Pinterest launches the Pin Collective so brands can hire influencers to create ads

Pinterest is moving deeper into the influencer marketplace with a new program that matches brands and advertisers with content creators to create “inspiring, actionable pins.” With this feature — called the Pin Collective — the company behind the popular visual search and idea engine has hand-selected a group of publishers, production shops, and creators to craft pins that capture users’ attention.

Pinterest has brought on board Brit + Co, Tastemade, Refinery29, PureWow, The Mill, McBeard, Loop88, Moment Studio, and a “global group” of individual creators: Kyla Herbes, Gary Arndt, Amanda Holstein, Sarah Barnes, and Peter Lombardi.

“We know marketers have a lot to manage,” wrote Pinterest creative strategist Nikki Bazzani in a blog post. “To make sure it’s always easy to advertise on Pinterest, we’re developing a creative ecosystem that helps marketers of all sizes create inspiring, actionable Pins — no matter their budget or production resources. Our goal is to help brands get what they need to produce content that’s optimized for Pinterest’s visual format and Pinners’ unique behavior.”

Pairing brands with influential content creators isn’t a new thing, as it’s something YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter are doing or have done in the past. Through Pin Collective, brands will be able to create more viral pins — from default pins to place pins, buyable pins, or even promoted pins with video — which, in turn, leads to more engagement and more money for Pinterest.

Brands will pay creators directly for their work, as Pinterest is merely the matchmaker, and all negotiations and details will be managed by the brands and creators.

This is the company’s latest effort to move into professional content, expanding from Pinterest’s previous initiative — the Pin Factory — which is its in-house production studio to help advertisers craft promoted pins.