A successful social media strategy is dictated by platform algorithms. If you’re not optimizing content for a platform’s methods, you’re missing out on organic impressions and the opportunity to reach your audience.
Earlier this year, in my day-to-day work as a digital marketing consultant, I discovered that Pinterest’s algorithm has drastically shifted; giving more impressions to Idea Pins versus Standard Pins. Want to start implementing Pinterest best practices that will help you reach your audience on Pinterest? This blog post is for you.
What Are Pinterest Idea Pins
Before we dive into why you should include Idea Pins in your Pinterest marketing strategy, here’s a quick introduction to what Idea Pins are, where they appear and who can pin them.
How Idea Pins Work
Idea Pins were originally launched as Story Pins in September 2020 as a Beta test. They’re Pinterest’s solution to inspirational and tutorial creator content (à la TikTok and Instagram Reels).
However, they’re more valuable than stories on other platforms. Unlike other platform stories, they have a longer shelf life. When pinned, Idea Pins are automatically saved to the board you select at the time of pinning them and will remain searchable forever.
Where Idea Pins Appear
Once an Idea Pin is pinned, a notification appears at the very top of the mobile home feed for people who follow your profile. Idea Pins will also appear in home feeds and the search feed, blending in among other pins. And when you visit a business profile, they’re the very first set of pins you see on the ‘Created’ tab.
How Idea Pins Appear
When you create an Idea Pin you can select up to 10 keyword phrases that are relevant to the pin. Once published, Idea Pins will automatically be served to profile followers and people who have shown interest in or are searching for those keywords.
Who Can Pin Idea Pins
When the Beta test ended in Q1 2021, Idea Pins became available to all Pinterest business accounts in select countries. Need to switch a personal Pinterest account to a business account? Here’s a helpful resource.
How to Leverage Idea Pins
Focus on Awareness
Idea Pins don’t include a link or way to click-through the pin, making them optimal for building brand awareness. When developing an Idea Pin, focus on the goal of capturing your audiences’ attention by introducing them to your brand or products through inspiring and useful content.
How to Create Idea Pins that Inspire
Pinterest developed Idea Pins for tutorial-style content, perfect for how-to or guides using up to 20 images or videos. For example, a tour company based in Florence, Italy, could create an Idea Pin featuring their 5 most popular wine tours departing from Florence.
Select Popular Pinterest Tags that are Relevant to the Content
With the option to include up to 10 keywords, I highly recommend always using the maximum number to ensure your Idea Pin will appear as often as possible. In the travel Idea Pin example above, here are some sample search terms that are relevant to the content and audience:
Why You Should Leverage Idea Pins
Similar to Instagram Stories, which have an average 10-20% higher reach rate than Feed posts, Idea Pins are receiving more views, as Pinterest’s algorithm is weighted to their newest product. On average, my clients’ Idea Pins are receiving 137%% more organic impressions than standard pins over a 90-day period.
If you have a Pinterest business account and aren’t currently pinning Idea Pins, I highly recommend shifting your social media strategy, so you can leverage this Pinterest product to reach your audience. Are you currently pinning Idea Pins? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this latest platform feature. Leave a comment below.
