How to Post on Pinterest

Ready to get your content seen on Pinterest? This visual discovery engine is an outstanding tool for driving traffic, generating leads, and building an audience, but a successful posting strategy involves more than just uploading a picture. This guide will walk you through exactly how to post on Pinterest, from understanding the different Pin formats to optimizing every element of your content for maximum reach.

Understanding the Main Types of Pinterest Pins

Before you create anything, it helps to know your options. Pinterest isn’t a one-size-fits-all platform. Depending on your goal, you might use different Pin formats a little differently to connect with your audience. Here are the most common formats you’ll work with.

Standard Pins

This is the classic Pinterest format: a single static image with a link. Standard Pins are the workhorses of the platform, perfect for showcasing products, linking to blog posts, or featuring portfolio work. They are simple, direct, and highly effective for driving targeted traffic to your website. For best results, use a high-quality, vertically-oriented image with a 2:3 aspect ratio (e.g., 1000 x 1500 pixels).

Video Pins

Video Pins function like Standard Pins but feature a video instead of a static image. They play automatically in users’ feeds, making them fantastic for grabbing attention. You can use Video Pins for showing a product in action, sharing a quick DIY tutorial, or giving a behind-the-scenes look at your brand. Keep them relatively short and make sure they are visually engaging from the first second, even with the sound off. Like Standard Pins, they should be vertical, ideally with a 2:3 or 9:16 aspect ratio.

Idea Pins

Idea Pins (formerly called Story Pins) are a multi-page format that allows you to combine video clips, still images, text, and music into a single, immersive Pin. Unlike Standard and Video Pins, Idea Pins do not contain a direct outbound link on each page, instead, their primary goal is to build your audience on Pinterest. They are perfect for step-by-step guides, recipes, detailed tutorials, or telling a compelling brand story. They have become a major focus for Pinterest, so using them is great for visibility and growing your followers directly on the platform.

Product Pins

If you run an e-commerce business, Product Pins are a game-changer. These are a type of Rich Pin that automatically syncs information like price, availability, and product title directly from your website. When a user sees your Product Pin, they see real-time information and can click to purchase directly. To enable this, you’ll first need to claim your website and set up a product catalog on Pinterest.

The Anatomy of a Perfect Pin: 5 Key Ingredients

A successful Pin is built from several well-crafted elements working together. Ignoring any one of these can reduce your Pin’s potential to rank in search results and capture user interest. Here’s what every good Pin needs.

1. High-Quality, Attention-Grabbing Visuals

Pinterest is, above all, a visual platform. Your image or video is the first thing people see, so it has to stand out. Here are a few guidelines:

• Go Vertical: Always use a vertical aspect ratio. A 2:3 ratio (like 1000x1500px) is recommended by Pinterest and performs best. Horizontal images get lost in the feed.
• Use Bright, Clear Imagery: Your photos and videos should be high-resolution, well-lit, and easy to understand at a glance. Avoid dark, blurry, or overly cluttered visuals.
• Add a Text Overlay: Adding a bold, readable title directly onto your Pin image is one of the most effective ways to signal what your content is about. Use your brand fonts and colors to build recognition. This is especially useful for Pins that link to articles or blog posts.
• Include Your Logo or Website: Subtly add your logo or website URL to the bottom of your image. This helps with brand recall and discourages others from stealing your content without credit.

2. A Keyword-Rich Title

Think of your Pin title as the headline. It needs to be compelling and descriptive. Your primary goal is to tell both users and the Pinterest algorithm exactly what your Pin is about. Include your main keywords here naturally. For example, instead of "Healthy Dinner," a better title would be "Quick and Easy Lemon Chicken Recipe." It’s specific, searchable, and lets the user know precisely what to expect.

3. A Detailed and Helpful Description

Your Pin description is where you can provide more context and include additional relevant keywords. Don't just stuff it with keywords, write 2-3 genuine sentences that describe the content and entice the user to click. Think about what a user might be searching for and include those phrases. A good description might look a little something like this:

"Looking for a healthy 30-minute meal? This quick and easy lemon chicken recipe is packed with flavor and requires just a few simple ingredients. It's the perfect weeknight dinner solution for the whole family. Click through for the full recipe and cooking instructions!"

