How Do You Pin to Pinterest A Simple Guide
At its core, pinning on Pinterest is all about saving the images and videos you love to your own personal collections, which Pinterest calls "boards." You can either save content you find on the platform by hitting the "Save" button, or you can upload your own ideas using the "Create" option. Either way, you're building a visual library of things that inspire you.
Why Pinning Is Your Creative Superpower
Before we jump into the "how-to," let's talk about why this simple action is the engine that drives the entire Pinterest experience. Pinning transforms the platform from a passive gallery of images into an active, dynamic tool for planning and discovery. Think of it as creating a visual roadmap for your ideas, whether you're mapping out a full kitchen remodel or just planning next week's meals.
Every time you save a Pin, you're doing more than just bookmarking a cool picture. You’re sending a signal to Pinterest's algorithm about what you're into. This is how your feed gets smarter and more personalized over time, becoming a tailored source of inspiration just for you. This interactive loop is what has made Pinterest an essential tool for millions.
The sheer scale of this activity is mind-boggling. Pinterest boasts nearly 570 million monthly active users, who collectively save an incredible 1.5 billion pins each week. What’s really telling is that 82-85% of this happens on mobile devices, showing just how integrated Pinterest is into our daily, on-the-go lives.
For anyone just getting started, Pinterest can be a game-changer within a larger online strategy. If you're curious about how it fits into the bigger picture of building an online brand, you can explore a comprehensive guide to digital marketing to connect the dots.
Pinning from Your Desktop Browser
For many of us, the big screen is where the real creative work happens. Pinning from your desktop browser gives you the space and control to get every detail right, from uploading a crisp, high-quality image to crafting the perfect, keyword-rich description that helps your content get discovered.
Let's say you're a food blogger who just photographed a stunning new recipe for "Spicy Mango Tacos." You're ready to share it with the world. You’d start by heading over to Pinterest and clicking the "Create" button, which brings up the main Pin editor. Think of this as your digital canvas.
Uploading and Describing Your Pin
First things first, you'll drag and drop that gorgeous taco photo right into the uploader. Once it's in place, it's time to add the context. A good title is specific and enticing—something like "Easy Spicy Mango Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema."
Next, you'll write a description that helps people find your recipe. I always try to think like a user and include terms they might be searching for, like "taco Tuesday ideas," "summer dinner recipes," and "mango recipes."
This is also where you add the all-important destination link. You'll paste the URL to your full recipe blog post here. This step is what transforms your Pin from a pretty picture into a direct source of traffic for your website.
With all the details filled in, the last step is choosing the right board. You could save it to your "Taco Recipes" board or maybe create a new, more specific one like "Summer Grilling." Once you've picked the perfect home for it, just hit "Publish," and your Pin is live!
This simple three-part process is what makes pinning content so intuitive.
As you can see, it’s a straightforward cycle: find something great, save it with context, and keep it organized for when you need it.
2. Pinning on the Go with the Pinterest Mobile App
Let's be real: most of your time on Pinterest will probably be on your phone. In fact, a staggering 82-85% of all Pinterest activity happens on mobile devices. So, getting comfortable with the mobile app isn't just a good idea—it's essential for anyone who's serious about the platform.
The app, available for both iOS and Android, is built for speed and convenience. It’s perfect for those moments when inspiration strikes, whether you're creating a fresh Pin or saving something you stumbled upon online.
Creating a New Pin from Your Phone
Making a new Pin from scratch is incredibly straightforward. Just pop open the app, tap the little plus sign (+) at the bottom of the screen, and choose "Pin." This will take you right to your phone's camera roll, where you can grab a photo or video you've already taken.
You can even use the built-in camera for real-time inspiration. Picture this: you're at a local nursery and see the most perfect fiddle-leaf fig. Instead of just taking a photo that gets lost in your gallery, you can snap it, give it a quick title like "Living Room Plant Goals," and save it directly to your "Home Decor" board. Done.
Saving Ideas from Other Mobile Apps
Here’s where the mobile experience really shines—saving content from other places on your phone. This turns your web browser and other apps into an endless well of ideas for your boards.
Think about a common scenario. You’re scrolling through a food blog on your phone and find a lasagna recipe that looks amazing. Rather than taking a screenshot you'll probably never find again, you can save it directly to Pinterest in a few taps.
And that's it. The recipe is now neatly filed away on your board with a direct link back to the original source, waiting for you whenever you're ready to cook.
This "share to Pinterest" feature isn't just for your browser, either. It works with tons of other apps. You can pin products directly from shopping apps, articles from your favorite news sources, and just about anything else. It's the ultimate tool for collecting inspiration on the fly.
Using the Pinterest Browser Extension
https://www.youtube.com/embed/H7udcQvCXuA
Pinning directly from Pinterest is great, but what about all the amazing content you find while just browsing the web? That's where the real magic happens, and the official Pinterest browser extension is the tool that makes it possible. It’s a simple little add-on that completely changes how you gather inspiration online.
