What is Pinterest about? All you need to know about Pinterest in marketing today
You know that you want MORE than a straight simple answer about this question, what is Pinterest about and why Pinterest in marketing. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here!
What is Pinterest about is THE perfect question to ask! I’m sooooo impressed. Why? When you understand this, you’ll totally get the power of Pinterest in marketing today... and why there is a massive opportunity that many are still not taking... This means it’s still early days, Pinterest isn’t overcrowded, and there is even more opportunity for you! Yay!
Sometime back, my husband and I went for lunch with some very close friends. One of them is a fantastic marketing expert with many years of experience. I have great respect for his multiple-sector expertise and all he’s achieved through the years. And guess what? When we talked about what I do online, he was curious about knowing more about Pinterest. He was even amazed when I shared what I’m about to share with you today!
So yes, Pinterest is a hidden gem for many, and it is going to become strategically important for you, if it isn’t yet, as an online entrepreneur!
To answer this question, “What is Pinterest about?” I’ll share with you not just the basics but the truly strategic elements that make Pinterest a very unique and compelling platform.
Are you ready?
Full disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission from.
Don’t forget to pin this image!
Hear me out.
Even if you think you know what Pinterest is about, please don’t skip this section.
Every time I share some of this facts with my students and audience I can hear truly aha moments! Let’s go for it!
Pinterest is a visual discovery engine for finding ideas like food, home and style inspiration, holidays, parenting, gardening, online business, and so much more. With billions of pins on Pinterest, you’ll always find ideas to spark inspiration. Pins are posts on Pinterest. Yes, I love to avoid all the jargon that can get you confused!
When people discover pins they love, save them into boards to keep their ideas organised and easy to find.
So if you’re thinking that Pinterest is just another social media platform... think again! So what is Pinterest about? Yes, Pinterest has social media features like follows, reactions, comments, and shares... The platform also allows users to save images and videos.
Pinterest is mainly used for visual inspiration searches... and that is far more powerful than you might initially think!
To understand why let’s talk about what is inspiration and why it matters so much for Pinterest in marketing.
So what is Pinterest about? It’s ALL about inspiration. You may be thinking, quite logically, and soo what? Inspiration for business, is it really a thing?
And this is why inspiring your audience on Pinterest matters...
Pinterest commissioned an external study by an independent party to assess what inspiration is across several countries worldwide. They shared the results in their Pinterest Presents event earlier this year. Here is in a nutshell... which will ultimately help you understand the core principles behind the question “ What is Pinterest about? ”.
There are 2 phases for inspiration:
The aha moment. Inspiration is that feeling when you suddenly have an idea or become aware of something new.
The what-if moment. This happens after the aha moment when you start asking yourself what could be possible if you acted on your inspiration. This is what we call the what-if moment.
And what is particularly interesting for businesses and marketers is what happens next...
75% of what-if moments turn into real-world actions like searches and purchases.
So when people are inspired by what they see on Pinterest, there’s a very high chance they’ll go from what-if to taking action in the real world. That’s a massive opportunity for businesses that can be there at the what-if moment with content that inspires people to take action.
The stats don’t lie...
We are now processing visuals 60,000 times faster than text.
And what’s even more interesting is that according to neuroscientists, our brain processes images in as little as 13 milliseconds! So when we see something that catches our attention, we make a split-second decision about whether or not we’re interested in it.
This is what is called the blink of an eye moment.
This is why Pinterest is a very powerful platform for businesses and marketers who want to inspire their audience and drive real-world actions like searches and purchases.
To do this, you need to understand what makes a great pin? What is Pinterest about?
Here are the 5 key ingredients of a great pin:
1. A great image or video. This is what will stop someone in their scroll and make them take a second look.
2. An engaging headline. This is what will make someone want to click through to learn more.
3. A short, to-the-point description. This will help someone understand what the pin is about and why it’s exciting or valuable to them.
4. A link to a relevant website. This will allow Pinterest users to take action on their what-if moment by giving them more information or taking them to a product page.
5. Call-to-action buttons. This will encourage someone to take action, like saving the pin for later or sharing it with a friend.
