If you think Pinterest is just a place to look for dinner recipes or wedding dresses, you are only half right. Underneath all those pretty pictures, Pinterest is actually a search engine. Yes, just like Google. People type their questions, dreams, and problems into that little search bar every single second. And here is the secret most big bloggers don’t want you to know: you don’t need a million followers to win on Pinterest. You just need to find the right words. Specifically, you need to find low-competition keywords.
This article is your complete guide. We will walk through what Pinterest keyword research really means, why low-competition terms are your golden ticket, and how to find them fast. No confusing jargon. No expensive courses. Just simple steps that anyone from a 10th grader to a grandma running a small bakery can follow.
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Why Normal Keyword Research Fails on Pinterest
Before we jump into the good stuff, let’s talk about why most people struggle. A lot of creators use the same keyword tools they use for Google. That is a mistake. Google is about facts and answers. Pinterest is about inspiration and planning.
Think about it. On Google, you might search “how to fix a leaky faucet.” On Pinterest, you search “small bathroom renovation ideas” or “budget kitchen makeover.” See the difference? Pinterest users are planners. They are dreaming, collecting, and saving ideas for later.
If you use hard, competitive keywords like “weight loss” or “digital marketing,” you are fighting against giant companies with big budgets. Those are high-competition keywords. A small creator like you will get buried on page fifty. But if you find low-competition keywords, you can show up on the first page within hours. That means free traffic. That means more eyes on your work. And the best part? It is totally free to do.
What Exactly Are Low-Competition Keywords on Pinterest?
Let’s keep this very simple. Low-competition keywords are search terms that a lot of people are looking for, but not many creators are using. Think of it like fishing. You can throw your line into a crowded lake where a thousand fishermen are fighting (high competition). Or you can walk five minutes to a quiet pond with plenty of fish (low competition).
On Pinterest, a low-competition keyword has three signs:
- It is specific. Instead of “chicken dinner,” you use “easy lemon chicken dinner for beginners.”
- It has a long tail. Long-tail keywords are phrases with three, four, or five words. They are less popular but much easier to rank for.
- It solves a tiny problem. Not “how to be happy,” but “morning routine for a stressed college student.”
When you target these low-competition keywords, Pinterest’s algorithm thinks you are an expert. It shows your pin to the small but interested crowd searching for that exact thing. And that crowd clicks, saves, and shares.
The Mindset Shift: Stop Guessing, Start Searching
Here is the first big lesson. Do not guess what people are searching for. Your guess is probably wrong. I have seen brilliant artists use fancy words that nobody types. I have seen food bloggers use technical cooking terms that normal people have never heard of.
You must let Pinterest tell you the keywords. The platform has all the data. You just need to know where to look. And the good news? The best keyword research tool for Pinterest is completely free. It is the Pinterest search bar itself.
So put away your expensive software for a minute. Open Pinterest in a browser. We are going to dig in.
Step 1: Use Pinterest’s Own Search Bar (The Golden Method)
This is my favorite trick. It takes less than two minutes, and it works every single time. Here is what you do.
Open Pinterest. Click on the search bar at the top. Do not type a whole sentence yet. Just type one broad word related to your niche. Let’s say you sell printable planners. Type “planner.”
Now, do not press enter yet. Just look at what Pinterest suggests below. These suggestions are not random. They are the most popular searches starting with the word “planner.” You will see things like:
- planner ideas
- planner for students
- planner stickers
- planner weekly layout
These are good. But they are still a bit broad. We need to go deeper. So type a second word. Type “planner for.” Now look at the new suggestions:
- planner for mom
- planner for adhd
- planner for work
- planner for weight loss
Do you see what is happening? You are moving from a big ocean into a small, quiet bay. Now type one more word. Type “planner for adhd.” Look again:
- planner for adhd adults
- planner for adhd women
- planner for adhd students
Boom. Planner for adhd students is a fantastic low-competition keyword. Why? Because it is long (four words). It is specific. And big stationery companies are not fighting over “ADHD students.” They are fighting over “planner” or “daily planner.”
Write that down. That is your low-competition keyword. You can now create a pin title, a description, and even a board name around that exact phrase.
Step 2: Check the Competition with a Simple Trick
Okay, you found a keyword like “planner for adhd students.” But how do you know if it is really low competition? There is a quick manual check you can do.
