Is Pinterest Worth It? What the Data Actually Says

I know many of you have spent hours crafting and curating pins and boards. And somewhere in between the third pin of the week and the board you reorganized, you started wondering: is this actually working?

Today I want to jump into what the data really says and help you figure out your next steps.

Pinterest Isn't Social Media

Pinterest isn't like your typical social media platform. You're not scrolling endlessly through feeds. It's a visual discovery engine where people come with intent.

The users are searching for inspiration, things to purchase, services, who to trust and who to hire. They have this pre-notion of finding, learning, purchasing on the platform.

This intent-driven behavior means that when someone finds your pin, they're often in the mindset to take action.

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The Numbers Back This Up

I'm a data nerd. I like looking at what the numbers say because that is the real hard truth.

Pinterest tells us that over 450 million monthly active users are on the platform. And while a large audience is female, there's a growing number of male users, especially in niches like tech, sports, fitness, and men's health. Millennials and Gen Z are also becoming more active.

Your users spend an average of 14 minutes per session, which is significantly longer than what you're seeing on other social networks. This longer engagement time creates an excellent opportunity to capture attention and drive real results.

Conversions and ROI

Reported conversion rates on Pinterest are between 3 and 4%. Just for context, that's a very strong performance compared to other social platforms where rates typically run 1 to 3%.

Some businesses have seen an average revenue increase of 25% month over month when using Pinterest the right way.

We're not just talking about vanity metrics. This is tangible data with measurable outcomes. When your pins translate into website visits and sales, you know you're on the right track.

What to Look at in Pinterest Analytics

If you want to look at analytics, go to the top left on desktop, hit the hamburger button, and you'll see the navigation menu.

The metrics I really like to look at are outbound clicks, saves, and engagement rate.

I typically start with saves. I like to look at a wider scan and pinpoint peak days. What did I do on that day that caused this spike in saves? Then I look at my scheduler, what was published on that day, and figure out what are these peak times so I can duplicate that.

You can also add in a comparison. Even though impressions might be similar, saves could be up on a specific day. I can also go to outbound clicks. Did that correlate?

Why were people saving something more on that day than clicking through? Figuring this out helps you translate saves into more outbound clicks.

Remember: engagement is not comments. Engagements are clicks on the pin and saves. They're the clicks to pull the pin closer and the saves when they are saving the pin on the platform.

Five Steps to Make Pinterest Analytics Simple

One: Look at your engagement and your outbound clicks. High impressions means content is being seen. High saves and clicks means users are interested and the computer understands who to serve it to. However, if it's not getting outbound clicks, there may be something off on the pin or the computer may have the wrong interest category.

Two: Analyze your traffic sources. Where is your audience coming from? A particular board? A product pin? A video pin? This helps you decide where to focus your energy.

Three: Evaluate your conversion rates. If you're tracking sales or lead generation, match your data with your business metrics. This helps you understand which pins are generating tangible results.

Four: Go in with clear goals. If you're brand new and want to build brand awareness and website traffic, do that. If you're already on the platform trying to boost sales or grow your email list, make sure you have those clear objectives set up to guide you when analyzing data.

Five: Test and learn. Experiment with all types of content. Try A/B testing different images, descriptions, CTAs, and pin types. Over time, you'll gather enough data to understand what is working for you.

Final Pin Drop

Is Pinterest worth it? Based on the data, my answer is a resounding yes, provided you approach it with a clear strategy and commitment to doing quality content consistently.

Pinterest offers this unique space where discovery meets action. And if you're willing to invest in understanding your audience and refining your approach using the free tools Pinterest gives us, you're going to unlock some truly impressive results.

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