If you’ve spent any time on Pinterest recently, you’ve probably heard about Idea Pins.

Though they’ve been around for a little while, they’re still a hot topic when it comes to Pinterest marketing. And if you haven’t already integrated them as part of your Pinterest strategy, maybe it’s time to get started!

Idea Pins provide a powerful method of growing your following and are perfect for increasing brand awareness on the platform. So, today we’re looking at best practices when it comes to Idea Pins, so you know that you’re using them in the best way possible for your blog or business!

In this blogpost, we’ll take a look at:

• What Idea Pins Are & What’s the Point of Them
• Examples of Idea Pins
• Idea Pin Features & Product Features
• Idea Pin Best Practices
• SEO Best Practices
• FAQs when it comes to Idea Pins

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You can get the Pinterest Strategy Roadmap here.

What Are Idea Pins?

In terms of format, idea pins are kind of like if Instagram Stories and Reels had a baby. They’re a new style of pin that allows you to upload multiple slides to show an idea from start to finish. And just like an Instagram story these slides can be video or static images. Unlike Instagram stories, however, Pinterest Idea Pins don’t disappear after 24 hours. They’ll stay on your profile forever (just like a regular pin would!)

Pinterest have also created a ‘Watch’ page in their mobile app, which allows you to scroll through an endless ream of Idea Pins (similar to the Instagram Reels page or TikTok!).

What’s The Point of Idea Pins?

Idea pins are a place to share content within Pinterest, rather than linking them to your content elsewhere!

So, rather than send people over to your blog, where you’ve shared you carrot cake recipe, for example, you can share the recipe right there in Pinterest. The slide features allow you to show step-by-step tutorials that are easy for the user to follow right there on Pinterest.

It’s Pinterest’s way of keeping their users on the app. Instead of driving traffic to other platforms, they want to users to have everything they need right there within the app, to go from idea to action more seamlessly.

Idea Pin Examples

Looking for some concrete examples of how idea pins work? Here’s a collection of great idea pins that use the new feature perfectly!

Curly Hair Routine Idea Pin: https://pin.it/58YgcSf

Kinder Cookie Dough Cups Recipe – https://pin.it/7BKoJH5

Favourite Procreate Brushes – https://pin.it/31m0AbT

Procreate Tips and Tricks – https://pin.it/7IRNGHR

What Features Are There?

Pinterest have added a number of different features to make ideas more fun and engaging. It’s worth nothing though that currently these features are only available in the app. You won’t be able to use them if you’re uploading an idea pin on desktop!

Add Music – Pinterest have a library of royalty free music that you can use in your idea pins. This is great to add as background music to any tutorial you might upload!

Add Text – you can add text to your idea pins in a variety of different fonts to add helpful instructions

Voiceover – there’s also an option for you to record a voiceover for any clips that you feel would benefit from an audio explanation. This is another great way to add helpful instructions to your idea pins

Filters – there are a number of different pre-made filters that you can add to your images and video clips when you upload them as an idea pin. Or you can create a custom filter by adjusting the exposure, contrast, saturation, highlights, shadows, and warmth.

Stickers – there are a number of different fun sticker options that you can add to your idea pins

Mention Another Creator – to tag another creator in your idea pin, select ‘stickers’ and then the ‘@mention’ button. Then you can type in a name and add it to your idea pin.

Tag a Product – it’s now possible to tag products in your idea pins. This could include affiliate links or links to your own products! This is a great way of increasing product awareness and sales.

Tagging Products in Idea Pins

One of the most exciting things about Idea Pins is the ability to tag products. This provides a great opportunity to monetise the platform! You could use this feature to tag your own products, encouraging people to buy them. Or you can tag affiliate links. This means that any time someone clicks on the tagged product and makes a purchase, you’ll make a commission!

You can only tag products in the mobile app.

First you’ll need to add your videos/images to your idea pin. Next up, tap the ‘stickers’ icon at the bottom of the screen. Then select ‘product’. Here you can either search for a product or use a link. Then you can tap on the product pin you want and add it to your idea pin.

Idea Pin Watch Page

What is the Idea Pin watch page?

