Pinterest is one of the main social networks, and it offers a large pool of audience members and potential customers for brands, with 537 monthly active users.

The platform is unique for its visual focus and users actively go there to discover new things, including brands and products.

This makes the network great for branded content, with 78% of Pinterest users saying that they find content from brands helpful.

Brands that leverage Pinterest can build brand awareness, drive sales, and deepen customer loyalty.

In this guide, we cover the following topics:

Let's get to it.

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a social media platform focused on visual content. Users go there to be inspired and find new things. They are looking for a new project for their hobby, a unique gift, or the perfect item to decorate their home.

Pins and boards

What makes Pinterest unique is how content is shared on the platform. It's like a giant pin board.

Posts on Pinterest are called Pins. They can be collected and organized in so-called boards.

Boards are like albums that make it easy to group Pins into specific themes or product groups. Organize your products into different color and mood boards and increase your chances to be discovered by consumers that are searching for these kinds of topics.

Why Pinterest matters for your marketing strategy

There are several benefits why brands should use Pinterest for their marketing. Let's take a look at some of them.

Pinterest as a discovery engine

As we said above, Pinterest's most distinctive characteristic is the discovery element. Users want to see new things and be inspired.

Discovering new things is the number one reason people spend time on Pinterest.

Users don't just search for brands they already know. Instead, they are open to discovering new brands, with 96% of top searches searching for unbranded topics.

This offers the opportunity for your business to get in front of people who never heard about you before and win new customers.

To stand out, you have to make sure that your content marketing is top-notch with high-quality visuals and inspiring boards. More on that later.

Ideally, when they find your content, they will repin them to their own boards, which will increase the reach and visibility of your Pins. 

Benefits of Pinterest for brand awareness and sales

Pinterest is a great place to build brand awareness. Compared to other social platforms, content on Pinterest has a longer lifespan. While posts on other networks can have a shelf life of minutes to hours, Pins can be relevant for months, even years.

This means the effort you put into the platform can benefit you even years later.

Another benefit is the openness of the users to branded content, which makes them more willing to buy than users on other platforms.

In a survey, 80% of weekly users said that the shopping experience on Pinterest inspires them. Weekly users also shop more often, and spend more each month.

Therefore, brands can really benefit and drive sales with Pinterest marketing, and the platform offers various features to make selling easier. They reduce the steps consumers have to take to get all the information they need to make a purchase decision. 

Setting up for success: Creating a Pinterest business account

Now you know why Pinterest can be great for your brands' success. What are you waiting for?

Setting up a Pinterest account is easy. Let's quickly go through the steps.

Set up and optimize your Pinterest business account

Step 1: Create a business account

There are two ways you can set up an account – through business.pinterest.com or the app. First, enter your email address, password, and birthday.

Step 2: Set up your profile

Next, enter your business name and a link to your website. Use branded visuals for your profile image and cover photo. 

Step 3: Add a description

The description gives users an idea what they can find on your profile. Be clear what your business is about and keep it short. Add relevant keywords to make it easier for users to find you.

The character limit is 160 characters.

Step 4: Create Pinterest boards

Now that your profile is set up, it's time to create content. Create different boards to organize your Pins. Think about what your audience is interested in. It can be by product lines, colors, or a specific theme.

As a fashion brand, you could create boards for different styles or fabrics, like Y2K or denim. A home decor brand might organize their Pins into different moods or colors, like Nordic or chromatic.

There are many ways how to organize your content and, done right, you increase the chances of being discovered by consumers. 

Leveraging Pinterest Analytics for insights

Use Pinterest Analytics to see how your content strategy is performing. With your business account, you have free access to the in-built analytics features. 

Keep an eye on metrics like impressions, saves, and clicks to see if your content is resonating.

This will help you understand what kind of content type performs best and what your audience is interested in.

In addition to Pinterest Analytics, you can use more advanced tools like Brandwatch to get deeper insights into your performance on Pinterest, as well as to perform other functions like scheduling content.

Track performance regularly and adjust your content strategy to drive better results.  

Essential Pinterest marketing strategies for 2025

Your Pinterest account is set up, and you've familiarized yourself with Pins, boards, and analytics.

Here are some helpful tips to take your Pinterest marketing strategy to the next level.

Improve your content

Users on Pinterest are actively searching for new content, and there are several ways in which they can discover you:

  • Search: They search for keywords that you have used in your content. Another search option is visual search. With Pinterest Lens, they can use an image as a reference and the platform will suggest similar images and products.
  • Home feed: The home feed is a mix of content people see from accounts they follow and recommendations based on their recent activity.
  • Related Pins: When they look at a Pin, the platform suggests similar content nearby.
  • Shoppable Pins: Product Pins or shoppable ads that appear in users' feeds.

