How to Create Shoppable Pins on Pinterest

Turning Pinterest viewers into customers is easier than you think. By making your Pins shoppable, you create a direct and seamless path from inspiration to checkout, right when a user is most excited about your product. This guide will walk you through exactly how to set up and create shoppable Pins, transforming your Pinterest boards from simple eye-candy into a powerful sales channel for your business.

What Exactly Are Shoppable Pins? And Why You Need Them

Unlike a standard Pin that links to a blog post or a general webpage, a shoppable Pin is directly linked to a product page. It acts like a shoppable tag on platforms like Instagram, but with the added discovery power of Pinterest’s visual search engine. These Pins are dynamic and packed with information shoppers want to see.

There are a few types, but the most common are Product Pins. These automatically pull real-time data from your website, showing users:

• Up-to-date pricing
• Product availability (e.g., "In Stock")
• The product title
• A detailed description

This information dramatically streamlines a shopper's journey. Pinners aren't just browsing, they're actively planning and looking for ideas to buy into. In fact, 83% of weekly Pinners have made a purchase based on content they saw from brands on Pinterest. By making your content shoppable, you're meeting them exactly where they are - ready to act on their inspiration.

Before You Begin: The Foundational Setup

Before you can start creating shoppable Pins, you need to lay the groundwork. Think of this as getting your online store ready for Pinterest shoppers. There are three essential steps to complete.

Step 1: Set Up an Active Pinterest Business Account

If you’re still using a personal Pinterest profile, you'll need to upgrade. A free business account unlocks access to crucial features like analytics, advertising, and - most importantly - Pinterest’s suite of shopping tools. The data you get from Pinterest Analytics is vital for understanding what content resonates with your audience and drives clicks to your store.

How to do it:

• If you have a personal account: Log in, go to your account settings, and select "Convert to a business account." The process is straightforward and free.
• If you're brand new: Simply sign up for a new account and choose the business option from the start.

Step 2: Claim Your Website

Claiming your website is like telling Pinterest, "Hey, this online store is mine." It verifies your ownership and allows Pinterest to properly attribute all the content that originates from your site. Once claimed, your profile picture will appear on all Pins saved from your website, and you'll get detailed analytics on how that content is performing.

You have a few ways to claim your site:

• Add an HTML tag: Pinterest gives you a small piece of code. You just need to paste it into the <,head>, section of your website’s index.html file.
• Upload an HTML file: You can download a file from Pinterest and upload it to the root directory of your web server.
• Add a TXT record: If you're more technically inclined, you can add a DNS TXT record to your domain host.

Platforms like Shopify and Squarespace often have simplified integrations that make this process even easier, so check their help docs for specific instructions.

Step 3: Upload Your Product Catalog

This is the most critical step. Your catalog is a digital list of all the products you sell, and Pinterest uses this data source file to automatically create a Product Pin for every item in your store. It's the engine that powers your shoppable experience.

What is a data source?

It's basically a spreadsheet (in a CSV, TSV, or XML format) that contains specific information about your products. Pinterest needs detailed data to build effective Product Pins. Each product should have its own row with detailed columns, including:

• id: A unique product identifier (like an SKU).
• title: The name of your product (max 150 characters).
• description: A keyword-rich description of the product.
• link: The direct URL to the product’s page on your site.
• image_link: A URL of a high-quality product image.
• price: The price and currency (e.g., 24.99 USD).
• availability: Stock status (in stock, out of stock, preorder).
• brand: Your brand name.

If you're using an e-commerce platform like Shopify or WooCommerce, this is much simpler. Many have official Pinterest apps or plugins that will automatically format and sync your product feed for you. If you go this route, you just need to install the Pinterest app, connect your account, and your store’s products will start syncing.

Once you’ve submitted your data source, Pinterest will review it for approval, which usually takes a day or two. After it's approved, you'll see a pristine "Shop" tab appear on your profile, showcasing all of your shoppable products in one place.

3 Ways to Create Shoppable Pins

Once your account is set up and your catalog is approved, you’re ready to start turning content into commerce. Here are the three primary methods you can use.

