Podcast Summary:

Simple Pin Podcast: Simple Ways to Boost Your Business Using Pinterest
Host: Kate Ahl
Episode: This is the foundational thing that makes Pinterest different
Date: November 19, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Kate Ahl explores the single foundational element that sets Pinterest apart from other marketing and social media platforms: Pinterest boards. Drawing from a mix of personal experience, direct resources from Pinterest, and insights from conversations with both platform users and educators, Kate explains the pivotal role of boards in Pinterest’s ecosystem. The episode offers a comprehensive look at why boards matter, how businesses can harness them more effectively, and practical steps for tailoring Pinterest strategies that go beyond superficial pinning.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Understanding the Origins and Purpose of Pinterest Boards

• Boards as Collections:
  • Boards on Pinterest are “a way people save and organize ideas, and they're really what sets Pinterest apart from every single other platform.” (Kate Ahl, 02:10)
• History and Inspiration:
  • Pinterest’s founders recognized people love to collect and organize—stamps, recipes, etc.—but there was no good online equivalent, so boards were born to fulfill this universal need.
  • Quoting Ben Silberman:

    “Pinterest is the first tool that lets anyone with a phone organize the world’s objects in a way that makes sense to them by project, passion, or product. And that organization makes discovery easy for everybody else.” (Ben Silberman via Kate, 05:15)

• Fundamental Difference with Other Platforms:
  • Google answers queries; Pinterest surfaces inspiration and ideas based on interests, not just keywords.
  • “Pinterest organizes things by interest, which is also leveraging AI too. But this is the fundamental difference…” (Kate Ahl, 07:05)

2. How Users Interact with Boards—A Curation Mindset

• Active vs Passive Use:
  • On Pinterest, people are "actively collecting and organizing," not just passively scrolling as on other platforms.
  • “They aren’t just consuming, they’re building something.” (Kate, 08:05)
• Aspirational Spaces:
  • Boards are forward-looking and used for planning: weddings, home renos, dream trips, etc.
• Emotional Investment:
  • Board creation fosters a sense of ownership and investment, leading to repeated revisiting.
  • “When you name a board, you watch it grow over time and you curate what goes in it. You go back to revisit it, which leaves you feeling like you have ownership over it.” (Kate, 10:35)

3. Boards from a Marketer’s Perspective: The Business Opportunity

• Different Expectations than Social Feeds:
  • Unlike a social feed, Pinterest is a visual search engine; content lives on as users save it to purposeful boards.
  • “You need to create content that is worth saving, worth organizing into a collection, worth coming back to later. It's a completely different behavior you’re designing for…” (Kate, 13:05)
• Strategize for Long-term Value:
  • Pins may be found and saved months (or even years) after posting.

4. Practical Guidelines: Creating and Optimizing Boards

(15:22)

• Naming Boards:
  • Avoid cutesy or obscure names; use clear, descriptive titles with relevant keywords.
  • “Make it a clear title that tells people exactly what they will find… Being very specific will win here.” (15:40)
• Descriptions:
  • Add natural, keyword-rich context in 2-3 sentences using real search phrases.
• Using Sections:
  • Break large boards (more than 100 pins) into logical sections for easier navigation.
• Board Thumbnails:
  • “The first three pins are the pins that will show up on the board’s thumbnail. So make sure you choose wisely…” (Kate, 19:05)
• Organization:
  • Reorder pins so the most relevant are most visible; avoid letting boards become cluttered.

5. Strategic Board Types for Maximum Reach

(22:00)

• Seasonal Boards:
  • Plan ahead (45 days) for holidays and events; target “the moment before the moment.”
• Evergreen Boards:
  • Topics always in demand, e.g., meal prep, home organization.
• Trending Boards:
  • Respond to “Pinterest Predicts” and current pop culture or viral aesthetics.

Business vs Consumer Audiences

• Not all board types suit both B2B and B2C; assess what fits your market.

