Scheduling Pins

This guide walks you through the complete process of scheduling a pin to Pinterest using the Tailwind API.

Overview

Scheduling a pin involves four steps:

1. Get your Pinterest accounts
2. Choose a board to pin to
3. Create the post with a schedule time
4. Verify the post was scheduled

Prerequisites

• A Tailwind account with at least one Pinterest account connected
• Your API key
• A media URL to pin (image or video)

Step 1: List Your Accounts

First, retrieve your Pinterest accounts to get the account ID you’ll use for scheduling.

curl -X GET https://api-v1.tailwind.ai/v1/accounts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Response:

{
  "data": {
    "accounts": [
      {
        "id": "acc_123456",
        "userId": "987654321",
        "displayName": "My Pinterest",
        "username": "mypinterest",
        "avatarUrl": "https://...",
        "tokenAuthorized": true,
        "isDomainVerified": true,
        "createdAt": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "req_abc123"
  }
}

Note the id field (acc_123456) - you’ll need this for subsequent requests.

Step 2: Get Available Boards

List the boards for your account to find where you want to pin.

curl -X GET https://api-v1.tailwind.ai/v1/accounts/acc_123456/boards \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Response:

{
  "data": {
    "boards": [
      {
        "id": "board_789",
        "name": "Recipe Ideas",
        "isCollaborator": false,
        "isSecret": false
      },
      {
        "id": "board_456",
        "name": "Home Decor",
        "isCollaborator": false,
        "isSecret": false
      }
    ]
  },
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "req_def456"
  }
}

Step 3: Create and Schedule the Post

Create a post with all the pin details and a scheduled time.

curl -X POST https://api-v1.tailwind.ai/v1/accounts/acc_123456/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "mediaUrl": "https://example.com/my-beautiful-image.jpg",
    "title": "Amazing Recipe You Must Try",
    "description": "This delicious recipe will become your new favorite! Easy to make and perfect for weeknight dinners. #recipes #cooking #dinner",
    "url": "https://myblog.com/amazing-recipe",
    "boardId": "board_789",
    "altText": "A colorful plate of pasta with fresh vegetables",
    "sendAt": "2024-01-20T14:00:00Z"
  }'

Response:

{
  "data": {
    "post": {
      "id": "post_abc123",
      "status": "queued",
      "mediaUrl": "https://example.com/my-beautiful-image.jpg",
      "mediaType": "image",
      "title": "Amazing Recipe You Must Try",
      "description": "This delicious recipe will become your new favorite!...",
      "url": "https://myblog.com/amazing-recipe",
      "boardId": "board_789",
      "altText": "A colorful plate of pasta with fresh vegetables",
      "sendAt": 1705758000,
      "sentAt": null,
      "createdAt": 1705320000,
      "pinId": null
    }
  },
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "req_ghi789"
  }
}

The post is now scheduled! The status: "queued" confirms it’s in the queue.

Step 4: Verify Your Scheduled Post

List your queued posts to verify everything looks correct.

curl -X GET "https://api-v1.tailwind.ai/v1/accounts/acc_123456/posts?status=queued" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Scheduling a Video Pin

To schedule a video pin, set mediaType to "video" and provide a URL to a video file (.mp4, .mov, or .qt). External video URLs are automatically uploaded and processed.

curl -X POST https://api-v1.tailwind.ai/v1/accounts/acc_123456/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "mediaUrl": "https://example.com/my-video.mp4",
    "mediaType": "video",
    "title": "Watch This Amazing Tutorial",
    "description": "Step-by-step guide to creating beautiful content #tutorial #video",
    "url": "https://myblog.com/tutorial",
    "boardId": "board_789",
    "sendAt": "2024-01-20T14:00:00Z"
  }'

The response is the same as for image pins, with mediaType: "video".

Creating Draft Posts

If you want to save a post without scheduling it, simply omit the sendAt field:

curl -X POST https://api-v1.tailwind.ai/v1/accounts/acc_123456/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "mediaUrl": "https://example.com/image.jpg",
    "title": "Draft Post",
    "description": "I will schedule this later",
    "boardId": "board_789"
  }'

The post will be created with status: "draft". Including title, description, url, and boardId is recommended so the draft can be scheduled later without additional updates.

Scheduling a Draft Post

To schedule a draft post later, use the schedule endpoint. The post must already have title, description, url, and boardId set. If the draft doesn’t have a boardId, you can provide one in the request body:

curl -X POST https://api-v1.tailwind.ai/v1/accounts/acc_123456/posts/post_abc123/schedule \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "sendAt": "2024-01-25T09:00:00Z",
    "boardId": "board_789"
  }'

Using Smart Schedule Timeslots

Instead of picking a specific time, you can use your smart schedule timeslots. First, list your timeslots:

curl -X GET https://api-v1.tailwind.ai/v1/accounts/acc_123456/timeslots \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Response:

{
  "data": {
    "timeslots": [
      {
        "id": "slot_1",
        "accountId": "acc_123456",
        "dayPreference": 1,
        "timePreference": "09:00",
        "timezone": "America/New_York",
        "type": "optimal",
        "sendAt": 1705755600
      }
    ]
  }
}

Use the sendAt timestamp from a timeslot when creating your post.

Best Practices

Pin Titles

• Keep titles under 100 characters
• Make them descriptive and keyword-rich
• Front-load the most important words

Pin Descriptions

• Use up to 500 characters
• Include relevant keywords naturally
• Add 2-5 relevant hashtags at the end
• Include a call to action

Alt Text

• Describe the image for accessibility
• Keep it factual and descriptive
• Helps with Pinterest search too

Scheduling Times

• Use ISO 8601 format: 2024-01-20T14:00:00Z
• Schedule at least 15 minutes in the future
• Consider your audience’s timezone

Required Fields When Scheduling

When scheduling a post (i.e., sendAt is provided), the following fields are required:

Field	Description
mediaUrl	URL of the media file (always required)
title	Pin title (max 100 characters)
description	Pin description (max 500 characters)
url	Destination URL when the pin is clicked
boardId	Target board ID
sendAt	When to publish the pin (ISO 8601)

If you omit sendAt, the post is saved as a draft and only mediaUrl is required.

Error Handling

Common errors when scheduling:

Error Code	Meaning	Solution
400	Invalid request	Check required fields and formats. When scheduling, title, description, url, and boardId are all required.
401	Unauthorized	Verify your API key
404	Account not found	Check the account ID
422	Unprocessable media	Ensure the media URL is publicly accessible and points to a valid file

Example error response:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "BAD_REQUEST",
    "message": "sendAt must be at least 15 minutes in the future"
  },
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "req_xyz789"
  }
}

Next Steps

• View JavaScript examples for a complete implementation
• Learn about rate limits
• Explore the MCP Server for AI-powered scheduling