Have you heard the latest on Pinterest Idea Pins?
Or wondering what they are, how to make them – and if you even should?
If you network with bloggers, creators, and social media marketers, you’ve probably heard the fuss over whether those Pinterest Story Pins are helpful for us, or just for Pinterest.
And whether they’re just a lousy, ill-conceived ripoff of Instagram Stories.
Let’s dig in and explore.
What Are Pinterest Idea Pins?
Pinterest Idea Pins are multi-page video Pins. If you have a Pinterest business account, you can use Idea Pins to create inspiring content and build more engaged communities directly on Pinterest.
Yep, you can make them right on Pinterest. You’ll learn how to make them a bit further on in this article.
Pinterest announced Idea Pins on May 18, 2021 – but prior to that, they had Story Pins. Pinterest says Idea Pins are an evolution of their Story Pins.
They’re not ephemeral like Stories on other platforms. They last. And Pinners can Save (repin) them to their own accounts.
What Pinners could not do – until recently – was click to your site. Idea Pins didn’t have a way to include a live link. And that was intentional on Pinterest’s part.
The goal of Idea Pins was to keep Pinners ON Pinterest.
But to get buy-in from content creators, Pinterest had to pony up some dough. They concocted a Creator Rewards program that paid people who made engaging Idea Pins.
What’s New for Pinterest Idea Pins in 2023?
Pinterest has ended the Creator Rewards program.
This was announced on November 28,2022, and quickly put into effect two days later.
Sometime in 2023, all Pinterest business accounts will be able to add links to Idea Pins. And this is really due to the outcry of creators on Pinterest!
Pinterest says we’ll soon be able to link to a website, blog post, or affiliate product (be sure this is allowed by your affiliate program, though).
How Can I Get Early Access to Idea Pin Links?
Some new accounts have access to this already!
Pinterest has not yet announced a date for their widespread availability, or how to request early access, but I’ll update this article as soon as they do.
You can also keep checking into your Pinterest account, as you may see a Request access or Early access banner. If you do, lucky you!
You may be more likely to see this if you’ve already made Idea Pins. So if this coming feature interests you, it might be smart to start making them now.
You may just discover that you have Early access to linking when you do!
How Do I Make an Idea Pin on Pinterest?
You can make Idea Pins with previously taken photos and pre-recorded videos – or you can record new videos right in the Pinterest mobile app.
They can be created on desktop or mobile, but you can only record a new video via mobile at this time.
Just open the Pinterest app or Pinterest.com.
On mobile, tap the plus sign at center bottom, or your profile picture at top left on the home feed.
Or click “Create” at top left on desktop.
As long as you’re logged into your business account in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, you should see an option to “Create Idea Pin.” Click or tap that.
On your first time, you’ll have to agree to Pinterest’s Creator Code.
Once you’ve agreed, your next step is to add up to 20 images or videos. Each one becomes a “page” of your Idea Pin.
As mentioned earlier, on mobile you can also film new videos. These can be up to 60 seconds each.
You can add voiceover to each page, as well as:
- Music
- Text
- Stickers
- People tagging
- Topic tagging
- Transitions
Lots of options, and you can do it all on Pinterest if you prefer!
Check out some of the features below. Image credits: Pinterest.
How to Save a Draft of an Idea Pin
Intimidated by the process? No worries, you can save a draft, and even edit your Idea Pins later.
You can save one Idea Pin in draft on Android phones, store up to three GB of Idea Pins in draft on iPhones, and save unlimited drafts on desktop.
If you’re low on storage space to save Idea Pin drafts, you’ll need to free up space on your mobile device by deleting files, pictures or apps.
Come back later to your device to finish and publish it to a board. You cannot edit your draft across different devices.
How to Edit or Delete Idea Pins
Once created, you can go back and edit your Idea Pins in these ways:
- Change the board or section it’s published on.
- Turn on or off the ability for people to comment and add photos on it.
- Delete your Idea Pin.
Here’s how:
1 | Click on an Idea Pin to open it.
2 | Click the ellipsis (3 dots) to the right of the Pin.
3 | Click Edit Pin.
4 | From here, you can:
- Edit the board: Select a public board from the drop-down menu then click Done.
- Edit the section: Select or create a board section then click Done.
- Edit comments and photo permissions: Toggle the switch next to Allow people to comment to turn it on or off.
