Want to create Pinterest Video? This post will get you started. Yes, you can upload video pins directly to Pinterest so that they catch attention on the Pinterest feed. In this post, I'll share what you should create and how to share them.
By DONNA MORITZ| PUBLISHED 23 AUGUST, 2019
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If you use Pinterest for Business, you may have asked these questions:
What is video on Pinterest?
How do I create video pins?
How do I upload video to Pinterest?
How I do all the Pinterest video things? … then you're in the right place.
I'm still learning too, but fortunately, the team at Pinterest has provided us lots of tips and guidelines over the past year or two when it comes to how to use the platform. Video is no different.
So, I'm wrapping it all up in this post so you can jump in and try creating Pinterest video pins too. Here's the low-down and some tips for getting started.
Using Video on Video for Your Business – Let's Create Video Pins
I've been watching the progress of Video Pins for a while now and just starting to play with them. Here is an outline of what I have learned so far, mainly through Pinterest's website. They have great resources in their Business Centre.
Below, I'll try to cover what Video on Pinterest is, how to create Video Pins (including specs) and how to upload video to Pinterest.
Let's jump in!
1. What are Video Pins on Pinterest?
We all (I hope) know by now what the standard pin specifications are on Pinterest. I wrote about them here. You should aim for 2:3 aspect ratio (ie 1000 x 1500 pixels) in vertical format. But what about video?
Pinterest to the rescue. As Pinterest says, Video Pins will take your Pinterest marketing to the next level by adding action to your storytelling. Pinterest wants you to use them to tell a more “comprehensive story about your brand, idea or project”.
Here's an example of one, straight from Pinterest:
Video Pins contain a cover image that is designed to capture the attention of your viewers. And they are usually played with the sound-off (so we will dive into some ways to optimize for this with text overlays!).
And as you probably know, you can advertise on Pinterest by creating Promoted Video Pins. Previously this was the only way to be able to upload Video Pins but now it's open to anyone. Let the fun begin!
According to Pinterest, Video Pins will appear in:
- Your Home feed
- The “Following” tab
- and search results.
So, it's a great opportunity to get your content seen. You can tap any Pinterest video to watch it in close-up view.
Hot Tip: Pinterest suggests that you use the words “video” or “videos” in your search to find relevant Pinterest video content.
2. Creating Pinterest Video (Video Pin Specs!)
Ready to create some video? Here are the specs for standard width videos (organic or promoted Video Pins) from Pinterest:
In short, Pinterest recommends making your videos one of two sizes – video pins that are square (1:1) or vertical (2:3 or 9:16) in size. Here is the full list of specs if you want to go deeper:
Video Specs for Pinterest:
- File type: mov, .mp4, .or .m4v format videos.
- Encoding: use H.264 or H.265
- Maximum file size: Add files up to 2GB maximum size.
- Video length: Pinterest recommends Minimum 4 seconds up to a maximum of 15 minutes
- Aspect ratio: Pinterest recommends making your Video Pins square (1:1) or vertical (2:3, 9:16) in size. You should also note that they recommend that all Videos are shorter than 1:2 (width:height), and taller than 1.91:1 aspect ratio.
Character Counts & Descriptions:
When it comes to Character Counts, use up to 100 characters. If you don't fill out a title, people will see the start of your Pin description instead so maximize the full use of it!
Add up to 500 characters in your description. The first 50-60 characters are the most important as these are the most likely to show up in the viewer's feed. What does this mean? Ensure that your most important information shows up first!
3. How to Upload Video to Pinterest
Here's how you get started and upload your video to Pinterest.
UPDATE! You can now even “schedule” Video Pins using Tailwind (my favourite scheduler – find out more about it here). Initially you could only upload natively from Pinterest using their native scheduler. A few other scheduling tools are rolling this out so that will make it easier for all of us!
But for the purposes of this post, I'm sharing how to upload and post a video to Pinterest immediately.
You will need a Pinterest Business Account. Open up your account and click Create Pin on the Homepage.
Enter your Pin Title, Description and select the Pinterest Board you want it to be saved to. Also select the website link or URL you want the Video to be linked to. In this case, it's this blog post.
To finish off this upload I need to add the final URL for this post once it's published. Pinterest won't let you upload an invalid URL which prevents dead links going out.
Finally, select the video cover image you'd like to show up first in your video. Ensure that your cover image catches attention (read the best practices at the bottom of this post for more tips on video cover images).
