Update: Pinterest now offers Business specific accounts. If you have already created a Pinterest account please see our new blog How To Convert to a Pinterest Business Page. The information below still provides accurate information on how to optimize your Pinterest Business account.
In my last blog “What is Pinterest and Why Should You Care” I explained why Pinterest is so popular for users and for businesses. Now, let’s go through a step-by-step process to set up your Pinterest business account.
Create a Pinterest Account for Your Business or Brand
STEP 1: Go to Pinterest.
(Note: Since this post was originally written, you no longer need to request an invite!) You will notice that you need to request an invitation to set up your account. Don’t let this dissuade you. I have set up Pinterest accounts for numerous clients and it usually only takes a few hours to receive an email from Pinterest allowing you to create an account.
Once you do receive your invite from Pinterest, you’ll notice you can log in with either your Email address or your Twitter account. For business, I suggest you login with your email account. It is not recommended that you login with Facebook as Pinterest will link to your personal Facebook account - currently Pinterest does not integrate Facebook Business Pages.
STEP 2: Fill in your Pinterest profile
- Add your profile picture. Most businesses use the same image that is on their Facebook and Twitter profiles. Make sure you upload a picture to Pinterest that is 160 pixels by 160 pixels.
- Add a business description. Explain 1) your brand and message 2) what the content of your pins will be about so users visiting your Pinterest account know what to expect. (Pinterest provides 160 characters [about 20 words] for you to do so: make sure you are specific and concise.)
- Link your twitter account. After you’ve added your profile picture and description, you’ll notice 4 icons appear below your description. The icons correspond to Facebook, Twitter, Your Website, and your location. Although it looks like you need to click + to add them, it actually only works this way:
Go to the “settings” portion of your account, in the drop down menu under your page
name, like this:
Once in “settings” you’ll see a similar version of the following:
Pinterest has not yet allowed Facebook Business Pages to link, but it will be coming soon. For now just ignore the Facebook button.
Note: You must have your Twitter account open in another window in order to add it to your Pinterest account.
You’ll also notice the last option “Hide your Pinterest profile from search engines.” While the wording is a bit misleading, under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you hide your Pinterest account from the search engines. One of the advantages of using Pinterest for business is to drive traffic to your website.
STEP 3: Creating your Boards
- How many boards and pins should you start with? In order to make sure your Pinterest Page looks professional and complete, you’ll want to create a minimum of five boards, each with a minimum of five pins.
- How to pin: There is a section on Pinterest called “Pin It Button” where you will find a tool that enables you to pin images right from your website, your blog, and anywhere else on the web.The “Pin It” Button allows you to take any image from anywhere on the Web and pin it directly onto your Pinterest boards. For your blog, pin the image you used in your post, and when someone double clicks on it, they will be lead to the blog post. It doesn’t stop there – YouTube and Vimeo videos are pin-able as well.
- Here’s how to install the super handy “Pin It” button on your browser (note: I use Chrome, but the Pin It Button is available for Safari, Internet Explorer and Firefox.)Pinterest will tailor the instructions to the Web browser you are using, and they also provide a video if these directions are still unclear.
Once installed you’ll have this handy tool on your browser bar, here is mine on Chrome:
- How to pin without the pin it button. Go into the “Add” section on the top right.
When you click “Add” you will see the following screen:
When you click “Add a Pin” you are prompted to provide Pinterest a specific URL. Pinterest will gather the photos from the provided URL and you will be able to pin those images.“Upload a Pin” will allow you to upload any image stored on your computer’s desktop directly onto your pin boards.
- Pin from other peoples’ boards. You can re-pin images from other people’s boards as well. Hover your mouse above the image to see the “Repin” button.
- Add a description to each image. Try to utilize keywords to the best of your ability so that people can find your boards when they are searching for what you do. Equally as important is adding a category to your pins. You want to make sure what you are pinning appears in the right place so anyone searching for pins are able to find your pins and hopefully, re-pin them.
- Add a category and description to each board. The description is very, very important so that your pins will appear in search and will help people find your boards by category. Also, indicate whether your followers can pin on your boards, or if only you can.
- My recommendation is to not allow other people to pin to your boards (unless you are running a fan contest or promotion). You may, however, want to add another “pinner” (Pinterest user) to your board if you have multiple people managing your business account. When you click “Edit” directly underneath your board you’ll be met with the following screen:
STEP 4: Add Pinterest Buttons to Your Website
There are two Pinterest buttons for websites:
- The “Follow Button”
The Follow Button will allow someone visiting your Website to follow your Pinterest account, just like a “Like Us on Facebook” or “Follow Me on Twitter” button works.
- Website “Pin It button”. On your blog, you may want to add a “Pin It button.” Like the other social sharing buttons your Website may already contain; the Pinterest button allows users to pin and share your website or blog content on Pinterest.
My next blog will discuss pinning tips and techniques and a few of my favorite Pinterest tools.
More questions about setting up your Business Pinterest Account?
