Pinterest strategy is the difference between posting pretty Pins and building a predictable traffic engine that supports your business goals. Pinterest behaves more like a visual search platform than a social feed, so your plan should start with keywords, intent, and measurement – not trends. In this guide, you will define objectives, map them to formats, and set KPIs you can actually track. You will also learn the core terms marketers use to price and evaluate creator work, even if your “influencer” activity is mostly UGC and affiliate content. Finally, you will leave with checklists, tables, and a 30 day execution plan you can reuse.
Pinterest strategy: start with goals, audience, and intent
Before you choose templates or scheduling tools, decide what “winning” means for your account. Pinterest can drive top of funnel discovery, mid funnel consideration, and even direct conversions, but each outcome needs different creative and different KPIs. Start by writing one primary goal and one secondary goal, then tie each to a measurable action on your site or shop. If you skip this step, you will likely optimize for saves while your business needs clicks and sales. To keep it practical, use the decision rules below and commit to them for at least one quarter.
- If your goal is traffic – prioritize outbound clicks, CTR, and sessions from Pinterest in analytics.
- If your goal is sales – prioritize conversion rate, revenue, CPA, and assisted conversions.
- If your goal is brand lift – prioritize reach, impressions, and branded search growth.
Next, define your audience in terms of intent, not demographics. On Pinterest, intent shows up as queries like “capsule wardrobe winter,” “small patio makeover,” or “high protein meal prep.” List 10 to 20 queries your ideal customer would search, then group them into 3 to 5 themes that will become your board structure and content pillars. As you refine those themes, keep your landing pages in mind because Pinterest rewards relevance. A Pin that promises “budget kitchen remodel” should land on a page that delivers exactly that, not a generic category page.
Define key terms and the metrics that matter on Pinterest
A solid plan uses shared language, especially if you work with creators, agencies, or internal stakeholders. Here are the key terms you should define early in your brief or reporting doc, along with how they apply to Pinterest.
- Reach – the number of unique people who saw your content. Useful for awareness, but not enough on its own.
- Impressions – total times your Pins were shown. High impressions with low clicks usually signals a relevance or creative mismatch.
- Engagement rate – engagements divided by impressions (or by reach, depending on your reporting). On Pinterest, engagements can include saves, closeups, and clicks, so define what counts.
- CPM – cost per thousand impressions. Formula: CPM = (Spend / Impressions) x 1000. Used for awareness buys and some creator packages.
- CPV – cost per view. More common on video heavy platforms, but you may see it for Pinterest video ads. Formula: CPV = Spend / Video Views.
- CPA – cost per acquisition (purchase, lead, signup). Formula: CPA = Spend / Conversions. This is the most business aligned metric when you can track conversions reliably.
- Whitelisting – when a brand runs paid ads through a creator’s account (or uses creator content in ads). On Pinterest, this often translates to paid usage of creator assets rather than account level whitelisting, so clarify the mechanism.
- Usage rights – permission to use creator content in your owned channels, ads, emails, or product pages. Define duration, channels, and geography.
- Exclusivity – creator agrees not to work with competitors for a period. This increases pricing because it limits their earning potential.
Concrete takeaway: write these definitions into your campaign brief so reporting and pricing discussions do not drift. If you want a deeper library of measurement and creator terms, keep an eye on the resources in the InfluencerDB.net blog, which often breaks down metrics and benchmarks in plain English.
Build a keyword and board architecture that matches search behavior
Pinterest rewards clarity. That means your boards, Pin titles, and descriptions should reflect the exact language people search. Start by mapping each content pillar to a set of keywords: one head term and several long tail variations. For example, “home office” is a head term, while “small home office layout” and “home office organization ideas” are long tail queries that usually convert better because they signal intent. Use Pinterest search suggestions to expand your list, then validate with your site search data or Google Search Console if you have it.
Now translate keywords into structure. Create 8 to 15 boards that match your pillars, and write board titles that are human readable and keyword aligned. Avoid clever names that hide the topic. Add a short board description that includes 1 to 2 primary keywords naturally. Finally, pin consistently to each board so Pinterest learns what you are about. A board with 5 Pins and no updates will not build momentum.
Concrete takeaway checklist for architecture:
- 3 to 5 pillars that map to your products, services, or core topics
- 8 to 15 boards with clear, keyword based titles
- Each board has a description with one primary keyword and a clear promise
- Each Pin points to the most relevant landing page, not a generic homepage
If you want official guidance on how Pinterest content is discovered and ranked, review the platform’s documentation on best practices and ads formats at Pinterest Business. It is useful for aligning your creative with how Pinterest categorizes content.
Create a content system: formats, cadence, and creative rules
A Pinterest strategy becomes sustainable when you treat content like a system, not a series of one off posts. Choose 2 to 3 repeatable formats you can produce quickly, then set a cadence you can maintain for 90 days. For most niches, a mix of static Pins and short video works well, but the key is consistency and relevance. Each Pin should answer a specific query and make the next step obvious.
Use these creative rules to improve performance without guesswork:
- One Pin, one idea – do not cram multiple topics into a single visual.
- Lead with the benefit – “5 minute breakfast meal prep” beats “My favorite recipes.”
- Design for scan speed – high contrast text, simple layout, clear subject.
- Match the landing page – the Pin headline and page headline should align closely.
- Refresh, do not repost – create multiple creatives for the same URL with different angles.
Concrete example: if you sell a skincare product, do not only pin product shots. Create Pins for “how to layer skincare,” “AM routine for oily skin,” and “ingredients to avoid,” each linking to an educational page or a product page that answers the promise. That approach captures search demand and builds trust before the sale.
