How To Sell On Pinterest: Our Step-by-Step Guide

In this tutorial, we will show you how to sell effectively on Pinterest.

Key Takeaways

• To excel at selling on Pinterest, creating visually captivating content that attracts users through high-quality images and innovative graphics is vital.
• To enhance visibility, store owners can use Rich Pins, which offer detailed product insights, and strategically optimize pins with relevant keywords, ultimately increasing conversion rates.
• Strengthening your brand’s presence, engaging with users, assessing performance, embracing trends, and potential influencer partnerships create a strong strategy for success.

Selling on Pinterest: At A Glance 

The journey of selling on Pinterest started with the 2013 launch of Rich Pins, a feature that pulls  data from brands’ websites into their content. 

In 2015, Pinterest introduced “buyable pins” , which were  rebranded as Product Pins in 2018. These pins allow consumers to make purchases without leaving the Pinterest platform

However, during the COVID-19 lockdown, Pinterest took additional strides to aid brands. In 2020, they introduced the Shop tab, simplifying the shopping experience while users explore the app or browse boards.

Selling on Pinterest has become more straightforward. By connecting your catalog, Pinterest seamlessly integrates your entire feed, enabling you to upload shoppable products or travel listings.

Why Selling Products on Pinterest

Pinterest is an ideal channel for selling products for a few key reasons:

Audience Readiness for Purchase

With a clear buying intent, Pinterest users actively search for specific products, styles, and ideas, positioning your sales efforts to reach potential customers directly.

Enhanced Efforts through Paid Ads

Brands advertising on Pinterest see twice the return on ad spend and greater cost-effectiveness per conversion compared to other social platforms

Insightful Audience Analysis

With Pinterest Analytics, you gain valuable insights into your audience, including content performance, brand enthusiasts, and their diverse interests.

Online Shopping Features and Tools

Through its Catalogs feature, Pinterest allows store owners to upload their products on their store. By doing so, these brands experience a significant boost, receiving five times more impressions compared to those not using it. 

Another valuable tool is Try On, which makes use of  augmented reality (AR) to let shoppers virtually try on products or visualize items in their living space.

Seamless Shopify Integration

Connecting your Shopify store with Pinterest lets you display pins, sync product catalogs, manage ads, and track results. Moreover, the Pinterest Shopify app installation is free and straightforward.

How To Sell On Pinterest in 9 Simple Steps

Here is a comprehensive, step-by-step tutorial on how to sell on Pinterest. 

Step 1: Find the right niche

Finding the right niche is an important step when it comes to selling on Pinterest. Knowing your niche aids in curating marketing strategies. Advertisements, promotions, and content creation become more streamlined when you know the specific segment you’re addressing.

Here are some tips to help you identify the right niche when selling on Pinterest:

• Passion and Interest
• Market Research
• Problem-Solving
• Target Audience
• Skills and Expertise
• Competition Analysis

Step 2: Create an Online Store

Once you have identified your niche for selling on Pinterest, it’s time to create your online store. Having an online store for selling online offers several advantages: 

• Inventory Management: Real-time tracking ensures stock levels are updated instantly, preventing overselling and allowing automated reordering.
• Product Information: Centralized and consistent product details enhance customer experience, while easy updates allow for swift changes.
• Customer Management: Online stores facilitate personalized shopping experiences, customer segmentation for targeted marketing, and seamless communication through automated notifications.
• Feedback System: Integrated review systems boost credibility by allowing customers to share their experiences, building trust for potential buyers.

If you’re considering setting up an online store, take a look at our step-by-step guide on creating a Shopify store. You can kickstart your online store journey with a Shopify free trial. Just provide your email – no credit card required.

Step 3: Set Up a Pinterest Business Account

Once you are done setting up your online store, the next step is to create a Pinterest Business Account.  Unlike personal accounts, a business account provides exclusive benefits such as analytics, ads, and comprehensive business tools.

