How to Connect Pinterest to Later
Later was originally built for visual content planning, making it a natural fit for Pinterest. Connecting Pinterest to Later lets you schedule Pins, plan your Pin boards visually, and analyze what content drives the most engagement and clicks. This integration is particularly valuable for e-commerce brands, bloggers, and content creators who rely on Pinterest to drive traffic to their websites. With Later managing your Pinterest strategy, you can plan weeks of Pins in advance and maintain a consistent pinning schedule that keeps your content visible in Pinterest's algorithm.
Prerequisites
Before connecting Pinterest to Later, verify the following:
- Pinterest Business account: Later requires a Pinterest Business account for scheduling and analytics. If you have a personal Pinterest account, convert it to a Business account at business.pinterest.com or in the Pinterest app under Settings, then Account Management, then Convert to Business Account. This is free and gives you access to Pinterest Analytics and the Pinterest API.
- Later Growth plan or higher: Pinterest scheduling is available on Later's paid plans. The Growth plan and above include full Pinterest scheduling, analytics, and Linkin.bio functionality. Check your plan under Settings in Later.
- Pinterest boards created: Have at least one Pinterest board set up on your account where you want to schedule Pins. Later will let you choose the destination board for each Pin you schedule.
- Images and content prepared: Pinterest Pins require vertical images, ideally at a 2:3 aspect ratio (1000 x 1500 pixels). Prepare your Pin images in advance for the best results.
Step-by-Step Connection Guide
- Log in to Later at later.com.
- Navigate to Settings by clicking your profile avatar or the gear icon.
- Select Social Sets (or Social Profiles).
- Click the + button or Add Social Profile.
- Select Pinterest from the list of platforms.
- Later will redirect you to Pinterest's authorization page. Log in with your Pinterest Business account credentials if you are not already logged in.
- Pinterest will display the permissions Later is requesting: access to your Pinterest profile, boards, and Pins, and the ability to create Pins on your behalf. Click Give Access to authorize the connection.
- You will be redirected back to Later. Your Pinterest Business account will now appear in your Social Sets.
- Later will import your Pinterest boards so you can select destination boards when scheduling Pins.
Configuration and Settings
Board Selection and Organization
Once connected, Later imports all your Pinterest boards. When scheduling a Pin, you will select which board to pin it to. You can schedule the same image to multiple boards at different times to maximize visibility. Organize your boards in Pinterest first (using sections and descriptions) so they appear logically in Later's board selector.
Posting Schedule
Set up your Pinterest posting schedule in Later by going to the Calendar view, selecting your Pinterest profile, and configuring time slots. Pinterest rewards consistent pinning, so schedule multiple Pins per day spread throughout the day. A good starting point is five to ten Pins per day. Later's AutoSchedule feature will fill available time slots with your queued Pins.
Pin Descriptions and Links
When composing Pins in Later, always include a descriptive Pin description with relevant keywords. Pinterest functions as a visual search engine, so keyword-rich descriptions help your Pins appear in search results. Also add a destination URL to each Pin to drive traffic to your website, blog post, or product page.
Media Library Organization
Upload your Pin images to Later's Media Library and organize them with labels such as "Blog Pins," "Product Pins," or "Seasonal Content." This organization makes it easy to find and schedule images when planning your Pinterest content calendar. Later's drag-and-drop calendar makes scheduling as simple as dropping an image onto a time slot.
What You Can Do After Setup
- Schedule Pins to multiple boards: Upload an image once and schedule it to be pinned to multiple boards at staggered times. This strategy increases the visibility of each piece of content without appearing spammy.
- Visually plan your Pin calendar: Use Later's calendar view to see all your scheduled Pins by day and week. Ensure variety in your content by checking that you are not posting too many similar images in a short period.
- Track Pinterest analytics: Monitor Pin performance including impressions, saves, clicks, and click-through rate. Later's analytics help you identify which types of Pins drive the most traffic to your website.
- Use Linkin.bio for Pinterest: Later's Linkin.bio creates a shoppable, clickable version of your Pinterest content. Add specific URLs to each Pin so followers who discover your content can navigate directly to the relevant page.
- Schedule Idea Pins: Depending on API availability, Later may support scheduling Idea Pins (multi-page story-style Pins) in addition to standard Pins. This lets you plan long-form Pinterest content in advance.
Best Practices
- Pin consistently every day: Pinterest's algorithm favors accounts that pin regularly. Use Later's scheduling to maintain a daily pinning cadence even on weekends and holidays. Consistency matters more than volume on Pinterest.
- Optimize Pin images for the 2:3 ratio: Vertical Pins at 1000 x 1500 pixels perform best in Pinterest's feed. Later's image editor can help you crop and resize images to the correct dimensions before scheduling.
- Write keyword-rich Pin descriptions: Treat Pin descriptions like SEO-optimized copy. Include relevant keywords naturally in your descriptions. Pinterest searches work like a search engine, so keywords in your descriptions directly impact discoverability.
- Stagger Pins to the same board: When scheduling the same Pin to multiple boards, space them at least 24 hours apart. This avoids looking like spam and gives each Pin a chance to gain traction independently.
- Create fresh Pin images for existing content: Instead of re-pinning the same image repeatedly, create multiple Pin designs for the same blog post or product. Upload all variations to Later's Media Library and schedule them to different boards over time. Pinterest rewards fresh creative.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Pinterest authorization fails: Ensure your Pinterest account is a Business account, not a Personal account. Later cannot connect to Personal Pinterest accounts. Also check that you are not hitting Pinterest's limit on connected third-party apps. Revoke access for any apps you no longer use in Pinterest Settings under Apps.
- Pins fail to publish: Verify that the destination board still exists and has not been deleted or archived. Also check that your Pin image meets Pinterest's requirements: JPEG or PNG format, under 20 MB, and at least 100 x 100 pixels (though larger is strongly recommended).
- Link preview not generating: If your Pin's destination URL does not show a proper link preview, the destination page may lack Open Graph or Pinterest-specific meta tags. Add appropriate meta tags to your website pages to ensure rich Pin previews.
- Connection drops unexpectedly: Pinterest OAuth tokens can expire. If Later shows your Pinterest account as disconnected, reconnect it by going to Settings, then Social Sets, removing the Pinterest profile, and connecting it again.
- Board list is outdated: If you created new boards in Pinterest after connecting to Later, they may not appear immediately in Later's board selector. Try disconnecting and reconnecting your Pinterest account, or look for a refresh or sync option in Later's settings.
Limitations and Workarounds
- No Rich Pin configuration through Later: Rich Pins (which pull metadata from your website to display pricing, availability, or recipe information) are configured at the website level, not through Later. Set up Rich Pins by adding the appropriate meta tags to your website and validating them through Pinterest's Rich Pin Validator.
- Limited Idea Pin editing: If Later supports Idea Pins, the editing capabilities may be limited compared to creating them natively in Pinterest. Complex multi-page Idea Pins with music, stickers, and interactive elements should be created in the Pinterest app.
- No Pinterest Ads management: Later does not manage Pinterest advertising campaigns. To run Promoted Pins or Shopping Ads, use Pinterest Ads Manager directly.
- No comment or message management: Later does not provide a Pinterest inbox for managing comments on your Pins or direct messages. Monitor these through the Pinterest app or website.
- Board sections not fully supported: Pinterest boards can have sections, but Later may only let you schedule Pins to the board level, not to specific sections within a board. Workaround: Organize Pins into board sections manually in Pinterest after they are published.
