Pinterest Frequently Asked Questions

Pinterest is a visual search engine for inspiration, with billions of ideas from all over the world. People use it to find new ideas and inspire their next thing to try, make or buy, from everyday needs to long-term projects.

People use Pinterest when they want something new, but don’t have all the details figured out. They can search with words or images, or browse personalized feeds of content they might like. When someone finds an idea they’re into, they can save it for later or take action right away.

Pinterest is all about inspiration, so the algorithm pays attention to metrics like “saves.” The more people save and engage with your idea, the more Pinterest will show it to new people.

Pins are the content that make up Pinterest. Every Pin represents an idea, from tutorials to recipes to product overviews. You can create Pins by uploading photos, videos or a mix of both. And people can find your ideas and save the ones they love to a collection (aka a board).

537 million people use Pinterest every month to explore their passions.¹ You’ll find Millennials, sure, and Gen Z finding their next aesthetic, too (in fact, they’re the fastest growing demographic).

And with inclusive product features that make it easy for people to find the most relevant inspiration for them, such as hair pattern and skin tone range search filters, that means you can reach a diverse audience who loves and is just as invested in what matters to you.

You can get paid for your great ideas. Now we’re making Pinterest an even more rewarding place to create with monetization opportunities such as brand partnerships, product tags, affiliate links and more.

The business account might have “business” in its name, but it’s for all types of content creators and brands, too. With the business account, you can gain access to creator tools and unlock advanced analytics in the Creator Hub.

It’s free to sign up for a business account or, if you already have a personal account, you can switch your account type.

The Creator Hub is a place in the Pinterest app where you can find the tools, tips and insights you need to help plan, understand and up your content game. Once you sign up for a free business account, it’s accessible on mobile devices.

First, make sure you have a business account and that you’re using the Pinterest app (the Creator Hub is only accessible on mobile devices). Then, go to your Pinterest profile page. You’ll find the Creator Hub button right below your bio and stats.

Pins can appear in a few different places on Pinterest. The most prominent spot is the Pinterest home feed, which people see every time they open Pinterest. Every person sees a personalized feed of ideas related to their interests, so they’re likely to find content that appeals to them. Your Pins can also appear in people’s search results, in “related Pin” sections near specific Pins or on boards. 

Pinterest is different from other online platforms because content is displayed based on engagement signals and topics, rather than ranked chronologically. Your content will keep showing up for relevant audiences over time, long past the day you post it.

Because the most inspiring Pins are the ones that people actually want to try, Pinterest prioritizes content with high signals of meaningful engagement. And the strongest metric to measure how people are engaging with a Pin—and how an idea is resonating with people—is saves. So, for example, if there’s a Pin with a lot of saves, the system will recommend it across the platform’s main pages over other less inspiring, less engaging content. 

When you start creating on Pinterest, you'll find three content formats.

Pin: Publish content using this flexible format for images, videos or a mix of both. Once you upload the assets, have fun editing and personalizing with our simple-to-use features and tools. Note: on desktop, you can also create Pins by saving a URL.

Collage: Digitally cut out and combine your favorite objects into a collage. This dynamic, interactive format lets you arrange anything visual that inspires you. Perfect for creating a visual mood board, outfit flat lay, gift guide and more.

Board: Collect and curate Pins in one organized place. Whether you’re interested in an aesthetic or a theme, or planning for a life moment or everyday project, save the Pins you love to a board to help you gain inspiration.

You can make Pins about anything that inspires and is meaningful to you. More than a specific aesthetic or perfection, people on Pinterest are looking for content they relate to and ideas that motivate them to try something new.

Aiming for actionable, engaging and relevant content is how people succeed on Pinterest. Think: ideas to improve your life or ideas to springboard off of, like your tried-and-true healthy weeknight dinners, a favorite self-care routine or a how-to for upcycling old clothes.

Make sure to follow our best practices, and you can always take a look at trending keywords or top seasonal moments if you need some content ideas.

You bet. You can create and edit content using a dynamic suite of simple-to-use in-app tools. Easily crop or resize existing (or brand-new) content to 9:16, 2:3, 3:4, 4:5, 1:1. And check out features like stickers, effects and voiceover to help repurpose and revive even assets you already have as a Pin.

Pro tip: Remove watermarks/logos from other platforms and be conscious of safe zones.

Creating actionable, engaging and relevant content is how people find success on Pinterest. And while Pins can accommodate images and videos in multiple aspect ratios, fully vertical assets get more engagement. We recommend a 2:3 aspect ratio (1000 x 1500 pixels) for images and a 9:16 aspect ratio (1080 x 1920 pixels) for videos. See the Pin spec guide

People on Pinterest are always looking for new, tailored inspiration. So make sure to publish content regularly—ideally on a weekly basis—to get your content in front of people looking for ideas like yours. As for the optimal day or time of day to post your content? Well, that depends. With different audiences and different verticals, what works for one creator won’t necessarily work for others. So your best bet would be to experiment and see what timing works with your audience—and hone in on that. And if you want to plan ahead or get into a routine, you can also use the scheduling tool.

Pinterest is a search engine for inspiration and new ideas. So remember to provide context for your ideas. Add a specific, focused title and description to your Pins and boards; helpful and visually appealing cover images; plus relevant instructions/ingredients and topic tags for your Pins to help your content get discovered by more people. See more best practices

In order to access all the creator tools, including the paid partnership tool, you’ll first need a free business profile. Then, once you make a new Pin, you'll find the tool to tag a brand under the Finishing Touches “advanced settings” menu.

To keep up-to-date on the latest product news, expert tips and more, sign up for the creator newsletter.

Take advantage of Pinterest monthly trends and the trends tool for finding out what content is popular on Pinterest and when people are starting to search for those topics. They’re a surefire source of fresh ideas for your content planning—and for getting your content in front of a new, broader audience.