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The Pinterest Checklist Every Interior Designer Needs Before They Hit Publish
- Lezlie Swink
- 2 days ago
- 14 min read
Pinterest is one of those platforms that interior designers either love or completely ignore. And the ones who ignore it usually do so for one of two reasons: they tried it, posted a few times without a clear system, didn't see results, and moved on. Or they've been meaning to get started for two years and just haven't gotten there yet.
Both camps are leaving something significant on the table.
Pinterest is not Instagram. It's not a social media platform where content lives for 24 hours and then disappears into the void. It's a search engine. And when you treat it like one — when every pin you publish is optimized, intentional, and linked to something worth clicking — it becomes a marketing asset that works for your business around the clock without you having to do anything after the initial setup.
The operative word there is optimized.
A beautiful pin with no keywords, a broken link, and no clear destination is just a pretty picture sitting in a corner of the internet that nobody will ever find. But a well executed pin attached to a strong account foundation can show up in search results for months and even years after it was published, sending a steady stream of potential clients to your website long after you've moved on to the next project.
The difference between those two outcomes almost always comes down to process. Specifically whether you have one or not.
That's what this checklist is. A practical, pin by pin system for making sure every piece of content you put on Pinterest is actually set up to perform. We're covering project pins, blog pins, service and lead magnet pins, and the ongoing habits that keep an account healthy over time.
Let's get into it.
Before You Pin Anything — Account Foundations
Before a single pin goes live, the foundation needs to be right. This is the part most designers skip because it's not as immediately satisfying as creating content. But it's also the part that determines whether your pins have any chance of being found in the first place.
Think of it like a design project. You wouldn't start selecting finishes before the floor plan is solid. The same logic applies here.
Here's what needs to be in place before you start pinning:
Business account set up and verified. If you're using a personal account for your design business, that needs to change. A Pinterest business account gives you access to analytics, rich pins, and the ability to claim your website — none of which are available on a personal account. This is non-negotiable.
Your website is claimed. Claiming your website tells Pinterest that you are the official source of the content you're pinning. It adds your profile photo to every pin that links to your site, which builds brand recognition over time and signals authority to the algorithm. If your website isn't claimed, do that first.
Your profile is optimized for search. Your Pinterest profile is searchable. That means your name, your bio, and even your board titles are all opportunities to show up when someone searches for an interior designer. Your bio should clearly state what you do, who you serve, and ideally include the keywords your ideal client would actually use when searching. "Interior designer specializing in whole home renovations in the Dallas area" is infinitely more searchable than "lover of beautiful spaces."
Your boards are named and organized strategically. Board names are one of the strongest keyword signals on Pinterest. "My Projects" tells the algorithm almost nothing. "Transitional Interior Design" or "Luxury Kitchen Design" tells it exactly what your content is about and who should see it. Go through your boards and make sure every name reflects a search term your ideal client would actually type.
Your board descriptions are written. Every board has a description field that most designers leave completely blank. That's a missed opportunity. A two to three sentence board description packed with relevant keywords helps Pinterest understand and categorize your content more accurately, which means better distribution.
If your account foundations aren't solid, even the most beautifully executed pins will underperform. Get this right first and everything that comes after works harder.
The Project Pin Checklist
Project pins are the bread and butter of Pinterest for interior designers. A finished room, a stunning detail shot, a before and after — this is the content your ideal client is actively searching for. But there's a significant difference between dropping a photo on Pinterest and publishing a pin that's actually set up to be found, clicked, and saved.
Here's the checklist:
Use a vertical image. Pinterest is a vertical platform. The ideal pin ratio is 2:3, which translates to 1000 x 1500 pixels. Square images and horizontal images take up less real estate in the feed and consistently underperform compared to vertical content. If your project photography is horizontal, crop it or use a graphic template that converts it to a vertical format.
Write a keyword rich title. Your pin title is one of the first things Pinterest's algorithm reads to understand what your content is about. It's also what shows up in search results. Skip the vague and go specific. "Warm Transitional Living Room with Custom Built-Ins" will always outperform "New Project Reveal." Think about what your ideal client would type into the search bar and write your title to match.
