Pinterest's search engineers published a paper with one line worth reading twice: what people click and save doesn't always tell them whether the result was relevant. Laura breaks down the grading system built because of it, why most pins sit at a 3, and four fixes. Then she hands you a red pen. 

Key Takeaways:

• Engagement Isn't Relevance: People save a hundred things for a hundred reasons. Pinterest's own paper says that doesn't tell them whether your pin answered the search.

• Your Board Names Get Read: The boards a pin sits on, yours and other people's, are part of how it's graded. A pin on "Weeknight Dinners" arrives with an answer attached. One on "Later" brings none.

• First Searches Stick: The searches a pin earns early clicks from follow it forward, so traction from the wrong one sticks.

• Most Pins Sit at a 3: The scale runs 1 to 5, and the middle means "sort of about it." Every extra thing a pin covers drags it there, so one pin aimed at one search wins.

• Relevance, Intent, and Outcome: Keywords alone stopped being enough. Ask your image whether it proves your title, the searcher's intent, and the outcome they came for. "Freezer meals for new parents" over a stock kitchen photo is a 3. Over labeled containers in a freezer, a 5.

Mentioned:

Ep 45: Pin Design 2026: Your Pins Don't Need to Be Beautiful. They Need to Be Clear

Ep 59: How to Design Pins Pinterest Can Actually Read Rock Stars organic course

DM Laura the word "audit" on Instagram: https://instagram.com/laurarike

Rock Stars (organic Pinterest course): https://laurarike.com/rockstars 

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The host of The Pintastic® Podcast is Laura Rike, a Pinterest strategist with 15+ years of marketing experience who helps proven businesses add Pinterest as a strategic acquisition channel. She specializes in diversification from platform dependency and social media burnout, turning Pinterest into the channel that scales without the daily content hamster wheel.

Laura offers multiple pathways to work with her:

→ Pinterest Growth Strategy App (https://app.pinhacking.com⁠) - A Pinterest marketing app for creators and agencies. Generate algorithm-tuned pins, uncover hidden keywords, and plan months of content in minutes.

→ Pinterest Strategy Shop (https://shop.laurarike.com⁠) - Laura’s workshops, templates and guides to help beginners to advanced users in many areas of Pinterest marketing.

→ Pin Hacking Academy (⁠laurarike.com/academy⁠) - A 4-month live cohort program to learn and implement Pinterest strategy yourself with coaching and community support

→ Pinterest Organic Management (⁠laurarike.com/pinterest-management-services⁠) - Fully done-for-you organic Pinterest strategy and execution

→ Pinterest Ads Management (⁠laurarike.com/promoted-pin-services⁠) - Fully managed paid traffic campaigns through Promoted Pins

Ready to explore which pathway is right for you?

Schedule a PinChat with Laura at ⁠laurarike.com/pinchat

👉 Lets connect on social:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/laurarike

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/laurarike

Instagram: https://instagram.com/laurarike

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurarike/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurarike

Some of Laura’s fav Pinterest tools, resources and more:

Spy on your competition with Pin Inspector: https://laurarike.com/inspector

Tasty Pins: https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1109264&u=875121&m=69860&urllink=&afftrack=

Pinterest Scheduler: https://laurarike.com/tailwind

Grow your lead list: https://laurarike.com/email

Laura’s list of resources: https://laurarike.com/resources/

Grow social followers passively: https://laurarike.com/milotree

#pinterestforbusiness #pinterestmarketing #pintereststrategy

DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you!