Reaching Gen Z on Pinterest: Optimisation Tips for Marketers
In 30 seconds
Gen Z makes up 42% of Pinterest’s global monthly users. They're saving pins for reasons ranging from self exploration to shopping lists - and it's all fuelling how they shop online.
Marketers should optimise content for Pinterest’s search capabilities to effectively engage Gen Z. We explain how!
Want to connect with Gen Z on Pinterest? You should be leveraging trends, making the most of user-generated content, and resonating with their interests.
Gen Z's Pinterest usage
Pinterest, ladies and gentlemen, is no longer simply the spiritual home of twee cupcake recipes and slightly naff wedding boards. Nowadays, Pinterest is cool.
Gen Z has found and revolutionised Pinterest. This generation makes up a staggering 42% of Pinterest's global monthly users. Their search activity has grown by 30% YoY, which means that Pinterest is very much still on its upward trajectory of 'cool' - and you can expect a lot more Gen Z activity on Pinterest in the near future.
Want more stats? We'll give you more stats.
Weekly Gen Z Pinterest users save pins nearly 2.5 x more and create 66% more boards than other generations.
84% of weekly Gen Z Pinterest users say they find products that match their personal preferences
Gen Z are reportedly 7x more likely to purchase a product they’ve saved on Pinterest
And considering L.E.K Consulting's 2024 study finding that they're "perpetually in shopping mode", that's a lot of potential transactions.
All this paints a picture of a platform where a huge generation with considerable buying power are uniquely receptive to certain purchases. If you're trying to reach Gen Zers, this is sexy stuff.
The extra carrots for marketers
Confession: I'm writing this as an SEO, so naturally I'm all about the FindabilityTM opportunities of Pinterest. Young people are kicking off discovery by searching keywords, then Pinterest's visual search engine offers ever-more tailored, aesthetically similar or topically relevant suggestions as users click results.
This means that search is a constant, refining process on Pinterest. Whereas Googlers just want the best answer quickly, Pinterest users love the chase. Pinterest search behaviour is about having fun.
The great thing about Google SEO is it's long term. It’s organic, so visibility doesn't fall off a cliff when you stop spending. Pinterest search visibility is even better - the same principle applies, but you're not competing for that specific no.1 spot. There's more room for more winners, and popular Pins can have an incredibly long life.
Great Pins can generate views, engagement, traffic and even sales conversions - and maintain this performance well into the future. At a time when brands' customer acquisition and digital ad costs are skyrocketing, Pinterest presents a huge potential for organic growth and a hungry Gen Z audience. It's where you should be.
You don't need to be an SEO whizz to surface - but it helps.
How to reach Gen Z on Pinterest
To reach Gen Z on Pinterest, you first need to understand why they're there. Combine this with a strategic approach that leverages the platform’s unique features and ad formats and an understanding of SEO, and you're onto a winner.
1. Work out why your Gen Z audience is here
Gen Z uses Pinterest to find ideas, explore interests and discover new products. Crucially, they're looking to curate. Pinterest users create collections, or 'boards' of their saved Pins. This means that your images need to harmonise with a certain aesthetic to perform best.
If other social media platforms are about showing off who I am (whether that's authentic or not!), users on Pinterest are exploring who I want to be. When you look at what they're pinning, it's more about their hopes and aspirations - which for marketers, is a dream come true.
Here's a breakdown of how they're curating.
Personal Expression: combining images to reflects their tastes, interests, and lifestyles.
Planning for events: they're anticipating everything from big life milestones to events like parties, gigs and festivals. You name it - they're getting the shopping inspiration in.
Learning: they're picking up skills, making unique items and saving money on projects. They're also collecting tips, from healthy eating and workout routines to travel knowledge or even pose inspiration for the best photographs.
Inspiration: They're keeping tabs on emerging trends in fashion, beauty, and home décor. By collecting visually appealing content for mood boards, they're sparking their own creativity. And it's also inspiring their shopping. In a recent on-stage discussion among Gen Zers known as "the Z suite", one member explained, “I love making mood boards, so I try to find niche trends on Pinterest and then I’ll go to TikTok to see if that trend is in motion."
There's a new kid in Pinterest town, too…
Pinterest Shuffles: the new app for making collages on Pinterest
The newest reason your Gen Z audience could be on Pinterest is to get creative by making collages, recently facilitated by Shuffles.
