Difference between Pinterest Business Account and Personal Account

Are you simply saving ideas on Pinterest or utilizing its full potential to grow a brand? Choosing the right account type can make all the difference.

With over 553 million monthly active users, Pinterest is a powerhouse for inspiration, discovery, and business growth. Understanding the purpose of each Pinterest account type helps you choose the right one for your unique needs.

Should you stick with a Personal Account or switch to a Business Account? The answer depends on your goals. Let’s explore the key differences, features, and benefits so you can make the most of Pinterest.

What is a Personal Account on Pinterest?

Think of a personal Pinterest account as your digital inspiration board. It's where you pin recipes you want to try, outfits you love, or places you'd like to visit someday. It’s built for browsing, collecting, and dreaming—not necessarily selling or marketing.

With a personal account, you can:

• Create and organize boards around your interests
• Save Pins for personal use (recipes, DIY projects, decor ideas, travel inspo)
• Follow other users, boards, or topics you enjoy
• Keep certain boards private (if you don’t want others to see them)

There are no performance metrics or advertising tools here. It’s designed for casual use—no pressure, no analytics, just pure inspiration.

If you use Pinterest to gather ideas for yourself and not promote a brand or product, the personal account keeps things simple and fun.

What is a Business Account on Pinterest?

A business account on Pinterest is built for creators, sellers, and brands looking to do more than just save ideas, it’s made for sharing them with a purpose.

This type of account gives you access to tools that help you grow your presence, track your performance, and turn curious scrollers into loyal customers.

With a business account, you can:

• Access Pinterest Analytics to see how your content performs
• Run Promoted Pins and targeted ad campaigns
• Use Rich Pins to automatically pull product details or article info
• Claim your website for added trust and visibility
• Set up a Shop tab and tag products directly in your Pins

You also get a more polished profile—complete with your logo, business name, and a description that shows up in search results.

A business account is your launchpad if you are here to market a brand, drive traffic, or sell products. It turns Pinterest from a visual mood board into a marketing tool.

Pinterest Accounts: Personal vs Business

Both personal and business accounts allow you to create and organize Pins, but how you use Pinterest depends on your goals. Here’s a side-by-side comparison:

Which One Should You Choose?

• If you are on Pinterest for fun, collecting ideas, planning trips, or saving inspiration, a personal account is all you need.
• If you want to grow a brand, drive traffic, or sell products, a business account is the way to go.

Now that you understand the key differences between personal and business accounts, let's explore the exclusive benefits of using a Pinterest Business Account and how it can elevate your brand’s presence on the platform.

Exclusive Benefits of Pinterest Business Account

Choosing a business account unlocks powerful tools to help you grow, market, and monetize your content effectively. Pinterest Business Account gives you access to exclusive features designed to expand your reach and drive meaningful engagement.

1. Access to In-Depth Analytics

Data is the key to a successful Pinterest strategy, and with a business account, you gain access to Pinterest Analytics, which helps you:

• Track which Pins perform best and drive the most traffic.
• Understand your audience's interests, demographics, and behaviors.
• Optimize your content strategy based on performance insights.
• Monitor outbound clicks to see how Pinterest contributes to your website traffic.

With these insights, you can make data-driven decisions that help you create more engaging and high-converting content.

2. Run Pinterest Ads for Maximum Reach

Want to reach the right audience faster? A business account allows you to utilize Pinterest’s advertising tools to expand your reach and drive more traffic. With Pinterest Ads, you can:

• Create Promoted Pins that appear in users’ home feeds and search results.
• Target specific audiences based on interests, demographics, and online behavior.
• Use retargeting strategies to reach people who have already interacted with your content.
• Promote shopping Pins to make it easier for users to purchase directly from Pinterest.

Pinterest users spend 2x as much when shopping on Pinterest than on other platforms, making Pinterest a powerful tool for business growth. Pinterest Ads can further elevate that growth for your business.

3. Enhanced Content Management & Branding

A business account provides advanced content management features to help you maintain a professional and polished presence on Pinterest. These include:

• Rich Pins, which automatically pull real-time product prices, availability, and article metadata.
• Verified Merchant Program, which adds a credibility badge to your profile and allows you to tag products in Pins.
• The Pinterest Business Hub, where you can access exclusive tools, marketing resources, and best practices for growing your brand.
• Customizable profile features, including a business name, logo, and bio optimized for search.

4. Increased Discoverability & SEO Advantages

Pinterest functions as a search engine, and a business account helps you rank higher in search results. With the right Pinterest SEO strategies, you can:

• Claim your website to establish domain authority and increase Pin visibility.
• Enable rich keyword integration in Pin descriptions, titles, and boards.
• Improve ranking by using trending and industry-specific keywords.
• Boost credibility by linking to your verified website and social media pages.

This means your content can stay discoverable for months—or even years—after you publish it.

5. Access to Pinterest Shopping Features

If you sell products online, a business account makes it easier for users to shop directly from your Pins. You can:

• Create Product Pins that link directly to your eCommerce site.
• Use Shopping Ads to showcase products to interested buyers.
• Enable the ‘Shop’ tab on your profile for a seamless shopping experience.
• Tag products in lifestyle and content Pins to boost conversions.