4. A Relevant Destination Link

For Standard and Video Pins, the destination link is the entire point! Make sure the URL you add leads directly to the relevant page on your website. No one wants to click a Pin for a "lemon chicken recipe" and land on your website's homepage. The link should deliver on the promise of the Pin without any extra steps. A broken link or a misleading destination creates a poor user experience.

5. Clear Alt Text

Alt text (alternative text) has two important functions. First, it makes your content accessible to an audience with visual impairments who use screen readers. Second, it gives the Pinterest algorithm another strong signal about your Pin’s content. Write a simple, descriptive sentence using your primary keywords. For our example, the alt text could be: "A pan-seared lemon chicken breast sits on a white plate next to roasted asparagus."

How to Post on Pinterest: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to put it all together? Here’s a detailed walkthrough for publishing a Standard Pin. The process is very similar for Video Pins.

1. Log In and Click "Create": From the Pinterest desktop interface, click the "Create" dropdown menu on the top left of your screen and select "Create Pin."
2. Upload Your Visual: You'll see a large grey box on the left prompting you to upload your Pin creative. Drag and drop your image or video file here, or click to browse files on your computer.
3. Choose Your Board: In the top right corner, you’ll see a dropdown menu that says "Choose a Board." Select the most relevant board for your Pin. If you don't have a good one, you can create a new board from here as well. Boards act like folders, and organizing your Pins into keyword-optimized boards helps with discoverability.
4. Write Your Title and Description: Fill in the provided fields with your optimized Pin title and description. As you type, you can see how it will look on the live Pin preview on the left.
5. Add Your Alt Text and Link: Below the description, click "Add alt text" and write your descriptive sentence. Then, in the "Add a destination link" field, paste the full URL you want your Pin to link to.
6. Publish or Schedule: You have two options here. You can click the red "Publish" button to post your Pin immediately. Alternatively, you can select "Publish at a later date" to open a calendar and scheduler. Pick the day and time you want your Pin to go live, and Pinterest will publish it for you.

Creating an Idea Pin is a slightly different process. When you select "Create Idea Pin," you'll enter an editor that allows you to upload multiple images and video clips. From there, you can design each page with text, stickers, and music, building your story one step at a time. Finish your Idea Pin by adding a title, choosing a board, and adding relevant topic "tags" to help users discover it easily.

Creating a Strategy for Success

Posting on Pinterest is more than just publishing a single Pin. To truly grow, you need a thoughtful strategy centered on consistency and value.

Perform Keyword Research

Pinterest is a search engine. To get found, you need to use the words your audience is using. Use the Pinterest search bar to learn what people look for. Type in a broad term like "home decor" and look at the suggestions Pinterest provides - "home decor ideas," "home decor bedroom," "home decor modern." These are the exact phrases people are searching for. Build your Pin titles, descriptions, and board titles around them.

Organize Your Boards Thoughtfully

Think of your Pinterest boards as the aisles in a store. They should be clearly labeled and neatly organized so people can find exactly what they’re looking for. Create specific boards with keyword-optimized titles (e.g., "Minimalist Living Room Ideas" instead of just "Living Room"). This makes your profile easier to navigate and boosts your content's ranking in search.

Stay Consistent

The Pinterest algorithm rewards consistent activity. Aim to post fresh, new Pins regularly instead of uploading a bunch of content all at once and then disappearing for weeks. Creating and scheduling even just 3-5 new Pins per week can make a massive difference in your reach and traffic over time.

Final Thoughts

Posting effectively on Pinterest comes down to understanding the platform's visual nature and search functionality. By creating high-quality, vertically-oriented Pins, optimizing them with relevant keywords, and organizing your content into thoughtful boards, you’ll be on your way to building a meaningful presence that drives real results.

Staying consistent is often the most difficult part of any social media strategy. We struggled for years with clunky, outdated tools that made simple things like managing a content calendar feel like a second job. That’s why we built Postbase - a simple, modern tool designed for today's platforms. Its visual calendar and rock-solid scheduling help you plan and publish your Pins and other social content with confidence, so you can spend less time managing and more time creating.