Short answer: On Pinterest, people can follow your whole profile or just one of your public boards. A profile follower has shown interest in you as a creator or brand, while a board follower has shown interest in one topic you curate. Neither guarantees they see every Pin, so saves, outbound clicks and engaged audience usually tell you more about how your Pinterest is really doing.
Pinterest works differently from most social networks. People come to it to plan and discover ideas, and boards, not just accounts, are what they collect. That is why Pinterest has two kinds of follower and why the follower number on its own can be misleading.
What is the difference between profile followers and board followers?
The simplest way to think about it:
- Following a profile is the broad option. It tells Pinterest someone is interested in what you as a whole share, across your public boards.
- Following a board is the narrow option. Someone who loves your “small garden ideas” board but has no interest in your recipes can follow just that board.
For you as a creator, board follows are useful feedback. They show which topics people want more of, even if those people never follow your whole profile. A board that attracts follows on its own is often a sign you should create more Pins, or a related board, on that theme.
It works a bit like the split between connections and followers on LinkedIn, which we explain in LinkedIn followers vs connections: two kinds of relationship that both count, but in different ways.
Do your board followers see all your Pins?
No. Following tells Pinterest what someone is interested in, but Pinterest does not promise that followers will see every Pin you save. People also find Pins through search and recommendations, so a well-described Pin can reach people who have never followed you, while a follower can still miss Pins they would have liked.
Some board types change who can see anything at all:
Private boards
Pinterest’s help centre now calls these private boards (you may know them as secret boards). Only you and anyone you invite can see a private board, so followers do not see it unless you invite them. Saving a Pin to a private board does not notify the Pin’s creator or increase its save count, and private boards cannot be promoted with Pinterest ads.
Group boards
A group board is a shared board you create by inviting collaborators. As the owner, you choose what each collaborator can do, from adding, moving and deleting Pins to saving and commenting, inviting others or letting people request to join. Collaborators are not the same as followers: they help build the board, while followers simply watch it.
Private profiles
If your whole profile is private, Pinterest says it is only visible to people you invite to follow you. That suits personal planning, but not a brand or creator trying to be found.
Which Pinterest metrics matter more than followers?
Pinterest Analytics lists followers among its core numbers, but the metrics below usually say more about whether your Pins are working:
| Metric | What Pinterest counts | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Impressions | How many times your Pins were on screen | Shows reach, including people who do not follow you |
| Saves | How many times people saved your Pin to a board | Saves spread your Pin to new boards and audiences |
| Pin clicks | Clicks that open your Pin in close-up | Shows the image or title made people curious |
| Outbound clicks | Actions that take people to a destination off Pinterest | The key number for traffic to your site or shop |
| Engaged audience | People who engaged with your Pins | A better audience measure than follower count |
If you sell products or publish content, outbound clicks are usually the number to optimise. Where those clicks land matters too; our guide to what to put in your link in bio covers the same thinking for profile links. To compare engagement across platforms, see what a good engagement rate is.
How do you get more board followers?
Board followers come from boards that are easy to understand and worth returning to. A few habits help:
- Name boards for searches, such as “Small garden ideas” rather than “Outside stuff”, and add a clear description.
- Keep each board focused on one topic so people know exactly what they will get by following it.
- Add fresh Pins regularly to the boards that already attract follows.
- Use private boards for drafts and make them public once they are worth following.
We cover the wider strategy, from keywords to posting cadence, in how to grow on Pinterest. If you want to give a new board a little initial social proof, StreamElevate also offers Pinterest board followers delivered to the public board link, but saves and outbound clicks still depend on Pins people genuinely want.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone follow a Pinterest board without following my profile?
Yes. That is the point of board follows: people can follow only the topics they care about, without following everything else you save.
Do board followers count towards my profile follower number?
Pinterest does not explain in detail how board and profile follows are combined in the figure shown on your profile, so the most reliable way to track growth is the follows data in Pinterest Analytics over time.
Can followers see my private boards?
No. Only you and people you invite can see a private board. Pinterest may still use private boards to suggest Pins in your own home feed, but those suggestions are visible only to you.
What happens when I block someone who follows my boards?
A blocked account can no longer follow you, message you or interact with your Pins, and the blocked person is not notified. Their Pins also stop appearing in your home feed.
Sources: Pinterest Help: Private boards, Pinterest Help: Group boards, Pinterest Help: Pinterest Analytics, Pinterest Help: Block or unblock someone