How to Sell on Pinterest

Forget what you know about typical social media marketing, selling on Pinterest requires a different playbook. This isn't a platform for chasing fleeting trends or broadcasting daily updates - it's a visual search engine where millions of people actively plan their purchases. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to turn those planners into paying customers, from setting up your profile for commerce to creating content that actually converts.

Pinterest Isn't Social Media - It's a Search Engine

The single most important shift you need to make is understanding what Pinterest is. Your audience isn't here to scroll absently and see what their friends are up to. They are here with intent. They're searching for "summer wedding guest dresses," "small kitchen organization ideas," or "DIY patio furniture." They are actively looking for inspiration and solutions that will eventually lead to a purchase.

Think of it this way:

• On Instagram or Facebook, a user sees a cool product and might think, "Oh, that's interesting. I'll save it for later."
• On Pinterest, a user searches for a specific idea, finds your product as the solution, and is already in a buying mindset.

This difference is huge. On Pinterest, you’re not interrupting them, you’re helping them. Your job is to become the solution they are searching for. Everything that follows is built on this core principle.

Step 1: Set Up Your Profile to Be a Shopping Destination

Before you can sell, your digital storefront needs to be discoverable, shoppable, and trustworthy. A few technical steps here make a world of difference.

Switch to a Business Account

If you're still using a personal profile, switch to a free Pinterest Business account immediately. This unlocks critical features you'll need for selling, including:

• Pinterest Analytics: See which Pins are driving the most clicks, saves, and traffic to your site.
• Rich Pins: Automatically sync information from your website to your Pins.
• Ads Manager: The ability to promote Pins and target specific audiences.
• Shop Tab: A dedicated space on your profile to showcase all your products.

Claim Your Website

Claiming your website adds your profile picture to any Pins created from your site (even by other people) and gives you a small "verified" checkmark on your profile. It’s a powerful signal of authenticity and allows Pinterest to trust your content more. Head to your profile 'Settings' and find the 'Claimed accounts' section to follow the simple instructions, which usually involve adding a bit of HTML or uploading a file to your website.

Enable Rich Pins (Especially Product Pins)

Rich Pins are supercharged Pins that automatically pull extra information from your website. There are a few types, but for anyone selling physical or digital goods, Product Pins are non-negotiable.

Here’s what they do: When a user saves a Product Pin, it shows them:

• Real-time pricing
• Availability (e.g., "In stock")
• A direct link to the product page on your website
• Your brand name and favicon

This transforms a simple image into a dynamic, E-commerce-ready piece of content. When you update the price on your site, the Pin updates automatically. It’s the closest thing to putting a price tag directly on your inspiration images.

Connect Your Product Catalog (The Game Changer)

If you use an E-commerce platform like Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce, you can connect your entire product catalog to Pinterest. This is where your profile transforms from a collection of Pins into a true storefront.

By uploading your product catalog, Pinterest automatically creates a Product Pin for every single item in your store. These Pins then populate a dedicated ‘Shop’ tab on your profile, allowing users to browse and buy just like they would on any retail site. This automates the Pin creation process for your products and turns your Pinterest presence into a powerful extension of your online store.

Step 2: Create Pins That Drive Clicks and Sales

Now that your foundation is solid, it's time to create content. Simply uploading product photos from your website won't cut it. You need to create Pins that fit the platform’s aesthetic and solve a problem for the user.

Focus on Solutions, Not Just Products

Remember, users are searching for ideas and inspiration. To get in front of them, create content that addresses their search. Don't just show them your product, show them how your product fits into their lives.

• Product: A leather sofa.
• Solution-Focused Pin Idea: "10 Ways to Style a Small Living Room." Your sofa is the centerpiece of the beautiful, aspirational lifestyle shot you create for the Pin.

• Product: A set of ceramic mixing bowls.
• Solution-Focused Pin Idea: "The Only Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe You'll Ever Need." The Pin title and image grab the baker's attention, and your beautiful mixing bowls are featured in the shot.