- Delete your Idea Pin: Click Delete in the bottom-left corner then click Delete Pin to confirm.
5 | Click Done. source
Idea Pin Best Practices & FAQ
What size are Idea Pins?
Idea Pins’ aspect ratio is 9:16. If you create graphics first in another design tool, Pinterest recommends you use 1080 x 1920, the same as Instagram Stories.
Does an Idea Pin need to be all video?
Nope! You can make Idea Pins out of static images, but best practice is to include at least one video at the beginning.
When will Pinterest add clickable links to Idea Pins?
Sometime in 2023! Keep watching for Early access.
Can I add a URL in the description or one one slide of my Idea Pin?
This will no longer be needed, but just in case you still want to: Pinterest has said they’ll demote Idea Pins that try to provide a link in this way.
I’ve seen people do this in the Pin description of static Pins and honestly, it looks pretty tacky. Stick with the features intended by the platform.
What do I do if I have problems with Idea Pins?
Product tagging problems? Anyone having issues with tagging affiliate links should submit a ticket here and include “Idea Pin Product Tagging” in the subject line. Other issues may be reported there as well.
I don’t do recipes or crafts. What can I make Idea Pins about?
Create an outline just as you do for a blog post! Each point of your outline becomes a slide in your Idea Pin.
Start considering now what you can make linkable Idea Pins about. The possibilities are pretty much endless now!
How Are Idea Pins Different from Stories?
Pinterest decided they need a Story-type product that’s different from the social platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
And they’re absolutely right!
Here are a few ways they differ from Stories on FB and IG:
- Idea Pins last. They don’t disappear in 24 hours.
- Idea Pins can be Saved by Pinners for their future inspiration.
- Idea Pins focus on inspiring rather than connecting, live chatting, etc.
Idea Pin differences from Pinterest’s own former Story 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.
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. source
The new Idea Pin features include:
- Video recording and editing for up to 20 pages of content.
- Voice-over recording so that creators can add their own personal voice.
- Music selection by Epidemic Sound.
- Ghost-mode transition tools (perfect for those before-and-afters!).
- Detail pages for instructions or ingredients.
- Interactive elements such as people tagging and stickers.
- Multi-draft save so that Creators can publish more ideas.
- Export options to share content beyond Pinterest.
- Topic tagging – a publishing feature that helps connect content to relevant interests.
- The Creator Code content policy designed to keep Pinterest a positive and inspiring place.
Per Pinterest:
These updates are meant to give anyone who has something to teach, share, or say the ability to share it with a community of Pinners who are looking for their ideas.
Idea Pins Features Added in October 2021
Pinterest is all-in on Idea Pins. They just rolled out some additional features which will be particularly exciting for product sellers and affiliates.
Pinterest says some of these updates are based on creators’ requests, and make Idea Pins “even more inspiring and actionable.”
Preview Mode – Creators can now preview Idea Pins before publishing! Use safe zones and preview mode to do a quick quality check before publishing (iOS, Android).
Video Splitting – You can now split long videos into multiple pages >60s (available on iOS).
Continuous Music – You can now add 1 song continuously across every page or select different songs for each page (available on iOS).
Idea Pin replies (mobile only) – Creators can reply to a comment on an Idea Pin with an Idea Pin. These are called “Takes” and are designed to inspire more engagement.
Shopping Recommendations (US) – You can choose to automatically enable shopping recommendations on your content to identify visually similar products.
New Android features – A number of new Android features have launched including multiple text creation, multiple drafts, stickers, and more.
Virtual Try On (US) – Creators will be able to tag their Idea Pins with lip products that Pinners can try on right from the Idea Pin.
Other big news is that Pinterest is expanding their product tagging tool to include the Amazon Associates Program, so creators can use affiliate links from Amazon to tag products and earn commissions on qualifying purchases. source
Why Would I Use Idea Pins on Pinterest?
Idea Pins do have advantages. Because Pinterest loves Idea Pins!
9 Advantages of Idea Pins
1 | Idea Pins get more exposure on Pinterest.
- Pinners who follow you will see your Idea Pins at the top of their home feeds.
- Even Pinners who don’t follow you will see your Idea Pins featured at the top of your Pinterest profile.
- They’ll also surface in search and on the Today Tab.
