A Pinterest manager runs Pinterest accounts on behalf of businesses, handling everything from keyword research and pin design to scheduling and analytics. It’s a service you can launch with no degree, relatively low startup costs, and the ability to work from anywhere. Most Pinterest managers charge between $700 and $2,500 per month per client on a retainer basis, which means even a handful of accounts can produce a full-time income.
What a Pinterest Manager Actually Does
Pinterest is a visual search engine, not a traditional social media platform. That distinction shapes the entire job. Your core work revolves around helping clients show up when people search for ideas, products, and solutions on Pinterest. Day to day, that breaks down into several categories.
Keyword research and SEO: You’ll research what your client’s target audience is searching for on Pinterest, then weave those keywords into pin descriptions, board titles, image text overlays, and profile bios. This is the backbone of Pinterest growth. A strong manager understands the client’s audience, product, and goals well enough to position them as the top result for relevant searches.
Pin design: Creating fresh, scroll-stopping pins is one of the biggest parts of the job. You’ll design static image pins, infographics, and increasingly video pins using tools like Canva or Adobe products. Pinterest’s algorithm gives fresh pins an early visibility boost, especially when they pick up engagement quickly, so you need a steady pipeline of new designs rather than recycling the same images.
Scheduling and publishing: Most managers schedule pins in batches using tools like Tailwind, Later, or Buffer rather than posting manually throughout the day. High-performing accounts typically publish 5 to 10 fresh pins per day, spaced across peak activity windows.
Board and profile optimization: You’ll set up and maintain organized, keyword-rich boards, enable Rich Pins (which automatically pull metadata like pricing or article titles from the client’s website), and keep the profile aligned with the client’s brand.
Engagement and community: This includes joining and participating in collaborative group boards where multiple users contribute pins, curating relevant content from other creators, and building the account’s presence within niche communities.
Reporting and strategy adjustments: At least once a month, you’ll review analytics, report on performance (impressions, saves, clicks, website traffic), and adjust the strategy based on what’s working, what’s trending, and any algorithm changes.
Skills You Need to Build First
You don’t need a marketing degree, but you do need a specific skill set. Pinterest SEO is the most important one. Learning how to research keywords on Pinterest, understand search intent, and optimize every element of a pin for discoverability is what separates a manager from someone who just posts pretty pictures. Spend time studying how Pinterest’s search bar suggests terms, how trending topics shift seasonally, and how top-performing pins in various niches are structured.
Graphic design skills come next. You don’t need to be a professional designer, but you need to create pins that stand out in a feed. That means understanding color contrast, readable text overlays, and vertical image formatting. Canva’s free plan includes pre-sized Pinterest templates that make this accessible even for beginners. Video content is growing in importance on the platform because video pins hold attention longer and signal stronger engagement to the algorithm. Learning basic video editing, even just short vertical clips or animated pins, will give you an edge.
You’ll also need to understand Pinterest analytics. The platform’s native analytics tool is free for all business accounts and shows audience demographics, pin performance (impressions, saves, clicks), and conversion tracking through the Pinterest Tag. Being able to read this data, spot patterns, and translate findings into strategy changes is what clients are ultimately paying for.
Tools to Set Up
Your core toolkit doesn’t require a large investment. Tailwind is the most widely used Pinterest scheduling tool, with plans starting at $14.99 per month. Its SmartSchedule feature uses AI to determine optimal posting times, and it offers community features and bulk scheduling to multiple boards. Buffer offers a simpler interface starting at $6 per month, while Later starts at $25 per month and includes a visual drag-and-drop calendar.
For design, Canva Pro at $12.99 per month gives you access to a brand kit for maintaining consistent client branding, millions of stock photos, and the ability to schedule pins directly from the platform. If you manage product-based clients with large catalogs, PinGenerator lets you create one template and auto-populate it with product names and prices from a spreadsheet, generating hundreds of pin variations at once.
For competitive research, Pingroupie tracks trending boards, top-performing pins, and influencer activity across niches. Pinterest’s own native analytics handles the basics of audience insights and conversion tracking at no cost.
How to Get Your First Client
The biggest hurdle is landing client number one without a portfolio. The most practical approach is to offer a discounted “beta” service. Frame it honestly: you’re building out your Pinterest management offering and want to deliver real results for a limited number of clients at a reduced rate while you refine your process. This compensates for your learning curve while giving you measurable results to showcase later.
Start by managing your own Pinterest account or offering to manage one for a friend or small business owner you know. Work that single account for at least 30 days until you can point to concrete, measurable improvements in impressions, saves, clicks, or website traffic. Those numbers become your first case study.
When you’re ready to pitch, do your homework before any discovery call. Go through the potential client’s Pinterest profile, boards, and pins in detail. Come prepared with 5 to 10 specific suggestions for improving their presence, along with ideas for repurposing their existing website content (blog posts, product photos, tutorials) into pins. This level of preparation demonstrates your value before they’ve paid anything and sets you apart from generic pitches.
Look for clients among bloggers, e-commerce shop owners, online course creators, and small businesses in visually driven niches like home decor, food, fashion, weddings, and DIY. These are the businesses most likely to understand Pinterest’s value and be willing to outsource it. You can find them in Facebook groups for online business owners, on freelance platforms, or simply by reaching out to businesses whose Pinterest accounts are clearly neglected.
Setting Your Rates and Packages
Pinterest managers typically structure their services into three tiers. One-time account audits, where you review an existing account and deliver a report with recommendations, generally run $150 to $500. Account setups, where you build or rebuild a profile from scratch with optimized boards, Rich Pins, and a content strategy, range from $300 to $900. Monthly management retainers, which include ongoing pin creation, scheduling, keyword research, engagement, and reporting, fall between $700 and $2,500 per month depending on the scope of work and your experience level.
When you’re just starting out, pricing at the lower end of those ranges is reasonable. As you accumulate results and testimonials, you can raise your rates. Some managers also offer smaller add-on services like a batch of fresh pin designs or a keyword research report for clients who want to manage their own accounts but need professional input on specific pieces.
Building a Sustainable Business
Pinterest management scales well because much of the work is batch-friendly. You can design a week’s worth of pins for a client in one sitting, schedule them in advance, and check analytics on a set day each month. This makes it possible to manage multiple clients without working around the clock.
Once you have measurable success with your first client, officially add Pinterest services to your website or freelance portfolio. Create clear package descriptions with defined deliverables. Use this transition to drop any other freelance services you’ve been offering that you enjoy less or that pay less per hour. Specializing in Pinterest, rather than being a generalist virtual assistant who also does Pinterest, lets you charge higher rates and attract clients who specifically value the skill.
As you gain experience, you can move into more advanced strategy work: building out full content calendars aligned with seasonal search trends, running Pinterest ad campaigns, creating video pin strategies, or consulting on Pinterest SEO for larger brands. Some managers eventually hire subcontractors to handle pin design and scheduling while they focus on strategy and client relationships, turning a solo freelance gig into a small agency.