Pinterest introduces Idea Pins, a video-first feature aimed at creators – TechCrunch
Pinterest is expanding further into the creator community with today’s launch of a video-first feature called “Idea Pins,” aimed at creators who want to tell their stories using video, music, creative editing tools, and more. The new Pins allow like Pinterest’sit creative videos with up to 20 pages of content, using tools like voiceover recording and background music, transitions, and other interactive elements. The quality feels a lot like like Pinterest’sikTok, mixed with Stories.
The company says Idea Pins evolved out of its tests with Story Pins, launched into beta in September 2020, after various stages of development beginning the year prior. At the time, Pinterest explained that Story Pins were different from the Stories you’d find on other social networks, like Snapchat or Instagram because they focused on what people were doing — like trying new ideas or new products, not giving you snapshots of a creator’s personal life. Another notable differentiator was that Story Pins weren’t temporary. They didn’t disappear after a certain amount of time but could be surfaced through search and other discovery mechanisms.
Video is a critical element in Idea Pins. Over the past eight months since their debut, Pinterest has worked with Story Pin creators on the experience. That’s led to the new concept of the Idea Pin — essentially a rebranded Story Pin, which now offers a broader suite of editing tools than what was previously available. The Pins target the increased consumer demand for short-form video content of a creative nature — like what’s delivered through TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and elsewhere. The videos in the Pins can be up to 60 seconds on iOS, Android, and the web for each page, with up to 20 total pages per Pin.
Creators can edit their videos by adding their voiceover or using a “ghost mode” transition tool to better showcase their before-and-afters by overlaying one video part on another. And they can save drafts of their work in progress. But Idea Pins still include several features common to Stories, like adding stickers or tagging other creators with an @username. Pinterest says it will start with over 100 stickers featuring hand-drawn illustrations focused on top categories and behaviors it expects to see, like food-themed illustrations, stickers for before-and-afters, seasonal moments, and more. Pinterest is also working with the royalty-free music database Epidemic Sound to offer a catalog of free tracks in Idea Pins. And because many creators will use Idea Pins to inspire people to try a recipe or project, they can include “detail pages” where viewers can find the ingredient list or instructions, which is handy.
