Have you ever wondered how people actually find your Pins on Pinterest?
You might think Pinterest users discover your content by searching for a keyword, clicking on a Pin, and visiting your website. And yes, that’s one way it happens. But it’s not the only way!
Pinterest has several different places where your content can appear, from the search results and home feed to related Pins, boards, video results, and the Explore feed.
Understanding how Pinterest users find your content is essential if you want to improve your Pinterest marketing strategy. It helps you understand how your Pins are being discovered, where people might be seeing them, and what you can do to improve your Pin designs, SEO, and engagement.
In my opinion, one of the best ways to understand Pinterest marketing is to use Pinterest yourself. Don’t just create Pins and hope people find them. Take some time to explore the platform from a user’s perspective and see how content is actually displayed.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through 8 ways Pinterest users can discover your content, how each discovery surface works, and what you can look at to make your Pins more user-friendly.
1. Pinterest Search
Let’s start with one of the most familiar ways people find content on Pinterest: the search bar.
When someone opens Pinterest looking for a specific idea, they can type a search term into the search bar and browse the results to find something relevant to what they’re looking for.
For example, imagine someone wants to make sugar cookies. They might search for best sugar cookies and browse through the Pins that appear.
They might click on one of the buttons at the top of the search results to narrow down what they’re looking for, or they might scroll through the Pins and choose one that catches their attention.
Once they find a Pin that interests them, they can click on it to engage with the content.
This is why Pinterest SEO and Pin design go hand in hand.
You want your content to be relevant to what people are searching for, but you also want your Pins to be appealing and easy to understand when they appear in the search results.
Think about it. If someone is scrolling through several Pins about the same topic, your Pin needs to communicate what it’s about clearly enough for them to decide whether they want to click on it.
How to improve your Pins for Pinterest Search
When looking at your Pins in the search results, pay attention to the following:
- Pin titles: Is it immediately clear what your Pin is about?
- Text overlays: Can someone read the text without struggling?
- Fonts: Is the font too thin or too small?
- Images: Does the image communicate the idea you’re sharing?
- Design: Is the overall Pin easy to understand at a glance?
Don’t just focus on whether your Pin looks pretty when you’re designing it. Think about how it will look when someone encounters it among other Pins in the search results.
Your goal is to make your content clear, relevant, and easy for Pinterest users to engage with.
2. The Related Feed
The next way Pinterest users can discover your content is through the related feed.
This is the content that appears underneath a Pin when someone opens it and scrolls down.
Let’s go back to our sugar cookie example.
Someone searches for best sugar cookies, finds a recipe they like, and clicks on the Pin to make it larger on their screen.
After looking at the Pin, they scroll down. That’s when they start seeing related content.
And here’s where things get interesting.
The related feed can show Pins from your account alongside content created by other people on the same topic.
For example, if someone opens a sugar cookie recipe, they might discover other sugar cookie recipes, related baking ideas, or other Pins that connect with the topic they’re exploring.
Sometimes, content related to previous searches that person made can also appear in this feed.
This means someone doesn’t necessarily have to search for your exact Pin to discover your content. They might find it while exploring another Pin that interests them.
How the related feed creates another discovery opportunity
Imagine you’ve created several Pins around a particular topic.
Someone discovers one of your Pins through Pinterest Search, clicks on it, and scrolls down to explore more ideas.
Your other relevant content may also appear among the related Pins they see.
This is another reason I think it’s worth looking beyond the search results when evaluating your Pinterest marketing strategy.
Your Pins can be discovered in different places throughout the platform, so consider how they look when they’re displayed alongside other content.
Ask yourself:
- Is the main idea of my Pin easy to understand?
- Does the text overlay stand out clearly?
- Is the image appealing and relevant to the topic?
- Would someone understand what they’re clicking on?
You want your content to be easy for people to recognize and engage with, whether they find it through search or while browsing related content.
3. The Home Feed
Now, let’s talk about the home feed.
The home feed is where Pinterest users land when they open the platform. On mobile, opening Pinterest takes users to the home feed by default.
This is an important discovery surface because users don’t always open Pinterest with a specific search in mind.
Sometimes, they simply open the app and browse the Pins displayed in front of them.
So, how does content end up in someone’s home feed?
The home feed can include Pins based on their previous searches, engagement, categories they’ve browsed, and interactions with advertising on Pinterest.
It can also show Pins from people they follow and Pins from boards where they’ve previously saved content.
Essentially, Pinterest can use a person’s previous activity on the platform to present them with more content they might want to explore.