Use keywords that are relevant to your business and industry. Do some keyword research to make sure you haven't missed anything. Pinterest's Explore section can give you an idea of what's trending and their annual trends report is also an incredible resource for marketers to stay on top of the latest trends – the Brandwatch content team are huge fans!

Once you know which keywords to use, add them to your Pin title, description, and board name. Add two to three hashtags to increase your chances of being discovered on Pinterest.

The Pin description is limited to a maximum of 500 characters. Stick to a description length between 100 and 300 characters. Include related keywords at the beginning of the description but keep the language natural.

Include a call to action

It's important to guide users to take the next step. Here, call to actions come into play.

You don't create content just for the fun of it. You want people to engage with you, visit your website, or sign up for your newsletter.

Keep your call to actions short and compelling. Done right, it can help consumers connect with your brand. Test different versions and track what's working best to increase engagements and conversions. 

Create high-engagement Pins to grab Pinterest users’ attention

Pinterest is a visual platform, so you need to nail the visual part for a chance to be discovered and gain a following. Here are some tips for creating eye-catching Pins.

First, make sure your images and videos are in the correct format before uploading. Pictures and videos are displayed vertically in a 2:3 ratio. Find more tips on ideal sizes in this guide.

For videos, remember that people have a short attention span and quickly scroll on if the content does not immediately grab their attention. It's good to keep it short – videos with a length of 6 to 15 seconds are ideal.

Provide the important information at the beginning of the video. Add captions and text overlays for people that prefer to browse without sound and make your content more inclusive. Use a cover image that shows what the video is about.

Experiment with different content formats to find out what your audience likes, such as:

  • Infographics
  • Tutorials
  • How-tos
  • Behind the scenes

Pinterest has different features that you can add to your images or videos, like music or stickers. Try them out and get creative. It can increase the chances to stand out from the crowd.

Plan a consistent posting schedule

Be consistent in what you do. There's no point in creating high-quality Pins when you don't have a scheduling plan, and your posting habits are all over the place.

To drive engagement, it's important to post regularly and consistently, and a scheduling plan can help with that. .

Use Pinterest's own scheduling tool to plan your posts up to 30 days in advance. There are also advanced scheduling tools on the market, such as Brandwatch, that have additional and helpful features to make the work of social media managers easier. More on that below!

Experiment with different posting times to see which times and days work best for engagement. Keep an eye on your analytics, and over time you should have enough data to see patterns that can help you to optimize your scheduling plan.

In general, 8am to 11am and 2pm to 4pm on weekdays and Saturday mornings are generally acknowledged to be the best times to post on Pinterest. Find out more about the best times to post in our guide here.

Advanced tactics to drive sales and traffic on Pinterest

Here are some tips on how to use Pinterest to get more traffic and attract customers.

Use Product Pins and Try on Product Pins

Pinterest offers several features that make selling on the platform easier. One is Product Pins, which you can use to add relevant product information and links to your website.

Upload your catalog in bulk and turn each product into its own Pin at once.

Synchronize your Pins to your website to keep them up to date

Use rich Pins to connect your product Pins with your website and automatically update when the information on your website changes.

This saves a lot of time and consumers get up-to-date information without having to leave Pinterest. They can, for example, see if an item is on sale or out of stock.

Present your products with collection Pins

With collection Pins, you can display multiple products in one Pin and add information and links for every item.

It’s perfect for fashion retailers to promote an outfit or for a furniture brand to show a furnished room.

Let consumers virtually try on your products

Try on product Pins allow consumers to virtually try on products using AR technology. This can help consumers make a buying decision.

This feature has the potential to also increase customer satisfaction, as it lowers the risk of consumers buying things that won’t meet their expectations.

Leverage Pinterest ads for greater reach

Ads can be a great option to reach a wider audience. They can drive traffic and boost sales, and Pinterest ads are no different. Here are some tips.

A good starting point is to look at your top-performing Pins and turn them into ads. If they work well organically, there’s a good chance they will also work well if you put some money behind them.

Shoppable ads are great to promote your products and, like with other product Pins, they contain relevant product information, making it easier for consumers to feel comfortable buying.

Consider retargeting ads to reach consumers who have already shown an interest in your business in the post. They may have visited your website or had one of your products in their shopping carts. Retargeting ads can help to put your brand back in their minds.

Track your results to see what ads are working. With these insights, adjust your ad strategy and continue to improve over time.

Community engagement and influencer collaborations on Pinterest

Pinterest offers some valuable opportunities to connect with others. Here are some ways to build communities and foster relationships with influencers.

Building community

Contests

One way to keep your audience engaged is to run contests. They are a fun way to connect with your followers.

Check out the specific rules for running contests on Pinterest beforehand to make sure you follow the guidelines.

Group boards

Group boards, as the name implies, are boards that can be edited by multiple people. Adding Pins becomes a group effort and can create a community aspect.