The Idea Pin watch page is fairly new and currently only available on the Pinterest app (not the desktop version).

At the top of your Pinterest app homepage, you’ll find two tabs:

1. Browse
2. Watch

The ‘Watch’ page is a little like the Instagram reels page, or the TikTok for you page. It provides an endless scroll of Idea Pins. So you can easily discover new creators and new ideas that you might not have thought to search for otherwise!

Right now we don’t have a lot of information about how Pinterest decides which videos end up on the ‘watch’ page. But we’re excited (and keeping a watchful eye on the Pinterest Engineering Blog!) to find out more about it.

Idea Pin SEO Best Practices

There are a few ways that we can give Pinterest a better understanding of what our Idea Pin is about and who it should be shown to. This is super important if we want our idea pins to perform well. We need to get them in front of our ideal audience.

The way to do this is through SEO (search engine optimisation). Here are 4 Idea Pins best practices to keep in mind in 2022:

1. Add keywords on the Idea Pin

Pinterest have clearly stated that adding text to your idea pins will help them to better understand the content. So make sure to add your keywords in as text onto the actual images and videos themselves. You can do this in the idea pin editing area.

If you don’t know what keywords are or how you can find them – check out my Ultimate Guide to Pinterest Keyword Research.

2. Add keywords in the title

Every time Pinterest gives you an opportunity to write something, there should be little alarm bells going off in your head screaming ‘INSERT KEYWORDS HERE’. Make sure to add a title to your Idea Pin that includes relevant keywords.

Again, if you don’t know what keywords are or how you can find them – check out my Ultimate Guide to Pinterest Keyword Research.

3. Add keywords in the notes section

Pinterest has added a handy little ‘add a list’ section to Idea Pins. Here you can add written content about the Idea Pin, including any instructions that might help the user bring that idea to life!

You can pick between 3 options:

Ingredients – for recipes and cooking instructions

Supplies – for crafts and DIYs

Notes – for any general notes you may have

Make sure to use plenty of keywords in this notes section. Once again, it gives Pinterest a much better idea of what your Pin is all about! This helps it in showing that pin to the people who would be most interested in it!

4. Add Tags

Pinterest has also added a tag area. This allows you search for a topic and add any related tags that come up. You can add up to 10 tags, so try to use as many relevant ones as possible!

5. Select a Board

You’re given the option to add your Idea Pin to a board. Whilst this isn’t compulsory, it is recommended! Adding your Idea Pin to a relevant board (that’s already filled with great pins) tells Pinterest exactly who this pin is for and what it’s about.

Idea Pin Best Practices

What are best practices we need to be keeping in mind when making Idea Pins?

1. Add a Call To Action

As Idea Pins do not link to your website, as a regular pin would, it can be helpful to add a call to action text. This tells the Pinterest user what they should do next. This might be to follow you for more quick vegan recipe ideas, for example. Or to shop the full collection. Or to get their freebie download.

Whatever it is, adding a CTA is a great way to keep users engaged in your content. It also allows you to bring them into your marketing funnel.

2. High Quality Images/Video

It goes without saying, we want our image and video quality to be high! This provides the best user experience and increases the likelihood of people interacting with our content.

Make sure that any text isn’t covered by the reaction buttons on the right hand side when you press preview!

3. Use Multiple Slides

Unlike Reel and TikToks, Idea Pins allow you to add multiple slides. This adds a step-by-step system that allows you to take the Pinterest user on a journey.

Using multiple slides also keeps them engaged with your content for longer. They can skip through to the things that they’re most interested in seeing, rather than just scroll to the next idea pin when they get a little bored!

4. Create Actionable Content

Create content that is actionable for the user. Pinterest users are constantly looking for inspiration and ways to improve themselves and their lives. Whether that’s decorating their home for Halloween and learning a new workout move.

Try to take the user on a journey with your idea pins. Use the multiple slide options to show the process in a way that users can easily replicate.

6. Use the In-App Editor

Pinterest has worked hard to create an in-app editor that provides you with everything you need to succeed when it comes to Idea Pins. Try to use these features in your content!

