As we finish up another year in social media, the different trend posts are starting to roll out. There’s a lot of attention as 2020 dawns on ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, for numerous reasons. They’re testing a Spotify rival called Resso in Indonesia, for example, and their ties to China have created concerns for the U.S. government, even as their app is increasingly popular here. We’ve been talking nonstop about Facebook for years, and Twitter has recently gained more attention, both for its confusing political ads stance and a potentially decentralized version of its platform coming soon. (Kind of channeling the plotline of HBO’s Silicon Valley.) 

For this article, though, as a decade ends, we wanted to focus some attention on Pinterest. It’s a popular platform, but only gets love in pockets, with some calling it “the stay-at-home mom Olympics.” What should you know about where Pinterest stands as a new decade begins?

Their stock is admittedly falling: But that does not mean the company is in bad shape. They now serve advertisements in 28 markets, as opposed to 7 markets at the end of last year. They’ve added more “shoppable” items so that users can go from inspiration to action, and their monthly active user count is 322 million, which is roughly the entire population of the United States. They brought in $279.7 million in quarterly revenue, too.

They’re looking to 2020 trend-wise: Pinterest recently looked at 100 trends for 2020, divided into 10 categories, including pampered pets, responsible travel, and moving beyond gendered products. The whole project is called Pinterest 100 and gives pinners more inspiration and ideas to choose from, with purchasing options across all categories. This is what to inspire and try in 2020! And hey, here’s something notable: we’re about to enter the 2020s, but the 1990s are back en vogue.

They’re opening up trends data: Pinterest Trends is a new tool that, in the words of Vogue Business:

“gives public information on top US search terms within the past 12 months and information on when top terms peak. It also shows trending search terms for various topics, just like how Google will suggest specific search keywords. Currently in beta, the tool will roll out in coming weeks and is available to all users year-round.

Pinterest hopes that access to this type of real-time data will help brands improve content for users, and if users are more likely to find something they want to buy, the platform will be increasingly lucrative for advertisers. For example, a marketer might use Pinterest Trends to inform the timing of a product release, or to add a specific colour to a new collection, says Pinterest head of engineering Jeremy King.”

They have a new home for small business shopping: It’s called “The Pinterest Shop,” and it’s home to 100s of product pins from U.S. small businesses. You cannot yet request inclusion in The Shop; it’s chosen by Pinterest curators based on product quality and mission. But over time, that feature may become available as Pinterest tries to expand its relationships with SMBs globally. 

They are getting “woke” about some wedding photos: Weddings held at plantations, such as that of Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, are now banned from being pinned.

New products! In the back half of 2019, Pinterest rolled out native video, cinematic pins and more — an embrace of mobile-first, video-from-the-phone community development that can also help advertisers sell more of their most-engaging products. 

How have you used Pinterest in the past few years, and do you have plans or approaches to use it differently in 2020 if it’s not a year with any big weddings or parties? 

Author: Ted Bauer

Ted Bauer is a freelance writer and content consultant based in Texas. He has worked for brands including Microsoft, Oracle, McKesson, ESPN, PBS, and more. Since early 2020, he’s been serving as Managing Editor of the Whiterock Locators real estate blog, the Conectys blog, and more.