Updated October 5, 2026
When you're creating your marketing strategy and thinking about all the ways you can promote your book, Pinterest probably isn't at the top of your list. It's been around for years, and it may still be best known for recipes, crafts, home projects, and DIY inspiration. But overlooking Pinterest could mean overlooking an opportunity to reach readers while they're actively searching for ideas, inspiration, and their next discovery.
Pinterest still matters, and for indie authors, its combination of visual discovery, search, and long-lasting content makes it worth a place in your marketing strategy.
Why Pinterest Matters
For self-published authors looking to grow their readership, drive traffic to their websites, and extend the life of their backlist titles, Pinterest offers something that many social platforms don't: content designed to be discovered through both search and recommendations.
What you may not know…
- Pinterest has 640 million monthly active users worldwide. The platform continues to grow, making it a much larger discovery channel than many authors realize.
- More than 80% of Pinterest users are outside the U.S. For authors with books available internationally, Pinterest can provide an opportunity to reach readers beyond their home market.
- Pinterest sees more than 80 billion searches each month. That make the platform much more than just a place to scroll through images—it's a visual search and discovery engine.
- 96% of Pinterest's top searches are unbranded. People aren't necessarily searching for a specific company, product, or author. They're open to discovering something new.
- Pinterest doesn’t just reflect trends—it looks ahead. It's annual Pinterest Predicts report uses billions of searches and visual engagement signals to identify emerging trends. Pinterest says 88% of the trends it's reported over the past six years have come true.
For indie authors, that combination of scale, search, and discovery creates an opportunity to reach readers who may not know your name yet.
Pinterest Is a Search Engine for Discovery
If you're writing romance, fantasy, children's books, historical fiction, self-help, or another visually driven genre, Pinterest can be a useful place to reach readers.
But you don't have to write a highly visual book be benefit from the platform. The key is understanding how people use Pinterest:
Someone might search for:
-
- "grumpy sunshine romance"
- "historical romance books"
- "cozy mystery series"
- "dark academia books"
- "fantasy books with strong female characters"
- "books like [favorite author]"
- "YA fantasy book recommendations"
That makes Pinterest more than just another place to promote a book cover. It gives authors an opportunity to show up when readers are exploring a genre, trope, aesthetic, topic, or reading list.
Because 96% of Pinterest's top searches are unbranded, authors don't have to compete only for searches containing their own names or book titles. You can create content around the broader interests and search terms your potential readers are already exploring.
Use Pinterest Trends to Find Opportunities
One of Pinterest's most useful tools for authors is Pinterest Trends. The tool allows you to explore search trends, compare keywords, see seasonal patterns, and investigate what's gaining interest in different regions.
For example, a romance author could compare searches around terms such as "romance books," "historical romance," "romantasy books," and "cozy romance" to see how interest changes over time.
This can help you decide not only what to Pin, but when to Pin it.
Pinterest's annual Pinterest Predicts report can also give authors ideas about emerging aesthetics, interests, and cultural trends that could inspire future content.
What Should Authors Pin?
You don't want to make every Pin a sales pitch. Think about what your ideal reader is already searching for and create useful or inspiring content around those interests.
Authors can create Pins featuring:
-
- Book recommendations and reading lists
- Character or book aesthetics
- Genre and trope guides
- Quotes and excerpts
- Behind-the-scene content
- Seasonal reading lists
- Writing and publishing tips
- Blog posts and other useful resources
Pinterest is a great place to give readers a glimpse into your story’s world. If you write fantasy, try sharing visual inspiration for your characters, settings, maps, or costumes. Writing historical fiction? Create Pins featuring the period clothing, architecture, places, or research that helped bring your novel to life.
Create Targeted Boards
Organize your content into clearly named, keyword-focused boards that reflect your readers' interests.
Instead of a generic board called "Books," consider something more descriptive, such as:
-
- Historical Fiction Books
- Romance Book Recommendations
- Fantasy Book Recommendations
- Cozy Mystery Books
- Children's Book Ideas
- Writing Tips for Authors
Use natural, relevant keywords in your board titles and descriptions so readers (and Pinterest) can understand what kind of content they'll find there.
Make Your Pins Searchable
Think about which words your ideal reader would use when searching for content related to your book. Use relevant keywords naturally in your Pin titles and descriptions and make sure the destination page matches what the Pin promises.
For example, a Pin titled "10 Historical Romance Books to Add to Your TBR" should lead readers to a page that delivers those recommendations.
Don't stuff your Pins or profile with keywords. The goal is to help Pinterest understand your content while creating something useful for the person who sees it.
Your profile matters, too. Write an SEO-friendly author bio that identifies your genre and gives readers a reason to visit your website. Include your author name and relevant descriptive language in your profile name, and link your Pinterest profile to your website.
Repurpose Content You Already Have
Don't worry - you don't have to create completely new content for Pinterest every week. Turn your existing content into Pins:
-
- Social media content → Pinterest-friendly graphics
- Blog posts → Quote graphics, lists, or tips
- Book excerpts → Text-based Pins
- Author interviews → Quote graphics
- Writing advice → Quick-tips Pins
- Book reviews → Recommendation graphics
- Book covers → Genre- or trope-focused Pins
- Publishing checklists → Downloadable resources
Pinterest recommends creating fresh content regularly, but that doesn't mean you need to start from scratch every time. Your existing blogs, social content, books, and author resources can provide plenty of material to be repurposed.
Drive Traffic Back to Your Website
Pinterest becomes even more valuable when you use it to bring readers somewhere you control.
Your pins can link to:
-
-
-
Book sales pages
- Your author website
-
Newsletter sign-up pages
- Lead magnets
- Blog posts
- Book club resources
- Pre-order pages
- Event pages
- Series landing pages
-
-
Make sure your Pin's image, title, keywords, and description match the page you're sending readers to.
Don't Forget Your Previously Published Titles
One of Pinterest's biggest advantages for authors is that you don't have to promote only your newest release.
Your backlist can continue to find new readers.
Create Pins around individual books, series starters, complete series, seasonal books, or older titles experiencing renewed interest. You can also create reading lists and genre or trope content that naturally introduces readers to your books.
Instead of treating every book as a one-time marketing campaign, think about creating a library of searchable content that can continue introducing readers to your work.
Pinterest Is Still Worth Your Time
Pinterest may not generate the same daily conversation as some of the newer social platforms, but that's not necessarily a disadvantage. Its strength is discovery.
With 640 million monthly active users and more than 80 billion searches each month, there’s plenty of exploring happening. More than 80% of its audience is outside the U.S., and 96% of top searches are unbranded, meaning people don’t always have a specific name or product in mind. For indie authors, that’s an opportunity to reach readers who haven’t heard of you yet.
Think of Pinterest as another way to invite readers into your world, rather than another place to ask your existing followers to buy your book.
You don’t have to start from scratch. Try turning a helpful blog post, a favorite book quote, or a backlist title into an eye-catching Pin. If you’re building your author brand and sharing content that stays useful over time, Pinterest can help new readers find their way to your work.
