In its efforts to challenge social media giants like TikTok and Instagram, Pinterest introduced a new feature in 2021 called Idea Pins.

You can find Idea Pins lined up across the top of the app, like Instagram Stories, and they function in much the same way: short, engaging videos that may include a brief text caption or musical accompaniment. Users can also come across Idea Pins in the Watch feed, which is Pinterest’s version of TikTok’s “For You” or Instagram’s “Explore” page. It is one of the features helping to transform Pinterest from a solitary user’s collection of images from the web to an actual social network.

What Are Idea Pins?

What makes Idea Pins different from Instagram Stories—and potentially more useful to businesses—is that they aren’t meant to be ephemeral. They don’t disappear in 24 hours like Instagram Stories. They don’t disappear at all! Idea Pins remain on your account profile until you choose to delete them. In that way, they are more like Instagram Highlights, the saved Stories you sometimes see on Instagram profiles between the bio and the photo grid.

Idea Pins are designed to keep people inside the Pinterest app, engaged with content there, so you cannot use them to link to an external site. You won’t be making sales directly with Idea Pins. When used effectively, however, they will increase engagement with your profile, making consumers more familiar with your brand and what your brand has to offer. As with any other social media platform, the goal here is to increase brand awareness and create a relationship with consumers by posting frequently and consistently.

If this seems like a lot of extra work, don’t worry. Because they are so similar in form and function to TikTok and Instagram Stories, you can post the same content you post there to your Pinterest Idea Pins. If you don’t see the point in putting so much work into posts that disappear after a day, letting that content live on as an Idea Pin might give you the motivation to perfect your TikTok and Instagram presence.

What Should I Post? Some Idea Pin Ideas

All of those TikTok and Instagram videos that disappear into the void after a day can find a second life on Pinterest. If you’re already using those platforms, you probably already have an idea of how you might use Idea Pins.

New products. Update your Idea Pins regularly as you release new products.

Promotions. Running a sale? Announce it with an Idea Pin.

Customer reviews. This is a great place for user-generated content. Ask customers to submit pictures and videos of their purchases.

Product previews. Got something new in the works? Build hype with an Idea Pin.

Catalogs or lookbooks categorized by theme. This is how many brands are already using their Instagram Highlights. Try making it a feature of your Pinterest profile, as well. You can create up to 20 pages (images or videos) of content in a single Idea Pin. You could create separate pins for different categories of products, or for different pieces of jewelry containing a particular gemstone, or for a piece of jewelry worn with different outfits.

“Behind the scenes” looks. Give followers a peek behind the curtain. Show them your creative process, or what your typical work day looks like. For some jewelry designers, your face and personality are part of the brand, so let potential customers get to know that side of you. You don’t have to get too personal; just be your best professional self.

Solutions to problems. What kinds of obstacles do consumers face when deciding to make a purchase? Identify the pain points in the customer journey, and address them in an Idea Pin. Consumers use social media to learn and connect, not just to be advertised to. Showing them that you have a solution to their problem is one way to build a trusting relationship.

These are just a few of the ways you could build relationships with consumers on Pinterest. Is your business on Pinterest? How does it compare to Instagram or TikTok? Let us know if you’ve used these or any other ideas and how they’ve worked for you.