If you're a Pinterest user, expect to see plenty more collages on your screen soon.
What are Shuffles? The collage-making Shuffles app is now integrated with Pinterest’s main app having initially gone viral on TikTok,. Advanced visual tech allows users to cut out images and build collages of favourite products and other inspiring visual finds from their Pinterest account. You can then publish to Pinterest, where the collaged image elements retain individual shoppable links. If you tap on part of the image, you'll be taken to the original product page it was sourced from.
It's allowing young users to get creative in a new way (here's a fun example) - and it's also huge for shopping wish lists (here's a wish list example). It's hugely popular with Gen Z. This generation reportedly makes up 70% of all collage creators, with collages 3x more engaging than other Pinterest pins.
2. Set up for success
Whether they're collaging, learning or moodboarding, your audience will have a LOT more chance of finding you if you're set up properly for Pinterest. Here's how:
First job: create a business account.
If you already have an account on Pinterest, switch to Business. This gives you access to tools like analytics, ads, and the ability to claim your website.
Next: optimise your profile.
For your profile name, use your business name with a keyword that represents your brand. Your profile image should be a high-quality logo. For your Pinterest username, keep this consistent with your brand name and other social media handles for easy recognition. Your about section is where you should add an engaging bio with relevant keywords.
Then: claim & verify your website
This allows you to enable features like rich pins on Pinterest (which I'll explain in more detail later). There are 3 ways to do this, which Pinterest explains here. This will help improve your web analytics, adds more prompts to engage with you, and allows you to create ads - among other benefits.
And, crucially: set up your website
This will allow your customers grow your pins. Pinterest have created an add-on builder that allows owners of ecommerce sites to create a Pinterest button that appears when you hover over your product images. Clicking the button allows your customer to creates a Pin that's saved to their own Pinterest account. The Pin will maintain a link to your product page where they originally found it. Once that Pin is on Pinterest, it's easily re-Pinned by other users, meaning popular products spread like wildfire.
3. Share top-notch pins and save them in the right place
It's now time to start creating Pins. Not all Pinterest content is created equal, however, so you need to optimise for success. Here are our top tips:
Organise your boards.
This is where you first need an SEO mindset. Think like your Gen Z Pinterest user when you name your board. What keywords would a Gen Zer interested in your products or services use to search for a board? You might think a funny name would make you stand out, but board names are searchable, so it's far more important to align with the way Gen Z searches.
Done well, boards can even drive bigger purchases. Linda Li Steiner, head of customer in the Americas for H&M, told Glossy: "Pinterest users tend to take a bit longer to make a purchase, but when they do, they buy several things at once because they’ve curated a whole board of ideas." So help this process along by organising your products that are commonly bought together into themed boards.
Make cool-looking Pins.
All the keyword optimisation in the world won't help you if your Pins are pants. So, create visually appealing Pins. Use unique and high-quality images or videos that represent your brand.
Hopefully, at this point you've already got a sense of the kind of visuals your Gen Z target audience loves - and the kind of imagery that best represents your brand. But if you need help, we can help!
It's also worth peeking at best performers in your category. Which boards have tons of followers? Which images are getting 100s of rePins? Don't simply recreate this kind of visual content - instead, take on board what's working and make something that people remember.
Nail your Pins' titles & descriptions.
You'd be surprised how few brands bother to do this, so investing your time here will give you an advantage. Thinking like an SEO again, use relevant keywords in your Pin title and description to improve visibility in search results. Use terms your Gen Z audience is likely to search for. Then use more thoughtful, specific copy in the description (this is what Pinterest favours).
Use the right pins for the job.
There are different kinds of specialised pins you should consider making. These include:
Product pins.
Use Pinterest’s Catalog feature to organize your products into shoppable Pins, making it easy for users to browse and buy via direct links. Last quarter, Pinterest added even more shopping functionalities, including the resurfacing of product pins based on users’ past browsing history. So, integrate your product feed data asap.
Blog & infographic pins.
If you regularly publish to a blog, create engaging pins that link to each article, with the blog title included in the image in your brand's font. Likewise, infographic pins are a great way to share information that's of interest to your audience. Say you're an outdoor clothing brand - an infographic of camping tips will capture your Gen Z audience. Link the pin to relevant products that can be purchased online and you're onto a winner.
