Is your most engaged audience on Pinterest?

Every month, 459 million monthly active users hit Pinterest.

That’s right, nearly half a billion people. Maybe they’re looking for new recipes. Maybe they’re planning a bathroom remodel. Perhaps they’re preparing to adopt a new pet, or they’re about to throw the most adorable baby shower ever.

Pinterest is part social media, part visual search engine. Anyone — individuals or brands — can share items that can be pinned by others. What makes Pinterest unique is that pinners generally know what they’re looking for, but they don’t always know exactly how they’ll achieve their results. And this is the opportunity for brands.

Brands can be a pinner’s next great find! When people use Pinterest to plan for an event, they’re often creating a digital shopping list. For a business, it’s an opportunity to meet its most engaged audience: people who are coming in with an idea, but are open to finding a brand that will meet their needs. In fact, 97% of Pinterest searches are unbranded.

There also is an opportunity to serve adjacencies. For example, if someone is digging into everything they’ll need to prepare their home for a new furry friend, pet companies have the chance to introduce themselves. Or if someone is looking for ideas for a home renovation project or buying a new home, it’s a great time for lenders to offer financial support, displayed in the pins we developed for Johnson Financial Group.

Power offline behavior with an online inspiration and discovery engine.

Another unique thing about Pinterest as a social channel is that it’s an online search engine that leads to offline behaviors and brand engagement, whereas other social media offer the opportunity to interact digitally only. Through Pinterest, brands get to show up at the moment of inspiration. It’s a chance to be the first in market with unique ideas that help people plan their lives.

Unlike other platforms that foster engagement through in-the-moment sharing, pinners are planning in advance.

For example, pinners plan for holidays and events two to six months out,¹ which is why we launched Prairie Fresh’s summer meal ideas in May to show up before competitors share adjacent ideas.

There also are insights available to help brands determine the planning period of their target audience. For example, pet owners often have a two-month ideation period² prior to a new pet adoption. During this time, they’re looking into things like food, supplies and grooming options.