How to Get Your Pinterest Posts Seen

Feeling like your Pinterest posts are disappearing into a massive void? You're not alone. The secret isn't pinning more, it’s pinning smarter. This breakdown gives you actionable strategies that take your pins from invisible to inspiration central by focusing on search optimization, visual-first content, and solid routines.

Think Like a Search Engine, Not a Social Network

First things first, let's get a huge misunderstanding out of the way. Pinterest is not a typical social network where people go to see what their friends were up to last weekend. It's a visual discovery and search engine. Users come with a forward-looking mindset. They are planning a future purchase, a home renovation, a dream vacation, or maybe just what's for dinner tonight. They are searching for ideas, solutions, and inspiration.

This simple mental shift changes everything. Your goal isn’t just to get "likes" but to be the answer to someone’s search query. Every pin you create is an opportunity to be discovered by a user actively looking for exactly what you offer. When you start treating your content as a solution, you're on the right track to getting seen.

Master Your Pinterest SEO Strategy

Since Pinterest operates on search, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is your most powerful tool. It’s how you signal to Pinterest what your content is about, so it can be shown to the right people. Getting this right is absolutely fundamental.

Step 1: Uncover High-Impact Keywords

Before you create a single pin, you need to know what words and phrases your audience is actually typing into the search bar. Forget guessing, Pinterest gives you the answers directly.

Here’s how to do your research:

• Start with the Search Bar: Type in a broad topic related to your niche (e.g., “home office ideas”). Notice the automated suggestions that appear? Those are popular search terms people are using right now. Write them down.
• Analyze the Keyword Bubbles: After you search for a term, look at the colorful bubbles that appear just below the search bar. These are modifiers and related keywords Pinterest's algorithm thinks are relevant. For “home office ideas,” you might see bubbles like “small,” “modern,” “on a budget,” or “for women.” This helps you get super-specific with your content. Clicking on them will drill down even further.
• Look at the "Explore" Page: On your Pinterest home feed, you might see trending topics and fresh ideas. This can give you clues about broader trends and seasonal interests you can tap into.

Create a simple list or spreadsheet of these keywords. A mix of broad topic keywords (like "healthy recipes") and long-tail, specific keywords (like "easy vegan weeknight dinner recipes") will give you the most flexibility.

Step 2: Strategically Place Your Keywords

Once you have your list, it's time to put those keywords to work. Sprinkling them across your Pinterest profile and content tells the algorithm exactly who to show your pins to.

Here are the five most valuable placements for your keywords:

1. Your Profile Name &,, Bio: Instead of just your brand name, add a primary keyword that describes what you do. For example, “Postbase | Modern Social Media Scheduling" is more descriptive than just "Postbase." Use your bio to expand on this with a sentence or two that fluidly includes 2-3 of your most important keywords.
2. Your Board Titles: Board titles should be straightforward and descriptive, not cute or clever. A board named “Simple Weeknight Dinner Ideas” will be found in search far more easily than a board named “Yummy Food.” Think about what your audience would search for.
3. Your Board Descriptions: Every board needs a description. This is a perfect spot to write 2-3 natural-sounding sentences that use an array of related keywords for that board’s topic. You have up to 500 glorious characters here, use them. Describe what kind of content people will find and who it's for.
4. Pin Titles: Your Pin Title is one of the most significant pieces of text for ranking in search. It should be compelling and contain your primary target keyword. A great Pin Title serves a specific purpose, like "The Only SMM Content Calendar You Will Need in 2024" or "5 DIY Painting Hacks That Will Save You Hundreds."
5. Pin Descriptions: Write a few detailed sentences telling people what your pin is about, using several different keywords. Aim for a description that is helpful to the user first. For a home decor pin, descriptions should focus on painting a picture rather than just listing specs. Focus not only on making sure the content finds the right people but also on ensuring the right person finds exactly what they are looking for within your pin. Use full, story-like sentences at the beginning of your description without abbreviations, and always place hashtags at the end.

Design Pins That Beg to Be Clicked and Saved

Great SEO gets your pins discovered, but great design gets them clicked. On a platform as visually driven as Pinterest, the creative aspect is equally as important as the keywords.