This extension basically turns your browser into a Pinning machine. It adds a "Save" button that lets you grab images and links from any website without ever navigating away. It's available for all the big browsers—Chrome, Firefox, Edge—and installation is a breeze. Just search for "Pinterest Save Button" in your browser's extension or add-on store and add it.
Pinning from Any Website in Two Clicks
Let's say you're scrolling through an online shop and find the perfect armchair for your living room. Instead of the old-school hassle of taking a screenshot, saving it, and then uploading it to Pinterest later, you can save it to your "Living Room Inspo" board in seconds.
Here’s how easy it is:
This simple, two-click process is a game-changer. It seamlessly connects your everyday browsing to your Pinterest projects, so you never lose track of a brilliant find. The best part? The extension automatically grabs the source link, meaning you can always get back to the original page later.
This method isn’t just about saving time; it makes your boards so much richer with content from all over the internet. While the extension is fantastic for in-the-moment saves, many creators need to think ahead. If you're looking to build a consistent presence, planning your content is key. For more on that, check out our guide on how to schedule Pins on Pinterest.
Creating Pins That People Actually See
Knowing how to post on Pinterest is a good start, but the real magic happens when people actually find, save, and click on your Pins. You have to remember, Pinterest isn't just a social network; it’s a visual search engine. This means we need to stop just uploading pretty pictures and start creating content that's built for discovery from the ground up.
The first, non-negotiable rule? Always use vertical images. The Pinterest feed is designed for mobile, so a taller aspect ratio (think 2:3) is your best friend. A vertical Pin dominates the screen, making it far more eye-catching and much harder to scroll past than a wide, horizontal one.
Crafting a Pin for Search
Once your image is properly formatted, the words you choose become your most powerful tool. Your Pin's title and description are how you signal to the Pinterest algorithm—and to users—what your content is all about.
A vague description is a completely wasted opportunity. I see it all the time: "my new blog post." That tells search nothing. You have to get inside the head of your audience and think about the exact phrases they would type into the search bar.
Let's look at a couple of real-world examples:
See the difference? The second example in each case is loaded with keywords that people are actively searching for. If you want to dive deeper into this, our guide on https://www.postpaddle.com/blog/how-to-create-pins provides some more advanced strategies.
Finally, you absolutely must link your Pin to a relevant, high-quality webpage. A Pin that goes to a broken link or a page that doesn't match the image is a dead end for the user. It creates a poor experience and tells Pinterest your content isn't reliable, which can hurt your Pin's performance over time.
E-commerce brands have this down to a science. They’ve increased their uploaded product catalogs by 50% year-over-year, turning their Pins into shoppable posts that lead straight to product pages. To get more eyes on your pins, you can also explore some great tips for running contests on social networks.
A Few Lingering Questions About Pinning
Once you get the hang of pinning, a few common questions almost always come up. Getting these sorted out will help you use Pinterest much more effectively, especially as you start pinning more often and trying to build a real presence on the platform.
Can I Edit a Pin After It’s Live?
Yes, but with a major catch. You can always go back to a Pin you've created and tweak the destination link, update the description, or move it to a different board.
What you can't change is the image or video itself. That part is set in stone once you hit publish. If you spot a typo in your graphic or want to use a better image, your only option is to delete the original Pin and start over with a new one.
Pins vs. Boards: What’s the Difference?
This is a common point of confusion for newcomers. The easiest way to think about it is this:
Think of a Pin as a single recipe card you found online. The board is the recipe box labeled "Easy Weeknight Meals" where you file it away for later.
Are All My Pins Public?
By default, yes. When you create a board and start pinning, everything is visible to anyone who stumbles across your profile. That's the whole point of a social platform, right?
But sometimes you need privacy. For that, Pinterest offers secret boards. Anything you save to a secret board is visible only to you and any collaborators you personally invite. They're perfect for things like planning a surprise party, gathering inspiration for a top-secret project, or just saving ideas that aren't quite ready for the world to see.
What if a Website Doesn't Have a "Pin It" Button?
No problem at all. You have two easy workarounds for this.
The best solution is to install the official Pinterest browser extension. It adds a "Save" button to your browser, letting you grab images from almost any website, even if the site owner didn't add a pinning feature.
Alternatively, you can do it manually. Just copy the URL of the webpage, head back to Pinterest, click the "Create" button, and select "Save from site." Pinterest will then pull in the images from that page for you to choose from.
Nailing these little details helps you pin with more confidence and strategy, which is a huge part of building momentum. If you're ready to take the next step, we've got some great tips on getting more followers on Pinterest.
Ready to stop pinning manually and start growing your traffic on autopilot? Post Paddle uses AI to create, schedule, and optimize your Pinterest content in minutes, not hours. Start your free trial today and see the difference.