Why Idea Pins Work for Bloggers and How to Use Them

Idea Pins are the newest form of content you can make on Pinterest. Of course, that’s also the type of pin that Pinterest now loves the most and that gets the best distribution on the platform. As a blogger or entrepreneur, you shouldn’t miss the chance to score with Idea Pins, because they give you lots of brand awareness, views and followers.

But what are Idea pins, exactly? And how do you make them?

I will explain everything you need to know about Idea Pins in this tutorial!

What are Idea Pins?

Idea pins are pins that are best compared to Instagram Reels and are mainly intended to be used to introduce other Pinterest users to your products and brand in a storytelling way. The great thing about these pins is that they stay at the top of your Pinterest profile and therefore get the most views.

When you create an Idea Pin from your phone, you can also choose to include music and audio. That’s not possible from a desktop computer – at least, not as of August 2022, from my location. Pinterest may have rolled out this function to you by the time you’re reading this.

Why you should use Idea Pins (and why many content creators don’t like them very much)

The Pro’s

• They’re prominently featured on your profile, so they’re ideal for promoting blogs, products, or services.
• They’re extremely popular right now and are being shown more often on the Pinterest platform.
• They often result in new followers.
• You can get very creative with it.
• If you’re a UK or US citizen you can tag affiliate links to them. Unfortunately, this option isn’t available for the rest of the world, yet. But it’s expected to be rolled out in other countries as well.

The Con’s

The biggest downside of Idea pins is that you can’t attach a link to your website. Pinterest wants to keep its users on the platform for as long as possible, which is why Idea Pins are pushed hard onto the platform right now.

How to leverage the Power of Idea Pins to your advantage

Even though you can’t directly link them back to your website, utilizing idea pins can still help grow your Pinterest following. Idea pins are perfect for:

• Creating top lists (top 5, top 10, 10 best products for…);
• Step-by-step tutorials;
• DIY tutorials and ideas;
• Showcasing courses/trainings / main products at the top of your profile that you want people to see first
• Collections of your products
• Creating top lists (top 5, top 10, 10 best products for…);
• Step-by-step tutorials;
• DIY tutorials and ideas;
• Showcasing courses/trainings / main products at the top of your profile that you want people to see first
• Collections of your products

Feel free to take a look at my Pinterest account for some Idea Pin inspiration! That’s what I’m here for 🙂 You can find them here! (And don’t forget to follow me for more blog and Pinterest tips while you’re on my profile anyway)

You might also be interested in: 4 Ways to Make Money With Canva

How do you create an Idea Pin?

In order to create a Pinterest pin, you first start with creating your design, for example in Canva with a 9:16 aspect ratio. I’ve already explained how to make great pins that will perform well on Pinterest in a previous blog. So, if you’re still not sure how to make the perfect, click-worthy Pinterest design, read that blog first.

For your Idea Pins, you can create a design in Canva that consists of several static pages that are then shown one after the other. Compare it to a small PowerPoint presentation, if you like. You can add videos to your Idea Pins, too!

How to upload your Idea Pin to Pinterest

When your design is ready to be uploaded you can open Pinterest and click on:

• Create
• Creat Idea Pin

• After that, click on Create New.
• Click the arrow to upload your design.

You are now in the editing screen for your Idea Pin. If you have uploaded multiple designs, please first drag them into the correct order on the left side of the screen.

Next, you can view your design in the middle and drag your designs around if they are not appearing in the right place.

On the right side, you can also add text and background. After that, click Next.

Time to add the finishing touches

Your first Idea Pin is nearly completed, just a few – very crucial – details to go!

The most important part of your Idea Pin isn’t the design itself but is in the effort you put in the part where you add the finishing touches. This is where you need to apply your knowledge of Pinterest SEO to make sure your Idea Pins are shown to the right users on Pinterest after publication. If you have no idea what Pinterest SEO is I kindly ask you to first read my tutorial on optimizing your Pinterest business account and Pinterest boards, before you proceed.

Back to the finishing touches of your Idea Pin. What do you need to write down here?

• Idea Pin title: Give your pin a title and use specific Pinterest keywords.
• Organize to a board: pick a relevant board for your Idea Pin.
• Tagged topics: pick a few relevant tags for your pin. (try to find your keywords)

Scroll a bit down and click on Add the details. You can enter a text here that people will see when they come across your pin. You have the options:

• Ingredients (for recipe pins)
• Supplies (DIY’s)
• Notes

Pinterest provides you with ample opportunity to include context and keywords around your pins. Use this chance to set your pins up for success by writing descriptions that are both informative and user-friendly.

Click ‘Publish’ at the bottom, and your first Idea pin is a fact!

Final Thoughts

Thank you for reading my tutorial on Idea Pins. You now know that Idea Pins are an important part of your Pinterest strategy and that you are missing out on great opportunities if you don’t get started with creating them.

Hopefully, this article has inspired you to create your first Idea Pin and I can’t wait to see what it looks like!

Let me know in the comments below!

Angie