Idea Pins vs Standard Pins: Which Should You Use in 2026?

Understanding Pinterest Pin Formats

Pinterest offers multiple pin formats, each with different strengths. The two main formats — Standard Pins and Idea Pins — serve different purposes in your marketing strategy. Understanding when to use each can significantly impact your results.

Standard Pins: The Traffic Workhorse

Standard Pins are the classic Pinterest format — a single image or video that links to an external URL. They're the primary way to drive traffic to your website.

Pros:

• Direct link to your website — drives traffic and conversions
• Can be saved and shared, extending reach over time
• Support Rich Pin metadata for enhanced display
• Best for SEO — searchable through keywords
• Easy to create and batch-produce

Cons:

• Lower initial reach compared to Idea Pins
• Need compelling designs to stand out

Idea Pins: The Engagement Builder

Idea Pins are multi-page, story-like content that plays natively on Pinterest. They can include up to 20 pages of images, video, and text.

Pros:

• Higher initial distribution from the algorithm
• Great for tutorials and step-by-step content
• Build brand awareness and followers
• Native creator tools (text, stickers, music)

Cons:

• No external link — can't drive direct traffic to your website
• More time-consuming to create
• Content stays on Pinterest only

The Recommended Strategy for 2026

Use a combination of both formats. Standard Pins should be your primary format (80%) for driving traffic. Use Idea Pins (20%) for building engagement, growing followers, and establishing authority. Always include a Standard Pin version of any Idea Pin content so users can click through to your website.

Creating Standard Pins Efficiently

Tools like SafePin specialize in creating optimized Standard Pins at scale. Input your blog URL, and AI generates multiple pin variations with SEO-friendly titles and descriptions — perfect for the high-volume Standard Pin strategy that drives traffic.