Pinterest is redesigning its app for the age of TikTok. Responding to Gen Z’s demand for video-focused features, the company announced Tuesday that it will now allow users to create short videos from curated Pinterest boards designed for sharing on social media.
The new addition was inspired by the video sharing activity already taking place on apps like TikTok. In 2022, for example, Pinterest introduced a new collage-making app called Shuffles that quickly took off with Gen Z creators on TikTok. The app, which was still invite-only at the time, went viral as Pinterest users posted so-called “aesthetic” collages and mood boards they composed to music and posted them on TikTok. Shuffles later inspired an official Pinterest feature for shoppable collages.
In addition, Pinterest users share their boards on apps like TikTok using more manual methods such as posting screenshots or using the app’s green screen effects to share their curated collections, styles and personalities. Pinterest dubs this type of sharing the “mecore” trend, noting that it sees a 565% increase in searches related to this activity on its platform annually. Boards titled “mecore” also increased by 255% from last year, it said.
With board sharing, Pinterest users will be able to share their boards in a more creative way on social media. Shared boards will also feature links that, when clicked, will return viewers to the full board on Pinterest, where they can browse or purchase the curated content. To date, Pinterest users have created over 10 billion boards.
The addition may inspire increased social sharing among Gen Z users, who are already attracted to Pinterest, and could serve as a way to increase traffic to the Pinterest app by leveraging the viral mechanisms of platforms like TikTok and others.
The company has worked with power users and recording artists Avril Lavigne and Tierra Whack at launch to showcase the new functionality while helping to position the feature as a way for creators to reach their fans in new ways. Lavigne’s board includes fashion inspiration and promoting her tour, while Whack uses Pinterest for her eclectic interests and to gather inspiration for her creative projects.
To use the feature, simply tap the share icon in the top right corner of any of your public boards to automatically create a video. Then you can click Add to Story or Download button to share the video anywhere else like TikTok. If you’re sharing to Instagram Stories, use the Stickers icon to find the Link sticker, then paste the board URL.
You can also edit the board’s Pins or choose a different template before sharing, the company said.
“Gen Z makes up over 40% of our global monthly users on Pinterest and is our most engaged generation, with a significant increase in the number of boards created by Gen Z Pinners compared to last year,” noted Rachel Hardy, director of consumer products. marketing at Pinterest, in a statement about the new addition. “We’re improving the board’s capabilities based on user feedback, and this year, board sharing is one of our critical investments, as users appreciate the ability to share their creative processes across different platforms and find inspiration from others” .