Now that you understand what is Pinterest about let’s look at how it differs from other social media networks. This will help you know even more about the power of using Pinterest in marketing today.
Facebook is about sharing and linking with friends and family.
Instagram is about sharing videos, photos and stories, primarily for entertainment.
Twitter is about what’s happening in the world right now.
LinkedIn is about building your professional identity.
As I said earlier, it’s a visual discovery engine for finding ideas on anything you can think of.
And the essential fact is that Pinterest is a content search engine.
EXACTLY, you’ve got it! You can search for content on Pinterest as you do on Google! And that makes your content SEARCHABLE AND DISCOVERABLE!!!
This is a vast difference from Facebook, Tiktok or Instagram, where people can barely search for content. They’re presented with content by the algorithm, but that content is no longer actively pushed by those social media platforms after a few hours. Achhhhhh...
So what is Pinterest about? On Pinterest, your content is actively pushed by Pinterest for MONTHS!
People can also find your content through searches, making your content EVERGREEN on Pinterest.
Loving it?
Yeap, sounds strange, isn’t it?
You know now that Pinterest is a visual discovery engine, which makes Pinterest so unique and such a powerful platform for businesses and marketers. With people using Pinterest to look for ideas and inspiration, there’s an excellent chance they’ll come across your content if it’s relevant to what they’re looking for. And when they do, you have the opportunity to inspire them and get them to take action.
So yes, Pinterest is a fantastic tool for content marketing because it allows you to share visual content with a large audience. Your content is searchable and evergreen.
So what is Pinterest about?
Pinterest is different.
Pinterest has achieved what many thought impossible: create a platform where 9 out of 10 people feel in an online oasis. 8 out of 10 feel it’s a positive place! Compare that with 3 out of 10 for the other social media platforms!!
All of that will help you reach new audiences open to new things and new experiences, eager to experiment with things they find online on Pinterest to transform their lives offline. That is the power of Pinterest.
The image below shows my Pinterest account and how it’s organised using different boards to appeal to different audiences and content pillars.
And last, what is Pinterest about? Pinterest is crystal clear about its mission: to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love. It has three pillars: Pinners (users) + Creators + Brands.
Pinterest has perfectly understood the immense opportunity that being the #1 platform for inspiration means. It means delivering a unique experience to Pinterest users to find inspiration and being able to shop for what they find on the platform.
We’re seeing Pinterest expand its shopping features to create a fully immersive experience, very different to the exhaustion of a physical maul or the coldness of online shops.
It leads Pinterest users to get inspired through idea pins content that can be tagged with product pins, collaboration brands or affiliate links, creating a direct link to shop what you love on Pinterest on or off the platform.
It allows you to synchronise your products on your website to your pins, using rich pins, always to maintain the latest product information on your Pinterest product pins.
And it goes one step further by providing the ability to upload your catalogue and create your shop on Pinterest. It has integration capabilities with e-commerce platforms like Shopify, and it’s simplifying its API to upload your product catalogues to Pinterest.
Pinterest has also launched Pinterest Verified Merchant Program. This program helps people on Pinterest discover and buy from Pinterest vetted brands.
The launch of Pinterest TV, with the ability to tag products while live only but enhances that new shopping experience eleven further.
Loving Pinterest already?!!! I’m sure you are.
I know, I know, such an AMAAAAAZING platform! You are starting to see the opportunities for you with it!
Time to take action! Here is my gift for you: my FREE Pinterest workshop that you can watch instantly!
Well, now that understand the amazing characteristics that make Pinterest unique, let’s look at why to use Pinterest in marketing.
Thinking you have by now all the answers to the question “What is Pinterest about?”? Wait to discover these statistics about the platform!
Here are some quick facts about Pinterest that you should know (don’t skip this, it’s actually key to understanding the Pinterest opportunity!):
There are over 431 million active monthly users on Pinterest.
60% of women. While Pinterest started predominantly with women, male users have increased by 40% yearly.
80% of men on Pinterest say that shopping on Pinterest brings “something unexpected” that “surprises and delights them.”
Gen Z users keeps on growing on Pinterest.
85% of Pinterest users say that Pinterest is their go-to platform when starting a new project.
