How to Add Topics to Pinterest

Telling Pinterest what your account is about is one of the most effective ways to get your content in front of the right people. This guide breaks down exactly how to signal your niches to the Pinterest algorithm, moving beyond outdated tactics to focus on what actually works today. We’ll cover how to tune your account’s interests and, more importantly, how to optimize your content so Pinterest understands your brand and shows your Pins to a wider, more relevant audience.

What Are Pinterest Topics, Anyway?

In Pinterest, "Topics" (often used interchangeably with "Interests") are the categories the platform uses to organize billions of Pins and understand what users and creators are passionate about. Think of them as the DNA of the Pinterest algorithm. When you select topics as a user, you’re training your home feed to show you more content related to "easy weeknight dinners" or "mid-century modern decor."

For creators, brands, and marketers, this concept is even more powerful. While the old, direct button to "Add Topics" to your profile is gone, the goal remains the same: you need to consistently send clear signals to Pinterest about your niche. You do this through your content - your boards, your Pins, and the keywords you use. When you successfully communicate your topics, Pinterest knows exactly who to show your content to, which is the foundation of organic growth on the platform.

Why Communicating Your Topics is a Game-Changer

Taking the time to clearly define your topics is not just a box-ticking exercise, it directly impacts your reach, engagement, and follower growth. When you send the algorithm the right signals, a few fantastic things happen.

1. You Reach a Highly Motivated Audience

Pinterest is a discovery engine. Users aren’t just scrolling to kill time, they’re actively planning purchases, starting projects, and looking for solutions. When you clearly signal that your niche is "outdoor patio design," Pinterest connects your content with users who are literally looking for ideas and products for their backyards. This isn’t about just getting views - it’s about getting views from people who are primed to click, save, and buy.

2. Your Content Gets a Distribution Boost

When Pinterest is confident about your niche, it rewards you with better distribution. Your Pins are more likely to appear on the home feeds of relevant users, in their search results, and as "recommended Pins" after they interact with similar content. Without clear topic signals, your content is essentially invisible. The algorithm doesn't know who to show it to, so it often shows it to no one. Defining your topics is like giving the algorithm a roadmap to your ideal customer.

3. You Establish Authority in Your Niche

Consistency builds authority. When all your boards, Pin descriptions, and images revolve around a cohesive set of topics, you signal to both the algorithm and users that you are a go-to source for that specific subject. A profile with dozens of Pins about "small space gardening" is far more credible and likely to be followed than a profile with a few gardening Pins mixed with random recipes and fashion tips. Over time, Pinterest begins to see your profile as an authority, giving your new content a better chance of ranking quickly.

How to "Add" Topics to Pinterest: The Modern Method

Since you can no longer just click a button and add topics directly to your profile, the strategy now involves a more holistic approach. You need to align every part of your Pinterest presence to reinforce what you're about. Here are the two main ways to do it.

Method 1: Fine-Tune Your Own Interests

The first step is subtle but surprisingly effective. You need to curate the topics you follow, because this provides foundational data to the algorithm about the ecosystem your account lives in. It also helps you stay on top of trends within your niche by showing you what your target audience is seeing.

Here’s how to do it on a desktop:

1. Log in to your Pinterest account.
2. Click the small down-arrow in the top-right corner of your screen, next to your profile picture.
3. From the dropdown menu, select Tune your home feed.
4. You’ll see a few tabs. Click on the Interests tab.
5. Here, you can search for and follow topics relevant to your brand and your target audience. If you’re a food blogger specializing in vegan baking, search for terms like "vegan desserts," "plant-based recipes," and "dairy-free baking."
6. Click Done to save your changes.

By curating this list, you’re not only improving your own user experience but also giving Pinterest more contextual clues about your profile’s purpose. You’re immersing yourself and your account in the right conversations.

Method 2: Optimize Everything You Create

This is where the real work happens. Your content is the single most powerful signal you can send to the Pinterest algorithm. Every Pin, board, title, and description is an opportunity to tell Pinterest exactly what your topics are.

