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Pinterest users: expect more adverts in 2015
Social networks know that no one wants adverts all up in their feed --it's no wonder they try to sugar coat paid-for posts. Twitter sneaks in "promoted" tweets; Facebook has its "sponsored" posts; and soon you can expect "Promoted Pins" from -- where else? -- Pinterest. The program has been running in beta for a while, but starting January 1st, it's open to all advertisers. What does this mean for you, dear Pinner? Well, we imagine a few more pictures of brand name lattes mixed in with all the photos of rosetta'd lattes. With around 70 million users, the picture-based network might not have the numbers of Twitter or Facebook, but it does have the advantage that many are already using the site to collect and search for things they want. Pinterest is also launching a program called "The Pinstitute" to teach advertisers how to better connect with (and be less annoying to) its users. In reality, it sounds more like analytics and feedback, but anything that might prevent your meticulously curated boards from being soiled with bad branding is fine with us.
Pinterest's promoted pins are just a preview, not paid-for promos... yet
Pinterest, like all social networking startups, needs to make money at some point. And if you've been following the company's progress lately, you should be aware that promoted pins -- a cuter way of saying "advertisements" -- were planned for the collage-making site as an experiment. Well, as of today, those pins are set to start cropping up in users' search and category results looking much like what you see above. But the company's sensitive to how its user base will respond and so it's seeking to be as transparent as possible about these promoted pins, labeling them as such and even providing a "more info" window to explain the move. Also, since Pinterest is still feeling this out, the actual promoted pins aren't even paid-for advertisements; they will be, but not right now. This is only a test, so you can go ahead and sublimate that rage with some ferociously exuberant pinning -- there'll be a time and place for it yet.
Ads creep into Pinterest with introduction of promoted pins
Move over ad Twitter, here comes ad Pinterest. The social networking service, which allows users to "pin" items of interest (get it?) to digital boards, began offering personalized recommendations back in July. Now, it's taking the approach one step further with plans to introduce promoted pins from business accounts in search and category results. Pinterest is framing the move as an "experiment" for now, while promising all promoted pins will be clearly marked and relevant to user tastes. How thoughtful. And so begins the march towards profitability.
