Viral Pinterest Pins in 2025: A Comprehensive Guide

Pinterest can be a massive traffic driver if you know how to craft pins that capture attention and encourage action. Below is a detailed guide on creating Pinterest pins that go viral and drive high engagement – especially outbound clicks – with strategies applicable across niches (from juicing to fashion to DIY). We’ll cover visual design, timing, SEO, text overlays, storytelling, affiliate marketing tips, cross-niche tactics, tools/plugins, and performance benchmarks.

Visual Design: Crafting Eye-Catching Pins

Successful pins start with stand-out visuals. On Pinterest, you’re competing in a sea of images, so your pin must immediately grab attention:

Vertical, High-Resolution Images

Use the recommended 2:3 aspect ratio (e.g. 1000×1500px) for pins. Here’s a great example of proper pin dimensions: View example pin. Vertical pins occupy more screen space and avoid being cut off. Pinterest suggests 1000×1500 pixels minimum for clarity. Taller pins (like infographics) can work, but never go below 1000px width to keep images crisp on retina displays.

Sharp, Quality Photos

Blurry or dull images won’t cut it. Use crisp, high-quality photos – whether as backgrounds or main subjects. Stock photo sites like Unsplash or Pexels provide free options, but try to use unique or less common images to avoid “stock fatigue” (everyone using the same Canva stock). Bright, well-lit, colorful images tend to pop in the feed.

Color Palette & Branding

Choose colors that resonate with your audience. There’s no one-size-fits-all color rule – the old myth “always use warm pastel colors” is outdated. Instead, use a consistent color palette aligned with your brand and niche. Subtle, cohesive colors across your pins build recognition. Include your logo or URL subtly on every pin for branding (avoid the lower-right corner, which Pinterest UI covers). This way, even if the pin is saved elsewhere, viewers trace it back to you.

Avoid Clutter

Simplicity stands out. Use minimal text and clear imagery. A single compelling image with a short headline often performs better than a collage of many small images (which can appear cluttered on mobile).

Example – Before/After or Step Visuals

In niches like food (juicing recipes) or DIY, a before-and-after comparison or a series of steps can tell a story visually. Ensure each element is large enough to be seen on a small screen.

Timing and Frequency: When to Post for Maximum Impact

When you post can influence a pin’s initial traction. Pinterest’s algorithm rewards fresh content and engagement, so timing your pin releases can help:

Best Times to Post

Research suggests that late afternoon and evening hours are peak periods for Pinterest usage. For example, one study found the top engagement times at around 12 PM, 6-8 PM, and 9 PM. In practice, posting after work hours on weekdays (especially Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays) often yields strong results. Some data also highlights Monday 8-9 PM as effective, and on weekends, Sunday midday or evening slots. These times are when users unwind and browse for ideas.

Best Days

Fridays and Tuesdays are frequently cited as high-traffic days on Pinterest. Thursdays are also strong, and some marketers see good results on Mondays or Sundays depending on the niche. Mid-week (Wed) can see a dip or a rise depending on your audience’s habits, so monitor your analytics.

Consistency vs. Volume

In 2025, quality matters more than sheer quantity. Pinterest has shifted to prioritizing fresh, high-quality content over spammy high-volume pinning. A Pinterest expert advises to “slow down” and pin 2-3 pins per day (max), focusing on making each pin excellent. Spacing out your content is key – avoid dumping 10 pins at once then going silent. Consistent daily or weekly pinning keeps your content in circulation.

Re-Pinning Strategy

Rather than posting the same pin to many boards all at once, spread it out over time. For example, if you create 5 pins for a blog post, you might schedule Pin #1 to 2 relevant boards this week, Pin #2 to 2 other boards next week, etc., each with several days’ interval. This “slow release” prevents Pinterest from flagging your content as spammy and keeps the pin appearing fresh to new audiences over several weeks.

