Thursday Press #81: what's happening with idea pins?
[18 MAY 2023] ch-ch-ch-changes
Whether it's a festive graduation cap banner or pulling out my ancient silly bands for a 2010s-themed party (iykyk), I LOVE a good moment.
Any occasion that calls for niche knowledge, themed decorations, or a ~lewk~, I'm here for it.
It's one of the many reasons me and minimalism were never going to work out.
Like clockwork, as soon as the weather starts getting warmer and my schedule gets full of new, fun, outdoor activities, my wardrobe gets its own little moment shifts.
While fall and winter Sarah is all about capsule wardrobe-ish simplicity with neutral turtlenecks and dark academia-inspired fits, summer Sarah is ready to dive headfirst into granola girl hiking wear AND as close to country club chic as Old Navy can get me.
Confused? Yeah, me too.
Basically, when the seasons change, my aesthetic personality seems to, also đ¤ˇââď¸
^ This is the energy, k?
It looks like Pinterest got the memo this year, as it just announced several big changes to the platform and the pinning experience that you need to knowâŚ
BELOW THE FOLD
Last week, Pinterest announced that all content types on the platform would just be âPins.â
What that really means is that they're âgetting rid ofâ idea pins.
My quick-and-dirty interpretation of all the marketing fluff is that they're combining the pin creation experience of idea pins and standard/video pins for a more streamlined process
(& to give the people what they've been asking for, namely, links)
Here are some of the things that will be changing:
There will only be one âpin builderâ â where before you could either âcreate a pinâ or âcreate an idea pin,â now you'll just have the one âcreate a pinâ option.
Some people already have this experience!
The pin editing features previously only available on idea pins will now be available for all pin types
This includes things like music, stickers, and product tagging, but it seems like it will still only be available within the mobile app
Personally, I don't think this will impact much, as I can't imagine anyone adding music to a static pinâŚ
You'll be able to add a link to all pins
This means that currently you should have the ability to add links to your idea pins
New pins with multiple assets/images will be turned into a video pin
I'm not sure yet how the creation of these will work!
Previously created idea pins (or as Pinterest is now calling them, âpins with pagesâ) will be preserved as videos
For even more specific details, you can check out this post in the Pinterest Business Community.
All of this will be officially going down on June 20, although you may see some things start to change earlier as it rolls out.
In the meantime, here's what I recommend you do:
Keep up with your usual Pinterest routine, especially when it comes to standard pins
If you've been creating a lot of idea pins, maybe reduce the frequency a bit, and experiment with adding links
If you have video content to repurpose, start posting those as video pins instead of (or in addition to) idea pins
To be completely transparent, I don't yet know exactly what these changes will mean on a nitty-gritty level.
It's likely that the answer & outcome will be different for every individual, business, and account.
What I do know is that there is one constant that has remained through all the changes in the past several years:
Consistent, fresh, standard pins are the bread and butter of Pinterest marketing.
New features and algorithm changes come and go, but when you have a foundation of valuable, keyword-optimized content, you're not subject to the whims of an ever-changing platform.
If we go back to my wardrobe metaphor, it's the white, button-up shirt of your marketing strategy.
A nice collared shirt adds a bookworm flair to a sweater outfit in the fall, pairs perfectly with boat shoes and denim shorts for a preppy vibe, or can be worn open for a lightweight layer after a day of hiking.
Change can be overwhelming, especially when you're not sure what it's going to look like on the other side.
That's why I make sure to invest in education and communities where I can get trusted support and info from other experts. Here are two of my faves:
The Most Comprehensive, Data-Backed Pinterest Course
Pinterest Strategy Group Community
(great for PMs & anyone looking to improve their Pinterest skills!)
Sooo⌠how are you feeling, bestie?
I'm not typically the biggest fan of change, and this is a pretty significant one.
But I'm hopeful that this is going to bring in a new era of Pinterest (bc everything's an era now) and am excited for the chance to refresh my strategies.
If I say it enough, it'll be true, right?
I'LL KEEP YA POSTED!
Scrolled to the bottom? Here's the must-know: June 20th, Pinterest will be converging all pin types into one single creator, multi-page pins (idea pins) will be distributed as videos, and all pins now have links.