Method 1: Manually Tagging Products in Your Pins

This method is perfect for adding shoppable context to your lifestyle content. If you have a photo of a fully decorated living room, you can tag the individual products - like the pillows, the rug, and the side table - so users can shop the look directly from a single Pin. This is flexible and allows you to make any Pin shoppable, even older ones.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Click Create in the top-left corner of your feed and select Create Pin.
2. Upload your image or video and complete the title, description, and destination link fields.
3. On the right side of the screen, click the tag icon (it looks like a shopping tag). This opens the product tagging tool.
4. Click the "+" icon and begin searching for products from your catalog by name, or simply paste the direct product URL.
5. Pinterest will generate product listings based on your search. Select up to eight products you want to feature in your Pin.
6. Once you're done, review your Pin's details and publish it to a relevant board.

Now, when a user views your Pin, they’ll see small white dots on the tagged products, which they can click to view product details and head straight to your online store.

Method 2: Using Your Catalog for Automated Product Pins

This is the "set it and forget it" approach and the most scalable way to get your products on Pinterest. After your catalog is synced, Pinterest automatically generates a unique Product Pin for every single item you sell. These Pins function just like standard Pins, they can be discovered in searches, home feeds, and saved to boards.

The magic is in the real-time sync. When you update a product's price, availability, or image on your website, the corresponding Product Pin on Pinterest updates automatically. This means your Pins are always accurate, building trust with potential buyers and preventing the frustration of clicking on an out-of-stock item.

You don't need to manually do anything to create these once the catalog is connected. They'll start populating your Shop tab on your profile and will begin appearing across the platform automatically.

Method 3: Boosting Your Reach with Shoppable Ads

Once you’ve got your organic shoppable content flowing, you can put some advertising budget behind it to reach a much larger and more targeted audience. Shopping ads on Pinterest are highly effective because they feel native to the browsing experience rather than disruptive. You have a few options:

• Shopping Ads: These look and feel just like standard Product Pins, but you pay to promote them to users who have shown interest in similar products or keywords.
• Collections Ads: This format allows you to showcase a primary "hero" asset (either an image or a video) along with up to three smaller, shoppable product images below it. It's a fantastic way to display a full look or a curated product line in a single, interactive ad.

By promoting your best-performing Product Pins or creating a new campaign, you can target users based on their interests, recent searches, and even their past online shopping behaviors.

Best Practices for Creating Shoppable Pins That Convert

Just making your Pins shoppable isn't enough. You need to create content that inspires, informs, and makes people excited to click "Buy." Follow these best practices to get the most out of your efforts.

1. Use High-Quality, In-Context Visuals

Clear, bright, and aesthetically pleasing images and videos are non-negotiable on Pinterest. But to really stand out, showcase your product in a lifestyle setting. Instead of a purse on a white background, show it being worn with a stylish outfit. Instead of just a cookbook, show a picture of one of its beautiful recipes plated and ready to eat.

Also, don't forget to optimize for mobile. Stick to a vertical aspect ratio, like 2:3 (e.g., 1000 x 1500 pixels), for all your Pins.

2. Write Rich, SEO-Optimized Descriptions

Pinterest is a visual search engine. Your titles and descriptions are your best chance to get discovered. Think about the terms your ideal customer would use to find your product. Be descriptive and incorporate relevant keywords naturally. For instance, instead of "Brown Leather Boots," try "Handmade Brown Leather Ankle Boots for Fall & Winter." This helps your Pin show up in more searches.

3. Organize Products into Themed Boards

Don't just dump all of your Product Pins onto one "Our Products" board. Curate them into boards that reflect how your customers think. Create collections based on themes, seasons, styles, or rooms in a home. Examples include "Cozy Fall Living Room Ideas," "Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe," or "Holiday Gifting Guide." This approach helps users discover your products while planning projects and improves your brand's presence in search.

4. Leverage the Power of Video

Video Pins grab attention and are a fantastic way to show your products in action. Create short, engaging clips demonstrating how a product works, offering styling tips, or giving a behind-the-scenes look at how it's made. Just like with image Pins, you can manually tag your products in videos to make them fully shoppable.

Final Thoughts

Creating shoppable Pins empowers you to shorten the distance between a moment of inspiration and an actual purchase. By preparing your business account, connecting your product catalog, and making your lifestyle content shoppable, you can transform Pinterest from a brand awareness platform into a consistent revenue driver.

A strong Pinterest presence is a key part of any modern e-commerce marketing strategy. To keep things manageable, it helps to plan and schedule all your visual content in one place. Using our visual calendar at Postbase, you can see your upcoming Pinterest content right alongside your scheduled TikToks, Instagram Reels, and Shorts. We designed it for brands that rely on visual, video-first content, helping you maintain a cohesive and consistent brand story across all the platforms that matter most today.