How to Use Pinterest for Business: Strategic Beginner’s Guide

Pinterest is arguably one of the biggest image-based search engines there is, and in the top five most-used social networks — and it’s a great tool for brands to build their brand awareness and meet their customer during their purchasing journey. 

Some social marketers promote content on Pinterest knowing it’s a visual-based platform they can use to reach their users. Still, there are also several features exclusive to using a Pinterest for Business account ¸— and if you’re going to post anyway, why not use every (relevant) tool at your disposal? 

Although creating an effective Pinterest marketing strategy is important, it requires more than just engaging visuals. Brands need to understand the mindset of their target audience and which visuals will convert Pinners into customers. Whether you’re an apparel, home decor, or automotive brand, you need to curate your Pins to meet your customers at each point of their buying journey. 

How To Set up a Pinterest for Business Account

Unlike other social channels, users come to Pinterest with purchase intent — 82% of active Pinterest users indicate they have purchased from a brand based on their content. With over 465 million monthly active users globally, this is a huge opportunity. If you find yourself wondering, "Where should I even start?" rest assured that beginning the process is surprisingly easy.

The following steps outlined below cover how to set up a Pinterest Business account, how to switch an existing account to a business account, and how to add a business account to your current profile.

1. Create a Pinterest Business Account 

This step is for brands without an existing Pinterest account. To create a Pinterest for Business account, visit the 'Getting Started' section of Pinterest Business.

• Click: ‘Create a business account’ 
• Enter your details, then click ‘Create account’ 
• Complete your profile, click next
• Select if you’d like to run ads 
• You’re done! At this stage, you can upload your catalog so Pinterest can use your product feed to tag your Pins. Users can also access the catalog from a ‘Shop’ tab if accepted into the Verified Merchant Program to maximize their conversion opportunities.

2. Switch Your Existing Account to a Business Account 

If you’ve been using a personal account for business purposes, you don’t need to start anew — and you’ll keep your existing Pins and followers. 

To do this: 

• Click the arrow in the top-right corner,
• Select ‘Settings’, then ‘Account management’ on the left side of the screen,
• Select ‘Account changes’, then ‘Convert to a business account’, then ‘Convert account’,
• Fill out the profile fields,
• Select if you’d like to run ads, then the account switch is complete.

3. Add a Business Account to Your Current Personal Account 

If you simply want to add a Pinterest Business Account to your existing account, you can: 

• Click the arrow in the top right screen,
• Click ‘Add account’, then ‘Create free business account’,
• Select ‘Create a linked business account’, 
• Hit ‘Create linked account’,
• Customize your account. Fill out account information, whether or not you want to run ads, then select an option from Pinterest’s dropdown list to describe your business.

How to Post on Pinterest for Business

Posting on Pinterest for business involves a strategic approach to maximize engagement and visibility. Begin by selecting the type of Pin that aligns with your content, whether it's an image, video, article, or carousel. Craft a compelling and concise description and attach a destination link that directs users to your desired landing page. Incorporate relevant keywords and hashtags to broaden your Pin's reach and categorize it effectively.

Finally, schedule your Pin for optimal timing, considering your target audience's active hours. By following these steps, you can effectively leverage Pinterest to showcase your brand and content to a wider audience.

Here’s how to get started: 

• Select a photo (be sure to use the right photo specs and sizes) 
• Click the ‘+’ found at the bottom-right screen 
• Either upload or drag a photo into the frame 
• Be sure to add a title, description, link and any relevant product tags

5 Pinterest for Business Tips

Being successful on Pinterest involves more than just sharing content and hoping for the best — especially if you’re used to a typical Pinterest account, there are a lot more features to take advantage of and ways to optimize your content so it reaches as many people as possible. 

From popular food brands to wedding brands like BHLDN, every Pinner should keep some essential tips in mind to maximize their Pinterest account’s potential.  

Here are five tips to be successful on Pinterest for Business:

1. Upload your catalog

If you’re selling a product on Pinterest, uploading your e-commerce product catalog is essential for successful sales and advertising. This process ensures that product tags seamlessly appear in ads, streamlining the advertising process and boosting product visibility. It also unlocks advanced features like dynamic retargeting, creating personalized shopping experiences. This strategy reinforces your brand, helps user exploration and maximizes your Pinterest's potential for driving conversions.

2. Try Idea Pins 

These are multi-page Pins that let you inspire your audience, and typically perform better in video form. Tell a story with your content and provide users with actionable steps to implement your ideas. Incorporate storytelling techniques to enhance engagement and for optimal results, consider integrating additional Idea Pin strategies to maximize the impact of your creative content.