Write a description that works for search intent. Your pin description is not a caption. It's not the place for a personal reflection or a behind the scenes story. It's a piece of search optimized copy that tells Pinterest and the person searching exactly what they're looking at and why it's relevant to them. Use natural language, include your primary keywords, and write two to four sentences that describe the space, the style, and the design intent.
Link directly to the project page. Every project pin should link somewhere specific and useful — ideally a project page or portfolio entry on your website. Not your homepage. Not your contact page. The actual project. When someone clicks through they should land exactly where they expected to land. A broken link or a misdirected link is one of the fastest ways to kill a pin's performance.
Save to the most relevant board first. Pinterest pays attention to which board a pin is saved to first. Make it count. Choose the board whose topic most closely matches the content of the pin. You can save it to additional boards later but that first save matters most for how Pinterest categorizes and distributes the content.
Add text overlay when appropriate. A subtle text overlay on a project pin — something like "Modern Farmhouse Kitchen Renovation" or "Before and After: Living Room Transformation" — can increase saves and clicks by giving the viewer immediate context before they even read the title. Keep it minimal and on brand. You're adding information, not cluttering a beautiful image.
Get all six of these right on every project pin and you have content that can show up in search results and drive traffic to your portfolio for months and years after the project is complete.
The Blog Post Pin Checklist
If project pins are the visual heart of your Pinterest strategy, blog post pins are the long game engine. A well optimized blog pin attached to a strong piece of content is one of the most powerful traffic drivers available to interior designers because it does two things simultaneously — it ranks on Pinterest and it ranks on Google. That's double the discoverability from a single piece of content.
But only if the pin is set up correctly.
Here's the checklist:
Create a pin image designed specifically for blog content. Blog pins work differently than project pins visually. They typically include a text overlay with the title or a compelling hook from the post because the image alone doesn't tell the viewer what they're going to get when they click. Your image should be visually on brand, vertical, and paired with a clear readable title that makes someone want to click through to read more.
Write a title that earns the click. Your blog pin title should match or closely mirror the actual title of your blog post. This is important for two reasons. First it creates consistency between what someone sees on Pinterest and what they land on when they click through. Second it reinforces the keyword signal across both platforms. If your blog post is titled "The Interior Designer's Guide to Choosing the Right Lighting" your pin title should say essentially the same thing.
Write a description that teases the content. Unlike project pins where the description is purely informational, blog pin descriptions can do a little more storytelling. Give the reader enough to understand what they'll get from the post and why it's worth their time. Two to four sentences that hit the main keyword, hint at the value inside, and create just enough curiosity to earn the click.
Link directly to the blog post. Not your blog homepage. Not your website homepage. The specific post. Every extra click between the pin and the content is an opportunity for someone to drop off. Make it seamless.
Refresh high performing blog pins regularly. This is one of the most underused strategies in Pinterest marketing. If a blog post is driving consistent traffic, create a new pin design for the same post every few months. Fresh creative attached to the same strong content gives Pinterest a new asset to distribute while continuing to build authority around that URL. One blog post can support multiple pins running simultaneously and that compounds over time.
Prioritize evergreen blog content. Not all blog posts are created equal on Pinterest. A post tied to a specific trend or a timely news moment has a short shelf life. A post titled "How to Choose the Right Lighting for Every Room" will be relevant and searchable for years. When you're deciding which blog posts to prioritize on Pinterest, lead with your evergreen content first.
Blog pins are the gift that keeps giving. A post you wrote two years ago can still be driving traffic to your website today if the pin was set up correctly and the content is worth reading. That's the kind of marketing that works for you while you're busy doing everything else.
The Service and Lead Magnet Pin Checklist
This is the most underused pin type in the interior design space. And honestly it might be the highest converting one when it's done right.
Most designers use Pinterest exclusively for inspiration and portfolio content. Which makes sense — it's a visual platform and beautiful rooms perform well. But Pinterest users aren't just browsing for pretty pictures. A significant portion of them are actively planning a renovation or a new build and looking for the professional who can make it happen. That person is not just a potential follower. They're a potential client. And if your services page or your lead magnet never shows up in their search results, you're invisible at exactly the moment they're ready to take action.
