How To Set Up Pinterest Rich Pins: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide For Beginners

If you run a business in Singapore and don’t use Pinterest strategically, you’re missing a channel that drives 33% more referral traffic than Facebook. Pinterest isn’t just another social media platform — it’s a visual discovery engine, and more importantly, intent-based. People come here to search with a purpose — to plan purchases, research brands, and make decisions.

Here’s the kicker: you can double or even triple your content’s reach on Pinterest simply by enabling one feature — Rich Pins. These aren’t just “enhanced” posts; they pull real-time data from your website (like price, availability, titles, and meta descriptions) and display it automatically on your Pins. 

That means better context, higher engagement, and significantly more click-throughs — especially for e-commerce, content marketing, or recipe-driven businesses.

This article gives you a step-by-step breakdown of how to integrate Rich Pins into your Pinterest marketing workflow — from setup to optimisation — so you can stop wasting time with basic Pins and start getting results that actually move the needle.

Key Takeaways

• Rich Pins are powerful tools for enhancing user engagement. They provide dynamic, real-time content such as pricing, availability, and article information.
• Setting up Rich Pins is simple: Ensure your website has the right metadata, validate your pins through Pinterest’s automated system, and apply for approval to activate Rich Pins.
• Troubleshoot common issues quickly by checking metadata, ensuring proper formatting, and allowing time for Pinterest to process updates.
• Brands leveraging Rich Pins see tangible results, including higher engagement, increased clicks, and better conversion rates.

What Are Pinterest Rich Pins?

 

Image Credit: LouiseM

Let’s cut through the noise: Rich Pins are dynamic, data-powered Pins that automatically pull metadata directly from your website to give Pinterest users more context. Unlike standard Pins, which rely entirely on what you manually input (like a caption or link), Rich Pins update in real-time based on your site’s content. That means if you change a product price or update a headline, your Pin updates too — no manual edits, no outdated info.

The Difference? See for Yourself

Feature	Regular Pins	Rich Pins
Manual input required	Yes	No – pulls from your site
Auto-updates	No	Yes – reflects changes from your site
Enhanced display	Basic image Title Description	Shows price Availability Meta title And more
CTR potential	Lower	Higher – more info means more qualified clicks
SEO value	Minimal	Boosted with structured data

Rich Pins aren’t optional — they’re a tactical advantage. If you’re serious about conversions, visibility, and user trust, this is the upgrade your content can’t afford to skip.

The 3 Types of Rich Pins You Can (And Should) Use

Pinterest supports three Rich Pin formats. Which one you use depends on your business model, and if you’re smart, you’ll match them to your marketing funnel.

1. Product Pins

Image Credit: Martech

These are tailored for e-commerce and retail. Product Pins display up-to-date pricing, availability, and where to buy — all pulled directly from your product pages.

Use case: Product Pins are non-negotiable if you’re running a Shopify store or WooCommerce site. Brands like IKEA use them to sync their catalogue seamlessly across their Pinterest feed. 

When their stock or prices change, so do their Pins — no manual fixes.

2. Recipe Pins

Image Credit: wptasty

If you’re in F&B, don’t just post aesthetic food shots. Recipe Pins include ingredients, cook time, and serving size right on the Pin — no extra clicks needed.

Example:Singapore-based food publisher SethLui.com runs recipes that get shared frequently, but without Rich Pins, those posts risk getting buried under simpler Pins with richer info. 

If they activated Rich Pins, their top dishes could dominate search results for “Salted Egg Chicken” or “Chilli Crab Pasta.”

3. Article Pins

Image Credit: Jungle Soul Collective

Perfect for blogs, media sites, and service businesses that publish content. Article Pins display the headline, meta description, and author info — helping you build authority and drive traffic back to your site.

Pro tip: Use these if you’re publishing lead-gen content like “10 ways to reduce your SME’s ad spend” or “How to build a brand in Singapore in 2025.” 

More context = higher intent = better traffic.

