Pinterest Carousel Pins: Boost CTR by 150%

Pinterest Carousel Pins: How To Increase Click-Through Rates by 150%

A social media manager opens Pinterest analytics and sees a pattern. Standard image pins barely move the needle, while a few experimental Pinterest carousel pins are driving two or even three times more clicks. Same board, same audience, very different results.

That is the power of the carousel format when it is used with intent. Pinterest carousel pins group two to five swipeable cards into one pin, so a single asset can tell a story, show a full product line, or break down a tutorial step by step. For any serious Pinterest marketing strategy, this format has become one of the most reliable ways to increase clicks and turn browsers into site visitors or buyers.

The problem is that many marketers either ignore carousels or simply copy Instagram slides without adjusting for how people scroll and tap on Pinterest. Covers do not hook attention, the story stalls halfway through, and calls to action are weak or missing. The result is a format with huge upside but very hit-or-miss performance.

This guide walks through how to change that. You will see what makes Pinterest carousel pins special, how to create them inside Pinterest, seven proven design tactics that can raise click-through rates by as much as 150%, and how PostNitro helps you build carousels in minutes instead of hours. By the end, you will have a clear plan to turn carousels into one of the best-performing pieces of your Pinterest advertising and content mix.

Key Takeaways

• Well-planned Pinterest carousel pins can raise click-through rates by around 150% compared with standard static pins. The extra space lets you deliver more value and increase Pinterest clicks in a single asset. When the cover and call to action are strong, the format becomes a reliable traffic driver.
• The multi-card layout is perfect for storytelling, tutorials, and product sets. You can show several angles, features, or steps without asking people to leave Pinterest right away. This keeps attention longer and supports a Pinterest marketing strategy that feels helpful instead of pushy.
• Carousel creation requires a Pinterest business account, desktop access, and images that meet the right size and file rules. With PostNitro, you can design the full sequence quickly, keep Pinterest pin design on brand, and then simply upload the finished images through your browser.
• Long-term results come from data, not guesses. Testing covers, card order, and calls to action helps with Pinterest CTR optimization and steady gains in Pinterest pin performance over time.

What Are Pinterest Carousel Pins And Why Do They Drive Higher Engagement?

Pinterest carousel pins are swipeable pins that hold several images, called cards, inside a single post. Instead of one static picture, you can include two to five separate graphics in one pin. Each card can carry its own text and even its own destination link, which turns one asset into a small content hub.

In the main feed, a carousel pin looks similar to a regular pin but often shows small dots under the image. Those dots hint that more cards sit behind the first one. People can swipe sideways right inside the feed or tap to open the full pin and then swipe through each card in a larger view.

One powerful feature is link control. Pinterest allows each card in a carousel pin to point to a different URL. A fashion carousel can send clicks from each card to a separate product page, or a B2B brand can link different cards to different blog posts in the same topic cluster. When someone saves the carousel, they save the whole set of cards, not just one image.

“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” — Seth Godin

Several factors help carousel pins earn higher engagement and click-through rates than standard pins:

• Carousels match how people like to consume stories. Instead of reading a long caption, they tap through a sequence of clear, focused cards. Each swipe feels like low effort and gives a tiny hit of progress, which keeps people moving forward. That extra time spent on your content sends a strong quality signal to the Pinterest algorithm.
• The format is made for product discovery. A single carousel pin can show a before and after, several color options, close-up detail shots, and user photos. That helps answer common questions without leaving the platform. More clarity lowers hesitation, which often leads to more outbound clicks and more confident buyers.
• Pinterest’s audience is heavily mobile, and carousels work very well on phones. Vertical cards fill the screen, and swiping feels natural. Well-designed Pinterest carousel pins keep important text large and central, so scrolling stays smooth and people do not strain to read.

When carousels are done well, many marketers see higher save rates, longer viewing time, and click-through lifts in the range of 30% to 150% compared with similar static pins. Those engagement signals tell Pinterest that your content is worth showing to more people, which creates a positive cycle of reach and results for Pinterest business marketing.

How To Create Pinterest Carousel Pins: Technical Requirements And Step-By-Step Process

Creating Pinterest carousel pins is not hard, but the tools sit inside the Pinterest Ads Manager and only work from desktop. Once you know where to click and which specs to follow, the process becomes quick and repeatable.

First, a few basics. You need a Pinterest business account, not a personal profile. Your account must be located in a country where Pinterest ads are available, because the carousel builder lives inside the ads interface even for organic pins. You also need access to a computer, since Pinterest does not yet let you create carousel pins from the mobile app.

