How Does the Pinterest Algorithm Work in 2024?

Pinterest remains one of the leading social media platforms in the U.S., with more than 5 billion searches every month. With the right strategy, you can harness this platform and the Pinterest algorithm to reach your goals.

Pinterest marketing is often overlooked by marketers, but that means brands are missing out on incredible opportunities to reach consumers and platform-specific benefits. One benefit is that trends on Pinterest sustain a 21% longer monthly growth when compared to other social media trends. Plus, with its new try-on shopping feature, Pinterest e-commerce is steadily growing each year. 

Here, we’ll explore how the Pinterest algorithm works and how you can make the most of your time on the platform. 


What Is the Pinterest Algorithm?

Like any social media platform, there is a complex equation behind what users see on their Feeds. The algorithm is a set of formulas created to determine which pins users see in their feeds and search results. Pinterest is constantly optimizing its algorithm to make sure users see the most relevant content. 

Related: How Do Social Media Algorithms Work?

How Does the Pinterest Algorithm Work?

Much like a search engine, Pinterest determines pin ranking on fundamental SEO methods like keywords. However, the algorithm also takes a more traditional social media approach which considers behavior — like pins you’ve saved in the past, engagement, and searches — to show the most relevant content.

Pinterest Feed Algorithm

The Pinterest algorithm determines each pin’s relevancy to each user and then shows the content users are most likely to engage with. Relevancy depends on factors like search queries, behavior on Pinterest, and the content of the pin. Four main factors drive Pinterest’s algorithm: domain quality, pin quality, pinner quality, and topic relevance. 

Domain Quality 

Just like Google’s search engine algorithm, Pinterest reviews the domain quality of the website linked to a pin. If users consistently click through a pin to your website and explore your content, the domain quality will increase. Essentially, the more popular your website is on the platform, the more Pinterest will see it as a source of high-quality content and show it to even more users. 

Pin Quality 

Pinterest determines the quality of each pin based on its engagement, including comments, saves, likes, and shares. The more people engage with your pins through likes, comments, and saves, the higher they will rank. 

Pinner Quality 

The pinner quality metric refers to your behavior as an active pinner on the platform. It takes into consideration: 

  • How often you pin content 
  • How consistently you pin content 
  • How much interaction your pins get 
  • How much you engage with your audience

By engaging with other users, saving content to your own profile, and utilizing the platform, you’ll be able to improve your pinner quality. 

Topic Relevance 

Pinterest decides whether or not a user would be interested in your content using topic relevance. Like Google, Pinterest analyzes keywords and hashtags in each pin, including the title, description, and the image or video itself. For example, if the algorithm knows you love board games, it’s going to continue showing you related content so you’ll continue engaging with those posts and spending more time on the platform. 

10 Tips To Rank Your Pinterest Videos and Get More Views

Just like any online platform, Pinterest’s algorithm is constantly changing. If you want to make sure users see your video marketing content on Pinterest, become familiar with strategies that help the algorithm boost your content. 

1. Use Relevant Keywords

Although users view Pinterest as a social media platform, it’s important to remember it’s also a search engine. This means you need to use SEO for your video pins by including relevant keywords throughout your content. 

You can add keywords to text overlays in videos, as well as in pin titles and captions. But don’t stuff keywords into your content. If you include too many keywords in your content, it’s likely to read as spam to the platform’s algorithms. 

2. Post Fresh Content 

If you leave your account inactive for too long, the Pinterest algorithm is less likely to boost your posts. With every new search, the older and lower-performing content will get pushed down the ranking system. The more fresh and up-to-date content you can post each week, the better. Make the most of this by analyzing post data and understanding when to post on Pinterest

3. Engage on the Platform

Staying active doesn’t just mean regularly posting videos. It also means you need to engage with other users on the platform, including by saving pins, commenting on other posts, and responding to comments on your videos. 

4. Use the Right Format 

Every piece of content you post needs to be high-resolution and follow the video ad specs for the platform. Pinterest recommends a 1:1 aspect ratio (square) or 2:3 aspect ratio (vertical) for videos on the platform. 

Related: Pinterest Video Ad Specs & Placements Guide

5. Grab Attention Right Away

Since videos are an engaging feature, Pinterest tends to boost video content. A scrollable banner at the top of mobile search results shows video pins, giving these posts an incredible boost in visibility. 

Make your videos stand out in the banner to grab users’ attention early. Kicking the video off with movement, color, or intriguing text helps make the first few seconds count. 

6. Add a Text Overlay 

Another way to make your video pin stand out is to add a text overlay. The right text can provide context and drive home your message while catching the viewer’s attention. Plus, it can help tell users and the algorithm what your content is about. 

7. Keep It Short and Sweet

While Pinterest lets you upload 15-minute-long videos, the best-performing video content tends to be way shorter. Since users prefer short videos, the algorithm is more likely to boost videos that deliver quality content quickly. When you’re first starting out, aim for somewhere between 6 and 15 seconds. 

But remember: the same video length doesn’t work for every brand, so implement a testing strategy to find what works best for your audience. 

8. Make Content Worth Saving 

The more saves you get, the more likely the algorithm will boost your video. So, during your next video production, think about how you can maximize engagement on your content. One way to do this is by creating different types of video content, including educational and helpful. 

9. Leverage Relevant Trends 

While all social media platforms are driven by trends, they’re especially important on Pinterest. 

The platform even has a trends page where you can see the topics and terms users are frequently searching on Pinterest. On this page, search for trends by keyword and take note of what’s trending each month. Then you can use this information to post the most relevant and trending video topics. 

The company also releases Pinterest Predicts every year to highlight upcoming trends, so your business can get a head start on crafting high-quality content all year long. 

10. Focus on Quality Over Quantity 

Yes, the algorithm favors consistency, but it doesn’t mean you should put quantity over quality. It’s better to put out a few high-quality videos each week than to churn out huge numbers of low-quality or irrelevant videos. The platform recommends no more than 25 fresh pins per day, but a good range to aim for is between one and five. 

Make Pinterest Videos at Scale

You might be thinking: that sounds like a lot of content. 

Well, you’re right. 

Today, you have to create a video marketing strategy filled with fresh, high-quality video content to stand out on social media — but you don’t have to do it alone. 

QuickFrame is here to help. With our end-to-end video production platform, you can connect with expert video makers and production teams from around the world who are ready to help you make the Pinterest content you need. Contact us to get started today.

Pinterest Algorithm: Final Thoughts

As Pinterest continues to embrace the rise of video, there’s never been a better time to start posting your powerful, high-performing video content. While this platform might take a while to get used to, you can use Pinterest to build your own audience and start driving traffic to your website in no time. To get the most out of the platform and start generating traffic to your website, you need to stay on top of the latest Pinterest algorithm updates. 

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