How to Schedule a Video Pin on Pinterest

Step by step

1. 1

   Connect your Pinterest Business account to SocialKit

   In SocialKit, open the connections screen and select Pinterest. You will be redirected to Pinterest's own authorization page — sign in and approve the requested permissions. As of June 2026, SocialKit uses the Pinterest API for third-party scheduling, so you grant access on Pinterest's site and SocialKit receives a revocable token, never your password.

   Tip: If your Pinterest account does not appear or the connection fails, confirm the account is a Business account — personal accounts cannot be connected to scheduling tools via the Pinterest API as of June 2026.

2. 2

   Create a new post and upload your video file

   In the SocialKit composer, click to create a new post and select Pinterest as one of your publishing destinations. Upload the video file from your computer or media library. As of June 2026, a video pin should be a standard video pin (not an Idea Pin) — standard video pins are the format the Pinterest API supports for third-party scheduling. Confirm your clip meets the current specs (4 seconds to 15 minutes, up to 2 GB, ideally 9:16 at 1080 × 1920 px). SocialKit will show a preview as the file processes — wait for it to finish before moving on so you can verify the clip plays correctly.

   Tip: Pick a cover frame deliberately rather than accepting the auto-selected first frame — a clear, on-brand thumbnail is what shows before autoplay and in search results, and it materially affects click-through. Using the same vertical video for TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts? Add those platforms to the same composer session and customize each version before scheduling — one upload, multiple destinations.

3. 3

   Write a keyword-rich pin title and description

   Pinterest functions as a visual search engine, so your title and description carry real SEO weight. Write a descriptive title (up to 100 characters as of June 2026) and a description that naturally includes the search terms your audience uses. Pinterest descriptions can run up to 500 characters, but only the first few lines show in the feed before truncation.

   Tip: Use the free Pinterest character counter to check your title and description lengths before saving, so you know exactly how your copy will appear in search results and the home feed.

4. 4

   Select a board and add a destination link

   Choose the Pinterest board the pin should live on from the dropdown — the board needs to exist in your account before scheduling. Add a destination URL in the link field so viewers can click through to your site, product page, or blog post. This is one of the clearest traffic levers on Pinterest: a well-matched landing page turns saves and views into visits.

   Tip: Tag the destination URL with UTM parameters using the free UTM builder before pasting it into SocialKit, so every click from the video pin is attributable in Google Analytics 4.

5. 5

   Pick your publish date and time using best-time data

   In the composer's scheduling section, set the date and time for the pin to go live. Pinterest content has a long discovery tail — a pin published today may surface for months — but timing still affects initial velocity. Use the SocialKit best-time-to-post data for Pinterest as a starting point, then refine against your own Pinterest analytics over time.

   Tip: As of June 2026, Pinterest video pins require processing time on Pinterest's side after the API sends the file. A pin scheduled for a specific time may go live a few minutes later than shown if the video is still being processed — build a small buffer into time-sensitive campaigns.

6. 6

   Review the pin preview, then click Schedule

   Before confirming, review the pin preview in SocialKit to check the video thumbnail frame, title, description, board assignment, and destination link. Make any edits, then click Schedule. SocialKit will publish the pin automatically at the chosen time — no phone tap or manual action required.

7. 7

   Verify the published pin and check initial performance

   After the scheduled time passes, open your Pinterest profile or board to confirm the video pin is live and the link resolves correctly. In SocialKit's analytics section, you can track saves, clicks, and outbound clicks for Pinterest content to see how the pin is performing against your other formats.

   Tip: If the pin does not appear within 10–15 minutes of the scheduled time, check SocialKit's post queue for any error notification. Connection token expiry is the most common cause — reconnecting the Pinterest account from the connections screen typically resolves it in under a minute.

Best practices

• Export the cleanest version of your video without a TikTok watermark before scheduling to Pinterest — watermarked video can signal repurposed content and may be deprioritized in the feed.
• Add a cover image (thumbnail) to your video pin rather than relying on the auto-generated first frame — a compelling static thumbnail improves click-through in search results and category feeds as of June 2026.
• Use 9:16 aspect ratio (1080 × 1920 px) as your default for video pins; it fills the mobile feed and typically outperforms square or landscape on Pinterest.
• Schedule video pins to boards with clear, keyword-rich board titles — the board context contributes to how Pinterest categorizes and distributes the pin in search.
• Treat your destination link as a required field, not optional — video pins without a link waste one of Pinterest's strongest traffic-driving features.
• Start with two to four video pins per week per board and use SocialKit's analytics to identify which boards and topics generate the most outbound clicks before scaling up volume.

Good to know

Do it in SocialKit