How to Sell on Pinterest (Beginner Guide)

Hello there! Before we dive into this blog, my name is Theo. I am in my third year of college, and I study business and finance. During that time and before, I have been building tons of Pinterest accounts, and on one of the accounts, I’ve gotten around 1+ million impressions a month on it. I’m very excited to use this blogging platform to share what I’ve learned throughout making Pinterest accounts and to show some of the new strategies I've discovered. Now, it’s time to get onto the fun part.

How to sell on Pinterest (beginner guide): Now, Pinterest isn’t like Instagram, it’s not even like TikTok. It’s closer to Google since both use pictures, and because people show up/use them to get ideas, find solutions, and stuff to buy. That’s why selling on Pinterest can kind of feel unfair until you set it up correctly. Because you’re not “interrupting” someone’s day, you’re showing up at almost the perfect moment they’re shopping (or about to)! Listen, if you’re a beginner (I assume you are because you’re reading this), the biggest trap ever is thinking that you need a large following. You don’t. What you need is a system, like you need to make the right offers, the right pin types, the correct keywords, and a simple funnel that turns clicks into buyers. So, here’s how to do it, plus a few tips that most beginner guides don’t mention.

What type of product should you sell? Well, since it would be your first product, you would want to go with the easiest one. So basically, your first product should be easy to understand in a few seconds. Here are some examples of some products you could sell: Digital downloads (templates, checklists, maybe trackers, or even guides), Printables (like planners, routines, or even activities for kids), mini products (at least like $5-$19) and you want to make the mini product a product that can solve one problem quickly, and last but not least affiliate products (especially in home decor, beauty products, fitness stuff like maybe protein powder or workout plans, DIY items, and tech tools). Also, here’s a tip: you should start with a product that can make pins naturally, such as home décor or fashion.

What should your mindset be when designing pins? So, you want to stop thinking “pins”, instead you want to start thinking “search intents”. Most beginners post pretty pins and hope. But Pinterest rewards relevance. Which means your pin should match what someone typed or would type into search. For example, don’t do “My new workout plan!!” instead, you should do “Home workout plans for beginners (no equipment)”, “How to get a flat stomach workout routine for beginners”, and “Simple workout routine for lazy girls”. Essentially, your mindset should shift to your pin is an answer to a search query.

What should you do when you want to start making pins? Well, a lot of beginners mostly only use one style. Which I personally wouldn’t recommend doing, instead I would recommend you create a mini mix of at least three styles for making pins. One, the proof pins, you want to show results, transformations, or the outcome. Examples: “Lost 10 pounds in 30 days: here’s what I ate”, “Before/after organization: pantry reset”, and “Revenue report: How I got my first 100 sales in one month”. Two, the preview pin (most underrated for sales), so you want to give a peek at your product, so the viewer feels like they’re already getting some value. For example, you would want to show one page of the guide, show three steps of a checklist, and show five recipes’ titles from an eBook. Also, here’s a tip when designing pins! You should add a blurred page behind the clear preview; it gives a hint that there’s more inside. And finally, the problem solution pin, you want to call out the problem, then promise a fix. Here are some examples: “Always inconsistent with workouts? Try this three-day plan!”, and “Pinterest traffic but no sales? Here’s how to fix your landing page in ten minutes”.

How to maintain a high conversion rate? Mainly, most people on Pinterest send their Pinterest traffic immediately to their product page and wonder why their conversion rate is so low. Pinterest users are often collecting ideas. A bridge page is what can warm them up. Here are some simple bridge page options: A blog post (“how to…” article), maybe a short landing page with benefits + FAQ + testimonials, or even a “freebie first” opt-in page (then upsell). Now, here’s another tip: Put a micro-commitment above the buy button. For example, you want to pick a goal, like losing weight, building muscles, or eating healthier. When people click, they are psychologically more likely to follow through.

What should your pin description be like? A Pinterest description shouldn’t be a caption; it should be a well-made description (if that wasn’t obvious enough)! So you should use this formula: One, you want the first sentence to say what it helps with. Two, you then want the second sentence to tell who it's for. Three, a keyword sentence, try to include 2-4 related search phrases. And lastly, a CTA “Click to get…” / “Download…” / “See the full guide…”. Here is an example of a good description (for a digital meal prep guide): “Do you need some quick and healthy meals that will actually keep you full? This beginner-friendly meal prep guide includes simple recipes, a grocery list, and a weekly plan. These meal prep guides are great for people who are busy, on a weight loss journey, and anyone who is trying to eat better without spending hours cooking. Search-friendly ideas for healthy meal prep, high-protein meals, and some easy lunch prep. Click to download the full guide now!”

What should you make pins about? Well, you see a lot of beginners make pins about everything. That isn’t good because Pinterest likes accounts that look nice and have a clean category. So what you should do is make keyword clusters. And you want to pick at least 3–5 clusters. Here are some examples: “Beginner home workouts”, “high protein snacks”, “Meal prep for weight loss”, “flat stomach routine”, and “healthy smoothies”. Then, you want to make 5-10 pins per cluster over time. Also, here’s an idea: you should make a “cluster ladder”. Examples: there’s the broad, which would be “Meal prep”, then there’s also the medium, which is “high protein meal prep”. There’s also the specific: “high protein meal prep for beginners, and lastly the ultra-specific “high protein meal prep no oven”. Basically, you’ll rank faster for specific terms first, then you will start to climb upwards.

Are Pinterest boards important? Sorta, they are important, but not as important as you think. Yes, Pinterest boards can help organize your profile. But beginners focus too much on boards and don’t focus a lot on consistent topics and pin relevance. So, what you want to do is to make boards that match your clusters and keep them clean. Thus, you should use keyword-based board names, write a short board description with natural keywords, and pin your own content into the right boards first. Now here’s a tip: You should create one board that is called “Start Here” and pin only your best “intro” content (your highest converting pins, freebies, and your main offer). People who click your profile will often need a clear path.

Does this mean you’re going to have to think of new ideas for every pin? Nope! You see, Pinterest loves new images. So, you don’t need new products, just new creatives. Let's say you have a blog post called “How to sell on Pinterest”, you could make pins like “Pinterest sales funnel for beginners”, “Three mistakes that are killing your Pinterest conversions”, “Pin design checklist that gets clicks”, and “My exact beginner strategy to get sales”. Same things, but just different angles. That is how you scale without burning out.

What should you track? Well, there are important things you should track. But first, you should ignore your follower count. That’s not too important. Now, for the important stuff, you should track outbound clicks (are your pins getting traffic?), saves (is it resonating long-term?), the conversion rate on your page (does the traffic buy?), and the top five pins each month (you should double down on winners). Also, here’s a tip: if a pin gets clicks but doesn’t get sales, you shouldn’t delete it. Instead, you should fix the landing page first. Pinterest might already be giving you attention, but it’s just that your landing page might be leaking it.

I really hope you found the post valuable! If you have any questions or have a certain topic that you want covered, you can reach out to me at: theoleinemann8@gmail.com. Now time for our sponsor! This post is sponsored by MerivoFlow’s Scheduler. MerivoFlow’s Scheduler is a lightweight pin scheduler that features the ability to post for an unlimited time frame and a content calendar view for $8/mo, making it really affordable compared to other companies in the space. Interested? Check out MerivoFlow tools for more information.