Quick answer: A Pinterest business account is free and gives your store analytics, ads and product catalogs. Create one on desktop, or convert your personal account in Settings. Then set it up in this order: profile, claim your website, install the Pinterest tag, connect your product catalog and check your rich pins. On Shopify and WooCommerce, the official Pinterest app does most of this for you.
Opening a Pinterest business account takes about five minutes, and that’s the easy part. The part most stores skip is everything that comes after it, the claimed website, the tag and the catalog, and without those Pinterest can’t show your products as shoppable pins and you have no clue which pins actually sell anything.
So this guide goes through the whole setup in the order it needs to happen, because each step needs the one before it.
What Is a Pinterest Business Account, Anyway?
A Pinterest business account is the free account type made for brands and stores, and Pinterest says it gives you access to analytics on your pins and the ability to run ads. It also opens up the Business Hub and product catalogs, which is where your products turn into shoppable pins with prices on them.
Is a Pinterest Business Account Free? (Yes, Thankfully)
Yes. It’s free to create and free to keep, and you only pay if you decide to run ads.
Business Account vs Personal Account: Which One Does Your Store Need?
A business account has everything a personal account has, plus all the tools a store actually needs, so for a shop there’s really no contest.
| Feature | Personal account | Business account |
|---|---|---|
| Save pins and make boards | Yes | Yes |
| Pinterest Analytics | No | Yes |
| Claim your website | No | Yes |
| Product catalogs and shoppable pins | No | Yes |
| Pinterest ads | No | Yes |
| Cost | Free | Free |
If you’ve been pinning for your store from a personal account, just convert it, because your pins and followers stay exactly where they are and you can switch back later if you want. One thing that changed recently: you can’t link a personal account to a business account anymore, so pick one account for the store and stick with it.
How to Create a Pinterest Business Account (Desktop Only, Sorry)
For now you can only create a business account on desktop, and there are two ways to do it depending on where you’re starting from.
Option 1: Start a Brand New Business Account
- Go to pinterest.com and click Sign up.
- Choose Create a business account.
- Enter your email, a password and your age, then click Create account.
- Fill in your profile and describe your business.
- Pick your ad preferences, and you’re in.
Option 2: Convert Your Personal Account
- Log in and open Settings.
- Go to Account management.
- Click Convert to a business account.
- Fill in your profile and business details, then confirm.
How to Set Up Your Pinterest Business Profile So People Get It
Your profile tells both people and Pinterest what you sell, so treat it like a tiny search listing for your store and not like a place for your brand’s deep thoughts.
| Profile field | What to put there |
|---|---|
| Display name | Your store name plus what you sell, like “Northwood Oak | Solid Wood Dining Tables” |
| Username | Your store name, short and easy to type |
| Profile picture | Your logo, centered, so it still reads at a tiny size |
| Bio | One or two plain sentences with your main product words |
Pinterest Bio Examples for Stores
These are made-up brands, but the pattern works for pretty much any shop: say what you sell, say what makes it yours, and stop there.
| Store type | Bio example |
|---|---|
| Furniture | Solid oak dining tables and benches, made to order in small batches. Free US shipping. |
| Linen bedding | Washed linen duvet covers and sheets in calm, natural colors. Made in Portugal. |
| Jewelry | Dainty gold jewelry for everyday wear and wedding days. Recycled 14k gold. |
Use the words your customers actually type into the search bar, and if you’re not sure what those are, my Pinterest keyword research guide shows you how to find them for free.
How to Claim Your Website on Pinterest
Claiming your website proves you own it, and it puts your name and profile picture on every pin that links to your site, even the ones other people save from your store (free credit, love that).
- In your business account, open Settings, then Link to Pinterest.
- Next to Websites, click Claim.
- Pick a method: an HTML tag in your site’s header, an HTML file, or a DNS TXT record.
- Add it to your site, enter your website address and click Verify.
The HTML tag is the easiest method for most stores, while DNS changes can take up to 72 hours to kick in. A website can only be claimed by one Pinterest account, and marketplace shops like Etsy or Amazon can’t be claimed at all. Pinterest’s claim your website guide has every detail.
Is your Pinterest tag installed and firing?
I’ll look at your store and Pinterest myself and send a short report and video with the three fixes I’d make first. Free, within 1 business day, no call needed.
Want all of this set up for you? My Setup Sprint gets your business account, website claim, Pinterest tag, catalog and boards working in three weeks, with 30 new pins too.
How to Install the Pinterest Tag (The Boring Bit That Matters Most)
The Pinterest tag is a small piece of code that tracks what people do on your store after they click a pin, so page visits, add-to-carts and checkouts. Without it you’re basically guessing which pins sell, and Pinterest can’t show you conversion data in Pinterest Analytics either.
