Promoted Pins Coming to Pinterest

Hey, you knew it couldn’t last forever, right?

No social media player worth its salt can keep going without generating revenue via some form of advertising / promotion and it looks like Pinterest is no different.

In a post on the Pinterest blog, CEO and Co-founder, Ben Silbermann, promises that these pins being promoted from certain businesses don’t announce a new ad littered Pinterest experience. Obviously, the folks at Pinterest are expecting a little backlash and are doing what they can to nip it in the bud.

I know some of you may be thinking, “Oh great…here come the banner ads.” But we’re determined to not let that happen. While we haven’t figured out all the details, I can say that promoted pins will be:

—Tasteful. No flashy banners or pop-up ads.

—Transparent. We’ll always let you know if someone paid for what you see, or where you see it.

—Relevant. These pins should be about stuff you’re actually interested in, like a delicious recipe, or a jacket that’s your style.

—Improved based on your feedback. Keep letting us know what you think, and we’ll keep working to make things better.

Do you find this comforting as a user or are you so excited as a marketer that your head might explode?

It looks like Ben is hoping for a little of both with his closing comment in the post:

Thanks so much for all your support these first few years, and we hope you’ll keep pinning with us for many years to come!

Translation: Please don’t have a hissy fit because we need to make some money.

Happy promoted pinning!