There were SO many BIG changes to the Pinterest algorithm in 2021. From changing the way that Pinterest calculated and showed us our analytics, to the heavy push toward idea pins and away from re-pins. 2021 forced all of us to rethink our Pinterest strategies and find new roads to success. 

I’m sure there will be even more changes in 2022 (hopefully not quite as dramatic) but if this is the first time you’re coming across any Pinterest algorithm update information, buckle up. 

Analytics Shift

Before 2020, Pinterest analytics were a bit deceiving. Pinterest calculated statistics like monthly viewers, impressions, outbound clicks, etc. based on the reach and outbound traffic from ALL of the pins on your profile. 

This means that your analytics numbers were based on pins that you created, and ALL of the pins from across the internet that you’ve ever repinned. As I’m sure you can imagine, this created an extremely inflated set of analytics. 

Now, Pinterest analytics ONLY tracks the analytics of your original content. While this may seem like it’s a negative algorithm change, it’s actually incredibly helpful. Sure, everyone’s analytics took a MASSIVE dip after the change, but now your Pinterest analytics provide you with a super accurate idea of how much traffic you’re driving to YOUR website, and which content is performing best. 

Idea Pins, Story Pins, Whatever You Want to Call Them

Story pins, idea pins, you know what I’m talking about! This feature changed names TWICE in one year, and I’m sure a new name will be released for 2022 (I’m only kind of kidding, lol). Idea pins were a beta feature in 2020; however, most accounts didn’t even have the feature until mid-2021. 

THAT’S when the real Idea Pin algorithm shift happened. After Idea Pins were introduced to the public, the Pinterest algorithm started heavily favoring them. Then, “takes” were rolled out in the fall and unless you had them switched “on,” your idea pins probably started tanking! Talk about a confusing turn of events. Since then, things have cooled off quite a bit, but idea pins are still EXTRA important. 

 Re-Pins are BAD

This algorithm shift was probably the hardest one to cope with for a lot of Pinterest creators! Pinterest has always been a place to re-share ideas, and then contribute some new ones here and there. 

Most of us were using strategies in which we would pin the same pin to multiple boards, or re-share just as much content (if not more) from Tailwind communities than we would our own original content. However, we now KNOW that Pinterest absolutely favors fresh content, and new Pinterest strategies have come out to accommodate this adjustment. 

That’s All for Now!

To be honest, this post only scratches the surface because there are quite a few other algorithm changes that have happened this year. As a Pinterest manager and Pinterest coach, I strive to stay up-to-date on the newest trends and changes on Pinterest so that I can better serve my clients and students. Want to stay current on Pinterest trends and algorithm changes in 2022? Sign up for my email list here and receive Pinterest tips and updates delivered to your inbox weekly!