Pinterest mistakes I’m seeing

olympianolan
Feb 27
3 min read

(And We Need to Talk About Them)

If you’re a social media manager running Pinterest for a brand right now… this is your gentle but firm nudge.

Because I’m seeing things.

And not cute things.

I’m talking about basic, fixable Pinterest mistakes that are quietly killing reach, traffic, and results — and the worst part?

They’re completely avoidable.

Pinterest is not complicated.

But it is specific.

So let’s get into it.

1. Using the Wrong Pin Dimensions

If you’re designing square posts and just “repurposing” them from Instagram… we need to stop.

Pinterest favours a 2:3 aspect ratio (1000 x 1500px).

When you upload square graphics:

They take up less space in the feed
They don’t command attention
They underperform visually

Pinterest isn’t being difficult. It just has formatting preferences. Work with the platform.

2. Not Claiming Your Business Website

This one hurts me.

If you haven’t claimed your website inside your Pinterest settings, you’re missing:

Verified domain authority
Access to analytics tied to your domain
Extra distribution benefits
Brand credibility

You are literally sending traffic to a site Pinterest doesn’t know belongs to you.

Claim it.

It takes minutes.

3. Using Instagram Descriptions on Pinterest

Pinterest is a search engine.

Instagram is not.

When I see captions like:

“Obsessed 😍✨ Save this for later!”

I sigh.

Pinterest descriptions should:

Contain searchable keywords
Explain what the Pin is about
Match user intent

Pinterest doesn’t care if you’re obsessed. It cares what the content is.

Stop copy-pasting Instagram captions onto Pinterest and expecting search visibility.

4. Not Linking Your Pins

I genuinely cannot believe this one still happens.

Pinterest is GOLD for linking to your site.

It is one of the only platforms where users expect to click off the platform.

And yet…

I still see Pins with:

No destination URL
Links to the homepage when it should go to a blog
Or worse… no link at all

Why are we building traffic-driving content and then not attaching traffic?

Every single Pin should have a strategic link.

Always.

5. Not Using Keywords in Your Board Names

Board names like:

“Inspo”
“Content Ideas”
“Stuff I Like”
“2024”

…mean nothing to Pinterest.

Boards are indexed.

They are searchable.

If your board is about email marketing, call it Email Marketing Tips.

If it’s about wedding styling, call it Wedding Styling Ideas.

Board titles and descriptions are prime keyword real estate. Use them properly.

6. Not Doing Any Keyword Research

And this is the big one.

The root of most Pinterest problems?

No keyword research.

If you don’t know:

How to do Pinterest keyword research
How to find popular keywords on Pinterest
How to use keywords on Pinterest
How to use keywords and hashtags on Pinterest

Then you’re guessing.

Pinterest literally shows you what users are searching for through:

The search bar
Auto-suggestions
Keyword tiles
Related searches
Video tags

The data is there.

If you skip this step, everything else becomes trial and error.

Pinterest rewards relevance.Relevance comes from keywords.

The Bigger Picture

Here’s what’s happening.

A lot of SMMs are being handed Pinterest as “another platform to manage” without proper search-based training.

So it gets treated like Instagram.

And when it doesn’t perform?

Everyone assumes Pinterest doesn’t work.

It works.

It just works differently.

And when you respect that difference, it becomes one of the most powerful traffic drivers in your entire marketing mix.

If You’re Quietly Struggling With Pinterest…

If you’re managing accounts and thinking:

“Why is this not growing?”“Why is nothing clicking through?”“What am I missing?”

Let’s look at it properly.

Book a free 30-minute discovery call and we’ll:

Audit your profile
Check your keyword alignment
Identify quick-win fixes
Create a visibility direction

No fluff. Just clarity.

Because Pinterest isn’t broken.

It’s just misunderstood.

And we can fix that.