A Real Pinterest Profile Makeover: What I'm Changing, and Why

I've started two makeovers at once this month. One is for one of my hobbies, a dolls house that's about to get its wiring done for proper electric lighting. The other is a Pinterest account that's been sitting neglected for a while. I'll admit only one of these is going to show quick results, and it isn't the one with pins.

The account in question is an old Oriflame Pinterest profile of mine. It's product-based rather than a coaching or service account, but I'm sharing the process here because the exact same foundations apply whether you're selling skincare, running a coaching practice, or offering a service. A profile is a profile. Pinterest needs the same clear signals from it either way.

Rather than write a generic "how to set up your Pinterest profile" post, I thought it would be more useful to actually show you one, in real time, warts and all. So here's what I've changed so far, and why.

The account name

The account was originally called Skincare, Self Care and Social Selling, a name I chose years ago and never revisited.

The problem is it doesn't tell Pinterest, or anyone landing on the profile, who it's actually for. "Social Selling" in particular isn't a phrase many people are searching, so it was doing nothing except taking up space. If Pinterest is going to show your content to the right people, your account name needs to make both the subject and the audience clear.

I've changed it to Skincare & Self-Care for Women 50+. Specific subject, specific audience, and language someone would genuinely type into a search bar.

Worth checking on your own account: does your account name say what it's about and who it's for, or is it just a name you picked once and forgot about?

The username

The username sits just under your account name (the @handle), and it doesn't need to match your account name exactly. Mine didn't fit well any more either, so I've changed it to @SkincareSelfCare50Plus.

One important thing I want to flag here, because it caught me out for a moment: changing your username changes the actual URL of your profile. If you've shared or linked your Pinterest profile anywhere, your website, your email signature, a lead magnet, check those links before you make the change, or you'll need to go back and update them afterwards.

The banner

It's easy to treat a profile banner as decoration. It isn't. Its job is to help someone understand, at a glance, the feel of the account and what they can expect from it, and to signal to Pinterest what the account is about.

A few things I kept in mind while redesigning mine:

• Don't simply repeat your account name or bio, use the space to say something additional

• You don't need your photo in the banner if your face already appears as your profile image

• Check how it looks on mobile as well as desktop, most people will see it on a phone

• Make sure the text is genuinely large enough to read at a glance

The finished banner adds to the profile rather than repeating what's already in the name and bio. It says something more specific about the account's direction, rather than just restating "this is about self-care" a second time.

The bio

The bio is the part I've spent the most time getting right, because it does the most work.

A Pinterest bio shouldn't just describe you or your business. It needs to make clear who the account is for and what they can expect from following it. Pinterest gives you up to 500 characters, but only roughly the first 160 are visible before someone has to click "read more," so your clearest, most important line needs to come first. Most visitors won't expand the rest.

The quick test I used, and one worth trying on your own bio: if someone read only the first line, would they know whether the account was meant for them?

What's still to come

The name, username, banner and bio are the foundations, and I wanted those right before touching anything else. Next is a proper look at boards, then content, then consistency, the same three things I talk about across the rest of this blog.

Unlike the dolls house, I won't have a satisfying before-and-after photo to show you next week. Pinterest builds momentum slowly, over months rather than days. What I can offer instead is an honest, real-time look at the process, including the bits I get wrong along the way.

Is it time for your own refresh?

If you've got a Pinterest account that's been quietly sitting there unloved, this is usually the exact starting point, name, username, banner, bio, before anything else. None of it takes long, and none of it requires a redesign of your whole strategy.

I'll be sharing each stage of this makeover as I go, in the Pin for Success Facebook Group, come and follow along, and feel free to bring your own account and work through it with me. And if you'd rather have a proper look at yours together, one to one, you're welcome to book a free discovery call.

👉 Book your free discovery call here