You're done! Click Publish and you're all set with your first Video! Or schedule to publish at a later date.
Here's how my Video Pin looks:
Pinterest has advised that they will review your Pin within 24 hours to ensure that it doesn't violate Pinterest's Community Guidelines. They accept videos in English, French and German currently but are adding support for more languages soon.
Here is my video pin under review – I am the only one that can initially see it in the newsfeed until it's approved:
You can keep track of the performance of your Videos on Pinterest, just like you would with regular Pins by going to your Pinterest Stats in Analytics.
Having Trouble?
This is still a new feature and some people have had trouble uploading Video Pins. If that's the case, it may be worth trying what worked before which is to set up an advertising account (even if you don't use it).
It's just a matter of adding a valid/current credit card to your Business Account so that you are set up to do Promoted Pins (even if you don't do it!). It may be worth a try while this is all still a bit new.
If you want more tips for creating Video for Pinterest, check out their best practices:
4. Pinterest's 5 Best Practices for Video Pins
How handy! Pinterest has shared 5 Creative Best Practices for video pins so you can get it right from the outset:
1. Make your Video Pins actionable
Pinterest has advised that they see the best performance for videos that teach people how to do something or inspire people to try something new. Think cooking and recipe videos! They advise that we lead with a clear “hook” to capture the viewer's attention in the first few seconds.
2. Tailor the length of your Videos based on Goals
Video Pins (of course) can also be turned into Promoted Videos. Pinterest has found that for Promoted Videos, 6-15 seconds works best. For other video pins that are not promoted, you can choose any length you like. I would suggest keeping it shorter initially to see what works.
3. Focus on visual more than audio!
Many videos are played in the Pinterest feed with the sound off, so make sure you have text overlay or captions on your Video Pin to help convey your message (even if someone has the sound switched off).
4. Choose a Strong Cover Image
This is what shows up first on Pinterest, so you want to make sure it catches attention. It should also add context and give us a clear indication of what the Video Pin will be about. It also helps Pinterest decide which Pins or Video Pins to show to the right audience.
5. Optimize Your Pin Copy
You should ensure that your Video Pins have clear titles, descriptions, hashtags and information to help them get discovered in Pinterest search. Spend time on your copy to ensure that it's engaging before you hit publish on the Video Pin.
Phew, that's a lot of info. But luckily Pinterest has come to the party by giving us so much great advice about how to get started with Video on Pinterest, so we have everything we need to give it a go!
HOT TIP: Pinterest videos don't replay automatically. If you have a short video, why not create a second version as a GIF, like this one that can loop on the Pinterest feed. Try both and see what gets the best results.
5. BONUS – 5 Tools to Create Pinterest Video!
I thought I'd add a list of tools that I think will really help you to start creating Video for Pinterest. These tools are all ideally suited for creating “video” or “stop-motion” or GIF-style videos in square or vertical format. Check them out:
1. LifeLapse
Lifelapse is a great app for creating stop-motion video. This tool was designed by a stop-motion obsessed (and lovely) film-maker who wanted to make it easier for all of us to create these types of fun, action-packed videos. Now you can use it to create Video Pins!
2. Easil
Easil is my go-to GIF creation tool. You can easily create an animated GIF in Easil then download and convert it into MP4 format to upload as a Pinterest Video. How cool is that? I used Easil to create my Pinterest image for this post then convert it into a Video Pin. Fun!
3. Wave.video
Wave.video is my go-to video creation tool for social video. You can add text overlay, fun stickers and more. And with a huge library of stock footage and music, it's just a creators paradise every time you open up the app. I am going to have fun creating Pinterest Video Pins with Wave!
4. Splasheo
I discovered Splasheo recently and only just wrote about it here on this blog, but it's too good to leave out of this opportunity! If you have video that you are creating and repurposing for multiple networks, don't forget Pinterest. Splasheo is a service that allows you to create Meme-style videos and it would be well worth testing these on Pinterest too. And they have captions baked into the video, so they're perfect for Pinterest. Add Splasheo to your toolkit!
5. Headliner
Headliner is a great tool for creating Audiograms. If you have a podcast, then consider creating audiogram style videos and uploading them to Pinterest. These are the best of both worlds – they have audio but you can caption them too so that people can watch them with the sound off.
Now you have no excuses to try creating Video Pins!
Over to You
Have you tried sharing Video to Pinterest yet? What have been the results? Let me know in the comments below.
Donna Moritz
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