• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechThe Mobile Executive

What Pinterest’s New Trending Features Could Mean for Its Revenue Strategy

By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 15, 2016, 1:00 PM ET
Pinterest Said To Be Raising Funding At $11 Billion Valuation
Pinterest Inc. logos are displayed for a photograph on an Apple Inc. iPad Air in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015. Pinterest Inc. the online scrapbooking company, is seeking to raise funding at a valuation of about $11 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter, continuing the soaring values of a group of high-profile technology startups. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhoto by Andrew Harrer—Bloomberg via Getty Images

Pinterest, a service known for its virtual scrapbooks and bills itself as a digital catalog, has created a new destination within its realm for finding and sharing even more ideas and images.

Dubbed Pinterest Explore, the section will include the top pinned ideas each day as well as content and videos from major publishers, such as GQ, Harper’s Bazaar, Food Network, National Geographic, HGTV, and more. Whereas Pinterest’s home feed is a personalized feed for pins from other boards and accounts that the user follows, the Explore tab is meant to help users discover new content that the rest of site’s audience is sharing.

Included in the new Explore section is the existing feature “Today’s Picks,” which includes personalized recommendations along with top ideas and videos based on search trends. For example, Pinterest says that food and drink recipes are especially popular in search on Tuesdays, so users might see more of those on a given day.

Pinterest has been aggressively pushing more video content this year, and the company is debuting video hosted on its site, or native video, within the Explore Tab. Pinterest said that publishers and “tastemakers,” as described by the social network, will be producing daily videos for the site that will be published similar to the way publishers have been creating native videos for YouTube (GOOGL) and Facebook (FB).

Videos will automatically play once user visits the Explore tab. Pinterest is also experimenting with ads in these videos, noting initial advertisers include American Express (AXP), Macy’s (M), and Sony Pictures (SNE).

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Native videos is just one more way that Pinterest can start to monetize its users. Though it’s been able to grow to more than 100 million monthly active users, Pinterest still has to turn them into revenue. In 2014, it introduced its first ads, in the form of promoted pins, and has since added other revenue sources, like e-commerce.

As other social media companies like Facebook have shown, video has become the next media frontier, thanks to higher ad rates and the popularity of watching videos on mobile phones. Pinterest debuted video ads in August, and adding native video and ads to the Explore tab is an extension of this strategy.

About the Author
By Leena Rao
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Big TechApple
Apple rocked by executive departures, with chip chief at risk of leaving next
By Mark Gurman and BloombergDecember 6, 2025
60 minutes ago
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said China is better equipped for an AI data center buildout than the U.S.
AITech
Nvidia CEO says data centers take about 3 years to construct in the U.S., while in China ‘they can build a hospital in a weekend’
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
4 hours ago
Arts & EntertainmentMedia
Former Amazon Studios boss warns the Netflix-Warner Bros. deal will make Hollywood ‘a system that circles a single sun’
By Jason MaDecember 6, 2025
4 hours ago
Jay Clayton
LawCrime
25-year DEA veteran charged with helping Mexican drug cartel launder millions of dollars, secure guns and bombs
By Dave Collins, Michael R. Sisak and The Associated PressDecember 6, 2025
5 hours ago
Elon Musk
LawSocial Media
Elon Musk’s X fined $140 million by EU for breaching digital regulations
By Kelvin Chan and The Associated PressDecember 6, 2025
5 hours ago
Sarandos
InvestingM&A
Netflix’s $5.8 billion breakup fee for Warner among largest ever
By Elizabeth Fournier and BloombergDecember 6, 2025
6 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Two months into the new fiscal year and the U.S. government is already spending more than $10 billion a week servicing national debt
By Eleanor PringleDecember 4, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Big Tech
Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook for the metaverse. Four years and $70 billion in losses later, he’s moving on
By Eva RoytburgDecember 5, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits he works 7 days a week, including holidays, in a constant 'state of anxiety' out of fear of going bankrupt
By Jessica CoacciDecember 4, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
‘Godfather of AI’ says Bill Gates and Elon Musk are right about the future of work—but he predicts mass unemployment is on its way
By Preston ForeDecember 4, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Nearly 4 million new manufacturing jobs are coming to America as boomers retire—but it's the one trade job Gen Z doesn't want
By Emma BurleighDecember 4, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Uncategorized
Transforming customer support through intelligent AI operations
By Lauren ChomiukNovember 26, 2025
10 days ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.