How to Schedule Pinterest Pins via API

Schedule Pinterest pins programmatically using the SocialRails API. This guide covers image requirements, board selection, destination links, character limits, code examples, and best practices for automated Pinterest posting.

Character Limits

• Descriptions: 500 characters
• Titles: 100 characters
• Alt text: 500 characters
• Board names: 50 characters

Supported Content Types

API Example

# Upload image first
curl -X POST https://socialrails.com/api/v1/media/upload \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sr_live_YOUR_KEY" \
  -F "file=@my-pin-image.jpg"
 
# Then schedule the pin
curl -X POST https://socialrails.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sr_live_YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "10 tips for growing your business with social media marketing. Click through for the full guide!",
    "platform": "pinterest",
    "media": ["MEDIA_KEY_FROM_UPLOAD"],
    "scheduled_for": "2026-03-15T12:00:00Z",
    "platform_settings": {
      "pinterest": {
        "selectedBoard": "BOARD_ID",
        "destinationLink": "https://example.com/blog/social-media-tips"
      }
    }
  }'

Board Selection

Pinterest posting requires selecting a board. Use the selectedBoard field in platform settings to specify which board to pin to.

Discover your boards by calling the tools endpoint:

curl -X POST https://socialrails.com/api/v1/accounts/:id/tools \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sr_live_YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "tool": "boards"
  }'

• selectedBoard: Required. The ID of the Pinterest board to pin to.
• destinationLink: Optional. The URL users are taken to when they click through the pin. Essential for driving traffic to your website.

# Example response from the boards tool
{
  "boards": [
    { "id": "board_123", "name": "Marketing Tips" },
    { "id": "board_456", "name": "Product Updates" },
    { "id": "board_789", "name": "Inspiration" }
  ]
}

Best Practices

• Vertical images: Use a 2:3 aspect ratio (1000x1500px recommended), vertical pins take up more feed space and get more engagement
• Keyword-rich descriptions: Pinterest is a visual search engine, include relevant keywords in descriptions for SEO
• Pin consistently: 5-15 pins per day is optimal for growth, spread them throughout the day
• Call-to-action: Include a clear CTA in your pin description to drive clicks
• Destination links: Always include a destination link to drive traffic to your website or landing page
• Fresh content is favored by the algorithm over re-pins

Rate Limits

Pinterest API limits apply in addition to SocialRails rate limits:

• 100 write requests per hour
• 200 read requests per hour
• Rate limits are per user token

SocialRails handles these limits automatically and will retry failed posts.