Why You Should Start Using Rich Pins

If you’re pinning without Rich Pins, you’re doing the digital equivalent of handing out business cards with handwritten contact info. It still works, technically — but it’s not how pros operate. Rich Pins don’t just enhance your Pinterest presence — they sync your brand’s credibility with search-driven, ready-to-convert audiences. That’s not theory. That’s what brands like Target, Etsy, and Whole Foods have been doing for years — and it works.

The tools are free. The setup is straightforward. And the payoff? Well, you’ll see soon enough with these benefits:

• Auto-syncs with your website: Updates product prices, availability, blog titles, and meta descriptions automatically — no double-handling, no outdated Pins.
• Increases click-through rates (CTR): Rich Pins show more relevant info upfront, making users more likely to click, especially if they’re ready to buy or engage.
• Boosts Pinterest SEO: Structured data from your site helps your Pins rank higher in Pinterest search results and appear in more relevant feeds.
• Builds credibility and trust: Branded metadata (like author names or real-time pricing) gives your Pins more authority and signals professionalism to users.
• Drives higher-quality traffic: More informed users = better-qualified traffic = higher conversion rates on-site.
• Improves engagement: Pins with richer detail perform better — more saves, shares, and re-Pins over time.
• Supports mobile-first experiences: Rich Pins display better on mobile, where over 80% of Pinterest users browse. That matters for performance and UX.
• Increases visibility across Pinterest features: Rich Pins are prioritised in certain placements like Pinterest Lens results, shopping feeds, and suggested Pins.

How to Set Up Pinterest Rich Pins Integration

Ready to level up your Pinterest game? Setting up Rich Pins is straightforward, but it needs precision. Follow these steps to ensure your Pins display the correct metadata, sync correctly, and boost your visibility and conversions.

Step 1: Prepare Your Website

First things first: your website needs the correct metadata — this is the data Pinterest will pull into your Rich Pins. You’ve got two options here: Open Graph or Schema.org markup. Why does this matter? Pinterest relies on structured data to grab the info it needs for Rich Pins, so without it, your Pins will be stuck as regular ones. Don’t waste time — set this up properly from the start.

• Tools to Use: Yoast SEO (for WordPress users) has built-in support for both Open Graph and Schema.org markup if you’re on WordPress. This plugin auto-generates the metadata that Pinterest needs. It’s the easiest route if you’re on WordPress.
  
  • Pro Tip: Double-check that your social media settings within Yoast are correctly configured for Pinterest.
    
• Custom HTML (for other platforms): For non-WordPress websites, you must manually add Open Graph or Schema.org tags to your HTML. Don’t worry if you’re not a developer — this is a simple copy-paste job. Pinterest’s guide on setting this up can help you get started.
  

Step 2: Validate Your Pins

Next, you must ensure your website metadata is appropriately set up and working before Pinterest can approve your Rich Pins. As of late 2022, Pinterest no longer requires manual validation for Rich Pins. The process is now automated:

1. Ensure Your Website Has the Correct Metadata: Add Open Graph or Schema.org markup to your website’s pages. This metadata provides Pinterest with the necessary information to create Rich Pins.
   
2. Create a Pin Using the URL of the Page: When you create a Pin, use the “Save from site” option and paste the URL of the page you want to Pin. Pinterest will automatically detect the metadata and generate a Rich Pin if the metadata is correctly implemented.

Note: Rich Pins should be enabled automatically if your website’s metadata is correctly set up. There’s no need for a separate application process. However, it may take some time for Pinterest to process and display the Rich Pins.

Common Validation Issues and How to Fix Them

Issue	Explanation	Fix
Missing Meta Tags	Pinterest needs specific tags to pull the data it needs. The validator will flag it if you miss adding them (like Open Graph or Schema.org).	Add the missing tags to your page’s header section.
Incorrect Data Structure	If Pinterest can’t recognise your data (e.g., price or availability), it may be because it is not formatted correctly.	Make sure you use the correct syntax for Open Graph or Schema.org.
No Crawlable Metadata	Pinterest can’t pull data if your site’s metadata is blocked by robots.txt or a noindex directive.	Ensure your pages are publicly accessible for Pinterest’s bots.

