If you fail to optimize your pins properly, Pinterest will have a hard time indexing your pins, and you are not going to be found in search. You are wasting your time on Pinterest if you’re not optimizing because Pinterest is a search engine.

I’m going to walk you through a quick and easy tutorial on how to optimize your pins (both static and idea pins) on Pinterest. I’m showing you the static pins on the desktop and the idea pins on mobile.

So let’s hop right on in and learn how to use keywords to optimize your pins on Pinterest.

Optimize Your Standard Pins

Start with text overlay

Optimizing your static pins starts with your text overlay. You want to consider adding a text overlay to your pins because Pinterest can read what’s on your image.

You need to give context to the pinner. So add a text overlay and make sure you use your main keyword in that place.

Write your pin title

The next place that you’re going to optimize is your pin title. You want to write a perfect pin title using your main keyword that you’ve researched.  Not a clickbait-type title, but exactly what your pin will lead them to.

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Write your full description

After that, you want to write a really solid description. You only get 500 characters for your descriptions on static and video pins, as well as carousels. So you want to make sure you use up all of that real estate.

I prefer to use a Mad Libs style method of writing my pin descriptions using five related keywords.

1. I drop all five keywords into the box.
2. I write sentences around all five of them.
3. Then I will write a really good call to action at the end.

Input your alt text

The last place on static pins that you will optimize is putting in an alt text. Now you can only do this on the desktop.  Skip over this if you’re using a scheduler to publish your pins. Don’t even think about it.

The alt text, however, is used only to describe what’s in the image and a bit of your description. Make sure you describe the image so someone who cannot see it knows what it is.  Then put a little bit of your description in that alt text so they can understand what it’s about.

Your alt text is limited to 500 characters, so keep that in mind.

Then you’re going to put in your URL, and you are going to choose a board. Once you have done all of those things, your static pin is optimized and ready to be published.

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Optimize Your Idea Pin

Go ahead and use the text overlay and the pin title just like you would use on static pins, and you’re also going to write a solid description like I mentioned above.

However, you can

• add more details,
• including lists of things,
• any additional tips,
• supplies, and
• instructions that will help people execute your idea fully.

You’re not limited in your notes section to 500 characters like you are in static pins.

Start with your text overlay

Make sure it is in the first six seconds of the video. Make it your cover also to show when the idea pin is being shown in the browse feed on Pinterest. Use the main keyword here if possible.

Write your pin title

I have prewritten just a basic title and description we can use if you watch the video tutorial.  You are going to go ahead and add your title here. This is required.

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Write your full notes section

Now you’re going to go ahead and add your notes. The notes are not required. However, I do suggest always adding a description inside of the notes.

Here you have ingredients, supplies, or notes to choose from. You can add other things to buy, and then you add your list of things to buy.  I typically choose notes since I am a content creator and don’t make food or projects for you to choose from.

You aren’t limited to the number of characters in this section so add the full idea notes, supplies, and ingredients. Don’t add a URL here.  This is against Pinterest best practices.

Pick your board

Once you have added your title and notes, go ahead and pick your board. Don’t be shy about adding it to a board.

Many people are realizing now that they can pin idea pins without choosing a board, but don’t do that. It’s essential for indexing that you do choose a board.

It’s essential for indexing that you do choose a board.

Add related tags

Go ahead and add your related tags. You can add up to ten tags and you should add as many as you can. Try to find as many relevant tags to include.

For example in a pin on fitness, you can include Fitness Tips and Women’s Fitness amongst others.  When we have all ten, we are ready to go ahead and edit our cover.

Edit cover

Make sure that your cover actually includes your text overlay because in a lot of cases, the video is going to slide in, and it’s not going to have the text at the very beginning. So make sure that you have your cover on there and it is set and ready to go.

Advanced settings let you toggle on and off comments or show similar products from your idea pin in search. You can toggle that on and off if you would like.

That is how you completely optimize an idea pin. If you are ready to publish, go ahead and publish. If not, you can save it as a draft.

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Tactical notes for idea pins

Here are a couple of final notes just to hammer this home:

•  Alt text is only available on static images.
•  Tags are also available on video pins, just like they are on idea pins.

However, on the video version, you’re going to optimize it the same way as your static pin with the tag feature from idea pins, and then you get alt text as well.

• You cannot use music, stickers, edit, or really do anything on desktop other than upload and publish.

If you upload your idea pin on desktop and save it as a draft you won’t be able to access it via mobile & vice versa.

• Idea pins at this time are not able to be scheduled via Pinterest or any third party platform.

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Final Thoughts

For more tactical Pinterest tips, you can head on over and watch our Pinterest marketing strategy playlist or visit Pin Profit Academy and get started today with everything you need to have great success on Pinterest.

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