With 80% of weekly Pinners saying they feel inspired by the shopping experience on Pinterest, leveraging Pinterest Shopping can turn your followers into paying customers.

But, how to decide whether to create a new business account or simply convert your existing personal account. This is discussed in the next section. 

Should You Convert Your Personal Account To a Business Account or Start from Scratch?

You don't have to start over if you already have a personal Pinterest account. Pinterest lets you convert your existing profile into a business account without losing your saved Pins or boards. It’s a quick switch and gives you access to all the business tools immediately.

But here’s something to think about:

Is your current profile filled with personal content that doesn’t align with your brand? If so, you might want to start fresh. That way, you can create a profile that’s 100% focused on your business without mixing in old travel boards or saved dinner recipes.

Here’s a quick guide to help you decide:

Convert your personal account if:

• You have already built a following
• Some of your saved content fits your brand
• You want a seamless transition with minimal effort

Start from scratch if:

• Your personal Pins have nothing to do with your business
• You want a clean slate with focused branding
• You’re managing multiple accounts and want to keep them separate

Either way, you can still access all the business features—analytics, ads, and shopping tools. It’s more about how clean and brand-aligned you want your profile to look from day one.

Once you have decided to go with a business account—whether by converting or starting fresh—it’s time to set things up the right way. Getting your account ready takes just a few steps, and you will be up and running in no time.

How to Set Up Your New Business Account on Pinterest

Ready to get your business in front of Pinterest’s audience? Whether you're starting from scratch or converting your existing profile, setting up your business account only takes a few minutes.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Go to Pinterest for Business

Head over to business.pinterest.com and click on “Join as a business.” If you already have a personal account, you can log in and convert it directly.

2. Add Your Business Details

Fill in the basics:

• Your business name
• Website (if you have one)
• Country and language
• Business type (choose the category that best fits what you do)

This helps Pinterest tailor tools and insights to your niche.

3. Claim Your Website

Claiming your site unlocks extra features like analytics, Rich Pins, and added credibility. Pinterest gives you a simple HTML tag or file to upload—don’t skip this step if you want full visibility.

4. Complete Your Profile

Make your profile look polished and professional:

• Add a clear logo or profile picture
• Write a keyword-rich bio that reflects your brand
• Include your website and connect your social channels

5. Explore the Business Hub

Once you are in, you will have access to Pinterest’s Business Hub—a dashboard full of tools, insights, and content tips to help you grow faster.

That’s it—you are all set! Now it’s time to create some scroll-stopping Pins and start reaching the right people.

If you have already been using Pinterest personally and want to shift gears toward building a brand, there’s no need to start from scratch. Pinterest makes it easy to switch your personal account into a business one—without losing your saved Pins or boards.

How to Switch from a Personal Account to Business Account

Switching from a personal account to a business account is simple, but there’s one important thing to remember: your Pinterest profile should already reflect your brand. If your existing content is more personal than business-oriented, consider archiving or deleting Pins that don’t align with your brand identity before making the switch.

Here’s how you can make the switch in just a few steps.

1. Go to Your Pinterest Settings

• Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of your Pinterest homepage.
• Select “Settings” from the dropdown menu.

2. Select "Account Settings"

• In the left-hand menu, navigate to “Account Settings.”
• Scroll down until you find the option to “Convert to a Business Account.”

3. Follow the Setup Process

• Enter your business name and select the category that best represents your brand.
• If you have a website, add it during this step for better brand visibility.

4. Claim Your Website (Highly Recommended)

• Claiming your website verifies your ownership and unlocks access to Pinterest Analytics, Rich Pins, and branded content opportunities.
• To claim your website, add a meta tag or upload an HTML file from Pinterest.

5. Start Using Business Features

• Once your business account is set up, you can access Pinterest Analytics to track engagement, Pinterest Ads to promote your content, and shopping features to sell products directly from your Pins.
• Optimize your profile by adding a professional logo, keyword-rich description, and links to your other social platforms.

Can You Switch Back to a Personal Account?

Yes! If you ever decide to revert to a personal account, you can do so by returning to Account Settings and selecting “Switch to Personal Account.” However, keep in mind that switching back means you’ll lose access to analytics, advertising tools, and business-specific features.

Now that you have switched to a business account, it’s time to maximize its potential. Let’s explore how you can maximize your business account with the right strategies and tools.

How to Make the Most of Your Pinterest Business Account

Upgrading to a Pinterest Business Account is just the first step. To truly harness its power, you need the right strategies and tools to optimize your presence, increase engagement, and drive meaningful results. Here’s how you can make the most of your business account:

1. Leverage Data-Driven Insights

With Pinterest Analytics, you can track how your Pins perform, understand audience behavior, and refine your content strategy based on what’s working. Pay attention to:

• Top-performing Pins: See which visuals and keywords resonate most.
• Audience demographics: Understand who is engaging with your content.
• Traffic sources: Identify where your visitors are coming from and optimize accordingly.