Type your keyword into the Pinterest search bar and press enter. Look at the results that come up. Pay attention to two things:
First, look at the pin types. Are the top results mostly from big brands like Etsy, Amazon, or Target? Or are they from small bloggers and individual creators? If you see huge brands everywhere, that keyword might be tough to beat. But if you see regular people like you, that is a green flag.
Second, look at the pin quality. Do the top pins have professional photos with perfect lighting and fancy graphics? Or do they look simple, even homemade? Pinterest actually rewards authentic, useful content. If the top results are not very polished, that means you can easily do better. Your simple phone photo with a clear title might outrank them.
Third, check the number of saved ideas. Hover over a pin (on desktop) or tap it (on mobile). Look at the save count. If every pin on the first page has thousands of saves, competition is high. If you see pins with only 50, 100, or 200 saves, that means the keyword is not saturated. People are searching for it, but not enough creators are making good pins for it. That is your chance.
Step 3: The Magic of Pinterest Predictions
Have you ever typed a word into Pinterest and seen a bunch of little bubbles or grey text appear under the search bar? Those are Pinterest predictions. And they are pure gold for finding low-competition keywords.
Here is why. Pinterest shows these predictions based on what is trending right now. Not last year. Not last month. Right now. When you see a prediction, it means real people are actively searching for that term in this moment.
Let me give you an example. Imagine you have a food blog. You type “easy dinner” into Pinterest. Pinterest might show predictions like:
- easy dinner for two
- easy dinner with ground beef
- easy dinner for picky eaters
- easy dinner low carb
Each one of these is a potential low-competition keyword. But the real secret is to click on one of them. Click on “easy dinner for picky eaters.” Now Pinterest will show you a whole new set of predictions based on that phrase. You might see:
- easy dinner for picky eaters kids
- easy dinner for picky eaters family
- easy dinner for picky eaters quick
You see how this works? You start with a wide net, and you keep narrowing down. By the third or fourth click, you will find a phrase that only a handful of people are targeting. That is your low-competition keyword. Create a pin for that exact phrase, and you can rank on the first page very fast.
Step 4: Spy on Your Competitors (The Smart Way)
I do not mean spy in a creepy way. I mean look at what other small creators in your niche are doing. This is not about copying. It is about finding gaps.
Go to Pinterest and search for a topic in your niche. Look for pins from accounts that have maybe 1,000 to 10,000 monthly views. Not the huge accounts. The smaller ones. Click on one of their pins that has decent saves.
Now look at their pin title. Look at the description. What keywords are they using? More importantly, look at the board they saved it to. The board name itself is a keyword.
For example, a small home decor account might have a board called “small apartment living room ideas on a budget.” That entire board name is a low-competition keyword phrase. Why? Because most people just name their board “Living Room.” But this creator got specific. They added “small apartment,” “on a budget.” Now Pinterest knows exactly what that board is about. And anyone searching for “small apartment living room ideas on a budget” will find that board.
You can do the same thing. Look at what keywords your smaller competitors are ranking for. If they are getting traffic from a certain phrase, you can create a better, more useful pin for that same phrase. This is not stealing. This is smart research.
Step 5: Use Google Keyword Planner (Yes, for Pinterest)
I know I said you do not need expensive tools. And you do not. But there is a free tool from Google that works wonderfully for Pinterest. It is called Google Keyword Planner. You do need a Google Ads account to use it, but you never have to spend any money. Just sign up for free.
Here is why this tool helps with Pinterest keyword research. Google Keyword Planner shows you the monthly search volume for any keyword. While Pinterest and Google are different, human behavior overlaps. If people search for something on Google, they often search for similar things on Pinterest.
Type a seed keyword into Google Keyword Planner. Look at the suggestions it gives you. Pay special attention to keywords with low to medium search volume but very low competition (Google shows a column for competition). Those are your targets.
For example, Google might tell you that “vegan breakfast meal prep for beginners” gets 300 searches a month with low competition. That is a perfect low-competition keyword for Pinterest. Take that exact phrase and use it as your pin title. Create a vertical pin (the tall kind) with clear text. Write a description using that phrase two or three times naturally. You will be amazed at how fast Pinterest picks it up.
Step 6: The “Also Searched For” Treasure Chest
This is a tiny feature that almost nobody uses. And that is exactly why it is so powerful.