1. Create Hyper-Specific Boards

Generic board titles are a massive missed opportunity. Your board titles are prime real estate for keywords and topic signals. Don't create a single board called "Marketing Tips." Instead, break it down into several highly specific boards.

• Instead of: "Recipes"
  Try: "30-Minute Weeknight Dinners," "Healthy Breakfast Smoothies," "Gluten-Free Baking Recipes"
• Instead of: "Home Decor"
  Try: "Bohemian Living Room Ideas," "Minimalist Bedroom Design," "Small Balcony Gardening"

Each specific board acts as a strong signal to the algorithm, making it much easier for Pinterest to categorize your content and serve it to the right users.

2. Write Keyword-Rich Board Descriptions

Don't neglect the board description box! This is your chance to expand on the board's topic with related keywords and natural language. Write one or two clear sentences that tell both users and the algorithm what the board is about.

For a board titled "Small Balcony Gardening," a good description would be:

"Get inspired with small balcony and patio gardening ideas. This board covers container gardening for small spaces, urban gardening tips, and the best plants for apartment balconies."

In just two sentences, we've included a handful of relevant keywords: "patio gardening," "container gardening," "small spaces," "urban gardening tips," and "apartment balconies."

3. Optimize Every Single Pin

Treat every Pin you upload like a mini blog post that needs to be optimized for search. This checklist should become second nature:

• Strong, Keyword-Driven Title: Your Pin's title is arguably the most important element for its ranking. Make it clear and descriptive. "Easy Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken Recipe" is infinitely better than "Dinner Idea."
• Detailed Descriptions: Your Pin description should be a few sentences long and include your main keyword along with several related ones. Describe what the user will get from clicking through. Tell a mini-story, offer a solution, or spark their curiosity.
• Use Alt Text: Alt text is designed for screen readers but also serves as another SEO signal for the Pinterest algorithm. Write a simple, literal description of what is in the image. For a photo of chicken, your alt text might be: "Golden brown roasted chicken on a white platter, garnished with lemon slices and fresh parsley."

Best Practices for Selecting the Right Topics

Knowing how to add topics is only half the battle. You also need to choose the right topics to build your strategy around.

• Get Specific and Stay Focused: If your brand is about home organization, don't pin about workout routines. The more you mix your messages, the more you confuse the algorithm, which will suppress your reach. Go deep, not wide. Focus on a core set of 5-10 very specific sub-topics and create extensive content for each.
• Think Like Your Target Pinner: What words and phrases would your ideal customer or reader type into the search bar? The simplest way to research this is to start typing in the Pinterest search bar yourself. The autocomplete suggestions that appear are some of the most popular searches related to that term, giving you a goldmine of proven keywords and topic ideas.
• Review Your Analytics: Your Pinterest Analytics are an amazing source of feedback. Regularly check to see which of your boards and Pins are getting the most impressions, saves, and outbound clicks. If you find that Pins related to "natural cleaning hacks" are wildly outperforming everything else, that’s a clear sign from your audience and the algorithm to create more content on that topic.
• Be Consistent: Building authority on Pinterest is a long-term game. Once you've identified your core topics, plan your content out to ensure you're posting about them consistently. Aim to pin something new and relevant every day, even if it is just a few Pins. A consistent flow of on-topic content keeps the algorithm engaged and shows that your account is active and valuable.

Final Thoughts

While the direct method of adding profile topics to Pinterest has changed, the underlying principle is more relevant than ever. Success on the platform hinges on your ability to clearly and consistently communicate your niche to the algorithm through strategic use of boards, keyword-rich descriptions, and beautifully optimized Pins.

This level of consistent optimization for every single Pin and board can be a lot to juggle, especially when you're trying to post daily. We felt that exact pain, which is why we built Postbase around a super simple visual calendar. It allows us to plan out all our Pinterest content weeks or months in advance, so we can see our entire strategy at a glance and schedule everything in batches. This way, we know a steady stream of perfectly optimized Pins is always going out, which frees us up to focus on creating great content instead of live-posting every single day.