How does Pinterest work?
Pinterest works as a search and recommendation engine for images, where every Pin can link to a website. Users type a query or browse their home feed, save Pins to boards and click through to the source page. Unlike a feed built around friends, Pinterest ranks content by topic and intent, so a well-described Pin keeps getting traffic months after it was published.
The core elements of the platform are:
- Pins: images or videos with a title, description and destination link.
- Boards: collections that group Pins by topic, for example a kitchen renovation.
- Visual search: tools such as Lens that find similar items from a photo.
- Business accounts: profiles with analytics, a claimed website and access to ads.
History of Pinterest: key dates
Pinterest started as a closed beta built by three founders in 2010 and became a listed advertising company in 2019.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 2010 | Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra and Evan Sharp launch Pinterest as a closed beta |
| October 2013 | Promoted Pins, the first ad format, appear |
| 2017 | Visual search features, including Lens, arrive |
| 18 April 2019 | Pinterest lists on the NYSE at 19 USD per share |
| June 2022 | Bill Ready becomes CEO, succeeding Ben Silbermann |
| Q2 2026 | Record 640 million monthly active users |
Pinterest users in numbers
Pinterest’s audience is global, growing fastest outside North America and mostly female. In Q2 2026, Pinterest counted 106 million monthly users in the US and Canada, 157 million in Europe and 377 million in the rest of the world. Average revenue per user reached 8.30 USD in the US and Canada but only 1.35 USD in Europe. DataReportal’s data for January 2025 shows an ad audience of 340 million, of which 70.3% are women. In Poland, DataReportal’s Digital 2026 report counts 7.36 million people reachable with Pinterest ads, and Statcounter attributes 2.41% of social media referral traffic in Poland to Pinterest in September 2026.
Pinterest in marketing and SEO
Pinterest matters to marketers because it sends planned, purchase-minded traffic to websites for months, not hours. The sections below cover organic optimisation and paid formats.
Pinterest SEO
Pinterest SEO means optimising Pin titles, descriptions, board names and images for the keywords people type into Pinterest search. Pins also rank in Google Images, so the same work supports classic image SEO. In e-commerce projects I connect the product catalogue to Pinterest so every product becomes a shoppable Pin, and I check that each Pin points to the correct country version of the store.
Pinterest ad formats
According to Pinterest’s product specs, advertisers can choose 10 formats:
- Standard image ads, with a recommended 2:3 ratio (1000 x 1500 px).
- Standard and max width video ads.
- Carousel ads with several swipeable images.
- Shopping ads generated from a product catalogue.
- Collections and max width collections ads.
- Idea, showcase and quiz ads.
Shopping and carousel ads pair well with remarketing audiences, and success is best measured as ROAS rather than clicks alone.
Pinterest vs Instagram
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Pinterest, Inc. | Meta |
| User intent | Planning and searching | Following people and brands |
| Content lifespan | Months, through search | Days, through the feed |
| Outbound links | Every Pin can link out | Limited in organic posts |
Brands active on Instagram can reuse the same photography on Pinterest, but they need keyword-rich descriptions instead of hashtags.
If you run Pinterest campaigns next to search and Meta, plan budgets in one place, as I describe on the social media marketing page.
Frequently asked questions about Pinterest
How many people use Pinterest?
Pinterest had 640 million monthly active users in Q2 2026, according to its quarterly results. That was 11% more than a year earlier, with the fastest growth outside the US and Canada.
Who founded Pinterest?
Pinterest was founded by Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra and Evan Sharp, who launched it as a closed beta in March 2010. Bill Ready has been CEO since 2022.
Is Pinterest a search engine or a social network?
Pinterest works mainly as a visual search and discovery engine with social features. Users search for ideas and products, and Pins keep sending traffic to websites long after they are published.
Is Pinterest good for e-commerce?
Pinterest suits e-commerce well, because users plan purchases there and Pins link directly to product pages. Catalogue-based shopping ads turn a store's products into shoppable Pins automatically.
Related terms
- Pinterest Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results · Pinterest, Inc. (SEC filing)
- Digital 2026: Poland · DataReportal
- Pinterest Users, Stats, Data & Trends · DataReportal
- Social Media Stats Poland · Statcounter Global Stats
- Pinterest product specs · Pinterest Help Center
- Pinterest · Wikipedia