For example, imagine someone has been searching for baking recipes, engaging with cookie Pins, and saving dessert ideas to their boards.
When they open Pinterest again, they may see more content connected to those interests in their home feed.
They don’t necessarily need to search for a new recipe every time they open the app. Relevant content can already be waiting for them.
Why the home feed matters for Pinterest marketing
The home feed gives your content another opportunity to be discovered outside of a direct search.
If your Pinterest strategy encourages people to engage with your content, your Pins may have opportunities to appear in users’ home feeds as they continue exploring Pinterest.
That’s why I wouldn’t focus exclusively on Pinterest Search when thinking about content discovery.
Search is important, but people also discover Pins through their previous activity, the accounts they follow, and the boards they’ve saved.
How to evaluate your Pins in the home feed
Spend some time browsing the home feed and paying attention to how Pins are displayed.
Look at your own content when you come across it, and compare its design with the other Pins around it.
Ask yourself:
- Is my text overlay large enough to read?
- Does the image stand out clearly?
- Is the font easy to read?
- Is the overall design visually appealing?
- Can someone quickly understand the idea behind my Pin?
This exercise can help you identify design issues you might not notice when looking at your Pins individually.
Remember, the way a Pin looks in your design editor isn’t necessarily how you experience it while scrolling through Pinterest.
4. Pinterest Profiles and Profile Search
Another way Pinterest users can find your content is through your profile.
Let’s say someone searches for sugar cookies and comes across a Pinterest profile in the search results.
They click on that profile because they want to explore more content from that account.
Once they’re on your profile, they can browse the Pins you’ve created, look through your saved boards, or click on your profile link to visit your website.
This creates another way for someone to discover your content beyond a single Pin.
Instead of engaging with just one recipe or idea, they can explore more of what you’ve published on Pinterest.
How people find Pinterest profiles
Pinterest users can search for a topic and use the available filters to find profiles in the search results.
For example, someone searching for a specific topic might switch to a profile-focused view to find accounts related to that subject.
From there, they can visit a profile and explore its content.
This means your Pinterest profile can act as another entry point for people who want to discover more of your work.
What to check on your Pinterest profile
When reviewing your Pinterest marketing strategy, don’t stop at the individual Pins.
Visit your profile and look at how your content is presented as a whole.
Consider whether people can easily explore your Pins, find your boards, and access your website through your profile link.
The goal is to make it easy for someone who discovers one piece of your content to explore more of what you share.
5. Pinterest Boards
Pinterest boards are another way users can discover your content.
Boards allow people to save and organize Pins around different topics or interests.
For example, someone might create a board for cookie recipes, another for birthday desserts, and another for general baking inspiration.
They can save their own Pins to these boards, but they can also save Pins created by other Pinterest users.
And this creates another discovery opportunity.
Imagine someone saves one of your Pins to their own board. Later, another Pinterest user discovers that board and starts browsing the Pins saved to it.
They might come across your content even though they didn’t search for your account or visit your profile directly.
The same idea applies when you save your own content to your own boards. Your Pins can be part of a collection that people explore when they’re browsing a particular topic.
How Pinterest users find boards
There are two main ways to find boards through the discovery paths discussed here.
- Through Pinterest Search
Someone searches for a topic, opens the filter menu, and selects the boards option.
Pinterest then displays boards associated with that topic.
For example, a person searching for cookie recipes could explore boards related to baking, desserts, or cookies.
- Through a Pinterest profile
Someone visits a profile and opens its saved tab to browse the boards listed there.
From those boards, they can explore the Pins that have been saved.
Why boards matter for content discovery
Boards provide another way for Pinterest users to encounter Pins outside the search results.
Someone might discover your content because another user saved it to a board, or because they’re browsing a board on a topic that interests them.
This is why it’s useful to understand how your Pins appear in collections, not just as individual pieces of content.
When you review your boards, pay attention to whether the Pins look clear and easy to recognize when displayed together.
A Pin should still communicate its main idea when someone sees it as part of a larger collection.
6. The Product Feed
If you sell physical products, the Pinterest product feed is another discovery surface worth understanding.
Pinterest users can search for something they want to buy and then use the filters to browse products.
Let’s say someone is looking for leather boots.
They search for leather boots, open the filter menu, and select the products option.
Instead of browsing general Pins, they can explore product listings from different retailers.
These products may be sold through third-party platforms and marketplaces, including Shopify stores, Etsy, eBay, Amazon, and Poshmark.
Pinterest users can save product Pins, and these products can appear in the product feed.
