Simple Pin Podcast: The Pinterest Quality Checklist {Get Discovered}

Host: Kate Ahl
Date: October 29, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Kate Ahl shares an insider’s checklist for creating high-quality Pinterest content that maximizes reach, engagement, and website traffic. Drawing from her participation in the Pinterest Educator Program and direct insights from Pinterest’s discovery team, Kate distills the most current quality signals Pinterest uses to prioritize content. This checklist breaks down into three main pillars: strong technical foundations, optimizing user engagement and experience, and building trust and safety.

Kate’s central message:
“Quality content always equals better reach, more saves and actual traffic to your website. Take time to create good content and I promise you will be rewarded.” (01:58)

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Strong Technical Foundations

• Image and Video Requirements (03:10 - 06:50)

  • Pinterest image minimum: 200x200px (surprisingly small, “but you would never pin something that size”).
  • Ideal vertical ratio: 2:3 (1000x1500px is recommended for optimal engagement).
  • Kate’s tip: “It’s important that you do what users are engaging with, not something that is not an ideal size.” (04:29)
  • Video pins: Support a range of ratios (1:1, 2:3, 4:5, 9:16), up to 2GB, 4 seconds to 15 minutes. “People on Pinterest don’t watch long form video… Keep it to right around a minute.” (05:58)
  • User behavior, not Pinterest, shifted the platform to favor vertical images.

• Working Links and Domain Authority (07:07 - 09:05)

  • Every pin should have a functional link: “Pins that don’t have links are always going to be a missed opportunity anyway.” (07:19)
  • Broken links diminish your Pinterest domain authority—double-check all destinations.
  • Pro tip: Audit your site yearly: check for fast loading, working links, and clear calls to action.

• Site Speed and Mobile Experience (09:06 - 12:13)

  • Pinterest factors in site speed for content quality ranking: “Your website needs to load fast. No one wants to wait any longer than two seconds.” (09:42)
  • Slow hosts (“I was using a really horrible web host 2 years ago… all of my traffic returned [after switching]”) can tank Pinterest performance.

2. Engagement and User Experience

• Image Consistency & Landing Page Alignment (12:51 - 15:30)

  • The pin’s image should appear somewhere visible on the destination page:
    “The Pinterest algorithm looks for a matching image somewhere on the landing page. It does not have to be the first image, but it should actually be somewhere in that page.” (13:41)
  • Avoid creative pin images that don’t actually appear on your landing page—leads to confusion and drop-off.

• Click-Through Quality & Visitor Retention (15:40 - 17:32)

  • The goal is to keep pinners on your website longer: use related content teasers and embedded links to other resources.
  • Kate’s advice: Include “related” links in italics between paragraphs to encourage internal exploration.

• Landing Page Experience (17:33 - 19:55)

  • Test your flow: “If you have never clicked on your website from Pinterest, I highly encourage you to do that today.” (17:55)
  • Pop-up pitfalls: Immediate pop-ups frustrate users. Try “exit intent” or a delayed pop-up instead.
  • Ad placement: “When you have a website that the moment I get on it I have a pop up, I have seven ads… I can’t see it. It’s really frustrating.” (19:25)
    Work with ad partners to optimize for user experience—not just revenue.

3. Trust and Safety

• Community Standards (20:04 - 21:38)
  • Don’t post misinformation or manipulated media, “just don’t share it.” Pinterest wants a positive environment.
  • Authenticity: “Don’t manipulate content… Content must accurately represent the creator, the brand, or the product that is being promoted.” (20:52)
  • Violations: Content may be removed, you could be warned or even lose your account. Pinterest has an appeals process if removals are in error.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Central Takeaway:
  “Quality content always equals better reach, more saves and actual traffic to your website.” (01:58)
• On vertical images:
  “This wasn’t driven by Pinterest as much as it was by user behavior.” (05:10)
• Site audits:
  “Sometimes it doesn’t [just work]. Make sure you’re checking in at least once a year.” (10:47)
• Image consistency:
  “Use images that are in that landing page to maintain visual consistency.” (14:25)
• Pop-up advice:
  “It is a frustrating experience not to be able to get to the content. So you want to consider adding your pop up maybe on an exit intent or giving it a little bit of time before it pops up.” (18:09)
• On ad overload:
  “I am not discrediting [ads] at all. However…when I have a pop up, I have seven ads… I can’t see it… It was really frustrating.” (19:25)
• Trust and safety:
  “Pinterest wants to be a positive environment has no business here. You want to also make sure that you are authentic and transparent.” (20:38)
• Quality over quantity:
  “Consistent quality creation over time helps the account grow… that will develop into this giant snowball where multiple pins are driving traffic to your website.” (22:45)

Actionable Checklist: What To Do Next

Kate’s rapid-fire assignments and reminders:

• Click on your pin from Pinterest and audit your landing page: Is it fast, have working links, and display the same image?
• Check your site speed: Benefits both Pinterest and Google.
• Prioritize quality content over quantity: Consistency is more important than sheer volume.
• Keep nurturing trust and authenticity in all content you publish.

As Kate wraps:
“If you have any questions about content quality on Pinterest, you can always email us. Hello@simplepinmedia.com… I take them to Pinterest.” (23:30)

Important Segment Timestamps

• What Pinterest Deems Quality Content + Where Kate Got Insider Info: 01:15
• Image & Video Pin Requirements: 03:10
• Why Site Speed and Clean Tech Matter: 09:06
• Checklist: Image Consistency & User Experience: 12:51
• How to Check Your Own Website Flow: 17:55
• Optimizing Ads and Pop-ups: 19:10
• Trust and Safety Guidelines: 20:04
• Kate’s Action Steps Recap: 21:48
• Final Takeaways (Quality > Quantity): 22:45

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

Kate Ahl delivers a thorough, energetic walkthrough on how to get your pins discovered in the ever-shifting Pinterest landscape. By focusing on technical excellence, user-centric content, and uncompromising authenticity, she lays out an actionable path for marketers and creators to grow engaged audiences and boost meaningful results from Pinterest.

If you want to level-up your Pinterest presence, follow Kate’s checklist and prioritize quality at every turn. For deeper questions or clarifications, reach out to Kate and her team—she’s actively engaging with her audience and taking feedback back to Pinterest itself.