2. Boost Visibility with Pinterest SEO

Since Pinterest functions as a search engine, optimizing your content with keywords and hashtags is essential. Make sure to:

• Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions to increase discoverability. Use Pinterest AI Title Generator and AI Description Generator to generate attention-grabbing titles and compelling pin descriptions that drive engagement and reach.
• Add hashtags strategically to help users find your content. Use AI Pinterest Hashtag Generator to generate relevant hashtags to increase your Pinterest content visibility.
• Claim your website to gain credibility and enhance Pin rankings.

3. Expand Your Reach with Pinterest Ads

Promoted Pins allow you to reach highly targeted audiences and drive more traffic, leads, and sales. With Pinterest Ads, you can:

• Run campaigns based on user interests, demographics, and keywords.
• Retarget website visitors with custom audiences.
• Promote your best-performing content to scale engagement quickly.

4. Turn Pinterest into a Sales Channel

Pinterest is a powerful e-commerce tool. Take advantage of:

• Rich Pins that update product information in real-time.
• Shoppable Pins that link directly to your online store.
• Product Catalogs to showcase your inventory.

5. Automate and Optimize for Maximum Impact

Managing your Pinterest strategy manually can be time-consuming. That’s where automation tools like PinMaker come in to streamline your workflow.

Are you ready to maximize your Pinterest growth potential? Let’s explore how PinMaker can help you create, optimize, and manage Pins with ease.

Optimize Your Pinterest Strategy With PinMaker

Running a successful Pinterest Business Account requires strategy, consistency, and optimization. PinMaker is designed to help businesses, creators, and marketers save time and maximize results. PinMaker’s AI-powered tools streamline Pinterest marketing by providing data-backed optimization.

AI-Generated Titles & Descriptions

Writing engaging and SEO-optimized Pin descriptions can be challenging, but PinMaker’s AI creates compelling, keyword-rich text in seconds, increasing your chances of appearing in search results.

Smart Keyword Suggestions

Pinterest is a search-driven platform, and using the right keywords is crucial for discoverability. PinMaker analyzes trends and suggests high-performing keywords to help your Pins reach the right audience.

Automated Scheduling for Consistency

Pinning regularly is essential for engagement, but keeping up can be overwhelming. PinMaker allows you to schedule Pins in advance, ensuring a steady flow of content without the daily hassle.

Analytics & Performance Tracking

Data is key to improving your strategy. With PinMaker’s analytics tools, you can:

• Track which Pins are performing best and identify trends.
• Monitor engagement and audience insights to refine your approach.
• Adjust your content strategy based on real-time data.

If you are looking to increase followers, drive traffic, or boost sales, PinMaker helps you create high-performing Pins effortlessly.

Ready to streamline your Pinterest marketing and grow faster? Get started with PinMaker today!

FAQs

1. Is it better to have a personal or business account on Pinterest?

A: It depends on how you plan to use Pinterest. If you are just saving ideas for yourself, a personal account is enough. But if you are promoting a brand, selling products, or growing an audience, a business account is the better choice. It gives you access to tools like analytics, advertising, and shopping features that personal accounts don’t offer.

2. What happens when you convert to a business account on Pinterest?

A: When you convert your personal account to a business account, your existing Pins, boards, and followers stay intact. The main difference is that you will unlock business features—like performance insights, ad tools, and the ability to claim your website. It’s a seamless upgrade that keeps your content while giving you more control and visibility.

3. Is a Pinterest business account free?

A: Yes, setting up a Pinterest business account is completely free. You can access features like analytics, Rich Pins, and the Business Hub without paying anything. If you choose to run ads (Promoted Pins), then you will set a budget and pay based on your ad campaign.

4. What does making your Pinterest a business account do?

A: Turning your Pinterest into a business account gives you access to a whole suite of features designed to help you grow. You’ll be able to track how your content performs, reach new audiences through ads, tag products in Pins, and create a professional profile with your logo and website. It basically turns Pinterest into a marketing tool for your brand.

5. Do I need a Business Account to sell products on Pinterest?

A: Yes! A Pinterest Business Account allows you to set up Product Pins, shopping features, and Pinterest Ads, which help businesses showcase and sell their products directly on the platform.

6. Can I switch my Personal Account to a Business Account?

A: Absolutely! You can convert your Personal Account to a Business Account in the settings menu. This allows you to retain your saved Pins while unlocking business tools like analytics and ad options.

7. Will I lose my Pins if I switch to a Business Account? 

A: No, switching from a Personal Account to a Business Account does not delete your saved Pins or boards. You will simply gain access to business features while keeping all your existing content.

8. Can I switch back from a Business Account to a Personal Account?

A: Yes, you can switch back at any time in your settings. However, you will lose access to Pinterest Analytics, Ads Manager, and other business features when you revert to a Personal Account.

9. Can I use PinMaker for both Personal and Business Accounts?

A: Yes! Whether you are using Pinterest for personal inspiration or business growth, PinMaker helps you create high-performing Pins that attract engagement and drive traffic.