Leverage Trends and Seasons

Time your content to seasonal interests. Pinterest users plan ahead – for instance, start pinning summer smoothie recipes in late spring, or holiday gift idea pins in early November. Pinterest’s official 2025 content calendar (Pinterest Predicts) can guide you on when certain topics trend. Posting just as interest is peaking gives your pin a better shot at virality.

Pinterest SEO: Keywords Over Hashtags

Optimizing your pins for discovery is crucial – Pinterest is often described as a visual search engine. This means keywords are king for Pinterest SEO in 2025, while hashtags have little to no benefit now:

Use Keywords Strategically

Incorporate relevant keywords into your Pin title, description, and even on-image text when appropriate. Take inspiration from this well-optimized pin: See keyword optimization example. Think about what pinners would search to find your content. For a juicing recipe pin, for example, use keywords like “green juice detox recipe” or “best juicer tips” in the pin title and description. According to Pinterest SEO guides, you should sprinkle keywords in several places: your profile name, bio, board names, board descriptions, pin title, pin description, and even the text overlay. This holistic placement signals to Pinterest what your content is about.

Descriptions Matter

Write an informative pin description (up to 500 characters) that naturally uses relevant keywords. The first line should hook the reader, but also include key terms for the algorithm. Describe what the content is and why it’s useful, and end with a call-to-action (e.g. “Click to learn the 5 juicing secrets professionals use.”).

Hashtags – Largely Obsolete

Pinterest deprecated the importance of hashtags in recent years. In fact, experts now say stop using hashtags in pin descriptions altogether – “adding hashtags is no longer valuable on Pinterest”. Unlike Instagram, hashtags on Pinterest don’t significantly boost reach and can look out of place. Focus on keywords in normal sentence form instead. (One exception: some users still include a branded hashtag for their content, but it’s optional and for brand coherence, not discovery).

Board SEO and Profile SEO

While the question is about pins, remember that having SEO-optimized boards and profile helps pins go viral too. Ensure your boards’ titles and descriptions contain niche keywords so Pinterest understands your topical authority. For example, a board named “🥕 Juicing Recipes and Detox Tips” will help all pins on it (and your profile) rank for those terms.

Trending Keywords & Pinterest Trends Tool

Use the Pinterest Trends tool (official) or simply the Pinterest search bar auto-suggestions to find trending keywords in your niche. Seasonal keywords (e.g. “spring cleanse juice”) or timely topics can give your pins a viral boost if you align content with what’s currently popular.

Avoid Keyword Stuffing

Ensure your titles and descriptions read naturally. Pinterest can penalize obvious keyword stuffing. Write for humans first, then lightly optimize for the algorithm.

Compelling Text Overlay & Storytelling

Text overlay (the words on your pin image) and the way you frame your content as a story can significantly impact engagement and clicks:

Clear, Readable Text

Use large, clean fonts for any text on your image. This pin demonstrates excellent text overlay technique: View text overlay example. Remember, ~83% of Pinners are on mobile. Your text should be legible even when the pin is shrunken in the feed (often displayed in 2-column or 3-column grids on phones). Avoid fancy script fonts or long cursive phrases – they may look pretty but are hard to read at a glance. Stick to high-contrast text (light text on dark background or vice versa) to ensure readability.

Concise, Punchy Copy

The text overlay should usually be a short headline or hook, not a full sentence. Aim for 5-7 words if possible. For example: “Top 5 Juicing Hacks for Weight Loss” or “DIY Green Juice Cleanse (Step-by-Step)”. This acts as a scroll-stopper, instantly telling the user what value they’ll get. Don’t give everything away in the text – just enough to pique curiosity.

Make People Curious

The key to clicks is curiosity. Your pin should create a knowledge gap that the user is compelled to fill by clicking. Pique interest with phrases like “# Secrets to…”, “How to…”, “…that You Need to Know”, or tease a benefit (“…you won’t believe the results”). Ensure the image and text together raise a question or promise an answer. Example: Show a vibrant juice image with text “10-Day Detox Challenge – Results Revealed!” – viewers will want to know the results, prompting a click.