3. Become a Verified Merchant 

Becoming a Verified Merchant on Pinterest helps boost your business credibility. The verification blue checkmark badge signals to users that your brand is vetted by Pinterest and meets their quality standards. This status grants you access to features like exclusive merchant details, price availability for products in Pins and eligibility for product distribution within Pinterest's Shopping experiences, further increasing visibility and user trust. With Pinterest evolving into a shopping hub, being a Verified Merchant enhances your reputation, encouraging higher click-through rates and conversions within the platform's engaged community.

Some caveats — your account must be at least 3 months old, and your website must be at least 13 months old. Check the full list of eligibility requirements to see if your account qualifies.

4. Create an Advertiser Account 

If you're interested in running paid ads on Pinterest, you’ll need to create one more account. This dedicated account enables you to manage and execute your advertising campaigns. Starting this process involves a few straightforward steps:

• Select ‘Ads’ from the top left corner,
• Click ‘Overview’, 
• Once in the Ad Manager, select ‘Create new ad account’,
• Choose your account name and country,
• Set up billing and account information,
• Select save.

With your Advertiser Account in place, you gain the tools to amplify your brand's reach, engage with your target audience and achieve your advertising objectives. From promoting products to boosting brand awareness, this account is your path forward to successful Pinterest advertising campaigns.

5. Pay Attention to Competitors 

While you should try to stay true to your brand’s unique vision, keeping an eye on your competitors is a smart move for gaining insights from top brands on Pinterest and can offer valuable perspectives and ideas you might want to implement. This practice allows you to keep tabs on possible emerging trends and understand what truly engages audiences. By studying their strategies, successes and resonating content, you can adapt and fine-tune your own approach, ensuring that you're always in sync with what's capturing the attention of your target demographic.

Pinterest for Business Terms To Know

If you’re completely new to Pinterest, the different types of Pins, accounts and more can be an absolute whirlwind. Here are some essential terms to know that will help you navigate your business account and make creating, sharing and promoting your content a lot easier.

Familiarize yourself with the following terms before diving into your business account: 

• Board: Groups of categorized Pins — you might want to group Pins by holidays, product type, different types of inspiration, etc. 
• Catalog: Your product feed. 
• Collection ads: Slideshow or video content that appears as ‘Similar products’ for users seeking out product Pins similar to yours.
• Pin: An image or video shared on Pinterest. 
• Pinning: The act of posting Pins to Pinterest.
• Verified Merchant Program: Gives your business account a verified ‘check’ that appears on your profile to increase trust with consumers and Pinners.
• Video Pins: A single video with a cover image.
• RePin: Reposting an existing Pin to your account.
• Rich Pins: These Pins pulls in information from your website to produce three types of rich Pins — product Pins (product availability from your site), article pins (blog posts) and recipe Pins (recipe details). 
• Shopping ads and Pinterest Shop: Paid ads that appear on user’s feeds that include availability, pricing and reviews.‍
• Try On Pins: This feature is only available in select regions, but it allows users to virtually try on products via mobile.

How To Use Pinterest for Business With Dash Hudson

The key to making the most of your Pinterest Business account is to track and analyze your account metrics — which is easy with Dash Hudson. 

First, link your account to Dash Hudson — once your Pinterest for Business is connected you can:

• Use the scheduler to post Pins (and post all your social content from one convenient location), 
• Receive AI-driven insights to help your social marketers easily determine which photos and videos will have the most success,
• Analyze your Pins and customize data with filters to organize insights from boards, Pins, categories, dates, e-commerce (helpful if you’re running ads) and more.

FAQs

What’s extended search or targeting on Pinterest?

Extended targeting on Pinterest (also sometimes referred to as extended search) sends signals to other Pinterest users who are likely interested in your Pins. For example, if your ads fall under ‘beauty products’ and ‘makeup’, extended targeting might also show your ads to users who search for ‘makeup organization’ or ‘vanity inspo’. 

Is Pinterest for Business free?

Yes, Pinterest for Business is free — however, while the core features of Pinterest for Business are free, businesses looking to maximize their reach and engagement may choose to invest in paid advertising options. For this, users must have a credit card to create a ‘Pinterest Ads’ account. 

What’s the difference between a Pinterest for Business and a ‘regular’ Pinterest account? 

A Pinterest for Business account gives you access to all different types of pins including Rich Pins, Collections Pins, Video Pins and Try On Pins. A ‘normal’ Pinterest account lets you make static Pins and Idea Pins.