Pinterest users are 90% more likely to say they’re “always” shopping compared to other social media.
75% of weekly Pinterest users say they’re always shopping.
83% of weekly Pinterest users decide on purchases based on the content and brands they've seen on Pinterest.
Pinterest users are 7 times more likely to acknowledge that Pinterest is more influential than other platforms in their purchase decisions.
Advertisers can reach more than 200 million people on Pinterest.
Pinterest shopping ads drive 3x the conversions and 2x the positive incremental return on ad spend versus other social platforms.
Pinterest shoppers spend 2x monthly than shoppers on other social media platforms.
As you can see, Pinterest isn’t just a global platform with many active users...
Pinterest is the #1 inspiration platform where the user intent matters: people come to Pinterest to plan their projects, and many purchase what they find!
Now that you understand the answer to “What is Pinterest about?” and what goes into a great pin, let’s talk about how businesses and marketers can use Pinterest to drive real-world actions.
You can use Pinterest to drive awareness, interest, and conversions as an online entrepreneur, a small business owner or a marketer.
Here’s an overview of how it works:
Awareness: Use Pinterest to inspire your target audience and get them interested in what you offer.
Interest: Once you’ve inspired someone with your content, they’ll start taking action by searching for more information, visiting your website, or saving your content for later.
Conversions: Use Pinterest to drive conversions by giving people the information and inspiration they need to take action, like make a purchase or sign up for your email list.
Pinterest is a powerful platform for businesses and marketers who want to drive real-world actions. If you’re not using Pinterest in your marketing mix, you’re missing out on an exciting opportunity.
Let’s look now at some examples of large corporations doing a great job with their Pinterest marketing strategy:
1. Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola has a board for every single one of their products and boards for specific themes and occasions.
This helps them reach out to their target audience with relevant content no matter what they’re looking for.
2. IKEA
IKEA is another excellent example of a business killing it with its Pinterest marketing.
They have boards for different rooms in the house and boards for specific products.
What’s great about their strategy is that they’re not just promoting their own products, but they’re also giving people ideas on how to use them.
This is a great way to get people inspired and thinking about your products in a new way.
3. Starbucks
Starbucks is another brand doing an excellent job with its Pinterest marketing.
They have boards for different drinks and boards for specific occasions.
And like Coca-Cola, they also have a board for every single one of their products.
This helps them reach out to their target audience with relevant content no matter what they’re looking for.
4. Nike
Nike has boards for different sports and boards for specific products.
What’s great about their strategy is that they’re not just promoting their own products, but they’re also giving people ideas on how to use them.
This is a great way to get people inspired and thinking about your products in a new way.
These are just a few examples of businesses doing a great job with their Pinterest marketing.
Nooooooooo way!
So what is Pinterest about when looking at Pinterest in marketing for small business and online entrepreneurs?
There is nothing better than a significant data point: 97% of all searches on Pinterest are unbranded!
This means that people are looking for ideas, not necessarily products.
And this is excellent news for businesses of all sizes looking to reach out to their target audience on Pinterest.
No matter what your business is, you can find a way to use Pinterest in marketing to reach out to your target audience to inspire them with your content.
Now that we’ve answered the question “what is Pinterest about?” let’s look at how online entrepreneurs like you can use it.
There are two main ways to use Pinterest in marketing:
1. As a way to inspire your target audience
2. As a way to drive conversions
Let’s take a closer look at each one.
1. As a way to inspire your target audience:
The first way to use Pinterest in marketing is to inspire your target audience.
This means creating boards and pins designed to get people thinking about your products in a new and exciting way.
For example, if you sell home decor, you can create a board that shows people how to style their living room.
If you sell clothes, you could create a board that shows people how to mix and match different items to create new looks.
The goal is to get people inspired and thinking about your products differently.
2. As a way to drive conversions:
The second way to use Pinterest in marketing is to drive conversions.
This means creating boards and pins designed to get people to take action and buy your products.
For example, if you sell clothes, you could create a board that shows people how to style different items from your collection.
If you sell furniture, you could create a board that shows people how to use your products to create a distinct look.
The goal is to get people interested in your products and then take action and buy them.