Step 3: Apply for Rich Pins

Once validation is complete and you’re confident your site’s metadata works correctly, it’s time to apply for Rich Pins.

How the Approval Process Works

Pinterest’s approval process is usually pretty quick. You’ll need to:

1. Go to the Rich Pin application page.
   
2. Submit the URL of a page you’ve validated as Rich Pin-ready.
   
3. Wait for Pinterest to review your page. In most cases, this can take a few hours to a couple of days.
   

What happens next? Pinterest will either approve your application or tell you what’s missing. If your page is accepted, Rich Pins will automatically be enabled across your site.

What to Expect Once Approved

Once approved, your Rich Pins will go live. Here’s what you’ll notice:

• No more manual updates: Any changes on your website (like product price or stock levels) will reflect automatically in your Rich Pins.
• Boost in performance: With more information upfront, users will engage more, have higher CTR, more saves, and shares.
• More visibility: Pinterest will prioritise your Rich Pins in search results and other feeds.
  

Next Steps

Now that you’re set up, you’re in the fast lane. But remember: Rich Pins are just the beginning. Optimise your Pin descriptions, use keyword-rich titles, and create boards that match your audience’s interests.

Pro tip: Use Pinterest Analytics to track the performance of your Rich Pins. The data is your best friend when refining your Pinterest marketing strategy.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Even the most well-planned Pinterest strategy can hit a few bumps along the way, and Rich Pins are no exception. Whether it’s missing metadata, delayed updates, or formatting errors, encountering issues is part of the process. But don’t worry, most problems are quickly resolved once you know where to look.

In this section, we’ll walk through the most common issues you might face when setting up or managing Rich Pins and provide actionable solutions to get you back on track. 

Metadata Not Being Recognised

• Problem: Pinterest doesn’t detect or display your Rich Pin content.
• Cause: This usually happens if your website’s metadata isn’t correctly set up or formatted.
• Fix:
  • Ensure that your metadata is present: Make sure you’ve added the correct Open Graph or Schema.org markup to your web pages. You can use tools like Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to check if your markup is correct.
    
  • Check your meta tags: For example, ensure you’ve got the right og:title, og:title, og:image, and og: description (for Open Graph) or corresponding Schema tags in your HTML header.
    

Pro Tip: After fixing the tags, just create a new Pin using the page’s URL. Pinterest will re-scan the page and should pull in the updated metadata automatically.

Pins Not Displaying Automatically After Metadata Is Added

• Problem: You’ve added the necessary metadata, but the Rich Pin is still not showing up.
  Cause: Pinterest can sometimes take a few days to process your metadata, especially if your website is newly integrated.
• Fix:
  • Give it time: Pinterest doesn’t update Rich Pins in real time. Wait 24-48 hours for the changes to be reflected. If there’s still no update, go ahead and try creating a new Pin with the URL again.
    
  • Manually trigger a refresh: Sometimes, creating a new Pin from the validated URL will force Pinterest to re-crawl your page and display the Rich Pin.
    

Missing or Incorrect Product Information

• Problem: Your Product Pins show incomplete or inaccurate information (like pricing, availability, etc.).
  Cause: This can happen if your metadata is incorrect or Pinterest can’t read your product data properly.
• Fix:
  • Ensure correct price formatting: For Product Pins, the price needs to be in a specific format (e.g., $99.99 or £99.99). Ensure your metadata contains price tags that match the required format.
    
  • Check stock availability: The product’s availability should also be clearly marked as “in stock” or “out of stock” in your markup.
    

Pro Tip: Double-check if your website has any robots.txt files or “noindex” directives blocking Pinterest from accessing your metadata.

Errors with Validation

• Problem: Pinterest flags errors when trying to validate your Rich Pins.
  Cause: This typically happens when there’s an issue with your HTML markup, or the metadata isn’t being correctly served to Pinterest.
• Fix:
  • Check your HTML: Look for missing or incorrectly formatted tags in your website’s code. Ensure the meta tags are within the <head> section of the page.
    
