Pinterest recently announced the shift of its Story Pins to the new, creator-focused Idea Pins. “Idea Pins are an evolution of Story Pins, with a fresh name to better match the uniqueness of a product that empowers creators to share long-lasting ideas and not ephemeral stories. Starting today, creators will have a suite of new publishing tools including, video-first features, fresh editing tools and updates to make creating Idea Pins easier and more creative,” explains Pinterest in the Idea Pins announcement.

What Are Pinterest Idea Pins?

Pinterest Idea Pins are a multi-page video format for creators to share their ideas across Pinterest and the internet. Idea Pins allow creators to use the Pinterest publishing tools to create videos with 20 pages of content, voiceover, music, detail pages for instructions or ingredients and interactive elements, like people tagging and stickers. Pinterest users can save Idea Pins to their Pinterest boards as they would any pin. “With Idea Pins, creators are empowered to share their passions and inspire and grow 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,” said Evan Sharp, co-founder, chief design and creative officer at Pinterest. While in testing, the volume of Idea Pins quadrupled since January and garnered nine times the average comment rate than regular pins.

Can Anyone Make Pinterest Idea Pins?

Anyone with a Pinterest business account, which offers analytics, can make an Idea Pin. Pinterest also added new measurement features created for Idea Pins. Pinterest explains, “We're introducing new updates to Analytics to help creators learn what content resonates with their audience. A new Followers and Profile Visits driven metric will show creators how their Idea Pins have driven deeper engagement with their account. We've also made it easier to access other important engagement metrics like Saves, comments and reactions, all of which affect creators' content distribution.” 

Are Pinterest Idea Pins Shoppable?

Pinterest Idea Pins are not yet shoppable, but it appears they may soon be. Pinterest says they are working on ways to make the Idea Pins feature shoppable, including adding product tagging, which is currently being tested.

Can Pinterest Idea Pins Be Shared?

Yes, Pinterest Idea Pins can be shared. Like TikTok’s famously viral videos which are shared across social channels, Idea Pins are shareable, with identifiable watermarks and creator names. 

Can Pinterest Idea Pins Be Competitive With Other Social Video Platforms?

As a destination where people share creative ideas in the worlds of cooking, crafting and decorating, Idea Pins seem like a logical extension of the Pinterest brand. Recently, Pinterest has been investing more heavily in its creator community, explaining “We know many creators are focused on growing their business, as they grow their audience. That’s why we introduced our first-ever Creator Fund last month and have started testing creator and brand collaborations with a select number of creators including Domonique Panton, Peter Som, and GrossyPelosi.” 

However, Sarah Perez for TechCrunch reports that other tech platforms including Snapchat, YouTube and Instagram are making bigger investments in their creators. Likewise, many social platforms, big and small, are moving full-steam ahead with monetization strategies including subscriptions and donations, which Pinterest is still evolving for Idea Pins. Launching into the crowded short-form video fray, fighting for audience attention against competitors who are more invested, could prove worrisome for the success of Pinterest’s Idea Pins. “What Pinterest may have in its favor, though, is its reach. The company claims 475 million users, which makes it a destination some creators may not want to overlook in their bid for growth, and later, ecommerce,” notes Perez.

What Do Pinterest Idea Pins Offer Digital Advertisers?

Pinterest is becoming increasingly popular with digital advertisers looking to connect with women and younger generations. And, as ecommerce continues to boom, Pinterest may be ideal for brand building and driving conversions with nine out of 10 Pinners browsing “for inspiration in their path to purchase.” 

At the same time, short-form video is becoming a must have for brands. Although it's unclear what branding and sponsored content opportunities will be available with Idea Pins, it’s likely the new Pinterest Idea Pins format could offer engagement and ecommerce opportunities down the line.

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