinterest Analytics in conjunction with Tailwind Analytics to get the best information. 

Once you’ve started Pinning, Tailwind will analyze your results to show you which Pins and boards are performing best for you.

For your Pinterest profile you want to make note of:

• Follower growth
• Pins added
• Repin growth
• Comments added

You also want to look at Pinterest Board Insights on Tailwind:

• Number of Pins per board
• Number of followers per board 
• Number of Repins per board 
• Virality (repins per pin) of each board 
• Engagement (repins per pin per follower) 

Take a closer look at Pins with Tailwind’s Pin Inspector to see the repins on each pin you added to each board.

Finally review your Website Insights:

• How many Pins are saved from your website.
• How many visits you’re getting from Pinterest.

Use this information to create better pin images, keywords and descriptions.

Finally Create a Pinterest Schedule

Daily Pinterest Marketing

Pin at least 25 times daily. If you don’t have a lot of your own blog post or product Pins yet, Pin other people’s Pins.

Don't pin all at once. It's better to Pin throughout the day using a scheduler. Just be sure to use a Pinterest-approved Marketing Partner, like Tailwind

Weekly Pinterest Marketing

Have weekly Pinterest goals and activities. By working on Pinterest weekly you will start to see quicker results.

You should create new Pins weekly for as many of these as you can manage:

• New blog posts and pages.
• Updated blog posts and pages.
• Evergreen blog posts and pages that are already doing well on Pinterest.

Follow people and boards that post content you like. Even though Pinterest shows similar pins from accounts you don’t even follow in the Smart Feed it's best to keep on track and only follow and search for relevant people and boards,

Follower count is not that important on Pinterest.  You want to ensure that you can be found as users are actively looking for products and information.

• Regularly check the smart feed to repin top content.
• Follow other Pinners including your followers.
• Consistently create images for new blog posts, pages and products.
• Optimize Pin description with keywords.
• Schedule your new Pin to all relevant boards.
• Don't forget to share new Pins on other social media platforms for more exposure.

In Tailwind, you can tick a box to have your scheduled Pin also appear on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Monthly Pinterest Marketing

• Review analytics in Pinterest, Google Analytics, and/or Tailwind.
• Create new images for old evergreen content.
• Consider the next month’s trending topics.
• Schedule your best performing Pins, new images, and trends.
• Evaluate group board performance.
• Plan new blog content based on what’s working.

I use Pinterest Analytics to review the clicks and saves on Pins and boards to see what's working. 

Google Analytics will show you which pages on your website are getting the most traffic from Pinterest. It also shows me which pages can use Fresh Pins. 

Finally Tailwind's Pin Inspector is great to see which Pins get the most repins and Board Insights show you which boards are getting the most repins.

Spend a time each month reviewing your analytics and making fresh pins based on the results.

Does your business follow seasons or trends? Start pinning for seasons months in advance. Pins take time to circulate and catch on.

Review your group board performance in Tailwind’s Board Insights. If a group board isn’t getting repins, consider leaving it. Also look at group boards you are not currently pinning to but should and start scheduling relevant pins.

Each month look at which posts, pages, and Pins are performing? This info is priceless and will help you plan for the coming months.