2 | They can be easily made right in Pinterest, without any special video tools.
3 | Idea Pins are displayed in a special full-screen stream view, designed to engage and inspire Pinners.
4 | Idea Pins are a great way to grow your Pinterest followers, since Pinterest prompts viewers to follow the Pin creator at the end.
5 | They can be downloaded for reuse on your other platforms, if desired. These will carry a Pinterest watermark and your account name, à la downloaded TikTok videos.
6 | Idea Pins might help your regular Pins get more exposure. This is debatable – some Pinners say they’ve helped their other Pins, while some say they hurt their other Pins (and thus the clicks to their site).
7 | You get more feedback from viewers of Idea Pins (9x the average comment rate on Idea Pins vs standard Pins)*, which can help you improve your tutorials and other content.
8 | Opportunity to become an influencer (check the video at the end, minute 19:00).
9 | Product tagging for more sales (available to all as of July 28, 2021, with Amazon Associates added October 20, 2021).
*Pinterest internal data, global, April 2021.
4 Disadvantages of Idea Pins [old news]
These points are from pre-2023, so no longer apply. I’ll be sure to report disadvantages of the latest iteration when we see what they are!
1 | Idea Pins don’t send traffic to your site. In the previous iteration of Story Pins, Pinterest even said that if you put a visible, non-clickable text link in your image to suggest viewers visit your site, they’ll throttle your Pin’s reach. So, no links!
2 | Idea Pins take up valuable real estate in the home feed, thus limiting the number of normal Pins with clickable links.
3 | Some Pinners get upset at Idea Pins because they’re used to clicking to a website. Some creators have said they get irate comments from Pinners who want that live link.
4 | Idea Pins keep Pinners on Pinterest, possibly ruining your primary reason for using Pinterest for business.
Does the good outweigh the bad? That’s for you to test and decide! It may depend on your goals.
What is Pinterest Engagement?
Don’t panic about creating engagement on Pinterest. I know it’s been called “the social media for introverts,” and we like posting our images and just waiting for people to visit our websites.
For the most part, we don’t hope for “likes” and hurry to respond to comments, like we need to do with Facebook Pages for business.
Engagement on standard Pinterest Pins typically means Saves (or repins), taps to open the Pin, and those beloved clicks to your site.
What does engagement on Idea Pins mean to Pinterest? Pinners engaging with your ideas!
Pinners love discovering new things:
- Ways to decorate their homes.
- New fashion trends.
- DIY crafts and projects.
- Latest styles in hair and makeup.
- Places to visit.
- And so on…
The point of Idea Pins is to inspire Pinners right on Pinterest. They can’t, and shouldn’t need to, click to a website for more info.
As far as comments though, Idea Pins do get more of them. In fact, Pinterest says they see 9x the average comment rate on Idea Pins compared to standard Pins.
No worries though, Pinners aren’t expecting a near-instant response like they do on Twitter or Facebook. These comments are actually a good sign to the Pinterest algorithm that people are interacting with your content.
What Do YOU Think?
Will you try the new linkable Idea Pins?
Have you used the former Pinterest Story Pins and loved – or hated – them?
Share your thoughts on Pinterest Idea Pins in a comment!
Josh says
Greetings…and thanks for the info! Can standard pins be converted into idea pin assets? Is it worth creating standard pins anymore?
Louise Myers says
You can probably do that, but you do need multiple slides that tell a story or tutorial for them to be effective.
You absolutely need standard pins because idea pins can’t be linked to a website.
Angela O says
Louise: I love your generous spirit of sharing up to date information on Pinterest! My question is do you need to use hashtags to boost visibility?
Louise Myers says
Hi Angela, I’ve written a lot about Pinterest hashtags as well, but at this time they don’t seem to do much.
Atr says
I despise idea pins as a user. Hate them. I avoid them at all costs.
Why?
Because if I need a recipe (folk put out such neat stuff!), there is NO way for me to get to it without trying to take a screen shot (if a website is given), and then try to type it in on my phone, flipping between pics and search engine on my phone.
So not only am I not excited about the recipe anymore, but I am also irritated at the poster and pinterest itself.
Yes, idea pins gets lots of comments, but many of those comments are COMPLAINTS or questions (“where do I find this? Link? How much?”). That isn’t engagement, that is frustration.
