Whether you're a novice in the digital world or an expert looking to branch out, creating a Pinterest account is a straightforward process. Follow these simple steps, and you'll be pinning in no time!

1. Visit the Pinterest website or download the app: You can access Pinterest through any web browser by going to www.pinterest.com or downloading the Pinterest mobile application from the App Store or Google Play Store.

2. Sign Up for an account: Click on the ‘Sign Up' button located on the Pinterest homepage.

3. Fill in your details: After you've selected a sign-up method, you'll be asked to provide some basic information like your age and gender. Make sure to select ‘Business' when you're asked what type of account you want to create.

4. Choose your language and location: This will help Pinterest show you more relevant content

5. Select categories of your interest: Pinterest will ask you to choose at least five categories of interest. This step helps Pinterest tailor your home feed to your preferences. As a business, choose categories that align with your products and services.

6. Create your first board: A Pinterest board is where you save your pins (ideas). You will be prompted to create your first board—this could be something related to your business, like “Our Products” or “Inspiration.”

7. Follow Pinterest users or boards: Pinterest will suggest users or boards for you to follow based on your interests. Following relevant users or boards can increase your reach and give you ideas for your pins.

Congratulations! You've now created your Pinterest account.

The next step is to set up your business profile:

After you've created your account, the next step is to establish your Pinterest business profile. Here's how you do it:

1. Go to your Profile settings: Click on the three-dot icon on the top-right corner of your Pinterest homepage, then select ‘Edit settings'.

2. Fill in the business details: Here you will need to enter your business name, business type, description, website, and contact email. Remember, your description should be engaging and reflect what your business offers.

3. Upload a Profile Picture: This could be your business logo or another image that clearly represents your business. The ideal size for Pinterest profile pictures is 165 x 165 pixels.

4. Claim your website: Confirming your website adds your profile picture to any Pin that came from your site. You'll also get access to website analytics so you can see what people are saving from your website.

Pinterest is a game-changer for product-based businesses for several reasons:

1. Visual Impact: Pinterest's visually rich platform allows you to showcase your products in an engaging and dynamic way. Beautiful and captivating images can stimulate purchase behaviour and significantly boost brand recall.

2. Inspiration Hub: Many Pinterest users use the platform as a source of inspiration. Your products can reach these users, influencing their purchase decisions.

3. Traffic Generator: Pinterest pins often link back to the source website. This means a well-curated Pinterest account can serve as a significant traffic driver to your main product site, improving your website's SEO along the way.

4. Influence Purchase Decision: According to a study, 83% of weekly Pinterest users made a purchase based on pins they saw from brands. This is a clear indication of the platform's influence on purchase decisions.

5. Longevity of Pins: Unlike posts on other social media platforms, pins on Pinterest have a long life span and can continue to drive traffic and sales long after they are initially posted.

6. Ideal for Product Discovery: Pinterest's search and discovery tools are heavily used by users looking for specific products. Therefore, if you optimize your pins correctly, potential customers will more likely discover your products.

The potential of Pinterest for product-based businesses is vast and often under-utilized. As you learn how to use Pinterest for product-based business, remember that your presence on Pinterest is not just about sales; it's about building a community of interested and engaged users who are inspired by your product offerings.

Business profiles on Pinterest are a powerful tool designed to provide businesses with more features than a regular personal account. These include the ability to create ads, access to Pinterest Analytics, Rich Pins, and more. It's crucial for your product-based business as it offers more visibility, giving you an opportunity to connect with potential customers.

Creating a well-structured and attractive Pinterest business profile is so important in grabbing the attention of potential customers.

A complete and detailed profile lends credibility to your business. It communicates to potential customers that you are professional and trustworthy. The profile picture ideally needs to be consistent with your other social media platforms.

Your profile must be easy to navigate for anyone scrolling through your content looking for inspiration and ideas for their purchase. It's so important that your Pinterest boards are set up, optimised with keywords and have a clear and attractive profile cover. For more help tidying up and optimising your Pinterest boards take a look at my Pinterest Boards Blitz training.

Pins are the bread and butter of Pinterest. They are visual bookmarks that you create, usually linked to your website, and are vital for driving traffic to your site.

To create an effective pin:

1. Choose High-Quality Images: Ensure your images are high-quality, bright, and clear. The recommended aspect ratio for a Pin is 2:3 (1000 x 1500 pixels).

2. Add Text Overlays: Text overlays can provide context to your images. Keep your text brief, readable, and compelling.

3. Include Your Brand: Subtly incorporate your logo or website into the image. This can help with brand recognition without making the pin look too much like an ad.

4. Use Video: Video is big news on Pinterest and I would encourage you to make video pins wherever possible to increase your reach on the platform.

The description of your pin is where you can add more detail about the Pin.

Effective pin descriptions:

1. Are Detailed: Provide a thorough explanation of your pin. What is your product? How does it benefit the customer?

2. Use Keywords: Include relevant keywords to make your pins discoverable in search.

3. Add a Call to Action: Encourage pinners to take the action you want. For example: “Shop the collection".

Now that your pins are ready, it's time to get them noticed:

1. Consistent Pinning: Consistency is key on Pinterest. Aim to pin regularly, whether it's daily or weekly. This keeps your content fresh and gives more chances for your pins to be seen.

2. Use Pinterest Ads: You can pay to promote your pins as ads. They will appear in more places on Pinterest and can boost visibility and reach.

3. Join Group Boards: These are boards owned by other pinners but allow others to contribute. You can share your pins with a larger audience by joining relevant group boards.

Product tagging and catalogues are important features on Pinterest that can boost your product visibility and enhance the shopping experience for users.

With product tagging, you can directly link your products to your pins, making it easier for users to find and purchase your product. When a user clicks on a product tag, they are taken directly to your website where they can make a purchase. This feature improves the user experience and helps drive direct traffic to your product pages.

A catalogue on Pinterest is a collection of your products fed automatically by Pinterest. By uploading a catalogue, your products become shoppable Pins, allowing Pinterest users to discover and shop your products directly from your Pins. Catalogues can be created and managed from Pinterest Business Hub's “Catalogues” section.

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