Skip to main content
Pinterest Ads · BYO Setup Guide

Set up your own
Pinterest Developers app.

This guide walks you through creating a Pinterest Developers app that VelaReach will use to connect your Pinterest Business advertising account — on your own credentials, your own rate limits, your own branded consent screen. Takes about 8 minutes of clicking, plus a Pinterest app review (most basic ads apps approved within a few days).

~8 min setup Medium Business account required
✓
Use BYO if
  • · You manage Pinterest ads for multiple brands and want isolated tokens
  • · You’ve hit the shared VelaReach app’s rate limits
  • · Your security team requires a dedicated app per data flow
  • · You want your brand name on the OAuth consent screen
✗
Stick with shared app if
  • · You only have a personal Pinterest account (not Business)
  • · You don’t want to wait for Pinterest’s app review
  • · You want to be connected in the next 60 seconds
  • · You’re running ads at modest volume on a single account

Before you begin

1

Sign in to Pinterest Developers

Go to developers.pinterest.com and sign in with your Pinterest business account credentials. The first time you sign in, you’ll be asked to accept the developer terms — do that. You’ll land on the developer dashboard.

ⓘ
If Pinterest asks you to verify your email or domain at this step, complete it before continuing — unverified accounts can’t create apps.
2

Create a new app

From the Pinterest Developers dashboard click My apps in the top navigation, then Connect app. Pinterest will ask for an app name, description, and contact email.

https://developers.pinterest.com/apps/new
Pinterest for Developers · Connect a new app
↑ This name appears on the OAuth consent screen.
Create

Be specific in the description — Pinterest reviewers read it manually.

ⓘ
Pinterest is more accommodating than other platforms with internal-use apps. If your app is just for managing your own ad accounts, say so clearly — reviewers usually approve those within a couple of days.
3

Fill out the policy URLs and request scopes

Once the app is created, Pinterest drops you on the app settings page. Scroll to App details and fill in:

  • · Privacy policy URL — https://velareach.metaminds.store/privacy (or your own)
  • · Terms of service URL — https://velareach.metaminds.store/terms (or your own)
  • · Logo — upload a square 512×512 PNG of your brand

Then scroll to Scopes and request the following permissions: ads:read, ads:write, user_accounts:read, boards:read, pins:read. These are the scopes VelaReach needs to read campaign performance and (optionally) push budget changes.

4

Add the VelaReach redirect URL

On the same app settings page, scroll to Redirect URIs and paste this exact URL:

https://api.velareach.metaminds.store/api/v1/integrations/pinterest/callback
https://developers.pinterest.com/apps/.../settings
VelaReach-Ads · App settings
↑ Pinterest requires HTTPS and an exact match. No trailing slash.
Save

Pinterest is strict about HTTPS — http:// URLs are silently rejected.

⚠
This is the most common point of failure. If OAuth later returns “Invalid redirect URI”, come back and check the URL is character-identical. Pinterest is unforgiving about trailing slashes, capitalisation, and protocol — it must be HTTPS and an exact match.
5

Submit for app review

Click Submit for review at the bottom of the settings page. Pinterest will email you when the review is complete — basic ads scopes for internal-use apps are usually approved within 2–5 business days.

While you wait, your app works in Trial mode — you can already complete OAuth flow as the app owner, so VelaReach’s test step in Step 7 will succeed even before the review email arrives. Review only matters if you want other users (teammates, clients) to OAuth into your app.

ⓘ
Pinterest’s review process is the friendliest of the major ad platforms in our experience — expect a green light unless your description is suspiciously vague or your privacy policy URL doesn’t resolve.
6

Copy your App ID and App Secret Key

Back on the app settings page, scroll to the top. Pinterest displays your App ID and App Secret Key. Click the eye icon next to the secret to reveal it, then copy both.

https://developers.pinterest.com/apps/.../settings
VelaReach-Ads · Credentials
↑ Numeric, usually 7 digits.
Show key ↑ Click to reveal — Pinterest will require re-confirmation.

The App ID is safe to share. The App Secret Key is sensitive — never paste it in chat or email.

