What Is a Pinterest Catalog? A Complete Guide

What a Pinterest catalog actually is

At its core, a Pinterest catalog is a structured list of products. Each product is one row with the same set of fields: an ID, a title, a description, a product page link, an image, a price, and whether it's in stock. Pinterest reads that list and creates a Product Pin for each row.

Product Pins look like regular pins, but they carry product details. Pinterest shows the price and stock status on the pin, keeps them updated from your catalog, and makes your products eligible for shopping surfaces and shopping ads.

What is a Pinterest data source?

The file or feed that holds your products is called a Pinterest data source. Pinterest accepts:

• CSV or TSV files - a spreadsheet saved as comma- or tab-separated text
• XML feeds - RSS 2.0 or Atom 1.0
• Google Sheets

You can upload a file by hand, or give Pinterest a URL where the file lives (http, https, ftp, or sftp - and it can be password-protected). With a hosted URL, Pinterest re-reads your data source about once every 24 hours, so price and stock changes flow through automatically. Manually uploaded files need to be refreshed at least every 30 days or your products stop being shown organically.

If you're building the file yourself, our Pinterest catalog CSV template and field guide lists every column and the exact formats Pinterest expects - or generate a ready-to-fill file in seconds with our free Pinterest Catalog CSV Template Generator.

What you need before you start

1. A Pinterest business account. Free - you can convert a personal account.
2. A claimed website. Every product link in your catalog must be on a website you've claimed on Pinterest.
3. The Pinterest tag installed on your website.
4. A website that meets Pinterest's merchant guidelines, with easy-to-find contact details, a shipping policy, and a refund policy.

The fields every product needs

Every row in a Pinterest product catalog needs seven fields: id, title, description, link, image_link, price, and availability. Products that come in variants (sizes, colors) also need item_group_id so Pinterest groups them together. Optional fields such as google_product_category, brand, product_type, and the custom labels help Pinterest show your products to the right people and let you organize them for ads.

How to set up a Pinterest catalog

1. Get your account ready - business account, claimed website, Pinterest tag.
2. Build your Pinterest data source - one row per product, in a format Pinterest accepts.
3. Add it in Pinterest. In your business account, open Catalogs and add a data source: paste the URL (with a username and password if it's protected) or upload the file.
4. Wait for processing. Pinterest checks every product and emails you when it's done. Fix any errors it reports - see How to Fix Pinterest Catalog Errors.
5. Organize and promote. Group products into product groups and, if you like, promote them with shopping ads. Product Groups and Shopping Ads covers how.

Keeping your catalog accurate

The catalog is only as good as the data in it. A product that's sold out on your website but "in stock" on Pinterest frustrates buyers. The simplest way to stay accurate is a hosted data source URL that's generated from your live product data, so Pinterest picks up every change on its next daily read. Pinterest's catalog diagnostics show which products uploaded, which failed, and which have warnings.

Don't use Shopify?

You don't need any particular store platform - a Pinterest catalog works with any website you own. Pinterest Catalog Without Shopify walks through the options.