These are just a few examples of how businesses can use Pinterest in marketing.
There are endless possibilities, and it all depends on what your business is and what your goals are.
If you want to understand deeper what is Pinterest about and you’re looking for more ideas on how to use Pinterest in marketing, be sure to check out my other related blog posts:
I realise that I haven’t yet given you a basic overview of how Pinterest works. Yeap, I didn’t want to get into the ins and outs of how it works before you got the big picture.
Yeap, it’s far more important to understand what is Pinterest about.
You have it now, so let’s understand the Pinterest magic better.
Pinterest for business is, put simply, the Pinterest business account that gives you far more features and insights than a standard Pinterest account.
Yes, it’s totally free, and by upgrading to a Pinterest business account, you’ll get access to:
Create content for Pinterest: You’ll be able to create evergreen content to attract your audience and grow online with Pinterest, using static, video, carousels, product and idea pins.
Insights on your pins: get detailed information on the impressions and engagement for each of your Pins, what time people engaged the most, what devices they used and even where in the world they engaged from.
Audience insights: understand what your Pinterest audience is interested in, what other interests they have and what devices they use.
Trends: See what people are Pinning right now in the Trends section. You can use this information to ensure your Pins are timely and relevant.
Promoted Pins: these are Pins that businesses can pay to advertise to people who are not already following them. Promoted Pins look just like thee rest of Pins, but they’re seen by more people. Pinterest adds a descriptor "Promoted" so that you can see what Pins are ads.
Claimed your websites and have Rich Pins: These Pins include more information than a regular Pin, like the price of a product, the ingredients in a recipe, or the location of a business directly from your website. They keep the information shown on Pinterest aligned to your website.
All you need to get started with a Pinterest business account is a valid website. Once you have that, you can sign up here. If you don’t have a website, don’t worry, you can still sign up for a Pinterest business account. You’ll just need to verify your account using your Facebook page or Twitter account.
Yes, Pinterest is safe. It’s a great way to share ideas and images with people who share your interests. You can also use it to find new products and services. Pinterest makes a point of having high standards for safety because Pinterest believes that for people and brands to feel inspired and inspiring, they first need to feel safe.
Don’t you love that way of approaching this online platform?!!!
Yes, Pinterest is free. You can sign up for a free account and start sharing ideas and images with people who share your interests.
To get started with Pinterest, you’ll need to create a free account. Once you have an account, you can start sharing ideas and images with people who share your interests. You can also use Pinterest to find new products and services.
To verify your website on Pinterest, you’ll need to add an HTML tag to your website’s code. Once you’ve added the tag, you can submit your website for verification. After your website is verified, you’ll be able to claim your website and have Rich Pins.
A Promoted Pin is a Pin that businesses can pay to promote to people who are not already following them. Promoted Pins look just like other Pins, but they’re seen by more people.
What next?
If you’re new to Pinterest, I recommend signing up for a free account and exploring the platform. Once you feel how it works, you can start sharing your own ideas and images with people who share your interests.
To use Pinterest to grow online, upgrade to a Pinterest business account.
And I have a treat for you. Watch my FREE Pinterest workshop where I unveil my Pinterest formula to grow my audience and business online... and I have something very special for you at the end!
It is an absolute privilege to know that you read and find value in my blog!
A HUGE thank you for being here with me until the end.
Don’t forget to pin this blog on Pinterest. Just hover over the pin below and click the Pinterest logo!
Thanks soooo much for helping me spread the word!
Hi! I’m Isabel
For years and years I have created and produced content, in particular visual content. You can find me very often with my cameras and tripod out and about!
My passion: to help you with your online presence and drive business growth through my blog and visuals collections (marketing templates, styled photos & video).
Ah, I have also worked for 24+ in the corporate world, leading quite a mix: transformation, marketing, coaching, sales, productivity, programme management, investments and product management.
I love sharing all these skills with you in my blog.
I am also founder of Agavea Properties, our family holiday rental business. My husband and I lead it with the passion with one goal in mind: serving our customers to create a memorable holiday experience for them.
So there you have it, that’s me! Ah... I almost forgot, my happy place is by the sea.
Thanks for being here with me!