Pinterest is self-described as a virtual pinboard, allowing users to organize and share all the beautiful things found on the web. In short, Pinterest offers users the ability to create online image boards or “pinboards,” categorized by their individual interests that can easily be shared with other users or followers.

While Pinterest is a relatively new social networking site, it continues to experience dramatic user growth with roughly 12 million current users. Pinterest’s image-centric sharing platform and clean design provides a seamless and addicting pinning experience.

While there is no clear difference between a personal profile and a brand profile, the way businesses manage profiles should be tailored to encourage organic sharing of products, videos, etc. This is accomplished by creating a unique Pinterest experience through your pinboards and pin activity.

Setting up your brand profile is a two-part process. First, Pinterest operates under an invite only community, meaning you must request to join and wait to receive your email invitation prior to setting up a profile. Existing Pinterest users have the ability to send instant invitations to any email address (If you know someone on Pinterest, simply ask for an invitation.)

Second, once you’ve obtained your invite, we recommend you use the email address associated with your business Twitter account (if you have one) when registering your brand profile. Pinterest will automatically pull your existing Twitter profile picture and display it as your new Pinterest profile picture. Remember to use your business name as your username when setting up your brand profile account.

Lastly, be sure to include a description of your business using keywords whenever possible as this will appear directly below your profile picture. You can change and update your profile picture, account email address, location, URL, and business description at any time.

Once you have your brand profile established, you can begin creating your pinboards and filling them with pins from either repining pins that your friends pin, uploading your own pins, pinning from the web, or liking existing pins.

Want to take your Pinterest brand profile to the next level? Head over to my article outlining
6 marketing strategies to help you optimize Pinterest for your business!