Here's the checklist:
Create a dedicated pin for your services page. Your services page deserves its own pin. Design a clean, on brand vertical graphic that clearly communicates what you do and who you serve. The title and description should be written around the keywords a potential client would search when they're actively looking to hire a designer. Think "full service interior design" or "whole home renovation designer" paired with your location if you serve a specific market.
Pin your lead magnets. If you have a freebie — a style quiz, a new home build checklist, a room planning guide, a budget breakdown template — it belongs on Pinterest. Lead magnet pins are exceptional traffic drivers because they offer immediate value in exchange for a click. Someone searching for help with a specific problem finds your pin, clicks through, downloads your resource, and lands on your email list. That's a complete lead generation funnel driven entirely by a single optimized pin.
Write descriptions around search intent not features. The mistake most designers make with service pins is writing descriptions that list what they offer rather than speaking to what their ideal client is looking for. Nobody searches Pinterest for "full service design firm with project management." They search for "how to find an interior designer for a whole home renovation" or "interior designer for luxury new build." Write your descriptions to meet that search intent and you'll reach people at exactly the right moment in their decision making process.
Link to a specific landing page. Service pins should link directly to your services page. Lead magnet pins should link directly to the landing page where someone can opt in. Not your homepage. Not your about page. The specific destination that matches the promise of the pin. Every extra step between the click and the conversion is a place where you lose people.
Include a clear call to action in your description. Pinterest descriptions can and should include a gentle next step. Something as simple as "download the free guide" or "learn more about working together" gives the reader a clear direction and increases the likelihood that they take action after clicking through.
Treat these pins as evergreen assets. Your services don't change that often. A well optimized service pin or lead magnet pin can run indefinitely with minimal maintenance. Create it once, set it up correctly, and let it work. Refresh the creative every six to twelve months to give Pinterest a new asset to distribute but the underlying content stays the same.
This pin category is where Pinterest stops being just an inspiration platform and starts being an actual business development tool. The designers who figure this out early have a significant advantage over everyone still treating Pinterest like a digital mood board.
The Ongoing Pinning Checklist
Getting your account foundation right and publishing well optimized pins is a great start. But Pinterest is a long game platform and the accounts that see the biggest results over time are the ones that show up consistently rather than in sporadic bursts of activity followed by weeks of silence.
Sound familiar? It should. We talk about this with Instagram too. Consistency matters on every platform but on Pinterest it matters in a slightly different way. You're not building a relationship with an audience through daily content the way you are on Instagram. You're feeding a search engine. And search engines reward accounts that signal ongoing activity and relevance.
Here's the checklist for staying consistent without it taking over your life:
Pin on a regular schedule. You don't need to pin every single day but you do need to pin regularly. A consistent cadence of several pins per week is significantly more effective than pinning thirty times in one day and then disappearing for a month. Pinterest interprets that burst and disappear pattern as low quality behavior and it affects your distribution. Slow and steady genuinely wins this race.
Use a scheduling tool. Trying to pin manually on a consistent schedule is how Pinterest falls off your radar when life gets busy. Pinterest actually allows you to schedule pins natively up to 30 days out directly within the platform, which is a great starting point if you're just getting your system off the ground. For more robust scheduling and analytics tracking, tools like Metricool give you additional flexibility and visibility into how your content is performing. Either way, batching your pinning in one focused session and scheduling everything to go out automatically over the coming weeks removes the daily decision making entirely and keeps your account active even when life gets busy.
Create multiple pin designs for the same content. One blog post, one project, one service page — each of these can support multiple pin designs running simultaneously or staggered over time. Different images, different titles, different descriptions all pointing to the same URL. This gives Pinterest more assets to test and distribute and increases the chances of your content finding the right audience. A piece of content that didn't perform with one pin design might take off with a different one.
Revisit and refresh older pins. Go back through your existing content periodically and identify pins that are linked to strong evergreen content but haven't been getting traction. Rewrite the description with updated keywords. Create a fresh image. Re-save to a more relevant board. Older content with a refreshed pin can start performing again and it costs you far less time than creating something brand new.