On the image side, Pinterest has clear rules you should follow to avoid upload errors:

• Every carousel pin must include at least two and no more than five images. Staying in the middle of that range often works best for engagement and makes planning easier.
• Only static images are allowed. That means standard PNG or JPEG files, not video clips, GIFs, or animated graphics. If you want motion, you will need to use a different pin type.
• Images must be square or vertical. Pinterest recommends either a 1:1 or a 2:3 aspect ratio. For best results, use vertical images (for example, 1000 × 1500 pixels) so your pins claim more space on mobile screens.

Method 1 Using Ads Manager

This is the most common way to create both organic and promoted carousels.

1. Log in to your Pinterest business account on a desktop browser. Click the menu icon at the top and choose the option to create a new campaign under the Ads section.
2. Pick a manual campaign and choose an objective that fits your goal, such as traffic or conversions. If you only want an organic carousel pin for now, you can leave the budget fields empty and move forward.
3. On the ad group screen, scroll past targeting and budget if you are not ready to run paid Pinterest advertising. Near the bottom, look for the area where you can add new pins and click the plus sign.
4. Upload your first image, which will act as the hero card in your carousel. After it finishes uploading, a button appears that lets you add more images to this pin instead of creating a separate one.
5. Add the rest of your cards until you reach two to five total images. Drag cards into the order you want, since card one will show in the feed and the order shapes how people move through your story.
6. Fill in the board, title, description, and destination link fields. If you plan to use different URLs for certain cards, set those links on each card inside the builder.
7. Publish the pin. If you are ready to promote it, go back to the campaign view, select that pin as an ad, set your targeting and budget, and confirm the campaign.

Method 2 Using Bulk Editor

If you want to create many carousel pins at once, the Bulk Editor can save time.

1. From your business account, open the menu and choose the Bulk Editor under the Ads section. Download the sample spreadsheet so you get the correct column structure.
2. In the sheet, set the creative type to CAROUSEL for each row where you want a Pinterest carousel pin. Add file names for each card image, the main title and description, and the organic pin URL.
3. Add your destination URLs, either the same for every card or different for specific cards. If you plan to promote any of these pins right away, fill in campaign, ad group, and budget columns as well.
4. Upload the completed sheet back into the Bulk Editor. Pinterest will process the data, create the pins, and report any errors, such as missing files or wrong creative types.

For promoted carousels, Pinterest bills by impressions on the full pin, not by swipes on each card. Analytics also group performance at the pin level, so you will see total saves, clicks, and engagement for the whole carousel rather than card-by-card stats. Common snags include using personal accounts, uploading the wrong image ratio, and trying to add more than five cards, so double-check these points if you run into issues.

7 Proven Strategies To Design High-Converting Carousel Pins

Once you know how to publish Pinterest carousel pins, design choices decide whether they scroll past or drive traffic. These seven strategies come from tested Pinterest engagement tips and real campaigns that improved click-through rates.

1. Create an irresistible first card that compels the swipe. The hero card is the only part many people see, so it has to stop the scroll in a busy feed. Use a short, bold headline that promises clear value, such as a quick win or a fixed mistake. Strong contrast between text and background plus clean visuals helps your message stand out and invite that first swipe.
2. Build a logical narrative flow across all cards. Think of the carousel as a mini slide deck, with each card doing one job in a simple arc. Start with a hook, use the middle cards to deliver tips, proof, or product details, and keep the last card focused on one clear call to action.
   • For tutorials, give one step per card.
   • For product sets, move from overview to close-ups to social proof.
3. Incorporate visual swipe cues and navigation elements. Many people still do not realize a pin is a carousel unless you guide them. Add small arrows, subtle prompts like swipe for more, or slide numbers in a corner that say where they are in the sequence. You can also design a background image that flows across cards, which creates a continuous feel and nudges people to keep swiping.
4. Maintain consistent brand identity while creating visual interest. Use the same core fonts, color palette, and logo placement across your cards so people recognize your brand at a glance. At the same time, vary layouts, photos, or accent colors from card to card to avoid a flat, repetitive look. PostNitro helps by applying your brand assets automatically while still giving you fresh Pinterest pin design variations that look related, not identical.
5. Optimize typography and readability for mobile viewing. Most people see Pinterest carousel pins on phones, so text that feels normal on desktop can become tiny on a small screen. Aim for large headings, short lines, and plenty of spacing around text blocks. Keep important text away from the very top and bottom edges where Pinterest interface elements might cover it, and limit text so the image still carries a big part of the message.
6. Place strategic calls to action on the final card. The last card should make the next step obvious, whether that is read the full guide, shop the collection, or book a demo. Use clear action verbs and restate the benefit they gain by clicking, and pair the text with a simple visual cue like a button shape or arrow that points toward the link area. Match this call to action with the destination URL so the click feels natural and expected.
7. Use data-driven A/B testing to refine performance. Do not assume your first version is the best one. Test different hero images, headlines, background colors, or even card order to see what lifts swipe-through and outbound clicks. Track metrics like saves, total engagement, and click-through rate for each test group. With a tool like PostNitro, you can spin up new versions quickly, which makes ongoing Pinterest CTR optimization far more realistic.

“Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.” — W. Edwards Deming

How PostNitro Accelerates High-Quality Carousel Pin Creation

Designing high-performing Pinterest carousel pins by hand can eat hours every week. Many teams struggle with the same issues again and again, such as slow design cycles, inconsistent branding across pins, and carousels that never quite match the quality seen from bigger brands.

PostNitro was built to remove that drag. Its AI-powered carousel creator can turn a topic, outline, or existing article into a full multi-slide draft in minutes. The platform suggests hooks, slide order, and supporting copy that already follow best practices for storytelling and engagement, so you are not starting from a blank canvas every time.

From there, you can:

• Choose from a template library that fits Pinterest specs.
• Use a drag-and-drop editor to tweak layouts, images, and text without advanced design skills.
• Apply brand fonts, colors, and logos across all slides in one click, so every Pinterest carousel pin stays aligned with your visual style while still allowing creative variation.

PostNitro also includes helpful visual features for carousels, such as panoramic backgrounds that stretch across several slides and built-in call-to-action button styles. You can create between three and twenty slides per project, then export the specific two to five images you want to upload to Pinterest. That makes it easy to repurpose longer LinkedIn or Instagram carousels into tighter Pinterest sets.

For teams that scale content, CSV import and bulk export features speed up production even more. One B2B SaaS company used PostNitro carousels to explain complex products on social media and saw a 150% increase in engagement. The same clear structure and design that worked there applies directly to Pinterest carousel pins, giving you a strong head start. If you want to boost carousel output without burning time, PostNitro is a practical way to do it.

Conclusion

Pinterest carousel pins give you far more room to tell a story and move people toward a click than a single static image. When you combine the right technical setup with smart design, it is realistic to see click-through rates rise by fifty percent, one hundred percent, or even around one hundred fifty percent compared with your older pins.

The winning formula rests on three pillars:

• Get the basics right by using a business account, correct image sizes, and desktop creation tools.
• Design with intent, from a scroll-stopping first card to a focused final call to action that fits your link.
• Keep testing and improving based on real data from your Pinterest analytics.

You do not have to handle all of this alone. With a platform like PostNitro, you can plan topics, generate slide content, keep brand visuals steady, and export ready-to-upload carousels in just a few minutes. Start by creating one new Pinterest carousel pin using the strategies in this guide, then watch how it performs against your older static pins. With consistent effort and smart tools, carousels can become a core driver of traffic and results for your Pinterest business marketing.

FAQs

Can I Create Pinterest Carousel Pins From My Mobile Device?

Right now, Pinterest only lets you create carousel pins from a desktop browser. The builder lives inside the Pinterest Ads Manager, which is not fully available in the mobile app for creation tasks. You can still view, swipe, save, and click on carousel pins from any phone or tablet. A simple workflow is to design your images in PostNitro or a similar tool, save them, and then upload the files through Pinterest on desktop.

What Is The Ideal Number Of Cards For Maximum Click-Through Rates?

Pinterest allows between two and five cards per carousel pin, but the sweet spot often sits at three or four. That range gives you enough space to tell a short story, explain a product, or share a mini guide without losing attention before the final call to action. Two cards may feel a bit thin and do not fully use the format. Five cards can work for tutorials, yet some people will drop off before the last slide, so watch your stats and test different counts.

How Long Does It Take To Create A Professional Pinterest Carousel Pin?

The time needed depends a lot on your tools and design comfort. Building a polished carousel from scratch in a graphics editor can take forty-five to ninety minutes once you factor in layout, copy, and image sourcing. With an AI-powered platform like PostNitro, many marketers cut that down to about five to ten minutes per carousel. You will still want extra time for planning the message and reviewing the final design, but each new pin gets faster once you have templates and saved brand assets.

Do Carousel Pins Perform Better As Organic Content Or Paid Ads?

Pinterest carousel pins can work very well in both organic and paid campaigns. As organic content, strong carousels often earn high save rates and keep sending traffic for months as they continue to surface in search and related feeds. As paid ads, they give you precise targeting and steady reach among the audiences you care about most. A smart approach is to share carousels organically first, see which ones perform best, then turn those winners into promoted pins to scale results, keeping the same design rules in place.

Can Each Card In A Carousel Link To A Different URL?

Yes, each card in a Pinterest carousel pin can have its own destination URL. That feature opens up advanced Pinterest business marketing ideas, such as linking every card in a fashion set to its own product page or sending people to different blog posts in a series. This multi-link setup is one reason carousel pin Pinterest campaigns work so well for product lines and content hubs. For the best experience, add clear text or visual hints on each card so people understand what they will reach when they tap.