Social media platforms are continuously evolving and creating new features. Some are unique while others seem to be a replication of another platforms success. The latest trend that almost every social network has now picked up are stories, and while each channel has tried to incorporate their own unique spin, Pinterest's latest evolution of the feature poses to be quite unique and has been modified to more appropriately fit the channels objectives.

About Pinterest Story Pins

A feature that Snapchat and Instagram are the most well-known for, the Story Pins feature has been developed to provide creators a larger opportunity to showcase their content and increase and monitor engagement. This asset allows “up to 20 pages of videos, images, and text,” while still enabling the usage of other common pin features such as adding comments, photos, or saving a Story Pin to your board (although you cannot save a single page out of the Story Pin).

The Difference in Stories vs. Story Pins

The biggest differentiator for Story Pins is that they don’t disappear like other story features. They can be searched or found later on so the story can still remain relevant for the weeks to come. You can also save it for later. This is relevant for influencers because rather than having to distribute the content after it’s published elsewhere, creators are able to publish their campaign content directly. David Temple, Head of Content, Creator and Homefeed Product at Pinterest says, “Story features on other platforms are designed to show you what people are doing, Story pins are designed to show you how people are trying new ideas and new products. That means the features and intent are dramatically different.”

Who are Story Pins Available to?

Unfortunately, Story Pins are not available to everyone. The Story Pins feature was initially invite-only for influencers and was primarily focused on testing the success of the feature on beauty and fashion influencers. Pinterest has expanded its initial test audience and is allowing creators in the United States to fill out an application. Within about 5-7 days Pinterest will approve or deny the request. So far, brands do not have access to Story Pins directly, but they can partner with influencers who have been approved by Pinterest to have this feature. This provides a unique opportunity for brands to engage in new audiences and features through influencer marketing.

How Brands Partner with Creators with Story Pins

Pinterest's new story feature offers new possibilities to a wide range of influencers as they are able to create step-by-step tutorials with short videos, images, lists, and custom text all within a single-Story Pin. Here are a couple of concepts brands and influencers can leverage to enhance their content.

• Step-by-step recipes frames.
• Product highlights focusing on essentials to creating the perfect living room.
• Showcasing to best tips and product to prepare for back to school.
• Listicles of the ultimate travel "must-haves".
• How-to frames for a DIY at home renovation or project.
• Outfit style guides for different events.

Other Tools Rolled Out to Creators

Pinterest hasn't stopped there in making the platform more creator friendly. Another way Pinterest has helped content creators is by allowing them to share their own published content rather than simply sharing their saved Pins. This allows influencers to seamlessly post content to their pages in a more natural fashion so their followers are able to gain a more organic feel to brand-influencer partnerships. Additionally, the platform has also enabled a feature that shows an analytics dashboard and engagement tab so that creators can gain insights on what content is performing well and how to further engage their audience. This feature is particularly helpful for creators looking for the best way to create successful campaign strategies. 

The Impact of Story Pins for Influencer Marketing on Pinterest

Pinterest's new release of the Story Pins feature allows for a myriad of opportunities to increase the creativity of influencer marketing campaigns. As the Story Pins function becomes more widely available to content creators, brands can explore partnership opportunities to engage with a new demographic through Pinterest influencer marketing.