Create your own group boards and encourage your followers to contribute or join existing boards and participate with your expertise.

The Pinterest Community

Why not join the Pinterest Community? It's a dedicated space that is all about making connections.

It’s like a forum, where users can ask questions and share tips and best practices. This is a great opportunity for brands to jump in with their expertise or ask for feedback.

Partner with Pinterest influencers

Working with influencers not only helps to put your brand in front of a new audience, it also comes with a higher level of trust.

In fact, nearly 70% of consumers say they trust influencers more than traditional ads. They trust that influencers are honest and therefore are more open to what they say and promote.

Influencers come in different sizes. Some have a huge following, while others may only have 5,000 followers. Depending on what kind of audience you want to reach and your goals, a smaller number doesn’t mean a creator doesn’t have the influence you're looking for.

Micro-influencers are often more niche and get a better engagement rate than big accounts. But no matter if you go for a mega or micro influencer, make sure that the influencer fits your brand. Otherwise, it can come across as inauthentic.

Set some guidelines but keep a balance that gives the influencer enough freedom to be creative and talk about your brand in their own voice. There are different ways to work with influencers. They could do a review of your product on their account, they could be part of your advertising campaign, or you let them take over your account for a limited time.

Tracking and optimizing your Pinterest marketing performance

Measuring your performance is important. You need to know if your Pinterest marketing strategy is working.

If you don’t track the results, you can’t improve, and you'll risk of putting effort into things that have no effect. Here are some tips.

Using Pinterest Analytics

With a Pinterest business account, you gain access to the analytics tool free of charge. It provides you with valuable metrics that give you insights into how your content performs and audience behavior.

Track metrics, such as:

  • Engagement rate
  • Impressions
  • Saves
  • Pin clicks

See what type of content performs best and, by extension, what topics your audience is interested in.

Set up Pinterest tags to your website and track if your content converts into the desired action. This way, you can see if Pinterest users follow your call to actions.

As we mentioned above, there are some great tools like Brandwatch out there that can help you go beyond what's possible within the Pinterest platform when it comes to measurement and organization. See the section below.

Refining your Pinterest strategy based on data

Use this data to refine your Pinterest marketing over time. Keep track of your performance regularly across all your activities, such as content marketing, paid advertising, influencer collaborations, and community management. 

Social media is a place that can change quickly and consumers constantly adapt their behavior. What may have worked in the past quickly can become redundant.

With regular tracking, you can identify trends early, and adjust your strategy to drive better results and stay ahead of competitors.

Elevate your Pinterest marketing strategy with Brandwatch

For small businesses, using the free tools within Pinterest may be enough. But for growing businesses with accounts across multiple social platforms, social media management can quickly become chaotic.

With Brandwatch, you can manage all of your social accounts, including Pinterest, from one platform. This makes life a lot easier for social media managers.

Publish and schedule Pins, maintain a content library of your assets, collaborate with your team members, streamline workflows, and measure your performance — all from one place. 

Post, schedule, and collaborate from one platform

Manage all your Pinterest content activities from one tool. With Brandwatch's Publish tool, publishing your Pins is easy and saves time.

See your content plans at a glance with our content calendar and schedule your posts well in advance. 

If you have accounts on other social media platforms, you can keep all your information and activity in one place. No more jumping between apps and tools.

The platform also includes a content library for storing all your assets, ensuring they are readily available when you create new Pins.

There's also an opportunity to leverage AI to improve your Pins. Use Brandwatch's Iris writing assistant to optimize the copy of your content for better results. The assistant can perform a grammar check, replace words to avoid repetition, and suggest copy changes to improve SEO and engagement.

The Publish tool has several workflow features that make it easier to work with your teams. Add notes and approval flows to help you and your team collaborate more seamlessly.

Label your Pins to organize them into different groups. This is useful when you are running a campaign and want to quickly see how it is performing.

Track your Pinterest performance

Track the performance of your content marketing on Pinterest with Brandwatch's Measure tool and choose from a variety of metrics to see how your content is resonating.

Analyze your content across multiple social channels in one analytics platform. By comparing your Pinterest KPIs to your overall social media performance, you see how your Pinterest strategy is contributing to your overall marketing goals.  

The dashboards can even be customized to display the metrics that are most important to you. 

In addition to key metrics like engagement, impressions, and shares, you also get access to metrics that are not available in Pinterest's built-in analytics tool:

  • The Pin click rate measures how many clicks your content gets compared to the number of times people see it on their screen.
  • The save rate is the percentage of people who saved your Pin compared to the number of people who saw it.

Both of these metrics give you insight into how your content is resonating. Is your content interesting enough for people to engage and take action? If your Pins aren't driving results, it's time to take action to optimize your content strategy so they do.

Want to learn more about how Brandwatch can help your business to thrive on Pinterest and improve your Pinterest marketing strategy? Chat with one of our experts or read more here.