Pinterest is one of the best ways to promote your business visually. That’s all Pinterest is really—a visual engine for discovery. People go there specifically to find ideas and inspiration, so a high level of intent can make it ideal for advertising, including compelling video ads.

Originally there wasn’t video content on Pinterest—it was all image-based. Then in 2016, a new video feature started allowing users to watch native videos on what’s called the explore page. That was successful, so as of August 2017, Pinterest lets you promote video pins on the site.

If you’re a video marketer, Pinterest offers a number of unique opportunities. It’s not highly saturated with videos at this point. If you create good video ads and content, you have a real chance to stand out here.

Below, we talk more about what you should know about Pinterest ads, especially when they’re video-based.

The Formats

There are a few different Pinterest formats that use video.

These include:

– A standard video pin ad: These videos are the same size as standard pins, and they provide placement in a user’s feed that looks like the organic content around it. A standard video ad will auto-play without sound. Then, if a user chooses, they can click to see your video in a larger frame. A pinner can save the ad to their board, and that then removes the promoted label. Once someone saves your ad, you’re boosting the exposure of your ad organically.

– Max-width ad: this type of video ad is only available on mobile and as a promoted format. This takes up the screen and goes across both of the columns on the Pinterest grid.

– Collection ad: With a collection ad, Pinterest is aiming to help retailers with eCommerce sales objectives. A collection can be broken into a couple of parts, the first of which is the hero video. That’s what appears in the user’s feed. Then, after the user clicks it, they’re taken into the collection. The collection is set up like a storefront, which can feature up to 25 products. Pinners can shop the look, and they can see a variety of products they could be interested in.

Along with paid video posts, of course, you can also create organic video posts on Pinterest. Organic video posts tend to have less of a marketing approach than ads.

So why should you be using Pinterest videos for your business?

First, Pinterest really seems to prioritize videos. In 2019, Pinterest changed the framework with the objective of increasing the video distribution rate. Now, the algorithm on the platform prioritizes video content over every other type. Videos will often rank higher on searches, and they have better placement on the explore page.

Video content is also popular with users and tends to lead them to take action.

For example, Pinterest reports that users are 2.6 times more likely to make a purchase after they view branded content on the platform.

Pinterest Video Ad Best Practices

There are some general things to remember when you’re creating video ads for Pinterest, including:

– Start with a bang. As soon as viewers start your video, it needs to be engaging. The goal is to get them to watch the entire thing, so if you can’t hook them from the beginning, that’s not going to happen. Since Pinterest is a visual platform, you need imagery that’s immediately captivating.

– Don’t rely on the audio elements of your video. For video ads, the audio isn’t played by default. For organic video pins, most users are scrolling without their sound on, so you have to keep both in mind. You need to think about constructing your video ad in a way that the viewer can understand exactly what’s happening without sound. This might include the addition of closed captioning. If you have a video without audio, you can use text overlays.

– If you’re creating organic videos in addition to video ads, you need to make sure they all include titles and descriptions since this is how you optimize them to be found during a search. You want the algorithm to be able to locate your content, so think clear and concise when it comes to your title and description, as well as your hashtags.

– Do some research before you start creating a video. You want to be on-trend because that’s one of the core ideas behind Pinterest—helping people discover inspiration and new trends.

– On Pinterest, for any ad format, there are a few things to keep in mind with your creative elements. First, there’s what we talked about with the visual appeal. Next is the relevance, which can include your titles and descriptions. Another thing that Pinterest users like is positivity. You want your ad, including the text and images, to be not only engaging but encouraging.

– Make your videos actionable.

Imagery Best Practices

Because Pinterest is driven by imagery, the following are some general tips to keep in mind when you’re creating any content for the platform.

– Lifestyle shots and videos have an 18% higher engagement rate, according to Pinterest.
If your business involves fashion, try to have someone wearing items.

– If you’re creating a video for home décor products, the focus should be on the product and not a person.

– Images with a text overlay work well on Pinterest.

Overall, Pinterest ads can give all of your Pins more exposure, and 60% of users have discovered new products or brands through ads. One out of two users has reportedly made a purchase after seeing a promoted pin.

You can create ads to achieve any number of objectives, including awareness, engagement, and increasing sales.

You can use the Pinterest Ads Manager to track it all and analyze which of your ads and videos are working well and which you might need to tweak. The analytics will give you information on your pins with the highest clicks, re-pins, and impressions.

Use this all to continue to refine your ad strategy on Pinterest and grow your audience and customers through beautiful videos.