How To Find Keywords On Pinterest

Last Updated: April 20, 2026

Even though Pinterest is often confused with other social media platforms, it’s a visual search engine that relies on keywords to identify a pin’s content.

Keywords tell Pinterest WHO to show your pins to.

So, that means finding the right keywords to attract your ideal customer or client is paramount to your success on the platform.

Keywords are the lifeline of your Pinterest marketing strategy. Without them, you’re pinning without purpose and will not achieve the results you desire.

The goal is to rank your content the same way you do on Google.

So, how exactly do you find keywords to target on Pinterest?

Let’s dig in to find ALL the places where keywords live on Pinterest, shall we?

Pinterest Keyword Research

Once you set up your business account, researching keywords on Pinterest should be the first step you complete BEFORE you start pinning.

Keywords are the lifeline to your Pinterest strategy.

They help you optimize your account, pins, and content.

So, take the time to create a keyword bank (a spreadsheet where you list keywords that are PERFECT for your content) that you can reference repeatedly.

Unsure about creating a keyword bank?

Think of it this way: conduct the research once, then refer to it when creating a board or pin.

It’s nice to have when you’re creating content on your website or blog – include keywords there, too!

RELATED READ: How Pinterest Search and Discovery Works

How To Research Keywords on Pinterest

Think about what your ideal client or customer is typing in to find content like yours, and jot those ideas down.

For example, if you’re a health coach who focuses on helping clients reduce anxiety and stress, you would start with ‘how to reduce stress’ or ‘how to reduce anxiety’ and go from there.

Now that you have some initial ideas, it’s time to check out what people are searching for on Pinterest.

Using The Guided Search Bar for Pinterest Keyword Research

The most popular way to find good keywords on Pinterest is to use the guided search bar at the top of the homepage.

Click on the magnifying glass at the top of your account to see the search bar.

Here’s what it looks like:

Begin typing the words you thought of, and pay attention to what appears in the drop-down as you type.

If any drop search terms are relevant, add them to your spreadsheet (keyword bank).

Hit enter on your search, and Pinterest will display colored tiles with word combinations that are relevant and closely related to your first search term.

These are additional qualifying keywords that pinners use to learn more about your niche.

Consider your first search as your “seed” keyword.

Note the words in the colored tiles that are the most relevant to your initial search, and enter them in your keyword bank.

Here’s what it looks like:

.

You can click on the colored tiles to find more related keywords—but I will warn you: It can be like going down a rabbit hole, and you might get lost for hours!

That’s why I recommend creating a keyword bank—to save time and organize your keywords!

After noting relevant keywords, go back to the search bar and add the letters of the alphabet to see what else populates.

Add any relevant search terms to your keyword bank.

NOTE: Do not add keywords for which you don’t have content or for which you don’t plan to create content.

Rinse and repeat this process for each content pillar on your website.

By the end, you should have a good number of keywords!

Using Related Keywords in the Search Results

Another way to find keywords on Pinterest is to enter keywords into the guided search bar, hit Enter, and then scroll down to see related searches.

You might think they’ll be the same ones you can find in the search results that we already went over, but no, my friend—Pinterest often returns related search terms using completely different word combinations that are still relevant to what you’re searching.

Here’s what it looks like:

In the example above, I searched ‘how to reduce stress’ and scrolled until I saw the related search terms.

From there, I would note the relevant search terms for my content and then use them as seed keywords to find even more relevant terms.

Using The Pinterest Ads Manager Keyword Field

Many Pinterest experts have labeled the place where you fill in keywords when setting up an ad campaign as the Pinterest keyword tool.

It is not a keyword tool, but it is the one place on Pinterest where you can see a keyword’s search volume.

Pinterest gives you a broad range, but you can at least identify how popular a search term is and whether it’s worth your time and effort.

Here’s how to get to the keyword area within the ads manager on Pinterest (don’t worry, we won’t be creating an ad 🙂 )

In the top left-hand corner of your business account, click on Ads => Create Ad => select a consideration campaign (this is to get past this step, and no you’re not launching an ad 😉 ) => Scroll past the campaign name and status and click continue => Under targeting details select ‘choose your own’ to unlock the additional targeting tools => scroll down to ‘Keywords & Interests’ and toggle it => Select ‘add keywords’ => from there you should see ‘search for related keywords’ => enter your seed keyword and watch it populate with related search terms.

Here’s what it looks like:

Using the Pinterest Trends Tool

The trends tool is a great way to find keywords on Pinterest and to see when certain content performs well.

If you’re in an evergreen niche, chances are your content will perform well year-round (think food bloggers and home decor), but if you have a more seasonal slant to your business, it’s good to know when to start pinning your content to maximize success.

Here’s a snapshot of what the Pinterest trends tool looks like in action:

Pinterest Keyword Tool

After seeing the many ways to find keywords, you might wonder if an actual Pinterest keyword tool exists.

Sadly, there is no official Pinterest keyword tool.

Pinterest Keyword Strategy

You’ve figured out how to find keywords on Pinterest, but what do you do with them?

Here are some quick notes to keep in mind when you’re creating your Pinterest keyword strategy:

• Research keywords for every step of your ideal client or customer journey.
• Optimize your profile name and description with keywords.
• Create your boards using keywords.
• Use the keywords in board descriptions.
• Sprinkle as many keywords into pin descriptions.
• Use keywords in pin text overlays.
• Use Pinterest keywords in blog posts, articles, sales pages, and product descriptions.

Okay! You now know how to find keywords on Pinterest.

Start by using the guided search bar, and remember to check the related search terms as you scroll through the keyword results.

If seeing search volume is important, use the Pinterest Ads Keyword Tool.

Make sure to create a Pinterest keyword bank.

This will save time and keep your keywords organized.

Having a keyword bank will also help you plan your Pinterest content.

Tell me, have you figured out your Pinterest keywords?

Happy Pinning! 📌

Related Posts You Should Read:

• How to Put a Pinterest Marketing Strategy Together 
• How To Decide What Boards to Create for Your Pinterest Business Account
• The Top Pinterest Marketing Questions Answered

About Elaine Timms

Elaine Timms is a Pinterest strategist, and founder of Elaine Timms Creative, a boutique Pinterest marketing agency established in 2018. She has over a decade of hands-on Pinterest strategy experience and has helped bloggers, small businesses, and e-commerce brands build sustainable, search-driven marketing, visibility, and growth through her Always in Circulation framework — a Pinterest strategy designed to keep your content continuously circulating, growing, and converting. Elaine believes every business should be growing their owned online assets (think email list, blogs, podcasts, online shops, etc.) and knows Pinterest is one of the most powerful platforms to do so. Her results speak for themselves: she built her own blog to over 100,000 monthly sessions through Pinterest before successfully selling it, and still runs a niche website generating consistent revenue from content created years ago — proof that a smart Pinterest strategy has serious staying power. Her clients don't just grow, they build Pinterest presences that withstand algorithm changes, recover from platform shifts, and compound over time. Elaine offers monthly Pinterest account management, the Pinterest Circulation Blueprint, her signature account build and optimization service, and trainings and workshops to those who want to DIY Pinterest.