Highlight the Benefit

Clearly state or imply the benefit of clicking through. Pinterest users often search with a purpose (solutions, inspiration, products). If your pin leads to “The Ultimate Juicing Guide for Glowing Skin,” make sure your text says something like “Juicing for Glowing Skin – Complete Guide”. Solve a problem or hit a desire: e.g., “Tired of low energy? Try this juice recipe…”. When people see the benefit front and center, they have a reason to click.

Storytelling in Pins

Storytelling can set your pins apart. Even a single image pin can tell a story or be part of one:

• Use Before/After or Transformation imagery (e.g., a before and after photo of someone who followed a juicing diet). This visual story implies a narrative (problem → outcome) that encourages clicks to “find out how it happened.”
• If using multiple images in one pin (e.g., a collage or Idea Pin frames), make sure there’s a logical flow – like a mini story or tutorial (start, middle, end).
• In your pin description, you can also use storytelling: share a brief personal note or intriguing snippet that makes users want the “rest of the story” on your site. For instance: “I used to rely on coffee until I discovered green juice. After experimenting with dozens of recipes, I found a combination that changed my mornings ☀️. [Find out the recipe and what it did for me]!” – This feels like part of a story and invites the reader to click for the conclusion.
• Use Emotional Triggers: Images that evoke emotion or aspiration (happy people enjoying a result, a dramatic transformation, a cozy scene, etc.) combined with text that resonates (e.g., “Feel energized every morning”) can create a powerful story in the viewer’s mind. Adapt the emotional trigger to your niche (comfort for food, excitement for travel, security for finance, etc.).

Idea Pins (Story Pins)

Note that Pinterest’s “Story/Idea Pins” (multi-page pins without outbound links) were a 2021-2022 feature emphasizing storytelling on-platform. By 2025, Idea Pins have been deprioritized (due to user feedback about lack of links). They are phasing out except as an ads format. For affiliate marketing purposes, focus on standard pins or video pins where you can include links, but do apply storytelling principles to them.

Maximizing Outbound Clicks (Affiliate Marketing Focus)

For affiliate marketers, the outbound click (the user clicking through your pin to your site or affiliate link) is the money metric. Here are best practices to boost clicks:

Strong Call-To-Action (CTA) on the Pin

Don’t be shy about telling users what to do next. Include a call-to-action text overlay or graphic. This could be a button-like element saying “Read More ➜”, “Get Recipe”, “Learn How”, or an arrow/icon prompting the click. Pins with a clear CTA on the image guide the viewer’s eye on what to do. Even a subtle cue like an arrow pointing to the corner where the “Visit” link appears can help. Tell them to click in some way – sometimes just adding “+ Guide” or “➜” can imply there’s more if they tap the pin.

CTA in the Description

Reinforce the action in your pin description as well. After a brief summary, add a line such as “👉 Visit our site for the full guide and tips!” or “Click to see all 10 tips in detail.” According to Pinterest experts, including a call to action at the end of your description encourages users to take that next step. Be direct but honest – avoid misleading clickbait.

Don’t Satisfy Fully on Pinterest

If you’re driving traffic to a website, ensure the pin by itself isn’t giving away everything. For example, if you have a blog post “10 Best Juicing Recipes”, your pin could show one amazing-looking juice and maybe list 3 of the 10 recipes (to entice), but make it clear that the full list is on the website. The goal is to provide just enough value to intrigue, but not the entire value (which would remove the need to click). Tease, then fulfill on your site.

Relevance and Trust

Make sure the content of your pin matches the landing page. Pinterest notes that your pin’s imagery and promise should align with what the user sees after the click. If there’s a mismatch (e.g., a pin promises a “free meal plan” but the link goes to a product sales page), users will bounce and Pinterest may downrank that pin for low quality. For affiliate links, ensure you’re sending users to a page that delivers what was advertised (even if it then encourages a purchase). Bonus: If using direct affiliate links on pins (allowed for many programs), disclose appropriately (e.g., “#ad” in description) to build trust and comply with guidelines.