This gives shoppers a way to discover products from different sellers while browsing Pinterest.
Can every product appear in the Pinterest product feed?
No. Simply selling something online doesn’t automatically mean it will appear in the product feed.
The important distinction is whether the product information on your website is marked up with data that identifies the item as a product.
For example, imagine you sell a course.
You might sell that course through a Shopify store, but you could also offer it through a traditional sales funnel on your website.
In the example discussed here, the course listed in the Shopify store wouldn’t appear in the catalog feed in the same way as the version on your website that has the product markup.
The key point is that product Pins and product-feed visibility depend on the product data associated with the website listing.
So, if you’re wondering whether something you sell can appear in the product feed, it’s important to understand how that product is represented on your website.
What this means for Pinterest marketers
The product feed is a different discovery experience from the regular search results.
Someone browsing product Pins is looking at items being sold, rather than simply exploring general ideas or inspiration.
Understanding that difference helps you recognize why Pinterest has different discovery surfaces for different types of content.
7. Pinterest Video Search
Pinterest users can also discover your content through video search results.
Let’s use a different example.
Imagine someone wants to learn how to create winged eyeliner.
They search for winged eyeliner tutorial, open the filter menu, and select videos.
They can then browse video results related to that search.
Instead of looking through a mixture of regular Pins, they can explore videos showing people demonstrating the technique they’re interested in learning.
This is another way Pinterest users can find content that matches a specific search.
Why video discovery matters
The video feed provides another opportunity for your content to be discovered when people are looking for a particular topic or tutorial.
If you create video content, it’s worth understanding how users reach these results and how your videos appear when someone is browsing them.
Think about the experience from the user’s perspective.
They’re searching for something specific and looking through videos to find content that interests them.
When reviewing your video Pins, consider whether the topic is clear and whether the content is easy to recognize in the search results.
As with other Pinterest discovery surfaces, take time to look at how your content actually appears on the platform instead of evaluating it only from the perspective of the creator.
8. The Explore Feed
Last but not least, let’s talk about the Explore feed.
To find it, start from the Pinterest home feed and look for the two tabs labeled For You and Explore.
When a user clicks on Explore, they can browse ideas and topics that Pinterest has curated.
The Explore feed brings together topics that are popular on Pinterest and presents them to users in a curated format.
Unlike Pinterest Search, where someone starts by entering a specific search term, the Explore feed provides another way for users to browse ideas presented to them.
How can your content appear in the Explore feed?
Your content may appear in the Explore feed when Pinterest features it.
For example, content may be selected through editorial submissions made using the editorial calendar, or it may be featured through creator programs.
The important thing to understand is that this discovery surface is different from someone finding your Pin through a direct search.
Pinterest users may encounter your content while exploring ideas and topics that the platform has curated for them.
How to evaluate your Pins for the Explore feed
When you review the Explore feed, pay attention to how the Pins are presented.
Look at the text overlays, images, fonts, and overall design.
Is the text readable? Does the image look clear? Is the design easy to understand?
You want to be able to identify potential improvements that could make your content more user-friendly.
Although you can’t assume your Pins will be featured in the Explore feed, understanding how this surface works helps you see the different ways Pinterest users may encounter content on the platform.
How to Optimize Your Pins for Pinterest Discovery
Now that we’ve covered the eight ways Pinterest users can find your content, let’s talk about what you can do with this information.
Understanding Pinterest’s discovery surfaces is only part of the process. The next step is to look at how your own Pins are displayed and identify opportunities to improve them.
In my opinion, one of the most useful things you can do is explore Pinterest as a user rather than looking at everything from the perspective of someone creating content.
Here’s how I’d approach it.
1. Check your Pins in Pinterest Search
Search for topics related to your content and look at how Pins are displayed in the results.
Pay attention to your titles, images, and text overlays.
Ask yourself whether someone can understand your Pin quickly and whether the text is easy to read.
If your text is too small or your font is too thin, consider whether you could make the design clearer.
2. Explore the related feed
Open a Pin related to your topic and scroll down to see the related content.
Look at how your Pins appear alongside content created by other people.
This gives you another perspective on your design and how easily people can recognize the main idea of your content.
3. Browse the home feed
Spend time looking through the home feed and observe the Pins that appear.
If you come across your own content, look at it in context.
Does the image stand out? Is the text overlay readable? Does the design communicate the idea clearly?
This can help you notice things you might overlook when designing a Pin on its own.
4. Review your Pinterest profile
Visit your profile and explore your Pins, saved boards, and profile link.