For example, make sure to add text to your pins in Pinterest, rather than adding it in a different app. Just like other platforms, Pinterest will likely prefer that content is created and edited natively. It’s best practice when it comes to Idea Pins to be mindful of this.

Pinterest has provided us with the tools – so let’s use them!

How to Create an Idea Pin

To create an Idea Pin, open the Pinterest app and tap the ‘+’ button at the bottom of the screen. Then select ‘Idea Pin’.

From here, you can either upload photos and videos or film them natively in the app. Then you can add any text, stickers, or audio you’d like to each slide.

Once you’re done, you can add a title and any notes you’d like to include. Don’t forget to tag any related topics! Once you’re done, tap ‘publish’ to publish the Idea Pin immediately. Or if you’d like to save it for later, tap the file icon in the bottom left hand corner of the screen.

What’s a Take?

A Take is like a reply. They allow you to create your own Idea Pin in response to someone else’s. You could follow the tutorial they showed you in their pin for example!

It’s a great way of creating meaningful engagement on the platform. Takes are designed to inspire users to try something new and respond with their ‘take’ on the original Idea Pin.

How to Create a Take

To create a Take, the user that uploaded the original Idea Pin has to ‘allow new takes’. This can be done in the advanced settings when you go to upload an Idea Pin.

If they’ve done this, you’ll see a little ‘+’ icon in the bottom left corner. Tap on the this and you’ll be able to make your own response or ‘take’ on the Idea Pin.

FAQs

Does the idea pin need to be video?

No! You can use video or static images in your Idea Pins. Or a mix of both!

Pinterest recommends using a video for your first slide, as it does a great job of stopping the scroll and immediately draws people into the action.

Can I add a URL in description?

No. You can’t link Idea Pins to a website, like you would with a regular pin. The only way to add a link is by using a product sticker. Any URL you add to the notes section will not have a clickable link to the page and it could reduce the chances of Pinterest showing that Idea Pin to more people.

Pinterest created Idea Pins to keep people in the app. They don’t want people to send their users elsewhere!

What can I make idea pins about?

You can make Idea Pins about anything you like! Idea Pins tend to work best when they show a process from start to finish. Things like recipes, outfit ideas, DIY tutorials, tips and hacks tend to work well!

Take some time to scroll through the watch page and you’ll quickly get an idea of the kind of content that performs well as Idea Pins. I’ve also linked some examples near the top of the page, under the heading ‘Idea Pin Examples’!

Can I repurpose content?

It can be very tempting to repurpose content from other platforms – particularly your TikTok videos or Instagram reels. It makes sense! If you’ve spent time making the content, you might as well make the most of it!

If you plan on posting TikToks or Reels to Pinterest, make sure to get rid of the watermark. Pinterest has been very clear that they don’t want to see watermarks from other platforms on Idea Pins. So choosing to keep them could negatively impact the performance of your pins.

Try to also add text within the Pinterest app and consider splitting your video into multiple slides!

Can you add Idea Pins in the desktop version of Pinterest?

Yes! But there aren’t as many features. You won’t be able to add music, voiceovers, or stickers (including product stickers) on the desktop version of Pinterest.

Why aren’t Idea Pins available in my country?

Idea Pins are slowly being rolled out to more countries. Currently they are available in:

• Argentina
• Australia
• Austria
• Brazil
• Canada
• Chile
• Colombia
• France
• Germany
• India
• Indonesia
• Italy
• Ireland
• Japan
• Mexico
• New Zealand
• Peru
• Spain
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• United States

In the following countries, Idea Pins are only available for business accounts on Pinterest. So, if you want Idea Pins, you’ll need to sign up for a free business account:

• Belgium
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Finland
• Greece
• Hungary
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• The Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia

Do they disappear like an Instagram story?

No! Unlike Instagram Stories, Idea Pins don’t disappear after 24 hours. They’ll be on your Pinterest page forever (unless of course you delete them!).

FREE Pinterest Strategy Roadmap

Ready to make 2022 the year that you nail your Pinterest strategy? Implement the power of Pinterest in your marketing funnel with my free Pinterest Strategy Roadmap. This lays out the steps you need to take to create a Pinterest strategy that works for you!

Find out more & get your FREE roadmap here.