Save content from other accounts strategically. Pinterest still values accounts that curate as well as create. Saving relevant content from other sources — design publications, product brands, complementary businesses — keeps your account active between your own publishing sessions and signals to Pinterest that your account is engaged and relevant within the design space. Just make sure what you're saving aligns with your brand aesthetic and your ideal client's interests. Your boards should feel curated, not cluttered.
Check your analytics monthly. You don't need to live in your Pinterest analytics but a monthly check-in is worth building into your routine. Look at which pins are driving the most outbound clicks — those are your highest performing assets and they deserve more attention. More pin designs, a refreshed description, a re-save to additional boards. Double down on what's working rather than spending all your energy on what isn't.
Consistency on Pinterest doesn't require a huge time investment. It requires a system. Build the system once and maintaining it becomes a small, manageable part of your marketing routine rather than an overwhelming project you keep putting off.
The "Is This Pin Actually Working For Me" Checklist
Before you create a single new pin, it's worth taking a hard look at what you already have. A lot of designers are sitting on a Pinterest account full of content that was never set up correctly in the first place — broken links, horizontal images, keyword-free descriptions, pins pointing to pages that no longer exist. That existing content is either working for you or working against you and it's worth knowing which.
Run through this diagnostic checklist on your existing pins and fix what you find before you invest time in creating anything new.
Are your links still live? This one sounds obvious but it's one of the most common Pinterest problems we see. Website redesigns, blog post URL changes, deleted pages — any of these can create broken links that send a Pinterest user to a 404 error page. A pin with a broken link is not just useless, it's actively damaging to your account's credibility with the algorithm. Go through your most pinned content and click every link. Fix anything that's broken.
Are your images vertical? If you have older pins using horizontal or square images, those are underperforming simply because of format. You don't have to delete them but creating a new vertical pin for the same content and re-saving it is worth the effort for anything that links to strong evergreen content.
Are your descriptions optimized for search? Read through your existing pin descriptions with fresh eyes. Are they keyword rich? Do they speak to search intent? Or are they written like Instagram captions — personal, conversational, and essentially invisible to a search algorithm? Rewriting underperforming descriptions is one of the fastest ways to improve the performance of existing content without creating anything new.
Are your pins linking to the right destination? Check that every pin is linking to the most relevant and specific page on your website. A project pin should go to the project page. A blog pin should go to the blog post. A services pin should go to the services page. If anything is pointing to your homepage by default, update the link.
Are you seeing outbound clicks or just impressions? Impressions tell you that Pinterest is showing your pin. Outbound clicks tell you that people are actually taking action. If you have pins with high impressions and low clicks, the image or the title isn't compelling enough to earn the click. Try a fresh pin design or a more specific title and see if performance improves.
Are your best performing pins getting enough support? When a pin starts getting consistent saves and clicks, that's your signal to double down. Create additional pin designs for that same content. Re-save it to additional relevant boards. Write a fresh description with slightly different keywords. Give your winners more runway and let them keep working.
This audit doesn't have to happen all at once. Work through it in sections — account foundations one week, project pins the next, blog pins after that. The goal is to make sure that everything already living on your account is pulling its weight before you add anything new to the pile.
Ready to Build a Pinterest Strategy That Actually Works?
If going through this checklist made you realize there's a lot more to Pinterest than posting pretty pictures — you're right. There is. And the good news is that once the system is built correctly, it runs largely on autopilot, sending a steady stream of potential clients to your website long after you've moved on to the next project.
But building that system the right way takes more than a checklist. It takes a clear content strategy, a keyword framework built around how your ideal client actually searches, and a pinning workflow that stays consistent without taking over your schedule.
That's exactly what The Ultimate Pinterest Blueprint for Designers was built for.
It's a four week group training program designed specifically for interior designers who are ready to stop guessing on Pinterest and start using it as a real marketing tool. Over four weeks you'll build your content plan, develop your keyword strategy, optimize your boards, and create and schedule pins that are actually set up to perform. Everything is taught live with recordings available, plus you get access to templates, a Pinterest Strategy Spreadsheet, and AI prompts to make the whole process faster and more manageable.
The next session opens in October 2026. Join the waitlist now to be first to know when enrollment opens and to receive any early access or waitlist only offers when the time comes.
Pinterest is the long game worth playing. Let's make sure you're playing it right.
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