Getting Started on Pinterest: A 4-Step Marketing Strategy

Information from this post was obtained from Sprout Social, Neil Patel, Pinterest, and Wix.

Image Courtesy of Unsplash

Pinterest Marketing

Pinterest is often referred to as the underdog of social media. Many businesses are not aware of the benefits and proper usage of Pinterest. As a mostly visual platform, Pinterest relies heavily on high-quality images that are relevant to the content they are linked to. This platform provides extensive education tools to learn how to use the platform as well as stay up to date on the latest trends and developments. While there are millions of ways that you can capitalize on Pinterest, there are certain strategies that are more beneficial. I have compiled the simplest, most efficient four-step marketing strategy to ensure you and your business are utilizing Pinterest to its fullest potential.

1. Build your Brand

2. Decide your Content Area

3. Optimize Content for SEO

4. Engage and Attract

Before diving into the four strategies, let’s review a little bit about how Pinterest works and the essentials to working on the platform. The platform relies on user interaction with posted “pins”. Users may take action by saving them for later by pinning them to their pages, or clicking through the post to purchase or complete the desired action. The easy scroll format both the app and the desktop version, allows users to easily find inspiration and ideas for every area of their life. Pinterest covers all topics and does not limit users to what they see. If they search for it, they can find information on the topic. Pinterest is a platform for all users, from the Gen-Z students and even the working millennial mom, there is no limit to inspiration and creating action from the pins.

The first step to any content creation is identifying your target audience. If your business is new to Pinterest but not the marketing world, this should already be done. In Pinterest, it is just as important to know your target audience, and know what they are looking for. Check out my blog post about Targeting your Content to a Diverse Audience, if you need help with this step! This leads to step one of your content strategy for Pinterest.

Step 1: Build your brand 

Building your brand is important regardless of the platform. However, on such a visual-based platform, like Pinterest, it is especially important. After creating your business account on Pinterest, change and update all of the information to be reflective of your brand and accurate. This includes the profile picture, profile heading, and bio. Utilizing a color scheme and consistent fonts can also help build your brand on Pinterest. Lastly, you will want to curate and choose covers for your boards so they match your branding. These boards will be seen by users, and you want them to be aware of the branding all the way throughout the boards. This is done by creating a consistent brand across all aspects of the platform. 

Your branding should be consistent not only in the type of content you are producing, but also in the presentation of the images. According to Neil Patel and the Pinterest business blog, the ideal pin dimensions are 1000 x 1500 pixels, or a 2:3 aspect ratio. Long pins are also an optimal option, but those can be up to 1000 x 2100 pixels. Images need to be the optimal size to enhance performance. Images do not have to be traditional images either. You also have the option to use infographics for the image in your pin. To gain the most traction, it is important to use engaging imagery and ensure the text is easy to read. This allows for easy interaction on both desktop and mobile users. 

Step 2: Decide your content area 

Once your profile is set up for success, decide what type of content you want to highlight. Users go to Pinterest to get new and fresh content, so be creative with the type of content. While deciding your content niche, also plan out how you will execute the content. Are you going to be advertising a certain product for your website? How will you make your pin stand out? Are you going to include a link to your website on the shoppable pins? 

Image Courtesy of Unsplash

You want your content to be searchable. This should be the same strategy across the board, regardless of the type of content. If your content is not searchable, the pin will not be successful because people will not be able to find your content. In order to find out what and how your content can be searched, use your own profile to find what people are searching for. By being realistic and aware of your audience, you will be able to tailor your pins to those people. 

Step 3: Optimize content for SEO 

Pinterest serves as a search engine for visuals. Just like any other search engine or social platform, keyword research is a crucial part of creating a successful Pinterest platform. Doing keyword research on Pinterest to find out what search terms related to your product or content will be beneficial when it comes to creating engaging captions and bios. Since users must search the site to find what they are looking for, incorporating keywords and keyword phrases into the written content on your post will prove to be beneficial. Buffer even suggests using multiple of your top keyword phrases in order to rank the post higher amongst the search inquiries.

Step 4: Engage and attract 

There are different ways to engage with your audience on Pinterest, but you must first have well-thought-out pins that are optimized for engagement. By utilizing calls to action to invite your audience to keep engaging with your brand, you are able to build a further connection with your audience. Besides an inviting call to action, you can follow and predict trends through your content. Pinterest's business blog often provides suggestions that would encourage capitalizing on high-performing trends. Neil Patel’s marketing blog also mentions its important to reflect on what trends your target audience would be interested in and to not highlight irrelevant trends. 

Conclusion

The versatility of Pinterest allows for brands to target different audiences in an engaging way. Pinterest serves as a unique blend of a search engine and a social media platform. By utilizing the four steps suggested, build your brand, decide your content area, optimize content for SEO, engage and attract you will be able to build a successful marketing plan for Pinterest. Social media changes daily, and by being able to adapt and utilize new platforms, you are able to stay ahead of the curve and use them in the appropriate manner!

Resources

Hill, C. (2023, June 20). The complete guide to Pinterest marketing. Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/pinterest-marketing/

Patel, N. (2025, February). Pinterest marketing: Your ultimate guide (2025 update). Neil Patel. https://neilpatel.com/blog/ultimate-pinterest-marketing-guide/

Pinterest. (n.d.). Pinterest Business. https://business.pinterest.com/en-au/  

Shwake, E. (2022, October 13). The ultimate guide to Pinterest marketing. Wix Blog. https://www.wix.com/blog/pinterest-marketing