Ready to start getting traffic and new leads from Pinterest but have no idea where to start? Here’s exactly how to set up a Pinterest Business Account for beginners!

If you’re a photographer, service provider or digital creative you’ve probably heard about what a goldmine Pinterest can be for your business. And it’s true! Pinterest’s 450 Million users come to the platform planning to make a purchase, making them warm potential leads! Over 5 BILLION searches are performed on the platform every month. These aren’t just window shoppers folks.

So you’re ready to start driving traffic to your website with Pinterest, but how do you do that? The first step is to set up a business profile. A business profile allows you to claim your website, which in turns allows your to view your analytics and measure which pins and boards are ranking highest and how many website visitors you are getting each month from the platform.

Not sure where to start? Here’s my process for setting up my client accounts as a Pinterest manager.

1. Start a Pinterest Business Account OR Convert Your Personal Account.

The first step is to create a business account on Pinterest (I know, DUH! But read on!). I recommend creating a separate business account for your business. Almost all of us have a personal Pinterest account, but what you might not know is that the random pins on your personal account could affect your reach when pinning your business content. So it’s best to either create a new account from scratch OR make all your personal boards that aren’t related to the content you’ll be pinning secret before you start getting ready to pin.

2. Claim Your Website on Pinterest.

This step is vital in how to set up a Pinterest Business Account! Pinterest loves when you push out fresh content that is linked to your claimed domain, AKA, your own website which you can claim on the Pinterest platform. I always recommend having your own website, and not pinning to a third party platform, as Pinterest prioritizes pins that are linked to your claimed website. In order to claim your website, head over to Pinterest and click on your “settings” under your account in the right hand corner

After hitting “claimed accounts”, you’ll see that some HTML options pop up. This process will vary slightly, but for most websites, you’ll just need to copy and past the HTML tag code under “Add HTML tag” into the Head section on your website. For most websites, just look at the page, and add the code to the “Head Section”.

3. Brand Your Profile

Your first impression is important on any platform, Pinterest included! Make sure that you have a branded profile that’s ready to greet visitors to your world by sharing what you do and who you serve.

Profile Image and Cover

If you have a personal brand (i.e. you are the the face of it), I *highly* suggest you use an image of yourself as opposed to your logo for your profile image. This will help give your audience brand recognition, and people love to connect with other people.

When creating your cover, use this opportunity to visually reinforce your tagline, or introduction (who you are, what you do, who you serve). It’s a great way to promote a free or paid resource as well! Check out mine below as an example:

Profile Name

Your profile name might seem straightforward, but remember that it is searchable! What search results would you like your profile to appear in? Squarespace Web Designer? Oklahoma Elopement Photogapher? Productivity Coach? You have 60 characters to use in your profile name, so use them up by including your or your business’ name and your title/niche. For instance Connie Richard | California Wedding Photographer

Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up your Pinterest business account!

You’re on your way to generating more traffic and driving more leads to your website via Pinterest.

Wondering what to do next? Download my free Pinterest Strategy Guide to guide you through what you should be doing on your account weekly and monthly!