Pinterest Launches Idea Pins: A New Video-First Experience

Pinterest is broadening its support for content creators with the introduction of “Idea Pins,” a new feature centered around video. This launch provides creators with tools for storytelling through video, incorporating music, and utilizing various creative editing options.

Evolution from Story Pins

The company explains that Idea Pins are a development of their earlier “Story Pins,” initially tested in beta in September 2020. Development of this feature began the previous year, with a focus on showcasing actions and ideas—like trying new products—rather than personal updates.

A key distinction of Story Pins was their non-ephemeral nature. Unlike Stories on platforms like Snapchat or Instagram, they remained accessible through search and discovery features.

Enhanced Editing Capabilities

Over the past eight months, Pinterest collaborated with Story Pin creators to refine the experience. This feedback led to the creation of Idea Pins, offering a more comprehensive set of editing tools than previously available.

Video is central to Idea Pins, responding to the growing demand for short-form creative video content, similar to that found on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Each page within a Pin can contain videos up to 60 seconds long, with a maximum of 20 pages per Pin.

Creative Tools and Interactive Elements

Creators can enhance their videos with voiceovers and a “ghost mode” transition effect, ideal for demonstrating before-and-after transformations. Drafts of ongoing projects can also be saved.

Idea Pins also incorporate familiar Story-like features, such as the ability to add stickers and tag other creators using the @username symbol.

Music and Detail Pages

Pinterest is partnering with Epidemic Sound to provide a library of royalty-free music for use in Idea Pins. Furthermore, creators can include “detail pages” with ingredient lists or instructions, particularly useful for recipes or DIY projects.

Distribution and Discovery

Idea Pins are shared across Pinterest, increasing creator visibility through various platform placements, including prioritized Pins for followed creators on the home page in select markets.

Creators can utilize up to 10 topic tags to ensure their Pins are surfaced to relevant audiences through the home feed and search functionality.

Cross-Platform Sharing

To facilitate audience growth beyond Pinterest, creators can export their Idea Pins as videos with a Pinterest watermark and profile name, enabling sharing on other social media platforms.

User Engagement and Analytics

Pinterest users can save Idea Pins just like any other Pin on the platform.

Evan Sharp, Pinterest’s co-founder and Chief Design and Creative Officer, emphasized the platform’s commitment to inspiring creativity. He stated that Pinterest empowers anyone to share ideas and inspire others.

Rollout and Availability

The Idea Pin format is now available to all creators (users with a business account) in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Performance and Future Development

Testing revealed that Idea Pins generate significantly higher engagement than standard Pins, with a 9x increase in average comment rates. The number of Idea Pins has grown by 4x since January.

Pinterest is enhancing its Analytics feature to include metrics tracking follower growth and profile visits driven by Idea Pins.

The company is also exploring ways to make Idea Pins more shoppable, currently testing product tagging functionality.

Investment in the Creator Community

Pinterest has recently increased its investment in creators, launching its first Creator Fund and testing livestreamed events. Collaborations between creators and brands are also being piloted with select creators.

Competition and Potential

While Idea Pins represent a natural evolution for Pinterest, the platform faces competition from larger tech companies investing heavily in creator programs. Pinterest’s $500,000 Creator Fund is smaller than funds offered by Snap, TikTok, and Instagram.

However, Pinterest’s substantial user base—475 million—presents a significant opportunity for creators seeking growth and potential e-commerce opportunities.