Pinterest has always been my favorite social media app; it’s so calm, non-toxic, and refreshing compared to others. Unlike platforms filled with drama and endless arguments, Pinterest focuses on creativity, inspiration, and positivity. It feels like a safe space to explore ideas without the pressure of judgment or negativity that other social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter might bring.
It’s also the perfect platform for gaining influence, especially if you’re not aiming to become a major influencer but want to pursue it as a fun hobby. The cool thing about Pinterest is that profile engagements are more important than follower counts!
This is my guide to those wishing to start posting on Pinterest but don’t know how to do it!
1- Creating a Profile
The first step to posting on Pinterest (and any social media for that matter) is creating an account, specifically a business account. If you already have an account, you can switch it to a business account; doing so will allow you to see your account statistics such as monthly views, pin saves, impressions, and so on. The following steps apply to the Pinterest website (not the app); however, the steps shouldn’t be too different.
Creating a Business profile:
1. After clicking on the ‘Sign Up’ button at the top-right button, you’ll click on the gray ‘Create a free business account’ button at the bottom of the signup card.
2. After completing the signup process, you’ll go to your profile settings by clicking the downward arrow next to the circle at the top-right corner.
3. Complete your bio with the necessary information, such as your contact info, your name, email, etc… (pay attention to what information the public can see). I strongly suggest having a profile picture. It doesn’t have to be a picture of you, but something is better than nothing.
Switching a public account to a Business profile:
1. In your profile settings, go to the ‘Account Management’ settings, right under the default setting ‘Edit Profile.’
2. You will then see a ‘Convert Account’ button, allowing you to convert your personal account into a business one.
2- What to post?
Now that you have a business account, you can start posting!
Finding your “niche.”
Your “niche” refers to what type of content you post; for example, your niche could be “Haircare,” “Skincare,” “Traveling,” or even “Tech.” There are ENDLESS niches from which you can choose. If you can’t pick one, that’s okay. After all, you can also have multiple niches, which I think is even better because you’ll reach more audiences and rarely run out of content to post! The easiest way to find your niche is to analyze your feed on Pinterest (If you previously had it) and other social media platforms, mainly TikTok and your Instagram Discover page. Figure out the main types of content you find, and create content based on those niches!
Staying up to trends
There are many resources you can use to stay up-to-date with trends. My favorite one is provided to business accounts by Pinterest. After clicking on the ‘hamburger’ icon at the top-left of your page, under ‘Analytics,’ you’ll see a ‘Pinterest Trends option. This will take you to a website where you can get an overview of all the current trending topics on Pinterest. You can find predictions for future trends and even filter through them to match your niches, your audience, etc…
Posting your camera roll
Another way you can find what to post on Pinterest is simply by scrolling through your camera roll and picking out the pictures you find worthy of posting. No research or analysis is needed for this method, and it puts less pressure to “stay up-to-date with trends”.
3- How to post?
This final step is crucial for those looking to gain attraction and impressions on their profile. On your profile page click on the plus sign on the right of your screen, then click on ‘pin’ to create a pin.
The key to posting on Pinterest is to include keywords and cues that make your post easily discoverable when people search for related content. Three areas that allow you to include those keywords are:
Title
This is where you’ll write basic sentences to describe your post; for example, if you’re posting a pin of an outfit for winter, you can write something like “Outfit inspo with boots, scarf, and coat for winter.” You can also go even simpler by writing keywords like “Outfit inspo.”
Description
This is where you go all out with keywords. Just as Instagram or YouTube creators will have a long list of hashtags at the very bottom of their description, you’ll also come up with a list of keywords. Instead of writing hashtags, I write the keywords with no hashtags and separate them with commas; unfortunately, I can’t conclude whether they are better with hashtags.
Tagged topics
Some people might choose not to write anything in the Title and Description but will use the Tagged Topics section because viewers cannot see the topics you tag. One problem I have with this section is that they are pre-written topics, so there will be topics you’re looking for but don’t exist; also, there’s a limit on the number of topics you can tag, which can become annoying at times, so when using this section, I try to tag the basic topics first and choose more specific ones later.
Overview
Remember, following this guide is only the easiest part of the journey! If you want to gain attraction and impressions, consistency is key, and patience is another. You won’t go from 0 to 100 in one day. For example, I started posting on Pinterest around July 2023, and I wasn’t very consistent until summer 2024; ever since, I’ve seen so many improvements in the types of content I post (outfit inspos, graphic designs, food, lifestyle pics, and photography) to the engagements on my profile growing each day. I strongly suggest using the first few months to experiment, find your rhythm, and find what works best for you!