Pinterest Marketing Is the Darkhorse of the Creator Economy. Here’s Why.

Reading Time: 14 Minutes

GRIN also recommends this free guide:

Influencer Marketing Best Practices

Download Guide

When you think of Pinterest, what comes to mind? 

For most, it’s probably DIY crafting tutorials and slow cooker recipes. 

But in reality, Pinterest is way more than that. It’s a tool to plan for the future, discover new products, and find actionable tips. As Pinterest itself puts it, “459 million people use Pinterest each month. But they’re not here to fend off FOMO or doomscroll. They’re here to try new things.” 

Trying new things can translate into making new purchases. And brands that are sleeping on Pinterest marketing are definitely missing out. 

Top 4 reasons your brand should be on Pinterest 

Consumers trust Pinterest. 

Trust plays a huge role in whether consumers feel safe making purchases on a social platform, and data shows that people feel confident about Pinterest. In a 2021 digital trust survey, researchers found Pinterest to be the second most trusted social platform, with high scores in ad experience, ad relevance, community, legitimacy, and security. 

Digital Trust 2021 Overall Ranking of 9 social media platforms in 2020 and 2021
Image via eMarketer 

Transcript: A table shows social media platforms’ overall rankings for digital trust in 2021. 

  1. LinkedIn
  2. Pinterest 
  3. Instagram 
  4. Reddit 
  5. Snapchat 
  6. TikTok 
  7. YouTube 
  8. Twitter
  9. Facebook 

Pinterest is a social media platform and a search engine. 

From a social network perspective, Pinterest allows users to keep track of friends, family, and creators and get customized post suggestions. But Pinterest also works as a powerful search engine, serving people information for every stage of the customer journey.  

This gives companies the unique opportunity to connect with current brand loyalists and organically reach brand newbies. And there’s data to back this up: The social platform states that “people on Pinterest are 66% more likely to be open to new brands while shopping.” 

Pinterest on a smartphone showing potential for Pinterest marketing

Pinterest Shopping makes in-app purchases easy. 

Pinterest’s shoppable pins make purchasing products within the platform a breeze. In fact, it’s so easy that Pinterest states brands who use Shopping or Collections ads typically see “3x the conversions and 2x the positive incremental return on ad spend (ROAS).” 

Not sure where to start? Here are four of our favorite ways to use shoppable ads: 

  • Feature new products – Introduce new products to consumers through targeted shopping ads. Price tag features further inspire customers to plan their budgets and create a list of products from your new line.
  • Bundle complementary products – One of the most powerful opportunities in shoppable image ads is showcasing multiple products in a single ad. This feature enhances consumer inspiration and can increase your brand’s average sale amount.
  • Promote limited-time offers – For seasonal shopping events or limited-time discount offers, shoppable image ads can convert consumers looking to try your brand for the first time. 
  • Partner with creators – An increasing number of DTC brands are leaning on influencers to produce social media content that showcases their products and services. These influencer posts create new ways to increase brand awareness and sales. More importantly, these influencer images often do a much better job putting products and services into action than traditional product photos.

Pinterest is innovating to provide more value to users and brands. 

The constant competition between social platforms as they try to gain the unwavering attention of users and advertisers can lead to some pretty cool innovations. Check them out some of Pinterest’s new roll-outs. 

Augmented reality (AR)

One of the risks of online shopping is the inability to see a product in real life before committing to a purchase. But Pinterest is looking to change this. They released AR filters that allow users to try on makeup or even see how a piece of home decor would look in their living space. 

These tools can help consumers feel more secure in their purchase, and according to Pinterest, pins with the AR filter are 5x more likely to spur a purchase than a standard pin. 

Artificial intelligence-powered shopping 

Pinterest announced in June 2022 that they were acquiring The Yes, an AI shopping platform that recommends products to users based on their style. While The Yes focuses solely on apparel, experts predict Pinterest will apply this technology to multiple verticals in the future.  

Pinterest TV 

In November 2021, the social platform launched Pinterest TV, a series of live, shoppable videos. Users can set reminders so they don’t miss an episode and revisit previous episodes to find inspiration from creators like Tom Daley, Christian Siriano, and Monica Suriyage. Brands like Allbirds and Outdoor Voices also offer discounts during these episodes to further spur action from consumers. 

Pinterest Lens 

Pinterest Lens uses AI to allow consumers to take pictures of things they like and see regular and shoppable pins for similar-looking items. It essentially helps people discover new products in real life and make purchases within the app, making it essential for brands of all sorts to upload their catalogs to the social platform. 

Why brands should partner with content creators on Pinterest 

Content creators can help improve a brand’s Pinterest SEO. 

Since Pinterest is a search engine, the general rules of search engine optimization (SEO) apply. One of the main parts of SEO is using the right keywords. Essentially, you want to use the same words in your posts that users search for on the site. 

Here’s a quick guide on conducting keyword research on Pinterest:

  1. Type your product category into the Pinterest search bar. For example, if you’re a makeup company, use terms like “eyeshadow,” “lipstick,” or “concealer,” then hit enter.  
  2. Check out the suggestions that appear above your results. For “eyeshadow,” this may be “looks,” “cut crease,” and “rainbow.” These suggestions are based on what other Pinterest users search for. 
  3. Make a note of these, and repeat as necessary until you have ideas for all of the products you’d like to promote. 
  4. Once you know what Pinterest users are searching for, you can partner with creators to develop content that fits these keywords. For example, if you see many people searching for “rainbow eyeshadow,” and you don’t have any posts about it, ask a creator to share a tutorial for rainbow eyeshadow using your products and tag your account. 