You have two main ways to get a business account: converting your current personal profile into a business account or registering for a new one.

Add Business Profile to Personal Account

• Step 1: Log in to your personal Pinterest account
• Step 2: Select the menu button in the top right corner
• Step 3: Select “Add a free business account”
• Step 4: Select “Get started”
• Step 5: Fill in your business information
• Step 6: Choose ad preferences (if in doubt, select I’m not sure yet. You can always come back to it later)
• Step 7: Create your first Pin

Create a New Business Account

• Step 1: Go to the Pinterest Business signup page
• Step 2: Select “Create account”  button

• Step 3: Fill in contact and business information

• Step 4: Choose ad preferences
• Step 5: Create your first Pin

Step 4: Link Your Online Store to Pinterest

The next step is to link your online store with your Pinterest Business Account, enabling you to access the product details required for Pin tagging.

Platforms such as Squarespace, Square, BigCommerce, and Shopify offer straightforward integration with Pinterest. Below, we will provide detailed integration steps for each platform. 

Shopify 

Step 1: Log in to Shopify admin at www.shopify.com. 

Step 2: Add Pinterest Sales Channel 

• On your Shopify Admin, click “+” symbol on the Sales Channel
• Select “Look for Pinterest” and then click the Plus “+” right beside it
• Scroll down to the bottom and then click “Add Sales Channel” button on the next page 

Step 3: Connect your Pinterest Account 

• Log into your Pinterest account, and then Authorize Shopify to manage and access your Data

• You will be taken back to Shopify Website and Just Accept the terms and essentials.  

Step 4: Add Pinterest Billing Information and hit “Save” button 

Square

Step 1: Go to your Online Store Dashboard in Square and click “Site Setting” => Integrations.

Step 2: Click the “Pinterest Verification and Conversion Tag” dropdown.

Step 3: Click “Verify and add tag” after reading the tag guidelines.

Step 4: When you encounter the prompt, “Authorize Square E-commerce to use your account,” confirm that you’re connecting to the correct Pinterest account.

• Correct Account: Click “Authorize App”.
• Wrong Account: Click “Log Out” and sign in to the Pinterest account you want to connect with Square. 

Step 5: Create Niche Pinterest Boards

Creating dedicated Pinterest boards tailored to your target audience capitalizes on the platform’s visual appeal, showcasing high-quality content. These boards also build trust and credibility with online shoppers, spotlighting products and improving the potential for successful Pinterest selling.

Step 6: Optimize Your Website Images

You need to simplify the process for your website visitors to save images from your web pages onto their Pinterest boards. The smoother the experience, the more likely people will visit your website to share images from your homepage or site.

Rich Pins

There are three different types of rich pins:

• Product Rich Pins include the pricing, availability, and product information
• Recipe Rich Pins consist of the recipe title, serving size, cook time, ingredients, and directions
• Article Rich Pins include the title, description, and author of a post or article
  

Rich Pins for Business

Rich Pins seamlessly transfer data from your website to your Pins, offering users extra information upon interaction. These pins enhance various content types, such as recipe, article, and product pins, delivering an enriched experience.

If you possess a Pinterest business account, you can use free rich pins. These pins are effective in engaging your audience and showcasing your best content. 

Additionally, they offer a valuable approach when collaborating with influencers to create user-generated content for your business.

Apply for Rich Pins

To use rich pins, you need to have a validated site, and this validation isn’t automatic. Instead, you will have to apply by following these steps:

• Add Pinterest’s code to your site: You can use the Yoast SEO plugin or manually copy the code from Pinterest.
• Once you have done this, you enable Pinterest to review your site’s legitimacy.
• Validate your site on Pinterest using their validation tool. This tool provides a pin preview and offers a chance to apply for rich pins. If your application is approved, Pinterest will email you to confirm that your Rich Pins are active.

Step 7: Promote Your Pins

Promoting your pins serves as a way to showcase your brand to new potential customers. In fact, leading users directly to your site significantly boost traffic, thereby increasing the likelihood of gaining potential customers.

