Pinterest Adds TikTok-Like Experiences With New ‘Watch’ & ‘Takes’ Features
Source: Pinterest
Pinterest announced a long list of product updates at its second annual Pinterest Creators Festival. Among the updates are a redesigned home feed, Takes, Creator Rewards, and much more.
Here's a breakdown of all the product updates:
Redesigned Home Feed
There is now a Browse and Watch tab on the home feed. The former is an evolution of the platform's traditional feed, while Watch offers a TikTok-like full-screen experience. Users can scroll through the vertical feed to discover fresh and engaging Idea Pins from emerging creators.
Takes
Source: Pinterest
Using Takes, Pinners can respond, engage, and react to Idea Pins created by other creators. When a creator uses Takes, their responses will be linked to the original Idea Pins. In addition, creators of the original Idea Pins will be able to highlight their favorite Takes on their profile.
New Publishing Tools
Several new publishing tools are available for creators, including new seasonal and interactive stickers, music tracks, video, and editing features, and a preview mode that lets creators see what their Idea Pins will look like before they publish them.
AR Try-On Stickers
Source: Pinterest
Pinterest expands its AR Try-On feature by allowing creators to customize their Idea Pins with AR Try-On stickers. Creators can choose from over 10,000 Try-on-enabled product stickers to make their Idea Pins shoppable. By clicking on the sticker, users can use augmented reality tools to "try on" the products and see how they look.
Shop Similiar Items
Source: Pinterest
In addition, creators can make Idea Pins shoppable by adding a "shop similar" option. When this feature is enabled, similar products will surface based on the products featured.
Creator Rewards
Source: Pinterest
With Creator Rewards, the platform offers its first-ever creator monetization program. Creators will be rewarded with $20 million via microgrants and engagement-based challenges provided through a new Creator Hub. Using affiliate links and product tags, creators can also now promote items available in the Amazon Associates Program.
TikTok-Like Features But With A Pinterest Twist
With Watch and Takes, Pinterest seems to be taking a page out of TikTok's book. Who can blame them? Many social media platforms are attempting to recreate the magic of TikTok.
Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, and even Reddit have developed short-form video formats, creative tools, and accompanying feeds to meet the demands of video-hungry consumers and creators.
Although Pinterest's features are similar to those of TikTok, Pinterest tries to differentiate itself by focusing on discovery, inspiration, and positivity. It's not looking for creators to post endless dancing videos or skits for entertainment. Rather, it wants creators to share content such as recipes and tutorials that inspire action. With a focus on actionable content, its e-commerce features can be integrated more easily into the content, which is beneficial for all types of users.
Watch and Takes will be useful for creators, who want to reach new audiences and engage with the Pinterest community By sharing Idea Pins, they have the opportunity to get in front of new people through the Watch feed while they can drive engagement on their content by encouraging their users to share Takes on their content.
More Investments In AR
Watch and Takes are not the only features worth noting. AR Try-on sticker products and Creator Rewards are also noteworthy.
Pinterest's AR Try-on product stickers are not just another way their Idea Pins can be shoppable, but they also signal Pinterest's continued investment in augmented reality tools, especially those that replicate in-store shopping experiences.
With Facebook recently changing its name to Meta, all social media platforms will likely invest more in functionalities related to the metaverse as a way of competing.
Attracting Creators With Money
The Creator Rewards program continues the trend of social media platforms trying to attract creators and keep them churning out content on their respective platforms by offering financial rewards. Following up on Pinterest's Creator Fund, which promoted the growth and success of underrepresented creators, this program targets underrepresented creators. Creator Rewards is more like Instagram's Bonuses, and Snapchat's challenges in that creators will be rewarded for producing content based on prompts and themes.
The Creator Rewards' microgrants feature is particularly interesting since it allows Pinterest to directly impact projects creators work on. For example, a travel creator could apply for a grant to cover their travel expenses.
Appealing To Brands, Creators & Consumers
With upgrades such as making video content a more prominent platform component and giving creators tools to make their content shoppable and drive sales on behalf of brands, Pinterest's latest round of updates will appeal to brands, creators, and consumers alike.