6. Leveraging Pinterest Tools for Better Boards

(27:31)

• Audience Insights:
  • Find out who your audience is (demographics, device use, interests, etc.).
• Analytics:
  • “Analytics are a way to get away from what you think is happening to really what you know is happening.” (Kate, 28:50)
  • Check which boards get most engagement; review individual pin stats.
• Trends Tool:
  • Use to spot seasonal peaks, emerging trends, and content ideas.

7. Ongoing Optimization Practices

(31:10)

• Update Existing Boards:
  • Renaming, rewriting descriptions, breaking into sections, making titles more specific as trends shift.
• Create New Boards:
  • Leverage new trends or upcoming seasons; create focused, specific boards.

(35:20)

• Showcase, Don’t Just Sell:
  • Especially for merchants, mix lifestyle/aspirational content with product pins to tell a story—not just list products.

8. Search Optimization for Boards

(37:50)

• Strategic Curation Over Keyword Stuffing:
  • Map boards to content pillars/trends, do quarterly audits, use analytics to spot opportunities for new or merged boards.
• Descriptive Titles:
  • “Skip the one word titles… instead stack two to three specific keywords together.” (Kate, 45:00)

9. Freshness and Frequency

(42:30)

• Consistency Matters:
  • Boards “perform better when they are fresher... Boards that have been updated within the last three months have shown to help drive higher pin engagement.”

10. Sharing Boards and Extending Reach

(47:28)

• Highlight Useful Sharing Features:
  • Boards can be shared via links, email lists, or even video previews.
  • “Sharing your boards with your audience is a quick way to get your boards in front of more people and drive traffic back to your collections.” (Kate, 48:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Pinterest’s unique value:

  “What made Pinterest special wasn’t just organizing your own stuff. It was seeing other people’s collections and getting inspired by how they organized the same ideas, but maybe differently.” (Kate, quoting Ben Silberman, 06:15)

• On emotional value of boards:

  “You’re invested and that’s why people come back to their boards over and over again.” (Kate, 11:12)

• On board optimization:

  “Don't just keyword stuff a bunch of words into board titles and board description and call it a day. Map your boards to your actual content pillars and to what’s trending.” (Kate, 38:14)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Introduction to foundational difference of Pinterest | | 05:10 | Pinterest board origins; Ben Silberman quote | | 07:05 | Key differences from Google and other platforms | | 08:05 | How pinners use boards; curation mindset | | 10:35 | Boards as emotional investment; revisiting collections | | 13:05 | How marketers should approach boards differently | | 15:22 | Creating boards: names, descriptions, board sections | | 19:05 | Board thumbnails and organization tips | | 22:00 | Three main types of boards: seasonal, evergreen, trending | | 27:31 | Using Pinterest’s audience insights, analytics, trends tool | | 31:10 | Updating and optimizing boards | | 35:20 | Storytelling through board content, not just products | | 37:50 | Search and discovery optimization for boards | | 42:30 | Importance of fresh, consistently updated boards | | 47:28 | Board sharing features and promotional strategies | | 48:13 | Benefits of sharing boards with the audience |

Frequently Asked Questions Addressed

• How many boards should I have?
  • Enough to cover main content themes/trends; start with 4, with at least 15 pins each. (50:50)
• Should I save other people’s pins?
  • Yes; mixing content strengthens your board and signals value both for users and Pinterest. (52:15)
• How should board titles be structured?
  • Skip vague/one-word titles; use two to three descriptive keywords for clarity and searchability. (54:00)
• Should I delete old boards/pins?
  • Only if off-brand/spammy. Otherwise, merge or update rather than delete, to preserve stats and engagement. (57:05)

Conclusion

Kate Ahl delivers a deep dive into why boards are the cornerstone of Pinterest, providing both conceptual understanding and applied marketing tactics. She demystifies the unique intent-driven, aspirational use of boards, shows how to organize and optimize them for measurable results, and illustrates the ongoing value of data-driven strategy. Whether you’re new to Pinterest or an established user needing a strategy refresh, these insights are essential for leveraging Pinterest’s greatest differentiator to drive business growth.

Best Quote:

"Pinterest organizes things by interest, not by post order or followers, and when you meet users where their future selves want to go, that's where your pins can really have lasting business impact." (Kate Ahl, 07:18)