As shown in the example of Crate and Barrel’s promoted Pin below, users can quickly recognize the company, ensuring clear visibility of the site.

Especially when creating promoted Pins, you can customize your targets based on interests, age, and gender, and then decide between creating comprehensive campaigns or quick ads for specific promotions.

Step 8: Organize Pins into Catalogs

Catalogs offer a powerful tool for Pinterest business account owners looking to showcase products. By using a comprehensive product data source, you can easily upload the file to Pinterest.  

Once approved, the platform automatically creates product Pins for new website products, building the foundation for effective shopping ads.

Step 9:  Analyze Your Performance and Test

To excel in Pinterest sales, keeping a close watch on your performance is vital. Regularly assessing your progress helps you comprehend your Pinterest sales trends and make informed decisions. 

Pinterest offers a helpful tool called Analytics for this purpose. Accessible in your account under Analytics, this tool provides valuable insights into your posts and ads, including Top Pins, Top Boards, Impressions, Engagement, and Outbound clicks to create a daily report. 

4 Tips for Selling Effectively on Pinterest

For store owners seeking to maximize their profits when selling on Pinterest, here are four crucial tips.

Use Hashtags and Keywords

Hashtags play a pivotal role in enhancing the visibility of your Pins, aiding users in exploring the platform, and finding your pins. 

When selling on Pinterest, you should ensure your product descriptions combine with relevant keywords, linking them to your product’s landing page. By strategically placing these keywords within your product’s title and alt tags on your website, you enhance the chance of showcasing your content on Pinterest.

Take Advantage of User-Generated  Content (UGC)

Harnessing the power of user-generated content (UGC) stands as a highly effective means of capturing attention. Numerous brands have successfully employed this strategy by showcasing influencers or celebrities using their products. This approach drives sales growth and increases brand awareness by illustrating real use cases.

Add Backlinks to Your Website

When delving into selling on Pinterest, a key principle is to link your pin to a suitable website landing page. This approach holds potential for lead generation and facilitates users in gaining comprehensive insights into your brand and its product offerings.

Keep an Eye Out for Analytics

While brainstorming strategies for selling on Pinterest, it’s essential to monitor your profile analytics closely. This practice aids in identifying optimal posting times and tailoring content for your audience. 

Especially employing a social media management tool such as Social Champ can assist you in scheduling your posts effectively.

3 Successful Pinterest Case Studies 

Here are three successful brands that have effectively used Pinterest for selling:

Shopify

As a prominent e-commerce platform, Shopify leverages Pinterest to offer valuable resources and inspiration to its audience. 

The brand creates pins that showcase the success stories of entrepreneurs who have used Shopify to build their online stores.

Through visually appealing infographics, guides, and tutorials related to e-commerce and entrepreneurship, Shopify establishes itself as a helpful authority in the industry. These efforts drive traffic to their platform and contribute to brand loyalty among their users.

Lowe’s

Lowe’s, the home improvement retailer, has harnessed Pinterest’s visual platform to showcase DIY projects, home renovation ideas, and practical tips for homeowners. They manage boards on gardening, home decor, and seasonal maintenance. 

By linking their pins to step-by-step guides and products available in their stores, Lowe’s engages with their audience and drives traffic to their website.

Lululemon

Lululemon, a well-known activewear brand, has successfully used Pinterest to highlight its products’ functionality and style. They create pins that showcase different ways to style their activewear, offer workout routines, and share wellness tips. 

By appealing to their target audience’s active lifestyle and promoting a sense of community, Lululemon cultivates a strong brand identity on Pinterest. Their engaging content drives traffic to their website and encourages users to explore their product offerings.

FAQs

In Conclusion

Excelling in selling on Pinterest demands a strategic blend of captivating visuals, interactive engagement, and leveraging unique features, enabling store owners to reach their target audience effectively, build trust, and drive sales growth.