Rich Pins & Metadata

If you have a blog or website, consider enabling Rich Pins (especially Article or Product Rich Pins). Rich Pins pull extra info like the article title, recipe ingredients, or product price into the pin automatically, making the pin more informative and credible. For affiliate marketers, Product Rich Pins could update price/availability – though if you’re linking to a merchant site, that merchant needs to have the meta tags. At minimum, use the Pinterest title and description fields well, since Pinterest allows up to 100-character titles and 500-character descriptions to convince users to click.

Outbound Click Rate vs. Pin Clicks

Remember, an “outbound click” is specifically a click that goes off Pinterest to your site. This is different from a “pin click” (formerly close-up), which is when someone clicks to see the pin in detail but doesn’t leave Pinterest. Outbound clicks are what drive traffic. So optimize for those by focusing on what happens after the close-up: a compelling title, a website preview, and the aforementioned CTAs. Track your Outbound Click Rate (OCR) = outbound clicks / impressions. This is effectively your pin’s CTR. An OCR (CTR) above ~0.5% is considered good on Pinterest – more on benchmarks in a later section.

Avoid Spammy Behavior

It should go without saying, but spam kills clicks. Don’t repeatedly post the exact same pin or link in a short span – Pinterest might de-prioritize or even block your content. Also avoid clickbait tactics like misleading text or overpromising. Pinterest explicitly warns against “spammy” pins or those that seem purely like ads. Provide value and a genuine payoff to the click.

Leverage “Idea Pins” or Video for Engagement, Then Funnel

Although idea pins themselves can’t have standard links, a strategy some affiliate marketers use is to create a teaser Idea Pin or short video Pin that gets high engagement, and in it mention “see link in my profile” or add a text overlay prompting users to your profile link or a related pin with the link. With Idea Pins being deprioritized now, this is less central, but video pins (with a link in the description) can stand out in the feed and capture attention (movement auto-plays). If you go this route, ensure the video has a quick hook in the first 3 seconds and is short (6-15s is best for videos on Pinterest) – then prompt the user to click the attached link for more.

Example Affiliate Pin

Suppose you are promoting a blender via an affiliate link. A viral-worthy pin might show a delicious smoothie made with that blender, text overlay “5 Energy Smoothie Recipes (Blender Review)” and in description say, “I tested the XYZ Blender with 5 amazing smoothie recipes – and it blew me away. 👉 Tap to get the recipes and see the full review.” This combines value (recipes) with a subtle product pitch, enticing the click for details. The landing page can then both deliver the recipes and recommend the blender (earning you affiliate commission).

Cross-Niche Tips: Making Pins Work in Any Niche

While visuals (and some strategies) will differ between, say, a juicing blog and a finance blog, core principles of virality on Pinterest are universal. Here’s how to adapt and excel across niches:

Research Top Pins in Your Niche

Before creating content, spend time on Pinterest searching your niche keywords. What pins consistently rank at the top or have high save counts? Note their style, format, and messaging. For example, in food/recipes, you’ll notice many top pins have bright food photography with the recipe name in big text. In fashion, you might see more lookbook-style pins with minimal text and an aspirational vibe. Emulate what works, but add your unique twist.

Tailor Design to Niche Aesthetic

Different audiences prefer different aesthetics. A fitness pin might use bold, energetic colors and dynamic imagery of people exercising, whereas a home decor pin might favor soft, muted tones and a clean layout. Match the vibe of your niche. If your niche is juicing and wellness, you might use fresh greens, vibrant fruit images, and a clean, modern font (to evoke health and freshness). A finance niche pin might use more professional colors (blues, greys) and simple icons or charts. Keep the audience’s taste in mind – what would appeal to them on a vision board?

