Is Pinterest Social Media?

Do you want the short answer or the long answer?

You’d be surprised how many business owners wonder if Pinterest is considered social media…and the answer may surprise you!

Short answer: Yes — Pinterest is social media. 

Traditionally, Pinterest gets lumped into the “social media” category. But most Pinterest managers (myself included) will tell you something different: Pinterest functions as a visual search engine, not a traditional social platform. And that distinction matters a lot.

Did you know that 8 in 10 people say they come to Pinterest to feel positive? Only 3 in 10 say the same about other social platforms.

Why This Matters for Your Business

Because when you understand how Pinterest actually works, everything about your marketing strategy changes.

It changes how often you need to show up.It changes what success looks like.It changes how you get traffic, leads, and sales.

Instead of chasing followers, trends, or daily engagement, Pinterest allows your content to be discovered through search, quietly working in the background for you long after you hit publish. 

I’m talking months and years, not 24 hours (ahem…thanks for the love IG stories).

That’s a big deal for business owners like us who want sustainable business growth without constant online pressure.

Why Pinterest Isn’t Social Media As We Know It

The Quick Answer: The Pinterest algorithm doesn’t determine success based on follower count or vanity metrics.

Pinterest is a different type of social media because:

• Followers don’t determine your success

• Content is discovered through search, not your profile

• Pins can drive traffic for months (or even years)

• You don’t need to show your face, reply to DMs, or monitor comments

If traditional social media has ever felt exhausting, Pinterest marketing will feels like a breath of fresh air for you and your business.

Let’s dive a little deeper into what makes Pinterest a different type of social media. 

What Makes Pinterest Marketing Different:

1. Your Success on Pinterest Is Not Dependent on Followers

Let me say this louder for the people in the back: Your success on Pinterest is NOT dependent on the amount of followers you have. 

Here’s a real example from a client I work with: 

When she first started, she had just 62 followers, yet her Pins were already getting 93.9K monthly views. Fast forward a year, she only gained a handful of followers (94 total), but her monthly views skyrocketed to 280.7K a month. 

This client’s success on Pinterest proves that on Pinterest, followers are nice, but they don’t drive your success. It’s all about creating the right content for the right search.

2. Pinners Engage Without Ever Visiting Your Profile

Pinterest users engage with content differently. Pinners are planners. They’re decision-makers. They don’t need to “creep” on your profile and scroll all your boards before committing.

Here’s how Pinterest engagement usually works:

• A user searches for something specific

• Your Pin appears in the results

• They save it to a board or click through to your website

And that’s it. Most Pinners will never click into your profile. They’re not scrolling your boards, checking your bio, or deciding whether to follow you first.

3. You Do Not Need to Show Your Face

Did you catch that?

You do not need to show your face every day.

Or any day for that matter. You never have to appear on camera to succeed on Pinterest.

This is one of the biggest reasons business owners feel burnt out on traditional social media. The constant pressure to perform, show up daily, and be “on,” even when life is chaotic. Pinterest doesn’t require that.

You can schedule Pins months in advance, let them work for you 24/7, and stay fully behind the scenes if that’s your preference.

4. You Don’t Need to Respond to DMs or Monitor Comments

Pinterest technically has DMs and comments, but they’re rarely used.

Why? Because Pinners aren’t there to chat. 

Once they find what they’re looking for (aka your Pin), they’ll either:

• Click through to your website

• Save it to a board for later

That’s it. Comments and DMs can happen, — but they’re the exception, not the rule. And for most business owners, that’s a massive relief.

The Heart of Why Pinterest Feels Different

I’ve experienced this firsthand in my own business, realizing that I could grow reach and traffic on Pinterest without feeling burned out by daily posting, chasing followers and likes. Seriously, it made me fall in love with the platform even more.

Think about the last time you scrolled Instagram or TikTok. How did you feel afterward?

Now think about the last time you scrolled Pinterest. What were you searching for? What were you hoping to create, plan, or improve?

You didn’t see doom-scrolling headlines.

You didn’t see competitors performing better than you.

You didn’t see hot takes or arguments, no trolling comments.

You saw ideas.

Inspiration.

Possibility.

Hope.

So… Is Pinterest Considered Social Media?

Technically, yes. But not as we know it. Not as we experience it.

That’s why you’ll hear Pinterest managers say this over and over again:Pinterest isn’t another social media platform. It’s a visual search engine.

Ready to Use Pinterest for Your Business?

If you want to finally make Pinterest work for you, let me handle the Pinterest strategy and execution so you can focus on running your business instead of marketing it. One simple step to get your business in front of the right people is all it takes to start seeing real results.