Mystic Mike’s predictions: What does 2026 hold for paid media?
By Mike Sharp, Operations Director at Launch That time of year is here. The time when I confidently predict the…
By Katt Wade
What if there were a platform which could predict intent among your target audience? Well… there is. And it’s been in front of you this whole time.
A lot of marketers overlook Pinterest in their marketing mix, but don’t realise there is a world of data to delve into without spending a penny. Sure, if you’re looking for easy conversions then you won’t find them as quickly or as cheaply as Meta or Google, but if you’re looking to understand your audience and their buying habits, then keep reading. You can also watch a webinar on the topic below.
Creating an audience first strategy
In an ideal world, marketers would be able to run on any and all platforms in a full funnel strategy to be in front of their audience at all times.
The reality is that obviously this isn’t the case, and marketers are forced to make decisions which will generate the most results at the lowest cost.
What is often missing here however is the insight into what your audience wants and when – we as marketers can be so fuelled by the company needs that we almost forget what the customer may actually respond to best.
If we’re able to identify trends more proactively, this can help us to be in the right place at the right time with the right creative to ensure we are the obvious choice for the customer.
So how can we use Pinterest to our advantage?
At the tail end of every year, Pinterest creates a report called Pinterest Predicts – they call it a: ‘not-yet-trending report which shares emerging trends for the year ahead’.
The reports take into account two years of data, analysing billions of keywords and visual patterns to identify trends which crop up on the platform each year.
For the high spenders, these predicted trends are available to sponsor for the year (as the sole sponsor, nonetheless). This comes with a prestigious Pinterest badge on all creative assets to showcase the partnership.
How can the trends be applied to my creative?
There’s plenty of scope for the trends Pinterest has identified to inform your creative direction across the media mix – not just on Pinterest. Take for example the 2025 predicted trend ‘Cherry Coded’:
- A fashion brand could focus on promoting products which fit within this colour story
- A food and drink brand could share recipes with cherries or stone fruits as the focus
- A homeware brand could showcase dark red walls and shiny pleather furniture.
If you don’t sit in a sector with an obvious link, it could even be as simple as taking the colour scheme and factoring it into your asset creation. There are many ways to take a trend idea and run with it, no matter what industry you’re in.
I’ve heard of an audience insights tool on Pinterest – how can I use it?
As well as the annual report, the Pinterest platform offers audience insights and trend data which can help you identify trends as they’re building momentum, and understand what customers are looking for, when.
The platform offers a trend report which is free to explore at any time. You can dive into growing, yearly or seasonal trends, looking at their weekly, monthly or even yearly change in search volume.
‘Interest over time’ graphs show when there have been peaks, which in turn can inform the timing of your performance marketing activity. Eg you can plan it around capturing users when they’re considering their options, and when they’re actively looking for a place to buy from.
If logged in with your brand’s Pinterest account, you’ll also see a section for growing trends in your own audience, making it even more tailored and useful for planning.
In the video below I give you a tour of the trend tool and how you can use the insights:
You can also download a step-by-step guide on how to use the tools here.
Conclusion – how to use Pinterest in performance marketing
Feeling inspired yet? I know I am!
Here’s a reminder of what I’ve covered in this article which can help take your content planning to the next level with these free tools:
- Don’t overlook Pinterest
- An audience first strategy is key
- Proactivity is better than reactivity
- Use the Pinterest Predicts report for ideas
- Use the Pinterest Trends tool to learn more about your audience and what trends are emerging
- Use the data, think and plan ahead, be in the right spot at the right time
Look out for more articles from me about upcoming trends and how to use them in the coming months.
Myself and the Launch team are always looking for ways to improve performance for our clients – why not reach out and have a chat about how we could help you?