  • Fix specific errors: Pinterest’s error messages will guide you to what’s wrong. Common fixes include correcting URLs, adding missing fields, or adjusting your structured data for compliance.
    

Rich Pins Not Showing on Mobile

• Problem: Rich Pins show up fine on desktop, but not mobile.
  Cause: This could be a responsive design issue or a metadata integration problem affecting only mobile views.
• Fix:
  • Check your site’s mobile view: Ensure your metadata is visible and accessible across all screen sizes. Sometimes, a poorly optimised mobile site can block or hide metadata from Pinterest’s crawlers.
    
  • Revalidate your metadata: Ensure your website isn’t blocking Pinterest’s crawler from accessing your mobile pages.
    

No Rich Pins for Blog or Article Pages

• Problem: Your Article Pins (or Blog Pins) aren’t showing the correct metadata like headlines or descriptions.
  Cause: The issue might be that your article or blog post lacks the correct Open Graph or Schema.org Article markup.
• Fix:
  • Add Article markup: Make sure every article page has the correct metadata that Pinterest can pull. You’ll want to include properties like article:author, article:published_time, and article:section for Open Graph tags.
    
  • Ensure blog content is crawlable: Double-check that no technical blocks (like a noindex tag) stop Pinterest from crawling your blog posts.
    

Pin Preview is Different From the Final Pin

• Problem: You’ve tested your Rich Pin and the preview looks fine, but when it goes live, the final Pin looks different (e.g., missing the image or metadata).
  Cause: This could be due to Pinterest’s image caching or an issue with the metadata syncing.
• Fix:
  • Refresh your images: Re-upload the image to Pinterest to ensure it pulls the correct visual and metadata.
    
  • Clear image cache: Pinterest caches images for a period, so clearing or refreshing the image metadata might help resolve the issue.

If you’re encountering any of these issues, just go back to the basics: check your site’s metadata, ensure everything’s crawlable, and give Pinterest a little time to process the changes. Most of these issues are solvable with a few tweaks, and once everything is set up, you’ll see your Rich Pins drive significantly higher engagement and traffic.

Why You Need to Include Rich Pins Integration in Your Pinterest Marketing Strategy

Incorporating Rich Pins into your Pinterest marketing strategy is essential for staying competitive and achieving measurable results. By enhancing your Pins with additional context, real-time updates, and detailed information, you instantly increase the value of your content and make it far more engaging for users. 

Whether you aim to boost traffic, improve conversions, or enhance user interaction, Rich Pins offer a clear, straightforward path to achieving those goals. In today’s competitive digital landscape, having Rich Pins as part of your Pinterest marketing strategy ensures your brand stands out in a crowded feed. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to drive measurable results.

Ready to elevate your Pinterest marketing? Work with MediaOne for professional digital marketing services that drive real, quantifiable growth. Let us help you integrate Rich Pins effectively and maximise your digital presence. Reach out today to get started with a tailored strategy that delivers results.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I use Pinterest for affiliate marketing?

You can use Pinterest for affiliate marketing by creating pins that link to products or services you’ve partnered with. Ensure your pins are visually appealing and include relevant keywords to attract your target audience. Always disclose affiliate links transparently to maintain trust with your audience.

What are the benefits of using Pinterest for local businesses?

Pinterest can help local businesses by increasing online visibility and driving website traffic. By optimising pins with local keywords and location tags, businesses can attract nearby customers searching for their products or services.

How do I know if my Pinterest marketing efforts are effective?

Use Pinterest Analytics to track impressions, saves, and clicks. These insights can help you understand which pins resonate with your audience and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Can I change the URL on old Pinterest pins?

While you can edit the URL on a pin, this will not update the link across all instances where the pin has been shared. To ensure users are directed to the correct page, set up a redirect on your website. 

Should service-based businesses market differently on Pinterest than product-based businesses?

Yes, service-based businesses should tailor their approach by showcasing their expertise, client testimonials, and the benefits of their services. This helps build trust and attracts potential clients seeking professional services.