How to get started

Anyone can create content on Pinterest—it’s simple and free to get started. Let’s go!

Women arranging flowers in shop with stylised camera viewport overlay

Step by step

: There’s no need to wait for the perfect idea or moment. Just start with some inspiration—then learn and develop along the way.
: There are two types of Pinterest accounts: a regular personal account and a ‘business’ account. Both are free and the business account includes extra features that you can’t get with a personal account.

With the business account, you can gain access to content creation tools and unlock advanced analytics in the creator hub. (It’s accessible in the Pinterest app on mobile devices, and you can find a button for it on your profile page, right below your bio and stats.) Here, you’ll find insights to help plan, understand and up your content game.

Just sign up or switch your account type, answer a few questions to customise your profile and ta-da! Set-up complete.
: Once you have your account set up and an idea, you can publish content directly with the Pinterest app, or on your desktop browser. In the app, press the plus-sign button to start creating.

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

Collage: Collage is a new format to help you personalise ideas, visualise possibilities and creatively refine your vision to bring your inspiration to life. Try curating a visual mood board or aesthetic by bringing together different image cutouts. Or, showcase your top product picks in a fun, immersive way.

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

Customise and optimise your profile.

: Your profile page is your introduction to people on Pinterest. Customise the page with a cover photo, description and profile photo that best depicts you. This is also where people can find content that you’ve created and see what you’re saving. If you have a business account, this page is where the Creator Hub will appear on mobile.
: What’s in a (user)name? This can include your name, your brand name and relevant keywords. The clearer and more relevant it is, the easier it is for people on Pinterest to find you. Aim for a username that’s short, easily searchable and representative of you.
: Capture what you and your content are about with a concise bio description that’s authentic, compelling and relevant. It’s how people on Pinterest will get to know you at a glance. And when you include keywords in your description, it can also help new people to find your profile. Think about terms that your audience might be searching for and try to add them in your description.
: Cover image: This image appears at the top of your profile page, as a background behind your profile photo. It’s prime real estate to deliver a key (visual) message about you and your brand. Aim for something simple that stands out.

Profile image: You can find this image on your profile page, as well as alongside each Pin that you create. A thoughtful, recognisable profile image can help to build credibility and trust among your audience.
: Add your website link as an easy, effective way to market you and your brand. Your link can help people on Pinterest to find more of your content or products, and drive traffic back to your site. Win-win.

To get insights and attribution for Pins created from your site, make sure to claim your website.

Connect your website

If you have a website, you can gain more insights about Pins created from your site—and get attribution for that content—by claiming your website.

Claiming your website allows you to verify that the site belongs to you. In just a few quick clicks, you’ll get access to analytics for Pins that use your site, including content published by others. Your profile info (name/brand name, profile link and photo) will appear next to the Pins with saved content from your site, along with a ‘Follow’ button for your Pinterest account.

Please note: To claim your site, you must own the website domain, subdomain or subpath, and be able to edit the source code. This means you’ll be unable to claim most social media accounts and online shops hosted on marketplaces such as Etsy, eBay and Amazon.

Think passion first

Pins are all about you, to showcase what you love to do. Hone in on your passions and the things that you genuinely care about. Your authenticity will come through in your final content.

Inspire action

The best Pins take people all the way from inspiration to realisation. To do that, your content should be helpful, with all the essential info to act on something new within the Pin itself.

Give boards a go

Spark an idea by collecting content on a board. Browsing through your home feed and saving Pins that catch your interest is a go-to way to start gaining inspiration.

FAQ

: 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.
: 537 million people use Pinterest every month to explore their passions.¹ You’ll find millennials, of course, 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, this means you can reach a diverse audience that loves and is just as invested in what matters to you.
: 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 appearing for relevant audiences over time, long after the day you post it.

Because the most inspiring Pins are the ones that people actually want to try, Pinterest prioritises 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.
: 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 personalised 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’ board sections near specific Pins or on boards.
: You can get paid for your great ideas. Monetisation opportunities include brand partnerships, plus easy ways to earn passive income such as affiliate links and link-outs.