Updated October 21, 2026 · 5 min read
The limits
| Field | Limit | Where it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Title | 100 characters | Under the image in the home feed, search results and boards. Cut off after about 40 characters on a phone. |
| Description | 800 characters | Only when someone opens the pin. Not in the home feed or search feed, per Pinterest's own help pages. |
| Alt text | 500 characters | Read aloud by screen readers. Not displayed. |
Pinterest reads all three for search. People see mostly the first one. That split decides how you write each field: the title has to earn the click, the description has to carry the keywords and keep the person who opened it, and the alt text has to describe the picture.
How to write a title
The title is the strongest text signal on the pin and the only text most people see. Three rules.
Keyword first. Put the main phrase in the first 40 characters, because that is the part that survives cropping in the feed. "Small Bathroom Storage Ideas for Renters" beats "Renting? Here Are Some Clever Ways to Store More in a Small Bathroom".
Say what they get. A number, a time, a constraint: "40 Minute", "No Equipment", "Under $50", "for Beginners". These are the words that separate your pin from the hundred others matching the same search.
Write it as a line, not a sentence. Title case, no period, no exclamation mark, no emoji. The feed is crowded and plain text reads fastest.
How to write a description
Nobody sees the description in the feed, so it does not have to hook. It has two readers: Pinterest search, and the person who has already opened the pin and is deciding whether to click through.
Pattern, in four sentences:
- Main keyword in a natural sentence that says what the pin is.
- One or two related phrases, as part of a detail about the content.
- Who it is for or what problem it solves.
- What is on the other side of the click.
Keep it between 150 and 400 characters. The limit is 800, but length is not a ranking factor and a long block of text makes the person reading it leave.
Never use a comma-separated list of keywords. Pinterest's community guidelines call out repetitive and misleading content, and a keyword list is the clearest example. Never paste the same description on many pins, for the same reason.
How to write alt text
Describe what is in the image as if to someone who cannot see it. Subject, setting, notable details. The keyword usually lands on its own because the image is about the topic. Do not repeat the description, and do not write "pin image" or the blog name.
Eight before-and-after examples
Each example gives the search the pin targets, then the rewrite.
1. Food blog, "sheet pan chicken thighs"
Before. Title: "Dinner tonight". Description: "chicken, sheet pan, easy, dinner, weeknight, healthy".
After. Title: "Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Vegetables: 40 Minute Dinner". Description: "These sheet pan chicken thighs with vegetables are an easy weeknight dinner on one pan. Crispy skin, roasted potatoes and carrots, 40 minutes start to finish. The recipe includes a timing chart and five seasoning swaps." Alt text: "Roasted chicken thighs, potatoes and carrots on a sheet pan, overhead view."
2. Home decor, "small living room layout"
Before. Title: "Our living room reveal".
After. Title: "Small Living Room Layout Ideas: 7 Ways to Arrange a Sofa". Description: "Seven small living room layout ideas for apartments and narrow rooms, with a floor plan for each. Covers where to put the sofa, how to fit a dining nook and which rugs make a small living room feel bigger."
3. Etsy seller, "gold hoop earrings"
Before. Title: "New listing". Description: "Check out my shop".
After. Title: "Minimalist Gold Hoop Earrings, Handmade 14k Gold Filled". Description: "Minimalist gold hoop earrings in 14k gold filled, handmade in small batches. Lightweight everyday hoops in three sizes, tarnish resistant and nickel free. Ships in two days from the shop."
4. Fashion, "business casual outfits for women"
Before. Title: "OOTD".
After. Title: "Business Casual Outfits for Women: 10 Looks for Fall". Description: "Ten business casual outfits for women built from a capsule of blazers, trousers and knits. Each fall outfit lists the pieces and where to find similar ones under $100."
5. Wedding, "backyard wedding on a budget"
Before. Title: "Our big day".
After. Title: "Backyard Wedding on a Budget: Real Costs for 60 Guests". Description: "How we planned a backyard wedding on a budget for 60 guests, with the full cost breakdown. Rentals, catering, string lights and the DIY wedding decor that actually saved money."
6. Travel, "3 day Lisbon itinerary"
Before. Title: "Lisbon photos".
After. Title: "3 Day Lisbon Itinerary: Neighborhoods, Food and Day Trips". Description: "A 3 day Lisbon itinerary for a first visit: Alfama and Belém on day one, Sintra day trip on day two, food and viewpoints on day three. Includes a map and the tram tips that save an hour."
7. Fitness, "20 minute home workout"
Before. Title: "Let's go".
After. Title: "20 Minute Home Workout, No Equipment, Beginner Friendly". Description: "A 20 minute home workout with no equipment, built for beginners. Four rounds of five moves, with the modifications for knees and wrists. Printable plan on the blog."
8. Parenting, "rainy day activities for toddlers"
Before. Title: "Stuck inside again".
After. Title: "Rainy Day Activities for Toddlers: 15 Ideas Using What You Have". Description: "Fifteen rainy day activities for toddlers using things already in the house: tape roads, sensory bins, a cardboard box fort. Grouped by age from 18 months to 3 years."
The mistakes that cost the most
- Clever titles. Puns and inside jokes do not contain the search phrase. Say the thing.
- Keyword lists. Spam signal, and nobody reads them.
- Keyword only at the end. Cropped out of the feed. Lead with it.
- Title that over-promises. "10 minute" on a 50 minute recipe gets the click and then the bounce, and Pinterest notices how long people stay.
- Same text on every pin. Near-duplicate pins are spam under the community guidelines. Give each fresh pin its own angle.
- Hashtags. Not clickable, counted as plain text. Use tagged topics instead.
A quick check before you publish
- Main phrase inside the first 40 characters of the title.
- Title under 100 characters, written as a line.
- Description: keyword in sentence one, two related phrases, one line about the click.
- Alt text describes the picture.
- Up to ten tagged topics chosen from Pinterest's list.
- Overlay text on the image matches the title.
Where to go next
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Pinterest pin title character limit?
- 100 characters. Pinterest's pin format page lists the title at 100 characters max for both image and video pins. Only the first 40 or so show in the feed on a phone, so put the main phrase at the start.
- What is the Pinterest pin description character limit?
- 800 characters, according to Pinterest's pin format specifications. The description does not show in the home feed or the search feed; people see it when they open the pin. Pinterest reads the whole thing for search.
- How long should a description actually be?
- Two to four sentences, roughly 150 to 400 characters. Long enough to use the main keyword in the first sentence and two or three related phrases after it, short enough that someone opening the pin reads it. Filling all 800 characters is rarely useful.
- Does alt text help Pinterest SEO?
- Yes, as a supporting signal. Alt text exists for people using screen readers, so describe the image literally. Pinterest reads it and treats it as one more confirmation of the topic. It is capped at 500 characters.
- Can I edit a title after publishing?
- Yes. Edit the pin and change the title, description, alt text, board or topics. The image cannot be changed, so if the image is the problem, publish a fresh pin.