Stick to the Vertical Standard

Pinterest is a vertically-scrolling platform on mobile phones, tablets, and desktop browsers. Tall, vertical images get priority, taking up more screen real estate and catching the eye more effectively. Ignore this at your own peril, friend.

• Always use a 2:3 aspect ratio.
• A pixel size of 1000px wide x 1500px tall is the sweet spot for high-quality pins. Using high-quality images should never take a backseat. Blurry and grainy photos on Pinterest will simply disappear into a void.

Use Clear, Bold Text Overlays

Most people don't click on pins unless they feel fairly certain of finding a direct solution to some of their "problems." A great image isn't enough, you need to tell people what your content provides without them having to read the description. A big, bold, easy-to-read headline on your pin absolutely needs to be added to all your pins.

Use fonts that are legible on a small mobile screen, and provide high contrast for easy readability (like black text on a white background).

Brand Your Pins with your Logo, Brand Name, or Website

Add a small, subtle brand logo to every one of your pins. Your pins should appear as a natural extension of your personal blog's style on your site. Having your logo or web address will reinforce your brand's identity across all platforms, making your marketing efforts truly full circle. Every pin should include your brand, helping people not only know but recognize your pins over time.

Design Multiple Variations for the Same URL

One of the best ways to get traction is to not stop at just one visual for a particular piece of content. For every blog post or YouTube video, you can easily create 10-20 pin variations with different titles, images, and keywords in their descriptions. This is a great way to A/B test what works well, giving you more successful pins for scheduling.

Use a Diverse Mix of Pin Formats

Pinterest offers more than just standard image pins. Using different formats keeps your content fresh and allows you to reach viewers in various places on the app.

Standard Pins

These are the classics - vertical images linking to an external URL. They are your primary traffic drivers and the very bedrock of Pinterest still.

Video Pins

Short videos catch the eye because they auto-play in the feed. They're perfect for tutorials, process demonstrations, or bringing a product to life. Keep them brief and engaging, with on-screen text so your message can reach those browsing with the sound off. Videos can also be a great platform for affiliate partners on platforms including Pinterest.

Idea Pins

Idea Pins are multi-page slides (up to twenty pages) that keep users right on Pinterest. They are an amazing way to repurpose long-form content into small, snackable pieces. When working on Idea Pins, it's best to make them completely self-serving, never assuming a user will read your corresponding article later.

Rich Pins

Rich pins pull additional, real-time data from a page on your site and embed it directly into the pin itself. The main types of Rich Pins include recipe, product, and article pins, which work by taking advantage of extra markup that you can add to your web pages.

Promoted Pins

These are ad formats similar to organic pins, with the only exception being that a business has paid for them to show up to users who don't follow them. Promoted pins are available in several formats you can try running.

Develop a Consistent Pinning Strategy

The Pinterest algorithm favors accounts that consistently provide value to its user base. It is a more effective strategy to post a few high-quality pins daily than to bulk-publish pins for a month only to disappear for the next six. Maintain a presence across your boards and consider joining relevant group boards where members already have followers who may be interested in your content. The old "golden rule" for Pinterest was to pin as frequently as possible for maximum results (e.g., 80 or 100 pins per day). However, as automation tools have become more prevalent, Pinterest has emphasized quality over quantity. Pinning just a few times a day is the new normal. For more tailored strategies, you should consult a social media marketing manager. Generally, pinning spaced out through the day - once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once late at night - will give you more visibility. Using a scheduling tool is key because it ensures you post when Pinterest usage is peaking.

Final Thoughts

Getting your content seen on Pinterest boils down to a thoughtful three-part strategy: treat it like the search engine it is with rock-solid SEO, create stunning visuals that stop the scroll, and maintain a consistent presence over time. Approach it with patience and a plan, and you’ll start seeing the traffic and engagement you’ve been working for.

Building that consistent strategy is much easier when you’re not scrambling to post every day. We designed Postbase to streamline exactly that. Planning your pins for weeks or months on our visual calendar gives you a clear view of your strategy, and you can trust that our reliable scheduling will get your content out at the right time. This frees you up to spend more time creating the high-quality designs and keyword-rich content that actually move the needle.