A pull-up is a compound upper body strength exercise that involves hanging from a pull-up bar using your hands and palms, then lifting yourself till your chest touches the bar. You use multiple muscles simultaneously but focus more on your arms and shoulders with extended hand positions. It has many benefits — it improves grip strength, arm and body muscles, etc. Before you begin, to prevent injury, do some stretching or light cardio exercises. Also, keep the following in mind.

If your grip is too wide, having the full range of motion may not be possible.
Wrists and thumbs shouldn’t be flexed but stay in the neutral position. Ensure your thumb is on the same side of the bar as your fingers.
Don’t flare your elbows, but keep them close to your body.

For the classic (regular grip), chin-up exercise, ensure the bar is above your height, requiring you to jump up to hold it, so your feet stay dangling, freely swinging in the air. Keeping your feet apart at shoulder-width, extend your arms. To maintain balance, bend your knees and cross your ankles. Make sure to take a breath at the bottom.

Exhale as you pull yourself up. Pause when your chin comes to bar level.
Inhale as you go down while ensuring to have straight elbows. Repeat it without touching the floor. Remember to squeeze your abs when lowering your body into a hanging position.

Hand positions:

At the top: The ideal hand position allows your hands to grip the bar a little wider than your shoulder-width distance. It’ll ensure optimal lat engagement. But taking your hands too wide will cause too much pressure on your shoulders. And, conversely, if you narrow it too much, you’ll restrict your motion range.
At the bottom: Push your shoulders forward, ensuring they’re externally rotated. It’ll keep your joints stable and help the joint ball stay secure in its socket.

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