Creators can help brands populate sparse boards. 

Taking the time to fill a Pinterest board can be an ordeal. Once you add any photos or videos of your products, it’s time to search for UGC to populate your board. 

There may already be some high-quality content on the platform you can share, but if there aren’t too many brand mentions out there, creators can help. 

As your partners post content, be sure to add it to your board. Not only does this give you more content on your profile, but it helps your creators by giving their posts a wider reach. 

Creators can drive traffic to your site. 

Pinterest is one of the best social media platforms for adding links to posts. When a creator uses a specific item, they can link to the product page to make purchasing even easier. Or consider empowering your creators with affiliate links with discounts that they can share to further spur action. 

How brands can implement a Pinterest marketing strategy with influencers

1. Identify creators. 

One way to discover creators is to look organically within Pinterest. Type in some keywords and browse the content until you find something that looks good. From there, click into the creator’s profile and use a tool like GRIN’s free Web Extension to learn more about their performance and metrics. 

If everything looks great, it’s time to reach out! Unfortunately, unlike other social channels, Pinterest doesn’t have a strong messaging system. If the creator you want to partner with doesn’t have an email listed in their bio, it’s time to do some research on other platforms. 

Search their profile name on other social sites or Google. You may be able to find a profile on Instagram or TikTok where you can either look for an email or DM them. 

For an in-depth guide to evaluating creators, check out our blog on finding the perfect Pinterest creator

2. Develop a creator brief. (Or better yet, brainstorm together!) 

Once a creator agrees to a partnership, it’s time to figure out what kind of direction you’ll give them. Try to keep it as simple as possible; you want your creators to have as much creative freedom as possible for optimal results. 

Even better, consider having a brainstorming session with them where you can bounce ideas off each other until you have something both parties are happy with. (This is a great place to work in any keyword research you’ve done!) 

Note these details in the brief, then add in the non-negotiables, like tagging your brand, any hashtags you want them to use, and where you want their posts to link.

3. Track content. 

As your creators post, keep an eye on how everything is performing. You can use spreadsheets to track them manually or a creator management platform that will aggregate the content and data for you. 

4. Analyze the data, and make changes. 

Look into which content is working and which isn’t. If a creator is doing well across the board, consider asking them to create even more posts. On the other hand, if a creator’s posts aren’t doing too well, you may want to end your partnership. 

You can also take a more granular look at each post and see which types of content are doing well. If videos are outperforming photos, use this data to inform your future content requests. 

Key takeaway: A DIY approach to influencer marketing on Pinterest can help brands boost ROI. 

Pinterest is a great source of inspiration for users around the world, and with the right branded content out there, it can inspire them to purchase your products. But beyond revenue generation, this social platform is helpful for every stage of the customer journey, from awareness to advocacy. 

While many marketers sleep on Pinterest, this unique social platform can help your brand become a household name.

Learn more about influencer marketing: Influencer Marketing 101

Updated: June 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

Pinterest is a social media platform people use to share ideas, tutorials, and other content. People utilize it as a form of research, whether to learn new skills, uncover new ideas, or discover new products. 

Pinterest is great for marketing. Since Pinterest is a social media platform and a search engine, it powers every part of the consumer journey, from awareness to purchase and beyond.

Pinterest is a good marketing tool because it allows users to discover new products and ideas, see how others are using the items, and find tutorials and reviews for things they’re interested in purchasing. All of these pieces of content can help inspire purchases. 

Brands can promote their products on Pinterest in a few different ways: 

  • Partnering with creators. Doing so can help brands tap into new audiences and build brand awareness. 
  • Posting original content. People use Pinterest for inspiration, so content sharing the benefits, uses, or results of a product can spur purchases. 
  • Sharing content from others. Pinterest is meant for sharing, and brands can pin high-quality UGC to their boards to give potential customers a look into how others use their products.

Was this article helpful? Give it a share!

Want to be the first to know what’s new in the creator economy?

Our team keeps a finger on the pulse, so you’re always working with the latest information.

Get the GRIN newsletter for all the trends and insights you need to grow your business.

Written by Sarah Conrad

Originally from San Antonio, Sarah studied advertising at the University of Houston and decided to stay in the city upon graduation. She is particularly interested in SEO for social media platforms and tracking the latest influencer content trends. When she's not putting pen to paper, she's baking, painting, or hanging out with her dog.

white GRIN logo

All-in-one creator management platform helping ecommerce companies build more valuable brands through the power of creator partnerships.

© Grin Technologies Inc. 2024. All rights reserved.

Introducing
GRIN's Discovery Suite

Discover

Supercharge Your
Influencer Discovery Efforts

GRIN favicon

GRIN's NEW
Discovery Suite

Supercharge Your Influencer Discovery Efforts

GRIN's NEW
Discovery Suite

Introducing

GRIN's

Discovery Suite

Compare the Time of a Manual Process vs. GRIN

Compare the Time of a Manual Process vs. GRIN

GRIN favicon

GRIN + Uber Case Study

How did one person build Uber's robust TikTok community from scratch?

Find out here
GRIN logo

+

Uber logo

Introducing GRIN
Professional Services

Our team of experts is ready to drive the results you need.

Learn more