Pinterest has always stood out as a community that promotes significant user engagement among social media platforms. So, it's evident that Pinterest users believe their time on the platform is well spent.

Unlike other social media platforms that emphasize the urgency of sharing, Pinterest is a community focused on planning for future life events — home renovations, weddings, trips, a new diet plan, or an improved workout routine. Pinning is an aspirational and visual act. Plus, pinners are creating a vision board for their future lives.

Due to the aspirational nature of pinning, Pinterest users are also particularly receptive to brands connecting with them on the platform, provided the material is relevant and valuable to them. Indeed, 90% of Pinterest users claim the platform assists them in making purchasing decisions.

So how can your business meaningfully engage with Pinterest's visually-oriented, future-oriented audience?

Pinterest videos are a relatively new form of audience engagement. And because Pinterest is investing big on video content's ability to connect with its user base and increase engagement, the platform is already rewarding brands who create high-quality video content on their site with increased reach and top content placement.

All of this means that businesses investing in video marketing on Pinterest may now receive a significant return on investment by reaching new audiences and converting more loyal customers.

Using Pinterest Videos to Engage Your Audience

Given that Pinterest video provides an excellent opportunity to expand your audience and increase sales, you'll want to understand the video formats you can experiment with. In addition, you should familiarize yourself with the platform’s effective techniques to ensure you're sharing the best video content for your audience.

Using Linked Videos on Pinterest

Using linked videos is probably the simplest way to get started with video sharing on Pinterest. This means that instead of uploading video to Pinterest directly, you're pinning a link to a video hosted elsewhere, such as on YouTube, Vimeo, or Facebook.

There are two simple ways for pinning linked videos:

• Just as with an image, you can pin directly from the page where the video is embedded or hosted. Simply visit the page and use the Chrome extension "Pin It." A window will open to allow you to provide a description. Hit the button to pin the video.
• You can copy the URL of a video, visit Pinterest, click Add a Pin, and immediately paste the URL to share it.

Video Pins

Video pins are the term used to describe a native video that has been uploaded straight to Pinterest. Here's all you need to know about mastering video pins for your business.

Specs for Video Pins

It's vital to use the right specs for your video pins to ensure that your content is visually appealing on any device. Pinterest prefers square or vertical video since 85% of its audience accesses the platform via mobile.

• File Type: mp4, mov or m4v
• Maximum File Size: Up to 2 GB
• Video Length: Minimum of 4 seconds and maximum of 15 minutes
• Encoding: H.264 or H.265
• Aspect Ratio: Shorter than 1:2 (width:height), taller than 1.91:1. It is recommended to make your videos square (1:1) or vertical (2:3, 9:16)

Effective Techniques for Video Pin

As with any other pin, the top video pins are visually appealing, informative, and have a story to tell. The following are some of the best tips for making eye-catching video pins:

• Make it Actionable for Audiences: As with most of Pinterest's content, the best video pins educate and inform the audience. Consider how you might make a branded video that educates or inspires your audience to do something new.
• Tell a Story Without Using Audio: Your video's story does not have to be told through sound. As is the case with most social media platforms, a great majority of Pinterest's video content is watched silently via a mobile device. You may include subtitles if you need words to convey your message. Take note that you should strive to make your visuals strong to limit your text to a minimum.
• Remember to Include a Post Copy: Your video's post copy is also essential. It can help you in optimizing the video for search, ensuring that your material is discovered by a greater number of people. The title should be concise and descriptive, with further information and important hashtags included in the description copy.

Video Ads

Video ads on Pinterest are essentially video pins that you pay to promote and reach a larger audience. Here's how to make your video ads stand out among all the other pins.

Specs for Video Ads

One distinct advantage of using video ads on Pinterest is that you'll gain access to a larger, full-width video format. Below are the two video ad formats available, along with specs:

Standard Width Promoted Video

• File Type: mp4, mov or m4v
• Maximum File Size: Up to 2 GB
• Video Length: Minimum of 4 seconds and maximum of 15 minutes
• Encoding: H.264 or H.265
• Aspect Ratio: Shorter than 1:2 (width:height), taller than 1.91:1. It is recommended to make your videos square (1:1) or vertical (2:3, 9:16)

Maximum Width Promoted Video

• File Type: mp4, mov or m4v
• Maximum File Size: 2 GB or less
• Video Length: Minimum of 4 seconds and maximum of 15 minutes
• Encoding: H.264 or H.265
• Aspect Ratio: Square (1:1) or widescreen (16:9). Take note that max-width videos can’t exceed the height of a 1:1 aspect ratio

Effective Techniques for Video Ads

• Keep it Short and Sweet: When it comes to ads, the shorter, the better. Viewers have short attention spans and will continue scrolling if your video is not concise and direct. For optimal performance, Pinterest recommends keeping video ads between six to 15 seconds in length.
• Introduce Your Brand: When it comes to video ads, it's crucial to explain to viewers what your brand is all about and why they should care. You are not required to tell your story in words: Use your creativity and rely on graphics, colors, and style to convey your brand's identity.
• Consider Your Cover Image: Choose a cover image that will entice users to pause their scrolling and pay attention to your video content. Your thumbnail should be visually appealing and convey a clear message about the video's subject.
• Add a URL: Make it simple for your audience to take the next step by including a link to your website.

The Takeaway

Pinterest is a very effective marketing tool that can help you organically boost brand awareness, conversions, and sales, as well as build long-lasting partnerships with your target audience and buyer personas.

You can accomplish all these for your brand by using videos and posting them on Pinterest. Do you need help creating Pinterest videos that will entice, engage, and convert viewers into customers? Contact Everpost today. We generate unlimited premium videos for brands across the United States twice as fast as standard video production services!