Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook

Pinterest: Where People Collect Their Dreams

Imagine walking into an art gallery where no one talks, no one comments, and no one is in a hurry. People just walk, stop, look, and sometimes take a painting and put it in their personal bag to see again later. This is exactly what happens on Pinterest. And if you, as a brand, enter this gallery without the right painting to show, chances are no one will even pause in front of your frame.

In this section, Vaynerchuk turns to a platform that, unlike Twitter, is not driven by speed and conversation. Pinterest focuses more than many networks on images, inspiration, and discovering ideas. Users on Pinterest typically collect things that relate to their interests, goals, and desired lifestyle. This means Pinterest is a digital dream journal—a place where people come not to escape reality, but to build a better version of it.

The Image Isn’t Just Decoration; It Is the Message

On Pinterest, the image isn’t just decoration. The image is the message. Unlike Facebook, where text and image work together, or Twitter, where words rule, on Pinterest everything starts with the eye. If your image isn’t immediately appealing and doesn’t give the user a clear reason to stop, even the best text can’t save it.

Vaynerchuk emphasizes that an ordinary image with no story or idea behind it will likely get lost among the flood of images. It’s like dropping a white stone on a sandy beach. To be seen, your stone must be a different color, a different shape, or have something that stops the eye.

Brands whose products or services have visual appeal can use this feature of Pinterest. A clothing brand, a restaurant, an interior design firm, a cosmetics producer, or even a travel agency—all can create images that the audience wants to save and see again later.

“On Pinterest, if your image doesn’t grab attention in one second, you’ll never get a second chance.”

Categorization and Description: The Bridge Between Image and Audience

Proper categorization of content helps the audience find the collections they love more easily. The description accompanying the image can help the audience understand how it relates to their needs or interests. On Pinterest, unlike Instagram where hashtags play a major role in discovery, descriptions and categories play a key role in visibility.

Vaynerchuk gives a compelling example: suppose a furniture brand wants to promote its wooden table on Pinterest. If it just posts a photo of the table on a white background, no one will save it. But if it shows the same table in a cozy living room, with natural light, a coffee cup on it, and an open book, the audience thinks: “I want a corner like this in my home too.” And at that moment, they save the pin.

This is the difference between “showing the product” and “showing the lifestyle.” And on Pinterest, the latter always wins.

Pinterest Isn’t Just a Storefront; It’s Inspirational

Pinterest isn’t just about direct selling; it can be used to inspire and build a mental image of a lifestyle. Instead of just showing the product, a brand can show how the product is used in real life. This is an important paradigm shift: from “What is my product?” to “What does my product add to your life?”

Educational content, practical ideas, and inspirational examples can create great value. An image that the audience can save for the future is more valuable than a direct ad. Vaynerchuk says: “On Pinterest, you’re not competing with an ad; you’re competing with people’s dreams. So you’d better become part of that dream.”

For example, a kitchenware brand can publish a beautiful infographic of “10 Vegetable Chopping Tricks” instead of advertising its new knife. A sports brand can illustrate a simple weekly workout plan instead of advertising shoes. This type of content gets saved, repinned, and keeps the brand in the audience’s mind.

The Power of Repinning: When the Audience Becomes Your Ambassador

One of the key behaviors of Pinterest users is saving and repinning content. A repinned piece of content can move a brand’s image beyond its initial audience. This means every successful pin not only reaches your current audience but also penetrates their social circles—without you spending a dollar more on ads.

This is the power of digital word-of-mouth. When someone saves a pin, they’re essentially telling your brand: “This is so valuable that I want to see it again.” And when they repin it, they’re telling their friends: “Look at this, it’s great.” This trust is something no ad can buy.

Visual quality must align with the brand’s personality and create a recognizable identity. A brand shouldn’t assume that any beautiful image is necessarily good content. The image must, in addition to beauty, connect with the audience’s needs, interests, or desires. This means beauty alone isn’t enough; it must have meaning.

“On Pinterest, you’re competing with people’s dreams. So you’d better become part of that dream.”

Future Vision: Pinterest as a Canvas for the Future

Pinterest is a suitable environment for showcasing forward-looking ideas and aspirational lifestyles. This platform is where people come not because of what they have now, but because of what they want to have. This means your brand can position itself as part of that desired future.

The product can be part of a larger story and doesn’t always have to be the hero of the image. Sometimes the product is in the corner of the image, but the story being told is so compelling that the audience returns to it again and again. Creating a sense of discovery and finding a new idea can engage the audience more deeply.

Vaynerchuk calls this “the art of hiding the product in the story.” Great global brands do this best. For example, Airbnb on Pinterest, instead of advertising its accommodations, publishes images of dreamy rooms, homemade breakfasts, and travel moments. The product (accommodation) is hidden in the image, but the lifestyle (travel, relaxation, discovery) is highlighted.

A good description can turn an image from a simple photo into practical content. A short sentence, a compelling question, or a small guide in the description can encourage the audience to save the pin or click the link.

Testing and Learning: Understand Audience Behavior

A brand must examine user behavior to understand what types of images and topics get the most attention. As with other networks, copying content without regard for the platform’s culture can yield poor results. Content that works great on Instagram may be completely ineffective on Pinterest, because Pinterest users are looking for something different.

The main goal is for the brand’s content to appear natural and valuable in the Pinterest environment. Not a forced ad, not irrelevant content, but something that seems made for this platform. This is the same concept of Native Content we discussed in earlier chapters, but this time in visual form.

If your business is looking to build a strong, professional visual identity for presence on visual platforms like Pinterest and Instagram, the Stinoment engineering team can help you on this journey. From website and app design to visual SEO and social media optimization, all of this is part of our expertise. If you’re interested, you can get a free consultation through Stinoment.com.

The Final Lesson: On Pinterest, Give First, Sell Later

The lesson of this section is that on a visual network, a brand must first give the audience something worth seeing, saving, and returning to—before selling the product. This “something” can be an idea, an inspiration, a lesson, or a beautiful moment.

Vaynerchuk shows in this chapter that Pinterest, contrary to popular belief, isn’t just a female-oriented platform for cooking and decor photos. Pinterest is an inspiration engine that millions of people use daily to build a better version of their lives. And brands that can become part of that inspiration find a special place in the audience’s mind.

In the next round, Vaynerchuk takes us into the world of Instagram—a platform built on images and moments, but with completely different rules of the game. But before that, remember one principle: on Pinterest, the winner is the one who inspires first, and sells later.