Pinterest Business Account: Free Setup in 5 Steps
A Pinterest business account is a free Pinterest profile for brands that adds Pinterest Analytics, the Business Hub and ad tools to everything a personal account does. You can create a new one on desktop with an email that isn’t already on Pinterest, or convert your personal account in Settings under Account management, and your pins and followers stay the same. Pinterest says you can switch back to a personal account at any time.
Below: what changes when you switch, the exact steps for both routes, the five settings to fix in your first hour, and what to do once the account is live.
Why does the account type matter if you pin for traffic?
You pin for months on a personal account “to test it”, then convert and open Pinterest Analytics. It is empty. The history only starts counting once the business account exists, so the months of pins you made first tell you nothing about which headlines or boards sent clicks.
What does a personal account cost you?
Data, mostly. Without analytics you can’t see outbound clicks per pin, so you can’t tell which pins to make more of. You also can’t run ads, and you put off the two settings that tie your pins to your site: a claimed website and rich pins.
What is the difference between a personal and a business account?
| Personal account | Business account | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free |
| Pinterest Analytics | No | Yes |
| Business Hub | No | Yes |
| Ads and merchant tools | No | Yes |
| Visibility | Public or private | Public only |
| Switch type later | Can convert to business | Can switch back to personal |
Pinning and search work the same on both. The business account adds tools on top; it doesn’t take any away, except the option to keep the profile private.
How do you create a new Pinterest business account?
Use this route when you want a separate account for the brand. Pinterest’s help center says new business accounts can only be created on desktop.
- Log out of any personal account on pinterest.com.
- Click Sign up in the top-right corner and choose the option to create a business account.
- Enter an email that isn’t on Pinterest yet, a password and your age, then click Create account.
- Fill in the profile: business name, website, and a short description of the business.
- Choose whether you want to run ads. You can say no and still get analytics.
How do you convert a personal account to a business account?
Use this route when your personal account already has the pins and followers you want to keep.
- Make the account public if it is set to private. Business accounts can’t be private.
- Unlink it if it is linked to another Pinterest account. Pinterest no longer lets you link a personal account to a business one.
- On desktop: open the more-options menu at the bottom left, go to Settings, then Account management, and select Convert account.
- In the app: tap your profile picture, then your profile photo at the top left, then Account management, and tap Convert to a business account.
- Follow the prompts for profile name, website, business type and ad preferences.
Pinterest moves its menus from time to time. If a label above doesn’t match what you see, the app wins.
What should you set up in the first hour?
Converting is the first step of five. Do the rest in one sitting, in this order:
| # | Setting | Why it comes now |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claim your website (Settings, Claimed accounts) | Links your pins to your domain and shows your profile on pins from your site |
| 2 | Rich pins | Pull the title and description from your page into the pin automatically, once the site is claimed |
| 3 | Analytics | Open it on day one, even with no traffic, so the history starts |
| 4 | Country, language and business details | Match the audience you write for; Pinterest uses them to place your pins |
| 5 | Two-factor login | An account that sends traffic is worth protecting |
Claiming offers three methods: an HTML tag in your site’s head, an HTML file in the site root, or a DNS record. Pick the one your site builder supports. Verification can take up to a day.
Add a UTM tag to every pin link too, so your site analytics show which pins bring visits: ?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=pin&utm_campaign=[topic].
What do you do once the business account is live?
Name the profile and boards with the words people search for, then pin. A profile name like “Brand Name | Topic Ideas” tells Pinterest and people what you cover, and boards named after search terms beat boards named after moods. Our guides cover each next step:
- Pinterest keywords: where to find the searches and where each one goes.
- Pinterest board ideas: boards built around what people search.
- How to write Pinterest pin descriptions: titles and descriptions that match a search.
- Pinterest marketing tips: the full strategy, from pin design to the page each pin sends people to.
- Pinterest analytics: reading the numbers your new account starts collecting.
FAQ
Is a Pinterest business account free?
It costs nothing. Pinterest describes it as a free account that gives you analytics on your pins and the ability to run ads. You only pay if you choose to run ads.
Can I switch my Pinterest business account back to personal?
Yes. Pinterest’s help center says you can switch back to a personal account at any time.
Will I lose my pins or followers if I convert?
No. Your pins and followers stay the same when a personal account becomes a business account.
Do I need a website for a Pinterest business account?
No, but you get much more from it with one. Claiming a website and turning on rich pins both need a site you control, and pins need somewhere to send people. A blog, a store or a link-in-bio page you own all work.
Can I create a business account on my phone?
You can convert an existing personal account in the app, but Pinterest says a brand-new business account can only be created from a desktop browser.
Should I make a separate business account or convert my personal one?
Convert if your personal account already pins about the same topic as your brand. Start fresh if it is full of unrelated personal boards, since a business profile should look like it covers one subject.
Get the setup checked, then the pins written. The Nexin Pinterest module checks your account setup (business account, claimed site, rich pins, analytics, tracking) and returns the fixes in order, then plans keywords and boards and drafts pin batches in your brand’s voice. Nexin writes and checks; it doesn’t pin or schedule for you. See the Pinterest module or see pricing.