Solve Niche-Specific Problems

People use Pinterest in various niches to solve different types of problems or desires. In any niche, pins that offer a solution or valuable insight tend to go viral. Examples:

• Food/Recipe niche: “Quick 5-Minute Breakfast Juice for Busy Mornings” – solves time problem for health-conscious users.
• Travel niche: “Ultimate Packing Checklist for Europe Trip” – solves planning problem.
• Beauty niche: “DIY Skincare: 3 Masks for Glowing Skin at Home” – taps into a desire for natural beauty solutions.
• Finance niche: “Budget Template (Free Download) – Save $500/month” – provides a tool to achieve a financial goal.

Whatever the niche, identify the pain points or aspirations of that audience and make pins addressing those directly. That’s how you ensure broad appeal and high relevance, a recipe for engagement.

Keep Content Evergreen if Possible

Viral pins often have a long life. While seasonal content can spike, evergreen content (that’s useful year-round) can keep gathering saves and clicks for months or years. Try to create pins that won’t feel obsolete in a month. If your niche is trending-heavy (e.g., tech gadgets), then at least make the format evergreen (e.g., “Top 5 Smartphones [Updated 2025]” – you can remake the pin each year).

Test Multiple Pin Formats

Each niche might favor slightly different formats. In some niches, infographics or step-by-step pins do very well (DIY, fitness routines). In others, a single bold image works best. Don’t be afraid to experiment with:

• Pure image “inspo” pins vs. text overlay “info” pins: Case study: A dog niche website, OodleLife, found success by using two types of pins for each piece of content – one with text overlay (informational, drives traffic) and one without text (just a beautiful dog photo, for inspirational saves). The image-only pins got lots of saves, expanding reach, while the text-overlay pins got more clicks. This dual strategy grew their traffic to 250k visitors from Pinterest in one year. Takeaway: In visual niches (food, fashion, travel, etc.), consider occasionally posting gorgeous text-free images that people will repin for inspiration – they can indirectly boost your profile and later funnel users to your clickable pins.
• Video Pins: Some niches (like beauty tutorials, home hacks, fitness moves) perform excellently with video pins since the motion immediately demonstrates value. If your niche can leverage video (even simple animated text or a 5-second demo), try a few. Video content is increasingly favored as people enjoy short-form visuals.
• Idea Pins (if relevant): If you have capacity, you could repurpose a blog post into a multi-page Idea Pin (e.g., “5 Days of Juicing Detox – Day-by-Day” with each page a tip). They don’t link out, but can boost your follower count and overall engagement. However, given Idea Pins’ diminishing returns in 2025, weigh the effort vs reward.

Universals Still Apply

Across all niches, the earlier sections remain true: vertical format, strong visuals, readable text, and clear value. Also, human faces can be powerful in some niches (fashion, personal development) because they create emotional connection, but in others, a close-up of the product or result works better (food, tech gadget). Test what resonates – sometimes a smiling person with a green juice might out-perform just the juice photo, or vice versa. Pinterest’s smart feed will ultimately favor what users engage with, so let the data guide you.

Cross-Promotion

If you operate in multiple niches or sub-niches, you can sometimes cross-pollinate audiences. For example, a juicing site could also pin content about healthy salads or workouts (adjacent niches) to broaden reach. Just ensure your profile boards are well-organized by topic so the right audience finds the right pins.

Tools and Plugins for Pinterest Success

Maximizing your Pinterest performance is easier with the right tools. Here are some popular tools and plugins to create, schedule, track, and optimize pins:

Canva (Design Tool)

Canva is a go-to for non-designers to create professional-looking pins quickly. It offers pre-made Pinterest templates, stock photos, and allows you to save your brand colors/fonts. Using templates can ensure you maintain a consistent look. Canva Pro even lets you resize designs (useful if you want to test different pin dimensions or create Instagram stories from your pins, etc.).