Measurement and KPIs: what to track and how to calculate it
Measurement is where many Pinterest plans fall apart because teams track what is easy instead of what matters. Start with a simple KPI stack: one primary KPI tied to your goal, two supporting KPIs, and one diagnostic KPI. Then review weekly, not daily, because Pinterest distribution can take time. To avoid messy reporting, standardize your UTM parameters and keep a single dashboard source of truth.
| Goal | Primary KPI | Supporting KPIs | Diagnostic KPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic | Outbound clicks | CTR, sessions from Pinterest | Impressions per Pin |
| Sales | Purchases or leads | Conversion rate, revenue | Landing page bounce rate |
| Awareness | Reach | Impressions, saves | Engagement rate |
| Content validation | Saves per 1,000 impressions | Closeups, follows | Top keywords driving impressions |
Simple formulas you can use immediately:
- CTR = (Outbound Clicks / Impressions) x 100
- Engagement rate = (Total Engagements / Impressions) x 100
- CPA = Spend / Conversions
- ROAS = Revenue / Spend
Example calculation: you spend $600 promoting Pins and generate 24 purchases. Your CPA is $600 / 24 = $25. If revenue is $1,800, ROAS is $1,800 / $600 = 3.0. With those numbers, you can decide whether to scale spend, improve conversion rate, or adjust creative. For measurement standards and definitions that align with broader digital marketing, the IAB’s resources are a helpful reference point: Interactive Advertising Bureau.
Influencer and creator collaborations on Pinterest: pricing, rights, and decision rules
Pinterest is often overlooked in creator plans, yet it can be powerful when you treat creators as content producers for search demand. Many brands commission creators to produce Pin friendly assets: vertical images, short videos, and step by step graphics that link to blog posts or product pages. If you are a creator, you can package Pinterest deliverables as an add on to Instagram or TikTok, especially when your content has evergreen value.
Pricing varies widely, so focus on what drives cost: production complexity, usage rights, exclusivity, and whether the brand can run the content as ads. Use this table as a negotiation starting point. It is not a universal rate card, but it helps you structure offers and compare proposals consistently.
| Deliverable | Best for | What to specify in the contract | Pricing drivers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Static Pins | Evergreen search traffic | Links, keywords, revisions, posting schedule | Design time, niche expertise |
| 1 Short video Pin | Demonstrations and tutorials | Length, hook, captions, music rights | Filming, editing, props |
| UGC bundle for brand posting | Brands building their own account | Usage rights duration, platforms, whitelisting terms | Rights, turnaround time |
| Exclusivity add on | Competitive categories | Competitor list, time window, category scope | Opportunity cost |
Decision rules for brands selecting creators for Pinterest: prioritize creators who can produce clear, instructional visuals and who understand keyword intent. Ask for examples of content that drives clicks, not just likes. Also, request raw files when you pay for usage rights so you can adapt formats across campaigns. If you plan to run paid, negotiate paid usage explicitly and define the time window.
Execution plan: a 30 day workflow you can repeat
Strategy only becomes real when it turns into a calendar and a workflow. The 30 day plan below assumes you already have a website or shop and basic analytics access. If you are starting from zero, spend the first week setting up Pinterest Business tools and confirming your domain. Then, move fast on content because Pinterest needs volume to learn what you cover.
- Week 1 – Setup and research: define goals, build keyword list, create boards, write board descriptions, set UTM rules.
- Week 2 – Production: create 15 to 25 Pins across 3 pillars, design 3 creative variations per top URL.
- Week 3 – Publish and iterate: publish daily or near daily, monitor CTR and saves, refresh underperforming designs.
- Week 4 – Optimize and scale: double down on top themes, test 5 new keywords, consider small paid boosts for best Pins.
Concrete takeaway: schedule a weekly 30 minute review where you pick one action from data. For example, if impressions are high but CTR is low, rewrite titles and redesign the first frame. If CTR is strong but conversions are weak, fix the landing page and offer.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most Pinterest failures are not about the algorithm. They come from mismatched expectations and sloppy execution. Avoid these mistakes and you will outperform accounts that post more often but learn less.
- Posting without keyword intent – pretty content that does not match search queries will not sustain traffic.
- Sending every Pin to the homepage – relevance drops and conversion rates suffer.
- Chasing saves only – saves can be a positive signal, but clicks and conversions pay the bills.
- Inconsistent creative – if your text is hard to read on mobile, performance will stall.
- Ignoring rights and disclosures – creator partnerships need clear usage rights and proper disclosures.
On disclosures, follow the FTC’s guidance for endorsements and testimonials, especially when you use affiliate links or sponsored content: FTC endorsement guides. Even on Pinterest, disclosures should be clear and hard to miss.
Best practices that compound over time
Once the basics are in place, the goal is compounding. Pinterest rewards accounts that publish consistently, match intent, and keep improving creative. Treat your top performing URLs like assets and keep producing new Pins for them, because fresh creative can unlock new audiences. In addition, build a simple testing habit: change one variable at a time, such as headline wording or image style, and track the result for two weeks.
- Create 3 to 5 Pin templates so production stays fast and on brand.
- Refresh winners monthly with new angles, seasonal hooks, or updated stats.
- Use a content to landing page map so every Pin has a clear destination and purpose.
- Document what works in a shared sheet: keyword, design style, CTA, CTR, and conversions.
Final takeaway: a Pinterest strategy is not a one time document. It is a loop – research, publish, measure, and refine. If you run that loop for 90 days with discipline, you will usually see which pillars deserve more content, which landing pages need work, and whether creator collaborations can scale your output without sacrificing quality.
