Using the Free Pinterest Scheduler
If you’ve been here before, you know I have a bit of a love affair with Pinterest. It’s a fantastic way to drive traffic to your blog, website, or product. However, at times it can be a little time consuming to create new pins every day to keep that traffic coming. Luckily, Pinterest offers its Native Pin Scheduler to create pins for future posting!
In this post, I’ll show you how to schedule Pinterest pins in advance, and for free!
This post contains affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own. Read my full disclosure here.
Manual Pinning vs. Scheduling Pins
While I believe manually pinning in real-time is best (see my favorite manual pinning strategy HERE), it’s most important to put your pins out when your ideal audience is actually using Pinterest.
Your readers may be in another time zone and most active at 2am on Wednesdays! Not ideal for manual pinning.
This is where using the native scheduler is a true blessing to have on hand!
Learning to Schedule Pinterest Pins
To get started, log in to your Pinterest account and click “Create” in the top left corner. Next click “Create Pin“.
Please note, Pinterest changes its layout and appearance from time to time. These screenshots show where the buttons were located when I wrote this post. Button locations may change but the steps should stay the same.
You’ll then be met with the blank pin builder screen (see below).
I like to start by choosing my pin image. Click the grey box and navigate to the folder you downloaded your pin design to. Select the file you want to use OR simply drag and drop it from your folder.
Next, fill out your pin title, description, and the URL you want to direct your readers to.
You have 100 characters for your title and 500 for the description. Make sure you use those characters wisely by including well-researched keywords for your post.
Remember that Pinterest is a search engine. Include keywords your ideal audience will be searching for the best results.
Adding Alt Text to Pins
You may also see an Alt Text button. Pinterest has recently rolled out the option to add alt text to your pin. But not all accounts have this option yet.
It’s hard to say yet if adding alt text will help with ranking. But in my opinion, the more keywords and info you can fill out, the better. So include the alt text if you have the option.
Not sure what alt text even IS? I go into further detail about it in this post:
How to Fill Out the Metadata of Blog Images
Next, select the board you want to pin to (next to the publish button). But don’t hit Publish just yet!
First, select “Publish at a later date“. As soon as you do this the option to select a date and time will appear.
Select when you want your pin to post and hit “Publish“.
Success! Your pin is now scheduled!
Where to Find Scheduled Pins on Pinterest
Your Scheduled pins will now appear on your main profile page, below your bio. But don’t worry, only you can see them.
To recap the steps:
• Create
• Create Pin
• Choose pin image
• Fill out title, description, URL and alt text (optional)
• Choose board
• Publish at a later date
• Choose date and time
• Publish!
How many pins can you schedule on Pinterest?
You can only schedule pins up to 1 month in advance. You are limited to scheduling 30 pins at a time.
How to edit scheduled pins on Pinterest
Unfortunately, once you’ve scheduled your pin you can’t edit it. You can only publish the pin or delete it. So it’s wise to proofread before scheduling.
Of course, you can always edit the pin information once it’s published.
But once scheduled, you can’t change the date or time. If you make a mistake with when you want it to post, you’ll have to delete it and start again.
Can anyone use the pin scheduler?
No. The scheduler isn’t available to every Pinterest account. You need to have a Pinterest Business Account to schedule pins. Learn how to set up a business account here: Setting Up a Pinterest Business Account for Your Biz
In Conclusion
While there are a few shortfalls to using the scheduler, it can also be a real
game-changer.
Many bloggers create their pins one day, schedule them all another day, and let Pinterest post their pins without another thought! This frees up more time for you to actually create new content. It’s a beautiful thing.
Have you tried the scheduler yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
P.S. If you’re struggling to find time to design eye-catching pins, grab some FREE Pinterest pin templates HERE.
Here are some additional Pinterest resources to learn more:
Common Pinterest Mistakes You May Be Making
How to Get More Pinterest Followers
Save Time With Pinterest Pin Templates
How to Write Better Pin Titles
Like This Post? Share It!
Schedule Pinterest Pins to Save Time
Blogging Resources I love and recommend:
SiteGround – I use SiteGround as my web hosting platform and I love it. They are trusted by the owners of over 1,900,000 domains! It’s secure, fast, reliable, and the customer service is AMAZING! I’ve contacted them for help for a few reasons and received outstanding support. Learn more about SiteGround HERE.
Sendowl – I use Sendowl to sell my own digital products. Sendowl acts as the middle man between buyer and seller. They deliver your product and handle the payments for you. If you’ve got an eBook, printable, or service to sell, Sendowl makes it really easy and affordable. Learn more about Sendowl HERE.
ShareASale – If you are interested in monetizing your blog through affiliate marketing, ShareASale has got to be one of the easiest ways to do it! They’ve got merchants for every niche looking for affiliates to promote their products. Learn more about ShareASale HERE.
Grammarly – I saw a huge improvement in my writing after installing Grammarly. It’s the World’s leading checker of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and plagiarism. The better your writing, the more credible you will seem to you readers. Did I mention they have a FREE version? Check it out HERE.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge about Pinterest! I don’t use the scheduler much, but I might start. 🙂
The Pinterest pin scheduler is definitely a handy tool to have when needed. Thanks for the comment, Alyssa 🙂
Such a helpful post! Thank you so much!
Happy to help, Cassie! Thanks for the comment 🙂
I always look for the scheduler for some reason, but I might have to try it out thanks to your article!
Give it a try! It’s really handy. I find I get a lot of traffic at 11pm. But I try not to be on my computer that late. Being able to schedule my Pinterest pins to post at that time is so valuable. And free!
I’ve recently started using this feature on pinterest and it’s made pinning a whole lot easier! I don’t have the $ to invest in Tailwind but this is the next best thing!
I’ve recently stopped paying for Tailwind and am just using the Pinterest scheduler. I’m saving money, my Pinterest impressions are up, and more importantly, so is my traffic!
Great advice! I sometimes schedule pins via Pinterest, but I like the convenience of Tailwind because it has the option to schedule pins out weeks and months in advance. Thanks for sharing!
I used Tailwind for years but found manual pinning or using the Pinterest scheduler brought me much better results. Funny how what works for one account doesn’t work as well for others! Thanks for the comment, Miranda!
Discovering the free scheduler has saved me so much time in the morning! I don’t know how I got through Pinterest without it.
Same here! And I love the scheduler when I know I’ll be out in the evening or away for a weekend. Schedule pins ahead of time and forget about them!
I love using the free pinterest scheduler as well! It really saves my time. Thank you for sharing this x
Thanks for the comment, Merry. Don’t know what I’d do without the scheduler!
Hey Karen,
Thanks for this valuable post.
I tried my native scheduler for the first time today in my business account.
Thanks for this.
You’re welcome! I use it a lot on the weekends if I know I’ll be busy in the evenings. It’s so handy for posting when my Pinterest audience is most active. Hope you like it!
Love how informative this post is! I use this tool and absolutely love it. It’s so helpful and easy to use, without any additional scheduling apps.
Thanks, Ivana. Same here. I only use Tailwind for Tribes (Communities) now. No more paying for scheduling for me!