On Pinterest, after you search for something and scroll down a bit, you will see a section that says “Related searches” or “Also searched for.” These are not suggestions. These are actual searches that real people made after typing your original keyword.
Let me give you a real example. Search for “home workout.” Scroll down past the first few rows of pins. You will see a box that says “Related searches.” It might show:
- home workout no equipment
- home workout for beginners
- home workout 30 minutes
- home workout for weight loss
Each one of these is a keyword. But do not stop there. Click on “home workout no equipment.” Now look at the related searches for that page. You might see:
- home workout no equipment no jumping
- home workout no equipment apartment friendly
- home workout no equipment for seniors
Do you see how specific these get? “Home workout no equipment apartment friendly for seniors” is an incredibly low-competition keyword. Probably zero big fitness accounts are targeting that exact phrase. But there are real people searching for it. If you create a simple pin with a 15-minute video or a 5-step infographic for that exact audience, Pinterest will show your pin to those people. You might get thousands of views from one tiny keyword.
How to Use Your Low-Competition Keywords Once You Find Them
Finding the keywords is only half the battle. You have to use them correctly. Otherwise, Pinterest will not know what your pin is about. Here is the simple formula.
First, your pin title. Your pin title is the most important place for your keyword. Use your exact low-competition keyword phrase at the beginning. For example, if your keyword is “easy gluten free dessert for kids,” your title should be exactly that: “Easy Gluten Free Dessert for Kids – 3 Ingredients.” Do not get fancy. Be clear.
Second, your pin description. The description is the second most important place. Write 100 to 200 words that naturally use your keyword two or three times. Do not stuff it in there like a robot. Write normally. For example: “Looking for an easy gluten free dessert for kids? This 3-ingredient recipe is perfect. This easy gluten free dessert for kids takes only 10 minutes. Save this easy gluten free dessert for kids for your next birthday party.” See how it flows? That is perfect.
Third, your board name. If you have a board related to your keyword, rename that board to include the keyword. Instead of “Desserts,” name your board “Easy Gluten Free Desserts for Kids.” Pinterest reads board names. This tells the algorithm that you are a real expert on this tiny topic.
Fourth, your file name. When you upload your pin image, rename the image file before uploading. Most people leave it as “IMG_4523.jpg.” Change it to “easy-gluten-free-dessert-for-kids.jpg.” Pinterest reads file names too. It is a small detail, but it helps.
A Real Example from Start to Finish
Let me walk you through a complete example so you see how fast and easy this is.
Imagine you have a small blog about budget travel. You want to get traffic from Pinterest. You open Pinterest and type “budget travel” into the search bar. Pinterest suggests “budget travel europe.” You click that. Then you see “budget travel europe summer.” You click that. Then you see “budget travel europe summer family.” That is your low-competition keyword.
You check the competition. You search for “budget travel europe summer family.” The top results have only 50 to 100 saves. Most pins are from small travel blogs. Perfect.
You create a vertical pin. The pin title says “Budget Travel Europe Summer Family – 7 Days Under $1000.” The description says: “Planning budget travel Europe summer family trip? Here is a 7-day itinerary for under $1000. This budget travel Europe summer family guide includes hotels, food, and free activities. Save this budget travel Europe summer family plan for your next vacation.”
You rename your image file to “budget-travel-europe-summer-family.jpg.” You save the pin to a board called “Budget Travel Europe Summer Family Tips.”
Within a few days, Pinterest starts showing your pin to people searching for that exact phrase. You get clicks. You get saves. You get traffic. All because you stopped chasing big keywords and started chasing low-competition keywords.
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Pinterest Keyword Research
Even with the best keywords, people make mistakes. Avoid these four traps.
Mistake 1: Using the same keyword over and over. Pinterest does not like duplicate content. If you make ten pins with the exact same title and description, Pinterest will stop showing them. Instead, find ten different low-competition keywords. Make one pin for each.
Mistake 2: Ignoring seasonality. Some keywords are only popular at certain times. “Halloween decoration ideas” is huge in September and October but dead in March. That is fine. Just plan ahead. Do your keyword research for Christmas in July. For summer travel in February. Be early.