I have started avoiding pinterest accounts that have too many idea pins.
Please, please, if you love your own site and desire traffic, just put a regular pin with click through. I want to support pinners but this doesn’t work. Tbh, almost no content is truly original. If I am looking for a recipe for sugar cookies, and someone uses an idea pin, I am going to skip that pin and go to a different one.
I want Y’ALL to have lots of traffic. I know how much work you do. Don’t listen to pinterest, listen to people. Make it easy for this “attention span of a squirrel/time crunched moms” to get the content they need. Remember, you keep loyal followers by HELPING PEOPLE, not by listening to pinterest marketing.
Louise Myers says
Thank you so much for this comment! I wish Pinterest would listen to you. As far as recipe bloggers, I know they’d like to, but Pinterest is just not showing much of anything but idea pins these days. They’ve really forgotten what they’re all about. 🙁
Shellyt says
I am really glad you put this here. I am beginning pintrest because was told that the photos are working better all the time–BUT if we are frustrating users instead of helping them–I don’t want to wast my time. Also, I saw you could product tagging???? what does that mean with no links? In IG or FB a product tag leads to a product. So what is the point? So pintrest is not doing links and punishes you for helping your viewers? Good going pintrest!
Louise Myers says
Product tags will lead to a product, but limited vendors are included in this. I think Pinterest is working hard on making Idea Pins useful, for product sellers at least, and people are getting used to the lack of a general link.
I am still uncertain they will ever be useful for bloggers whose business model depends on website traffic.
Denise Wilbanks | This Is My Everybody says
Hi, Louise!… Thanks for the great info on creating Idea Pins! I created my first video Idea Pin. But now (only on Desktop view), it is jumping to a “zoomed in” view?! It did not do this originally. Just started happening in the past few days… Not sure if it is a glitch or something I am not doing correctly. The mobile view (both phone & tablet) shows the Idea Pin correctly… Any suggestions?
Thanks so much… Denise ✨😎✨
Louise Myers says
Haven’t heard of this. If I find anything I’ll let you know, but I wouldn’t worry about it too much as over 80% of Pinterest views are on mobile.
Scott says
I created several Idea pins about two months or so ago. I had to delete a few of them because they inadvertently changed my Pinterest so that I wasn’t able to look at the Pinterest Impressions. But once I deleted a few of my Idea pins magically my account was restored. I wouldn’t recommend putting more than 7 Idea pins on your Pinterest because they’ll take up all of the first row in your Pinterest. The good news is that the Idea pins that I created have resulted in having more than 50,000 Pinterest impressions collectively together.
Louise Myers says
Thanks for sharing your experience with idea pins!
Alex Black says
I use Pinterest both as a normal user and as a marketer.
As a user, Pinterest is a fantastic visual search engine and scrapbook. While I would normally use Google for most searches, there are certain searches that make more sense on Pinterest. If I want to look for visual ideas like home makeovers, fashion, vacation ideas, etc, nothing beats Pinterest. Pinterest allows you to easily save these images in boards which you can share with others or keep private. It is a whole lot harder to do this on Google.
As a marketer, I manage a few blogs that have very visual products and Pinterest is the ideal place to promote my blog. Pinterest also works for me because my products and pins are evergreen. They do not go out of fashion within a short period. Unlike other platforms like Facebook and Twitter where posts that go viral just disappear after awhile, I continuously get traffic from Pinterest months and even years after I created the pins.
Louise Myers says
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
(P.S. to the commenter only: I had to take out the self-promotional part).
Lisa Sicard says
Hi Louise, at first it seems like so much work to add these idea pins to our Pinterest pages but with Canva we can probably create some rather quickly. I like that they are featured at the top and may keep people on your pins.
Of course, the downside is no traffic to your site from the pin.
I may certainly give these a whirl when I have something I can create into a video. Thanks for sharing about this as I was not aware of it yet Louise 🙂
Louise Myers says
Hey Lisa! Thanks for stopping by and for commenting.
You actually make these right in Pinterest. You can certainly create graphics ahead of time and import them, but the Pinterest tools are not bad.
Lisa Sicard says
Thanks Louise, Is there a way to delete these idea pins? Thank you!
Louise Myers says
Yes. I will add this to the article! Basically you need to go into “Edit Pin” (the 3 dots).