Let’s get Pintentional: Unpacking the healthy relationship between brands and consumers on Pinterest.

When it comes to media’s best practices, the only constant is change – particularly when your audience’s behaviour is both the most unpredictable and the most important factor in choosing that ‘perfect moment’ for an ad to show up. But what if one social platform had a userbase known for having a consistently intentional and ad-receptive mindset? Pinterest, according to its Head of Home, Matthew Siberry, is that platform. Let’s explore.

When Matthew from Pinterest spoke on our podcast, and even gave our team a live masterclass in our London office, he shed light on what sets the platform apart from others: rather than doing everything it can to keep users online, Pinterest’s ultimate goal is for people to use it for inspiration – and then go off and do ‘the thing’. Whether that’s planning for a party, an outfit or a new living room.

“Social media in general is in a race to the bottom of the brainstem. But with Pinterest, we’re helping people and driving that dream creation. That, ultimately, is what we want. We want you to design those boards, dream big, think about the things you want, manifest that and go get it. That’s Pinners have such a fundamentally different mindset.” – Matthew.

The difference boils down to intention. Where Meta and TikTok concern themselves with the past, and SnapChat and BeReal with the present, Pinterest is all about the future. Pinners are planning the party, not living or reliving it. What that means for brands is that, on Pinterest, you have the advantage of contextual relevance. Rather than disrupting the consumer’s journey, you can capture people in the moments they need you most.

Brands are ‘additives’ on Pinterest.

All of this might sound like bluesky thinking, but it’s backed by data. According to research, 9 in 10 users say Pinterest is ‘an online oasis’. And in surveys, Pinterest regularly comes out on top as the most trusted social platform.

But how did it get there?

In the early days, Pinterest was literally just a place to save and collect photos found on the internet. And after a while, what Pinterest found was that people were loving the products they saw in the photos, but they lacked a clear path to purchase. So the platform got more sophisticated, adding brands to the platform and making them a valuable part of the user experience. It’s exactly this organic story arc that gives brands an edge on Pinterest – they don’t feel like an unwanted nuisance.

To illustrate the point, Matthew paints a picture: “The biggest advice we give to brands is that, when you’re thinking about showing up on Pinterest, show up in a way that’s going to help people. And that’s across everything. There’s an assumption that [because of the platform’s ‘online oasis’ status] sales messaging doesn’t work on Pinterest. But actually, it does. Because if I’m there looking at decking, and B&Q shows up with a 20% discount, that’s exactly the time and place I want to see that promotion.”

There’s even more untapped potential to discover on S3 E09 of Influencer Marketing Uncovered: The Definitive Guide to mastering Pinterest, where Matthew joined us in the MG Empower studio. Listen now for the inside scoop on Pinterest’s algorithm, statistics that will blow your mind, and our Paid Social Manager, Beatrice Quarshie’s thoughts on some of the platform’s newest ad formats and why she loves incorporating them into a smart media mix.