Pinterest decides it likes money after all by launching ads

Hey, here’s that business model we were all looking for. Pinterest is officially getting ads.

The company announced on its blog today that it’d like the service to stay up and running, which means it’ll be turning toward ads to see if that can generate some revenue. The company, which lets you “pin” or save imagines that are linked to a bigger website onto “boards,” will be doing this as an experiment first “promoting certain pins from a select group of businesses.”

Pinterest has become a mainstay piece of social media, but has otherwise been criticized for its lack of revenue model. While it does provide business analytics and a “rich pins” option for businesses, the company hasn’t actually charged for any of these services.

Advertising is a pretty “traditional” business model among Internet companies today. Pinterest may have a leg-up in that users already share brand-content, and content direct from e-commerce sites, but the advertisements will have to be good-quality.

Ben Silbermann, the company’s chief executive and co-founder says he’s dedicated to keeping banner advertisements off of the site, and instead will opt for in-stream pins. However, he does note that the company hasn’t “figured out all the details.” He does promise, however, that they will be “relevant,” well-marked so you know someone paid to have that pin there, and Pinterest is open to your feedback.