🔒
VelaReach encrypts your App Secret Key with AES-256-GCM the instant you submit it. It is never written to logs, never displayed back in plaintext, and never shared between workspaces.
7

Paste credentials into VelaReach and reconnect

Back in VelaReach: Settings → Integrations → click the Pinterest Ads card → Manage → Advanced tab → Set up BYO app. The wizard asks for two fields:

  • · App ID — from Step 6 (numeric, ~7 digits)
  • · App Secret Key — from Step 6 (long alphanumeric string)

Click Test & save. VelaReach calls Pinterest’s OAuth discovery endpoint to verify the App ID exists and the redirect URI matches. Green check marks mean you’re ready to click Reconnect now →.

The OAuth consent screen will display your VelaReach-Ads app name and logo rather than VelaReach’s shared one. After consent, VelaReach pulls your Pinterest ad accounts and shows the account picker.

⚠
The first sync will feel slow. Pinterest aggressively rate-limits new connections to roughly 1 request per second, so the initial backfill can take 15–30 minutes depending on how many ad accounts and how much history you have. Once the initial sync finishes, ongoing syncs are fast. Don’t panic if you see the progress bar stuck at 5% for several minutes — it’s normal.

After reconnecting, what changes?

✓ Preserved
  • · All historical Pinterest spend, impressions, and conversions
  • · Your ad account picker selection
  • · Pin-level performance data and saved view configs
  • · Scheduled reports and Slack notifications
  • · Every audience, tag, filter, and creative test
✦ Changed
  • · OAuth tokens revoked and re-minted via your Pinterest app
  • · Card shows violet BYO app pill
  • · Consent screen on future reconnects displays your app name + logo
  • · Audit log records who switched and when
  • · API calls count against your app’s rate limits (not VelaReach’s)

Bonus: Pinterest access tokens last 365 days — the longest of any major ad platform. You won’t need to re-authenticate for an entire year.

Troubleshooting

“Invalid redirect URI”
Pinterest is unforgiving about exact-match comparison. The redirect URI must be HTTPS, with no trailing slash, and character-identical to the URL you saved in Step 4. Open your app on developers.pinterest.com → settings, delete what’s in the Redirect URIs field, and paste again using the Copy button. Save, then re-run OAuth from VelaReach. If you recently changed the URL, give Pinterest 60 seconds to propagate before retrying.
My app has been “In review” for 10+ days
Pinterest’s review queue gets backed up occasionally. Email developers@pinterest.com with your App ID and a short note that says you’re an internal-use app blocked on ads scopes — they usually unblock within a day or two. While you wait, OAuth still works for the app owner, so VelaReach’s BYO setup will function for you personally even before the review completes.
The sync has been stuck at 5% for 20 minutes
That’s expected on the first connection. Pinterest applies aggressive per-app rate limits to new tokens (~1 request/second) and the first backfill has to walk every ad account, campaign, ad group, ad, and conversion event. For a typical mid-sized advertiser the initial sync takes 15–30 minutes. Subsequent syncs are dramatically faster because they’re incremental. If you’re still stuck after an hour, email support with your workspace name and we’ll investigate.
“User does not have a business account” on OAuth
You signed in with a personal Pinterest account during the consent flow — the Pinterest API only works with business accounts. To convert: open pinterest.com/business/convert, sign in with your personal account, and follow the prompts. The conversion is free and keeps your existing pins, boards, and followers. After converting, click Reconnect in VelaReach.
I want to revert to the shared VelaReach app
In the BYO wizard (or the Advanced tab of the Manage drawer), click Remove BYO. VelaReach wipes the encrypted credentials, flips back to the shared app, and revokes your Pinterest app’s active tokens. Historical spend and reporting data stay untouched. Click Reconnect once more to mint fresh tokens via the shared app. Note that Pinterest will count your account against the shared app’s rate limit pool again, but for most advertisers that’s plenty.
💬
Stuck? Email us — we’ll hop on a 15-min screen share.
Pinterest BYO is one of the easier setups but it’s still gated on Pinterest’s review queue. Email support@velareach.com with your workspace name, your Pinterest App ID, and the exact error and we’ll pair with you.