Tailwind (Scheduler & Analytics)

Tailwind is an official Pinterest partner tool for scheduling pins. It lets you queue up pins for optimal times (and suggests the best times to post for your account). Tailwind’s analytics can show you which boards and pins are performing best, your follower growth, and more. It also has a feature called Communities (formerly Tribes) where you can share pins in groups for others to reshare (though their effectiveness has waned). Use Tailwind to maintain consistent pinning without having to manually pin every day.

Pinterest Analytics (Native)

Don’t overlook Pinterest’s built-in analytics (for Business accounts). It provides data on impressions, engagements, saves, pin clicks, outbound clicks, and conversion metrics. Use it to identify which pins got the most outbound clicks, what your audience demographics are, and which keywords people are using to find you. For example, track your Outbound Click Rate – if you see certain pins with a 1%+ CTR, analyze what you did right there (topic, design, wording) and replicate it.

Pinterest Trends & Pinterest Predicts

Pinterest has a Trends tool (available in many countries) where you can see search volume trends for keywords over time, and what’s currently trending. They also release an annual report “Pinterest Predicts” that forecasts upcoming popular themes. Use these tools for content planning – creating pins around rising trends dramatically increases virality potential because you’re catching the wave early.

Tasty Pins (WordPress Plugin)

If you run a WordPress blog, the Tasty Pins plugin is extremely useful for Pinterest SEO. It allows you to attach a Pinterest-specific description to your images (so when someone pins from your site, it has your pre-written SEO description). It also lets you hide Pinterest-only images in your post (e.g., a tall infographic that you don’t want to display in the blog post, but is available for pinning). This way you can serve the optimal pin image to Pinterest without cluttering your on-page content. It also ensures your alt-text remains for SEO/accessibility, while a separate Pinterest description is used for pinning.

Pin Inspector / Analytics Tools

Third-party tools like Pin Inspector can help you research trending content and keywords on Pinterest. Pin Inspector, for instance, uncovers top trending searches and top-performing pins/ads in your niche. This kind of competitive analysis tool can inspire your pin design and topics by showing what’s currently hot.

Pinterest Save Button (Website Plugin)

Make it easy for readers to pin your content (and thus do some marketing for you). Pinterest provides a Save button you can embed on your site or use a plugin to add hover “Pin it” buttons on images. If you’re driving affiliate traffic via a blog, enabling this can amplify the spread of your content.

Google Analytics & UTM Tracking

Set up your website analytics to track Pinterest as a traffic source. Use UTM parameters on your links (or Tailwind’s automatic UTM feature) to differentiate traffic from different pins or campaigns. That way, you can see in GA which pins or boards drive the most affiliate conversions or clicks. This closed-loop tracking helps refine your pin strategy (e.g., you might find that your “how to” pins have a lower CTR but higher conversion rate once people land, etc.).

Automation Tools (Use Cautiously)

Some sites (like the OodleLife case) used automation to create pins at scale. Tools like PinGenerator can auto-generate multiple pins from a single URL or CSV of content, using templates. This can help if you need volume (10+ pins a day) without spending hours in design. However, quality control is vital: review and tweak the output so each pin still meets best practices. Automation shines when you have a large content library to promote, but if you’re a smaller creator, focus on manual crafting of fewer, high-quality pins first.

Browser Extensions

The Pinterest browser extension lets you easily save any image you find online to your boards – useful for inspiration gathering or saving reference content. There are also extensions like Pinterest Turbo for power users to quickly schedule or organize pins, but stick to trusted tools to avoid any policy violations.

Performance Metrics Benchmarks

What does “good” look like on Pinterest in terms of metrics? The table below gives some benchmark values for key performance indicators, comparing typical averages to top-performing pins. (Keep in mind metrics vary by niche and audience size, but these serve as general 2025 benchmarks.)

