Pinterest Idea Pins are taking off as the new big thing on Pinterest. They are a great opportunity to share your content and grow your audience. They are similar to an Instagram story but they don't expire, which means they can keep getting you in front of people long after you create it.

Not long after Pinterest introduced Idea Pins (originally called Story Pins) I attended a call with people from Pinterest where they detailed how to use the new feature. But I noticed it was mostly geared towards to DIY market. Using them to show how to make, do, create, put together or style something. It seemed perfect for crafters, makeup artists, interior designers and bakers. But I wondered how I could used them for business, where I am sharing my knowledge more than tutorials.

So in this post I want to share with you just how to do that.

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So what is an Idea Pin?

An Idea Pin is different from a regular pin graphic on Pinterest. It is similar to Instagram stories in that it is in the 1080x1920 dimensions, can be made of multiple slides and can use video. Idea pins can not link out to sites like a regular pin, so they are more about growing your audience within Pinterest. This doesn't mean you can't still direct people to your website. You can still add links on your images, they just won't be clickable, and you can make sure your link is in your Pinterest profile, so when people go to check out who you are they will be able to easily head to your website if they want to see more from you.

An Idea Pin is a lot more dynamic than a regular pin on Pinterest, as you can mix up still graphics with videos and animations and share more of a story rather than just a single graphic. They are also great for repurposing exisiting videos and content that you have.

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Learn the basics of creating an Idea Pin here.

What do you Need to Know about Creating Idea Pins?

As you think about creating Idea Pins keep these things in mind:

• You can create idea pins right within Pinterest, as it allows you to upload images and videos and add text overall, or you can pre-create them and upload.
• If you create any slides with video or animation you can upload them as mp4 files.
• Idea pins are limited to just 60seconds but you can split that time into up to 20 slides. So as you create your slides keep in mind to keep the total length under 60 seconds.
• You can use sound, which means speech and music can be added (If you make your idea pin from your phone, you can use the tools to add voice over and music within the Pinterest app) . But keep in mind not everyone will have sound turned on, so also add captions.
• If you have text on the screen make sure the slide is long enough so people have time to read it. A still graphic plays for 5 seconds, so keep the text short on these unless you save it as a video and make the frame last longer.
• If you first slide is a video and the start of the video doesn't work well as the first thing people see, you can upload a cover image (after you upload all the videos and graphics, when you go to the adding the title and tags section)
• If you want to add a caption and a call to action select 'notes' under the 'add list' drop down.
• Make your well performing Idea pins go further, by re-making them and improving them even more, and creating the same design as a regular pin and a video pin.
• Pinterest prefer you to use at least 5 slides.
• If you create an Idea pin from your phone you can add stickers and even tag products (https://help.pinterest.com/en/business/article/tag-products-in-your-idea-pins)

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What kind of Content can You share in an Idea Pin?

Anything that you can break down into steps or split information into slides will work well in an idea pin. Similar to creating a carousel post on Instagram, you can create slides where you break down information. It could be a DIY, tutorial, sharing how something works, breaking down a concept to help people understand it, share a process, share how you use a tool or software you can even share products, how to use something or share your work showing it in different ways on each slide.

There are so many possibilities!

Consider:

• What content can you repurpose into an idea pin. Including reels, tiktoks, blog post (share the key takeaways or points), carousel posts, tutorials or infographics.
• What you offer and how you can share different aspects of your product or service in an idea pin.
• What bite sized value can you share that will get people interested in what you offer

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Show me examples of what I can do with Idea Pins on Pinterest

I'm a visual person and I am sure many of you reading this are too, so to get you inspired, here are some examples of what you can do with Idea Pins.

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TURN A CAROUSEL OR BLOG POST INTO AN IDEA PIN

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REPURPOSE A TIKTOK OR REEL INTO AN IDEA PIN

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ANIMATED IDEA PINS

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FULL VIDEO IDEA PIN

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SHOW OFF A PRODUCT

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Other ideas:

• A slideshow of testimonials
• Show behind the scenes of how you create something
• Re-purpose a short video like an IGTV with captions
• Share slides that showcase a service you provide like brand design, photography, illustration.

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Want a head start to creating amazing Idea Pins?

I have created a pack on Canva Templates for Idea Pins, with 7 sets of templates for business owners. You can learn more here.

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