Pinterest gives you three ways to install the tag: through a store platform partner, by sending the instructions to your developer, or by adding the code yourself. On Shopify and WooCommerce, let the official app do it for you. And don’t panic if nothing shows up right away, because it can take up to 24 hours before the tag reports anything.
How to Connect Your Product Catalog
A product catalog is a file of all your products that Pinterest reads every day, and it turns each product into a product pin with a price and a link straight to the product page. To connect one you need the business account, the claimed website and the tag, and your site also needs clear contact, shipping and refund pages.
Pinterest takes CSV, TSV, XML and Google Sheets files and checks hosted files once a day. On Shopify and WooCommerce the app syncs your catalog for you, and I go through the rest in my guide to Pinterest catalogs.
Do You Need to Apply for Rich Pins? (Nope, Not Anymore)
No, you don’t need to apply for rich pins anymore. Once your product pages have the right tags (Open Graph or Schema.org with price and currency), Pinterest fills in the rich pin details by itself, and product rich pins keep the price and stock up to date when your site changes. Most store platforms add these tags already, and my rich pins setup guide shows how to check yours.
The Shortcut: Shopify, WooCommerce and Everyone Else
If your store runs on Shopify or WooCommerce, the official Pinterest app handles steps 3 to 6 for you, which is honestly the best news in this whole post.
According to Pinterest, the Pinterest app for Shopify claims your site, installs the tag and Conversions API, connects your product feed and creates product pins. Pinterest for WooCommerce claims your site, adds the tag and syncs your catalog. On BigCommerce, Squarespace or a custom site, check your platform’s app store first, and if there’s no app, claim with the HTML tag, add the Pinterest tag by hand and upload a product feed.
How to Get the Verified Merchant Badge
The Verified Merchant Program puts a blue checkmark on your profile and pins, and Pinterest verifies merchants automatically once they meet all the rules. The big ones are a business account that’s at least three months old, a claimed website that’s at least nine months old and most of your catalog uploaded.
You also need 30 days of page visit, add-to-cart and checkout data from your tag. So the tag isn’t just for tracking, it’s part of how you earn the badge. My Verified Merchant guide covers every requirement and the usual reasons stores get rejected.
What to Do Once You’re All Set Up
Once the setup is done, the real work starts: boards that match your collections, fresh pins every week and a quick look at your numbers once a month. These are the next guides to read:
- Set up Pinterest boards for your business
- Turn Pinterest clicks into store sales
- Track your results with Pinterest Analytics
- What to do if Pinterest suspends your store’s account
Common Pinterest Business Account Mistakes
Most setup mistakes come from stopping after step one and calling it a day. Here’s what to watch out for:
- Creating the business account but never claiming the website.
- Skipping the Pinterest tag, so nobody knows which pins sell.
- Using a vague display name like “Studio M” instead of what you sell.
- Running the store from a personal account and a business account at the same time.
- Uploading a catalog with product titles written as codes, so the pins have no keywords.
Key takeaways
- A Pinterest business account is free and gives you analytics, ads and catalogs.
- Create one on desktop, or convert your personal account in Settings.
- Set it up in order: profile, claim your website, Pinterest tag, catalog, rich pins.
- On Shopify and WooCommerce, the official Pinterest app does most of the setup.
- The tag also counts toward the verified merchant badge.
A business account is step one of the bigger plan in my Pinterest marketing playbook for ecommerce.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Pinterest business account free?
Yes. Creating and keeping a Pinterest business account is free. You only pay if you choose to run Pinterest ads.
How do I create a Pinterest business account?
On desktop, go to pinterest.com, click Sign up and choose Create a business account. If you already have a personal account, go to Settings, then Account management, and click Convert to a business account.
Should I use a personal or business account for my store?
Use a business account. It has everything a personal account has, plus analytics, website claiming, catalogs and ads, and it’s still free.
Can I link my personal and business Pinterest accounts?
Not anymore. Pinterest no longer lets you link a personal account to a business account, so use one business account for your store.
Do I need to apply for rich pins?
No. Rich pins work automatically once your product pages have the right Open Graph or Schema.org tags. Most store platforms add them already.
Can someone check my Pinterest setup for me?
Yes. Send me your store and I’ll check your Pinterest myself. Within 1 business day, you get a free Shelf Check: a short report and video with the three fixes I’d make first.
Sources
- Pinterest Help Center: Get a business account
- Pinterest Help Center: Claim your website
- Pinterest Help Center: Install the Pinterest tag
- Pinterest Help Center: Before you get started with catalogs
- Pinterest Help Center: Rich Pins
- Pinterest Help Center: Verified Merchant Program
- Pinterest Help Center: Link your Shopify and Pinterest accounts
- Pinterest Help Center: Link your WooCommerce and Pinterest accounts