Metric	Average Pins (Normal Range)	Viral/Top Pins (High Performance)
Impressions (views)	A few hundred to a few thousand impressions per pin in the first weeks. Over a pin’s lifetime, many will stay under 10k impressions if they don’t take off.	Can reach hundreds of thousands or even millions of impressions. Viral pins spread fast via saves; e.g., a single pin can get 1M+ impressions in days.
Saves (repins)	Often single digits to a few dozen saves per pin. Many pins might get <10 saves, especially with small followings.	Thousands of saves for viral pins. (It’s common to see viral ideas with 5k, 10k+ saves). High save counts indicate the content resonates broadly. More saves also increase reach exponentially as each save exposes the pin to new audiences.
Outbound Clicks (total)	Often minimal: maybe 1-10 clicks on a typical pin (which may correspond to a 0.2-0.5% CTR). Not every pin will drive traffic.	Hundreds or thousands of outbound clicks from one pin. E.g., a viral pin can single-handedly drive hundreds of visitors per day while trending, adding up to thousands in its viral cycle. (One blogger reported viral pins generating hundreds of new subscribers or sales in a day.)
Outbound Click Rate (CTR)	~0.2% – 0.5% is a common range for Pinterest CTR (outbound clicks/impressions). If 1 out of 200 viewers clicks, that’s 0.5%. Many pins fall below 0.5% if they are more “browse” content than action-oriented.	1%+ is excellent on Pinterest. Top pins can achieve in the ~1-3% CTR range (meaning they truly compelled users). Pins featuring product tags see ~44% higher CTR than average, showing the impact of actionable content. A pin with 2% CTR is performing in the top tier of engagement.
Engagements (overall) – which include close-ups, saves, outbound clicks	Engagement rate (any interaction) might be around 1-5% of impressions. For instance, a pin might get 50 engagements (saves + clicks) on 1,000 impressions (5%). Many engagements are pin clicks (people viewing the pin or carousel) which don’t all translate to site traffic.	Viral pins can see 10-20%+ engagement rates. High engagements mean the pin is thumb-stopping. However, quality of engagement matters – a pin that gets tons of close-up views but no outbound clicks might indicate the content was intriguing but the call-to-action was lacking. Top pins often balance both: lots of saves (virality) and lots of outbound clicks (traffic).
Follower Growth (indirect metric)	A single pin might not noticeably move the needle on followers (especially since users can see your content even without following you, via search and SmartFeed). Steady growth of a few new followers per day is common for active accounts.	Viral content can lead to spikes in followers. If a pin goes viral, you might see dozens or hundreds of new followers in a short time as people decide to follow your boards for more. This in turn can boost future pin performance (more initial audience to share to).

Notes: Pinterest removed the “Like” button on pins back in 2017 (now the focus is on Saves), so “likes” aren’t tracked. Comments on pins are relatively rare and not a primary metric; you might get the occasional comment or question on a popular pin, but Pinterest is more about collecting ideas than discussing them. Saves and outbound clicks are far more important. Also, remember that benchmarks vary by niche: a fashion pin might naturally get more saves (people collecting outfit ideas) but maybe fewer outbound clicks (since sometimes the image alone inspires them), whereas a finance tip pin might get a high click-through (people needing details) but fewer saves (not “pretty” enough to save). Use these benchmarks as guidelines, not hard rules.

Case Studies & Trends for Affiliate Pins

To give context to these tips, let’s glance at some real-world examples and data on what works, particularly for affiliate marketing via Pinterest:

OodleLife Dog Blog – 250K Pinterest Visits

OodleLife (a dog advice site monetized with affiliate links and e-com) managed to drive 250,000 visitors from Pinterest in 2024. Their strategy was to dramatically increase pin output using automation, creating 8-15 fresh pins per blog post and posting 10 pins per day. They used two types of pins for each piece: one “inspirational” (cute dog photo with no text) and one “traffic driver” (same photo + text overlay). The inspirational pins garnered lots of saves (spreading their content widely), while the text-overlay pins got the clicks. This case shows that volume + variety can pay off, if you maintain quality. It may not be feasible for every solo blogger to do 10 pins/day, but even scaling to 2-3 pins/day with a mix of styles could improve your odds of a hit.

