Pinterest’s user base has grown to over 475 million monthly active users. Gen Z and Millennial Pinners are joining in record numbers, effectively changing the makeup of the audience. And Pinners have spoken! They want to engage with video and explore content right on Pinterest.
So, today, Pinterest introduces Idea Pins – their multi-page format (formerly called Story Pins)! Now anyone with a business account* can create inspiring content and interact with their audiences, building more engaged communities right on Pinterest.
Idea Pins and new tools for their creation make it easy to publish professional-looking, saveable, engaging content directly on Pinterest.
Welcome news to anyone who may have spent more time than they’d like to admit in creating these super-engaging Pins! Been there.
The new tools make it so much easier.
“We believe the best inspiration comes from people who are fueled by their passions and want to bring positivity and creativity into the world. On Pinterest, anyone can inspire. From creators to hobbyists to publishers, Pinterest is a place where anyone can publish great ideas and discover inspiring content.
We have creators with extraordinary ideas on Pinterest, and with Idea Pins, creators are empowered to share their passions and inspire their audiences. By helping people on Pinterest spark creativity, try new things, build confidence, and be themselves, we believe creators are truly helping with our mission of bringing inspiration to create a life you love.”
– Evan Sharp, Co-Founder, Chief Design and Creative Officer, Pinterest
The Origin “Story” Behind Idea Pins
Behind every good idea, there is a story – only, in this case, it’s Story Pins! In September 2020, Pinterest launched Story Pins with a small group of creators.
Creators and Pinners alike helped evolve the format to include new features and functionality to make it what it is today.
Why “Idea” Pins?
Your Ideas and inspiration make Pinterest special. Now, because Idea Pins are shared in more places on Pinterest, creators can easily build an audience right on Pinterest.
Starting today, Pinners in several markets will see Idea Pins from creators they follow at the top of their home feeds.
Idea Pins also appear in search, the Today Tab.
Idea Pins include everything a Pinner might need to act on your idea right on Pinterest – whether that’s trying a new recipe, craft, hairstyle, workout, or, well, anything else!
Idea Pin Performance
Because Idea Pins are so engaging and actionable, Pinners are indeed engaging! Pinterest found that in the past month, Idea Pins averaged 9x the comment rate of standard Pins**.
Here at Tailwind, we found that Idea Pins averaged 41x the saves of a standard Pin***. Clearly, they are a hit!
And why not? There’s nothing quite as inspiring as watching a great idea take shape right in front of you.
New Tools Make Idea Pins Easier
All of this becomes easier with brand new publishing tools including, video-first features, fresh editing tools and updates to make creating Idea Pins easier and more creative.
Idea Pin creation now includes:
- Record and edit video for up to 20 pages of content.
- Voice-over recording.
- Background music options.
- Ghost mode transition tools (perfect for those before-and-afters!)
- Detail pages for instructions, tools, or ingredients
- Interactive elements like people tagging (working with a brand!?) and stickers
- Multi-draft save keeps your in-progress Ideas safe
- Export options to share content beyond Pinterest
- Topic tagging to help get your content to the right people at the right time.
“As a Creator, Idea Pins give me a way to truly share the message of the content that I create with the world. It invites and encourages personality and creativity to transform a static Pin into something that captures the audience.
In the end, Idea Pins allow creators to shine and connect with their audience on a level never seen on Pinterest before.” –
Domonique Panton, Pinterest Creator and elite track and field athlete
Supporting the Success of Creators on Pinterest
In addition to the new Creator Code and moderation features and the content claiming portal Pinterest announced last month, you’ve likely noticed Idea Pins and other created content appearing front and center on Creator profiles.
Keep an eye out for analytics updates that will help creators learn more about what content engages their audience.
A new Followers and Profile Visits number will show how Idea Pins are deepening engagement on your account.
It’s also easier to see engagement metrics such as Saves, comments, and reactions, which can impact the distribution of your content.
Monetizing Idea Pins
Because Pinterest is crucial to the business success of many creators, and because typically that has resulted from Pinterest sending traffic to a creator’s website or blog, Pinterest is testing adding monetization options to Idea Pins.
Pinterest introduced their first-ever Creator Fund last month and have begun testing creator and brand collaborations with a few creators including Domonique Panton, Peter Som, and GrossyPelosi.
They’re also testing product tagging within Idea Pins so creators can make their content shoppable. Meaningful and scalable monetization is the goal, and we’ll learn more about the details in the upcoming months.
Need Some Idea Pin Inspiration?
Get expert tips on building your audience from fashion editor Caroline Vazzana and pro athlete Domonique Panton at Pinterest’s Creator Workshop on May 27th. You’ll also get updates, including announcements directly from Pinterest. See you there?
You won’t want to miss Pinterest’s 3-day virtual event May 24-26th. Drop into live-streamed, studio-style sessions directly on Pinterest with a Creator where you can make or do something alongside your favorite creators!
The schedule of events will appear in the Pinterest app in the “Live” tab, here. Pinners can ask questions in the Comments section of the app, which the host and participants will answer live.
You can also check out this Pinterest-curated Board with great Pins to inspire your own Idea Pins.
Idea Pins: Next Steps
Register for the workshop, but don’t put off Idea Pins another day. New formats mean less competition, which means more distribution and audience growth for you now. Idea Pins live forever, so the work you do today can pay off for months and years to come.
Have you created Idea Pins? Share a link to yours in the comments!
*Idea Pins are available to all creators in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
** Pinterest Internal Data, Global, April 2021
**20m Pins by paid Tailwind members in March-April 2021
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