Your goal is to become the visual answer to their search query.

Design Pins for Success: Visual Best Practices

Pinterest is a visual platform, and a thoughtfully designed Pin is the difference between getting a save and getting ignored.

• Use a Vertical Aspect Ratio: The optimal Pin size is a 2:3 ratio (e.g., 1000 x 1500 pixels). This takes up the most screen real estate in the feed and gets noticed.
• High-Quality Imagery is a Must: Use crisp, clear, and well-lit photos. Lifestyle images that show your product in context almost always outperform static product shots on a white background.
• Add Text Overlay: Your image might be beautiful, but a text overlay gives it context and stops the scroll. Use a clear, bold font to state what the Pin is about (e.g., "5-Minute Skincare Routine," "Cozy Fall Decor Ideas"). This makes your Pin's value proposition immediately obvious.
• Keep Branding Subtle but Consistent: Add a small logo or your website URL to the bottom of your Pins. It helps with brand recall and discourages content theft.
• Embrace Video Pins and Idea Pins: Video content performs exceptionally well. Create short, looping videos showing your product in action, a quick how-to, or styling tips. Idea Pins (Pinterest's take on Stories) are great for tutorials or multi-step lists and allow you to tag specific products directly within the content.

Step 3: Master Pinterest SEO to Get Discovered

Creating beautiful, solution-oriented Pins is half the battle. The other half is ensuring people can find them. Just like with Google, you need to use keywords strategically so your content appears when a user searches for it.

How to Find the Best Keywords

Pinterest gives you all the tools you need for keyword research for free.

1. Use the Search Bar: Type in a broad topic related to your product (e.g., "home decor"). The search bar will auto-suggest more specific, long-tail keywords that people are actively searching for (e.g., "home decor ideas living room," "boho home decor," "farmhouse home decor"). These are pure gold.
2. Look at the Keyword Bubbles: After you search for a term, Pinterest often displays colorful bubbles below the search bar with related keywords. Click on these to narrow your niche and find even more ideas.

Compile a list of 5-10 primary and secondary keywords for every piece of content you plan to create.

Where to Place Your Keywords

Once you have your keywords, you need to place them where the Pinterest algorithm will find them. Don't stuff them, weave them in naturally.

• Pin Title: This is the most important spot. Your title should be direct and include your primary keywords. (e.g., "Easy Rustic Bookshelf Styling Tips").
• Pin Description: Write a couple of descriptive sentences explaining what the Pin is about and who it’s for. Work your primary and secondary keywords in naturally. Think of it as a helpful caption for the user, not just a list of words for the algorithm.
• Board Titles and Descriptions: Organize your Pins onto boards with keyword-rich titles. A board named "Living Room Decor Ideas" is far more discoverable than one named "Products We Love." Use the board description to add more related keywords.
• Profile Text: Add relevant keywords in your "About" section to tell Pinterest what your entire account is about.

By consistently applying SEO principles to your Pins and profile, you signal to Pinterest what your content is about, making it much more likely to be shown to the right audience at the right time.

Final Thoughts

Selling on Pinterest effectively boils down to a simple formula: treat it as a visual search engine, set up your profile to be a seamless shopping experience, and create visually appealing, solution-focused content that's optimized with the right keywords. It's a long-term game that rewards consistency and value over fleeting viral moments.

Staying consistent with new Pins and fresh content is perhaps the most important factor in this strategy, but finding the time to create, design, and schedule can feel like a full-time job. With Postbase, we built a social media management tool specifically designed for visual platforms like Pinterest. Our visual calendar lets you plan your pinning schedule weeks or months in advance, ensuring you never have gaps in your content. You can simply drag-and-drop posts, upload your media once, and trust that everything will publish on time, every time, helping you focus on making great products while your Pinterest storefront works tirelessly for you.