Product Pins & Shopping Integration

Pinterest reports that pins with product tagging (i.e., shoppable pins) see a significant boost in CTR (around +44%), as mentioned earlier. For affiliate marketers, this implies that if you can make your pins appear product-rich (either via Rich Pins or by visually featuring a product and price), you might tap into that higher intent. For example, if you’re an Amazon affiliate, creating a pin that looks like a product pin (product image, maybe an overlay “Best Price 👉”) might entice clicks. Just ensure you adhere to Pinterest’s affiliate rules and the affiliate program’s policies (many allow direct pinning of affiliate links now, but some require disclosure).

Storytelling & Personal Brands

Many top Pinterest marketers (especially in food, lifestyle niches) build a persona that people follow. For instance, a fitness blogger might share a snippet of their transformation story on a pin – those personal touches can make content more shareable (people love success stories). In affiliate marketing, you can leverage this by tying product recommendations to personal narratives (e.g., “How I improved my health with XYZ…”). Authentic stories resonate across niches.

Multi-Niche Pinners

Some affiliate marketers run multiple Pinterest accounts for different niches or a combined account with diverse boards. A tip here is to utilize Pinterest Sections or separate boards for each niche if under one account, to keep content segmented. Pins perform best when shown to users interested in that topic, so the algorithm should clearly know what each pin is about. Don’t confuse it by pinning totally unrelated niche content to the same board.

Idea Pins for Affiliate Marketing

A 2025 update – Pinterest now (in some cases) allows adding links or product tagging in Idea Pins if you’re in their affiliate programs or as paid partnership tags. However, since Idea Pins (now only as a paid format) are less central, most affiliate bloggers stick to standard pins. Still, keep an eye on Pinterest’s Creator features – they often pilot new linking abilities for content creators that could open up in the future.

Honest Strategy Adjustments

As Pinterest evolves, strategies that worked in 2018 or even 2021 may need tweaking. For example, group boards used to be a major growth hack. Now, they’re far less effective (unless it’s a very niche, active group). Focus on your own content and relevant keywords more than joining dozens of boards. Another example: hashtag usage, which was tried briefly on Pinterest, is now essentially deprecated. Keeping up with Pinterest’s official best practices (via their Business blog and updates) is important so your tactics stay current.

Key Takeaways

• Design for the Scroll: Bold, vertical images with clear text headlines stand out. Always think mobile-first – is your pin readable at a glance on a phone?
• Clear Value Proposition: Within seconds, a user should know what’s in it for them if they click your pin (whether it’s a solution, inspiration, a deal, etc.). Use text overlays and imagery to communicate that.
• Use Keywords, Not Hashtags: Optimize your pin titles and descriptions with relevant keywords so Pinterest’s algorithm surfaces your pin in searches. Don’t clutter descriptions with hashtags – they’re not needed in 2025.
• Call to Action = More Clicks: If you want outbound clicks, ask for them. A simple “Click for details” or a visually hinted button can significantly improve your CTR.
• Test and Learn: Try different approaches – a minimalist pin vs. text-heavy pin, different headlines, different images – and see what hits. Sometimes an unexpected pin will go viral. When it does, analyze it and make more variants or related content quickly to ride the wave.
• Consistency & Freshness: Consistently add fresh pins. Even older content can get new life with a fresh pin design (Pinterest favors new images). Steady activity keeps your account active in the algorithm’s eyes.
• Leverage Tools: Use schedulers to pin at optimal times, design tools to make pins look pro, and analytics to double down on what works. If you’re serious about affiliate marketing on Pinterest, treat it like a science: hypothesis, experiment, measure, repeat.

By implementing the strategies in this guide – from stunning visuals and savvy SEO to compelling storytelling and strategic pinning – you’ll equip your Pinterest GPT assistant (and yourself) with the knowledge to create viral Pinterest pins that not only rack up likes and saves but more importantly drive clicks and traffic to fuel your affiliate income. Now, it’s time to apply these insights and start creating your next viral pin!