Since Pinterest introduced video in 2016, brands have used the format to show their products in action, share tutorials and testimonials, and create visually compelling ads.
Today, Pinterest videos generate 83% more engagement than images, according to a 2026 analysis by social workspace brand Buffer. Posting videos can be particularly useful during the product discovery phase, and Adobe reports that 36% of consumers begin their internet searches on Pinterest rather than Google. They can also be a helpful tool for reaching high-income consumers: Pinterest reaches 40% of US households with an income of more than $150,000.
Learn what Pinterest videos are, the different types of videos you can create and upload to your account, and tips for using Pinterest videos for your ecommerce business.
What are Pinterest videos?
Pinterest videos are video-based pins that anyone on the app can upload and save. Though Pinterest was once a social media platform dedicated to the static image, Pinterest now promotes video to brands as a way to get engagement on the platform and direct traffic back to your website.
Companies publish different styles of video on Pinterest. For example, clothing brand SKIMS posts videos in the style of professionally shot advertisements, while beauty brand MERIT uploads videos highlighting their products in action with user-generated content (UGC).
Types of Pinterest videos
There are several types of videos you can post to your brand’s Pinterest account, and tons of creative directions to take them. Here are a few popular formats:
Shoppable videos
More than half of Pinterest users say they use the platform to shop, according to Pinterest’s internal data. Posting product pins lets you tag products in your video content, display pricing information, and link back to your ecommerce site’s product page. This allows users to purchase your products as soon as they discover them.
Bedding company Brooklinen, for example, created a shoppable stop-motion video that links out to several bedding products for shoppers to choose from.
If you’re a Shopify seller, the Pinterest for Shopify app lets you sync your product catalog between Pinterest and your ecommerce site. Log in to your Pinterest business account to edit and manage your shoppable pins and to view performance data like video views and engagement rate.
Product tutorials
According to Pinterest, users “arrive with intent” looking for ideas and solutions. You can create how-to videos to demonstrate how your product or service helps meet these users’ needs.
Product tutorials show viewers how to set up or use products. Humidifier brand Carepod, for example, uses this format to show potential customers how easy it is to set up their humidifier.
In another example, bedding brand Boll & Branch posted a video teaching their audience how to use their Virtual Bed Designer service.
Styling ideas
According to Pinterest, 96% of top searches are unbranded, and “people first explore visually, refining their style, mood, or use case before choosing a product.” The platform suggests making your products appear “as part of those ideas instead of just another item in a grid.”
Athletic wear brand Gymshark follows that advice in its pins. In this video, Gymshark shows users how their clothing can be styled, which turns individual products into outfit inspiration.
Tips for using Pinterest videos for ecommerce
- Optimize for Pinterest search intent
- Follow formatting best practices
- Align your content with marketing moments
- Use Pinterest’s advertising feature
Use these tips to get started making your own Pinterest videos and create the best experience for potential shoppers:
Optimize for Pinterest search intent
Pinterest functions as a visual search engine. Improve your discoverability by using keyword-rich titles, descriptions, and board names. Pinterest recommends using keywords and phrases that your audience is already searching for. You can find these by using keyword tools like Google Trends or Pinterest Trends. Stick with words that make sense with your post and brand.
Note that, like other social media platforms, Pinterest captures data and uses cookies to deliver personalized ads and experiences to users based on their activity.
Follow formatting best practices
Pinterest shares a few recommendations for creating videos in its ad format. First, keep your video short, ideally six to 15 seconds, and frontload those first few seconds with your product and brand identity.
The platform also suggests using motion, audio, and scene changes to indicate a clear beginning, middle, and end, and always ending your video with a call to action (CTA). Some Pinterest users will watch your ad without audio, so make sure that if your video does have sound, it still conveys a clear message when muted.
Though the app supports horizontal and vertical posts, Pinterest suggests a 2:3 vertical aspect ratio. This looks better on mobile devices, where most users view Pinterest content.
Align your content with marketing moments
Tap into what users are already searching and saving by creating content that aligns with Pinterest marketing moments, which include big global holidays in addition to individualized events like birthdays.
Pinterest suggests posting content about holidays and seasonal events a few months in advance and continuously publishing pins about personal events.
Use Pinterest’s advertisement features
In addition to posting organic videos to your feed, you can create paid video ads.
Pinterest lets you place ads in home feeds, search results, or both. The platform also has features like dynamic retargeting, which lets you deliver personalized ads to customers who’ve already visited your website or have your items sitting in their shopping carts.
Pinterest has a suite of video ad options, including regular video ads, Shoppable video ads, Idea ads (which display multiple videos), and Promote a Pin ads, in which you pay to boost an existing organic video.
The platform reports that brands using a combination of these video ad types see a meaningful boost in brand metrics, such as a 140% uplift in brand awareness and favorability and a 120% increase in brand recall and action intent.
Pinterest videos FAQ
Do Pinterest videos perform well for ecommerce brands?
Pinterest videos generate higher engagement than static pins, making them a good choice for ecommerce brands. More than half of Pinterest users use the platform to shop, making it a potentially profitable ecommerce platform.
What kind of videos work best on Pinterest?
Videos that work best on Pinterest focus on solutions and ideas rather than individual products, since people use the platform as a visual search engine to find tips and inspiration. The best-performing videos are vertical, short (six to 15 seconds), frontloaded with key information about your brand, and work with or without audio, according to the platform.
How long should Pinterest videos be?
Videos should be brief, ideally six to 15 seconds.
How do you create a Pinterest account?
To create a Pinterest account, sign up with your business email address, birthdate, and password. Use eight or more letters, numbers, and symbols in your password, agree to Pinterest’s terms and conditions, and acknowledge you’ve read the privacy policy.