Mistake 3: Making pins that do not match the keyword. This is a big one. If your keyword is “easy chicken dinner for beginners,” your pin must show an easy chicken dinner. Not a fancy five-course meal. Not a beef recipe. Pinterest checks if people click your pin and then bounce back to search results. If they bounce, Pinterest thinks your pin is not useful. Match your content to your keyword exactly.
Mistake 4: Forgetting about mobile users. Almost 85% of Pinterest users are on their phones. Your keyword research is useless if your pin is hard to read on a small screen. Use big, bold text. Use high-contrast colors. Make sure your keyword phrase is visible without zooming in.
How to Track If Your Low-Competition Keywords Are Working
You have done the research. You have made the pins. Now what? You need to check if your work is paying off. And you do not need any fancy tools for this either.
Switch your Pinterest account to a business account. It is free. Do it right now if you have not already. Once you have a business account, you get access to Pinterest Analytics.
Go to Analytics > Overview. Look at the “Top pins” section. This shows you which of your pins got the most impressions (how many times people saw it) and clicks in the last 30 days.
Click on a pin that is doing well. Look at the search terms that people used to find that pin. This is pure gold. Pinterest shows you exactly what keywords real people typed before they saw your pin. Some of those search terms might be brand new low-competition keywords you never thought of. Write them down. Make more pins for those terms.
Also look at the engagement rate. That is clicks divided by impressions. If your pin has 1,000 impressions but only 10 clicks, that is a 1% engagement rate. That is low. It means your pin title or image is not matching what people expected. Try changing the title slightly. Or use a different image. Test different low-competition keywords until you find ones that get 3%, 5%, or even 10% engagement.
A Simple Daily Routine for Pinterest Keyword Research
You do not need to spend hours every day. In fact, 15 minutes a day is plenty. Here is a routine that works.
Day 1: Open Pinterest. Type your main niche word. Spend 10 minutes clicking through predictions and related searches. Write down 10 low-competition keywords in a notebook or a simple spreadsheet.
Day 2: Take those 10 keywords. Search each one on Pinterest. Check the competition (brands vs. small creators, save counts). Remove any that look too hard. You should end up with 5 good keywords.
Day 3: Create one pin for each of your 5 keywords. Write titles and descriptions. Make simple images using Canva (free version is fine). Schedule them using Pinterest’s free scheduling tool or just pin them throughout the day.
Day 4: Check your analytics from pins you made last week. See which keywords are bringing traffic. Make more pins for those winners.
Day 5: Repeat from Day 1.
If you do this simple routine every week, you will build a library of hundreds of low-competition keywords over a few months. Your traffic will grow steadily. And you will never run out of ideas.
The Long-Term Strategy: Building a Keyword-Rich Pinterest Profile
Finding individual keywords is great. But the real power comes when your entire Pinterest profile is built around low-competition keywords.
Start with your profile name. Do not just use your name. Use your name plus a keyword. Instead of “Jane Smith,” use “Jane Smith | Easy Gluten Free Recipes.” That keyword tells Pinterest exactly what you offer.
Next, your bio. Write a short bio that includes two or three of your best low-competition keywords. For example: “Sharing easy gluten free dessert for kids and quick gluten free dinner ideas for busy moms.”
Then your board names. Every board should target a specific low-competition keyword. No board named “Misc” or “Random stuff.” Every board name should be a phrase that someone might actually search for.
Finally, your pins. Every pin should target one unique low-competition keyword. Do not put multiple keywords in one pin. One pin. One keyword. That is the secret.
When you do all this, Pinterest starts to see you as an authority. Not on broad topics like “food” or “travel.” But on very specific, narrow topics like “easy gluten free dessert for kids” or “budget travel europe summer family.” And that is exactly where the traffic lives.
Final Thoughts: Start Today, Not Tomorrow
Here is the truth. Most people read articles like this, feel motivated, and then do nothing. They go back to guessing keywords. They go back to competing against big brands. And they get disappointed when nobody sees their pins.
Do not be that person.
Pinterest keyword research is not hard. It is not expensive. It just takes a little patience and a simple method. Open Pinterest right now. Type one word related to your hobby or business. Look at the predictions. Click through. Write down one low-competition keyword. Just one. Then create one pin for that keyword today.
That one pin could bring you traffic for months or even years. Because on Pinterest, old pins never die. They keep getting discovered. So start small. Stay consistent. And watch your traffic grow from those tiny, beautiful, low-competition keywords that nobody else bothered to find.
