SocialNew Pinterest Research Shows Which Images Get the Most Engagement

New Pinterest Research Shows Which Images Get the Most Engagement

A new analysis of more than 500,000 images looking at 30 different visual characteristics like textures, colors and more, uncovered a pattern in the popular pictures on Pinterest. These types of images get the most pins, repins and likes.

New research emerging from Curalate describes what types of images get the most pins, repins, and likes on Pinterest.

Analysis of more than 500,000 images looking at 30 different visual characteristics like textures, colors and more, uncovered a pattern in the popular pictures on Pinterest.

Let’s have a look at some of the data, which suggests users have preferences for:

  • Vibrant images: The most repinned images have multiple colors, and those with multiple dominant colors have 3.25 times more repins per image than those with just a single dominant color.
  • Certain colors: Red images get more repins than blue images. What’s more, images that are red, orange and brown receive about twice as many repins than images that are blue.

curalate-multicolor-data-pinterest

  • More detail: Images with less than 30 percent whitespace are repinned the most. The repins drop off by up to four times for images containing 40 percent or more whitespace.

curalate-background-data-pinterest

  • People without faces: Brand images with bodies in angles that don’t show faces received 23 percent more repins. Curalate stated less than one-fifth of images on Pinterest today have the presence of faces.

curalate-faces-data-pinterest

Explore Pinterest Data, but Keep Context in Mind

Because data needs interpretation within context, keep in mind that there could be several reasons why we’re seeing these patterns. For example, it doesn’t mean you need to start cutting faces off of bodies in all your marketing images. It could just mean that images with close-ups of people are featured more in tutorial pictures on Pinterest, which could be more popular than others, or something else.

The faceless image phenomenon did jump out at me, though, since marketers have long been taught that using faces of people in materials helps users connect with the offering.

Brendan Lowry, Curalate’s marketing director, offered advice on how marketers should interpret this data.

On the topic of faceless images, Lowry had this to say:

“The fact that images with faces experienced lower engagement rates initially surprised us as well. However, when we gave it deeper thought, we were reminded that user behavior on Pinterest is extremely unique: it’s a network of things, not people or places. As a result, people prefer to see and interact with objects, not humans.”

“This reinforces the need for marketers to think natively when participating in social,” he added. “Depending on the platform, consumers will create and consume content differently. Smart brands respond accordingly.”

So what’s a marketer to do with all this research on image performance in Pinterest? Lowry said it reinforces the idea we need to engage with users scientifically.

“The social cues of consumers are relevant, extremely important, and can help refine and reform visual marketing. Brands need to interject science into their creative process to produce compelling content, which will drive higher engagement, click-through rates, and revenue.”

Pinterest: Are You Among the Brands That are Taking it On?

If you aren’t, don’t worry – you aren’t alone. A recent study suggested brands really weren’t quitethere when it came to participation on Pinterest.

Surprisingly, only 18 percent of fashion retail brands (which have images that serve as a primary source of content on Pinterest) pin their own images; the other 82 percent of pins for that sector is driven by users.

Some would say these brands are missing out huge. Especially with the introduction of Pinterest Rich Pins, which allow brands to take control of their images and products by adding information about how much the product costs, where to buy and even if it’s in stock.

Check out an example of Rich Pins in action; the following is a screenshot of a Target product on Pinterest (note: you may have to be signed in to see Rich Pins work):

target-rich-pin-pinterest

Another recent study analyzed more than 500 million shopping experiences and found that on average, referrals from the Pinterest network saw the highest spend on products at websites over other social networks:

average-order-value-by-social-monetate

If you’re not sure where to begin with Pinterest, but you want to get more involved, check out these starter tips, which include:

  1. Building a community
  2. Collaborating with users
  3. Creating a specialized board
  4. Driving traffic through different sites
  5. Focusing on great images
  6. Creating compelling descriptions
  7. Using video
  8. Tracking progress

Now go forth and take advantage of all Pinterest has to offer your brand. Happy pinning!

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