Think about the experience someone has after discovering one of your Pins and deciding to learn more about your content.
Make sure your profile provides a clear way to explore your other content and visit your website.
5. Look at your content on boards
Explore boards related to your topic and pay attention to how Pins appear in collections.
Remember that people can discover your content through boards created by other users, including boards where someone has saved your Pins.
Consider whether your Pin designs remain clear and recognizable when viewed alongside other content.
6. Understand the different search filters
Pinterest users can use filters to find different types of results, including profiles, boards, products, and videos.
Explore these options and understand how the results differ.
This is particularly useful if your Pinterest content includes different formats or if you sell products that may appear in the product feed.
7. Pay attention to your Pin design
When you’re reviewing your Pins across these discovery surfaces, look closely at the design.
Here are some of the things I’d check:
- Text size: Is the text overlay too small?
- Font thickness: Is the font too thin to read easily?
- Image saturation: Does the image look clear and visually appealing?
- Opacity: Does the text or image treatment make the content difficult to see?
- Image choice: Does the image communicate the topic of the Pin?
- Titles: Is it clear what the content is about?
- Overall design: Is the Pin easy to understand and engage with?
These details matter because your Pins can appear in different places throughout Pinterest, and the way people encounter them can vary.
A design that looks good when you’re creating it may need some adjustments to make the content easier to read and understand while people are browsing.
The goal isn’t simply to make your Pins look attractive. You also want to make them user-friendly.
8. Use what you learn to improve your Pinterest strategy
Once you’ve explored these discovery surfaces, use what you’ve noticed to guide your next improvements.
Maybe you realize that your text overlays are too small. Perhaps the font is too thin, or the images could be clearer.
Whatever you notice, use those observations to make your Pins easier to understand.
Pinterest marketing isn’t just about publishing content. It’s also about understanding how people encounter that content and looking for ways to improve their experience.
The more familiar you become with the different discovery surfaces, the better you can understand how your Pins are presented across the platform.
How do people find your content on Pinterest?
Pinterest users can discover your content through eight main discovery paths discussed in this guide: Pinterest Search, the related feed, the home feed, profiles and profile search, boards, the product feed, video search, and the Explore feed.
Each provides a different way for people to encounter and engage with your Pins.
Is Pinterest Search the only way people discover Pins?
No. Pinterest users can also discover Pins while browsing their home feed, scrolling through related content, exploring profiles and boards, viewing product results, searching for videos, or browsing the Explore feed.
This is why it’s useful to understand more than just how your content appears in search results.
How can I improve my Pins for Pinterest discovery?
Start by reviewing how your Pins appear across Pinterest’s different discovery surfaces.
Pay attention to your titles, text overlays, fonts, images, saturation, opacity, and overall design.
Look for ways to make your content clearer, easier to read, and more user-friendly.
How do Pinterest users find boards?
Users can search for a topic, open the filter menu, and select boards to browse boards related to that subject.
They can also visit a Pinterest profile and open its saved tab to see the boards listed there.
Can my products appear in the Pinterest product feed?
Products can appear in the product feed when the relevant product information is marked up with data that identifies the item as a product.
Simply selling something online doesn’t automatically mean it will appear in the product feed. How the product is represented on your website matters.
What is the difference between Pinterest Search and the Explore feed?
Pinterest Search allows users to look for specific topics by entering search terms.
The Explore feed provides a curated browsing experience, bringing together ideas and topics that Pinterest has selected to show users.
Both are potential ways for people to discover content, but they offer different browsing experiences.
Final Thoughts
Understanding how Pinterest users find your content is an important part of improving your Pinterest marketing strategy.
As we’ve covered in this guide, your Pins can be discovered in several places across the platform, including search results, related content, the home feed, profiles, boards, product results, video search, and the Explore feed.
And the interesting part is that people don’t always have to search for your exact content to find it.
They might discover a Pin while scrolling through their home feed, exploring a board, or looking for related ideas.
That’s why I encourage you to spend some time exploring Pinterest from a user’s perspective.
Look at how your Pins appear across these different surfaces. Pay attention to your text overlays, fonts, images, titles, and overall design.
Are your Pins easy to read? Is the main idea clear? Could you make the images or text more user-friendly?
There may be opportunities to improve your content that you simply haven’t noticed before.
My biggest takeaway is this: don’t just create Pins and hope people find them. Take the time to understand where and how Pinterest users discover your content, then use what you learn to improve your Pinterest SEO and Pin design.
The better you understand the user experience, the more informed your Pinterest marketing decisions can become.