Pinterest Starts the Shift to Promoted Pins

In a letter from CEO and Co-founder of Pinterest, Ben Silbermann, Pinterest announced their planning for the future by announcing today that they will begin experimenting with promoted pins. Silbermann warns that they’d like to keep Pinterest around for a while and that pretty much means it is time they start making money instead of spending it. They haven’t started charging anyone or any business for promoted pins yet nor were any details provided.

We can assume they’ll first do some user testing to see where the most optimal placement is for these promoted pins through the user feed. Silbermann mentions their first test will be to “promote a few pins in search results and category feeds. For example, a pin for a Darth Vader outfit from a costume shop might be promoted in a search for “halloween.”

Their promise for promoted pins?
Keep them tasteful without flashy banners or pop-up ads.
Transparency – Notify users if someone is paying for what you see, or where you see it.
Pins should remain relevant so that you’re actually seeing items you are interested in, like a delicious recipe, or a jacket that’s your style.

They also promise to make improvements based on user feedback.

What do you think of the idea of promoted pins coming to your Pin Feed? Will your business start using this type of social advertising?