Carousel pins
This is a type of pin where multiple images are on the same card, so users can swipe across to see more. Strangely, if you try to create these organically, it becomes a video pin. However, this is a great format to use for Pinterest ads - as you can adjust the title and description for each image and it allows you to showcase multiple products or concepts at once.
Video pins.
Videos should be short, informative, and captivating to grab the viewer’s attention quickly. Use these to demonstrate products, share behind-the-scenes glimpses, or tell your brand story.
4. Consider ads
While it's perfectly possible to gain traction on Pinterest organically, a paid approach can help you reach more of Pitnerest's enormous global monthly user base, supercharge your keyword targeting, and ultimately build traction for transactions.
Last year, Pinterest launched more new ad formats than any other year in its history, and Pinterest’s ad engagement in Europe was up 38% this most recent quarter. Also, in Q2 2024, ad costs on Pinterest decreased in price by 11%. So it's a great time to get started with Pinterest ads!
A good way to dip your toe into Pinterest ads is to promote a pin. Pinterest Business accounts are well set up for this, your analytics identifies Pins that are already performing well organically in terms of impressions, clicks, and saves. These are great candidates for promotion, as they already resonate with your audience.
Familiarise yourself with different ad types on Pinterest. Pinterest's guide on getting started with ads manager is a great place to start. This resource will help you understand the ad types, targeting options, and how to create your first campaign effectively. It'll also explain different formats from standard Pins, video Pins, shopping ads, and carousel ads to choose the ones that align best with your objectives.
Utilise Pinterest's robust targeting options to reach the right audience segments based on demographics, interests, and behaviours. Include strong calls-to-action that encourage users to engage further.
Then you should think about optimising. With ad costs on Pinterest decreasing by 11% in the recent quarter, there’s an opportunity to experiment with more campaigns or extend your reach without increasing your budget. Test different audiences, creatives, and ad formats to find the most effective combination.
5. Build a community
Gen Z loves Pinterest for its ability to connect them to culture and their interests. So, double down on this connection and you're onto a winner.
A usfeul step is to invite people to join your boards. Using Collaborative Boards, invite Gen Z influencers, fans, or brand advocates to contribute to group boards. This encourages a sense of community and ownership among weekly Gen Z pinners, encouraging them to become your followers.
An additional route is to incentivise Gen Zers to re-Pin your content. Organise contests that encourage users to re-Pin your content for a chance to win prizes. This will have your pins spreading like wildfire. Tie it to pop culture moments and you'll reach Gen Zers who are already planning on Pinterest. Your pins will fit right into their favourite ideas, and others doing the same will copy the pins that are previously saved.
You should also look to promote on other socials. This is especially important when you're new to the Pinterest game. Leverage your existing social audiences and encourage them to give you a follow. If possible, reward them by sharing exclusive content on Pinterest: this will incentivise them to follow you here for the kind of access they can't get on your other channels.
Lastly, make sure you respond to comments on your Pins. Treat it like you would any other social media: comments are an opportunity to connect, and if you're personable you'll win people over.
Turning Pinterest users into your brand's Gen Z users/shoppers
Create an individualised relationship for real success
It's safe to assume that this deeply engaged age group is ready for a relationship with your brand on Pinterest.
But that is the key - a deeper relationship is what Gen Z wants from brands on social, and it's also what they're on Pinterest for, for themselves. They're here to grow into who they want to be. On Pinterest, everyday purchases aren't humdrum, they're a step towards self-realisation. Pins and boards, therefore, aren't just new ideas - they're self-exploration.
So, approach Pinterest as an idealist. Show your brand in its best light, imagining how that 'best light' might look for different Gen Zers. Take on board the tactics from above to get started, then - and this is the greatest take-home - get creative.
Despite the monkier 'Gen Z' feeling like a homogenised group, young people are anything but. Take time to get to know the different kinds of young personalities who are attracted to your brand, then make idealised content just for them. Taking a deeply personalised route will allow you to take command of Pinterest's deeply personalised results. Place these people in the centre of your Pinterest marketing campaign and you'll find it more natural to create high quality content that wins them over - even into the distant future.
If that sounds daunting, it can help to chat to people who are naturals at getting creative, and getting into the mind of different customer groups. Read on for some of our best tactics, or get in touch to find out how our creative, social media, and audience insight teams can help turn your Pinterest into lower funnel success.