What Happened to Pinterest Idea Pins?

September 25, 2026 · 4 min read · by Jan Oršula

Pinterest Idea Pins didn't disappear. They were merged into a single, unified Pin format. Pinterest folded the best of Idea Pins and standard Pins into one type, so the "Idea Pin" label is gone but its features live on inside the regular Pin you create today. The single biggest change: you can now add a destination link to that content, which Idea Pins never allowed. A multi-page, video-style Pin can finally send people to your site. This guide explains what changed, why the link matters, and what pin formats actually exist now.

The angle: this is a rename-and-merge story, not a deletion, and the merge quietly fixed Idea Pins' worst flaw. If you avoided Idea Pins because they were a traffic dead end, that reason is gone.

The short version: merged, not removed

Pinterest unified all its formats under one banner: Pins. Story Pins became Idea Pins, and Idea Pins were then absorbed into the standard Pin. Rather than juggle a separate creation flow for each type, you now build one kind of Pin and choose what goes in it: a single image, a video, or multiple pages.

The features that made Idea Pins distinctive weren't thrown out. Multi-page layouts, video, music, stickers, and text overlays are now available when you create a normal Pin. So if someone tells you Idea Pins are "gone," the accurate version is: the format got promoted into the default, and the old name was retired.

The big win: you can add a link now

Idea Pins had one crippling limitation: no clickable destination link. You could make a gorgeous multi-page Pin and there was no way to send viewers to your recipe, product, or article. That made them great for reach but useless for traffic.

The unified Pin fixed this. The finishing-touches step of Pin creation now includes adding an external link, a capability that used to belong only to standard Pins. So the rich, engaging format and the link finally coexist.

• A link means traffic. Reach on Pinterest only pays off if people can act on it. Now the same engaging content can drive clicks to your site.
• It changes the calculus. If you skipped Idea Pins because they couldn't send traffic, that objection is retired. The format is worth using again.

Driving that traffic well is its own skill. The same principles behind turning social reach into site visits apply directly to which page you link and how you frame the click.

What changed for the content you make

Practically, the merge means fewer decisions and more capability in one place.

• One creation flow. You no longer pick "Idea Pin" vs "standard Pin" up front. You make a Pin and decide its contents.
• Creative tools on everything. Music, stickers, and text (once Idea-Pin-only) are available on Pins whether they're image, video, or multi-page.
• Links on rich formats. The headline change, covered above: a destination link on content that used to be a dead end.
• Old Idea Pins still exist. Content you published as an Idea Pin didn't vanish; it lives on as a Pin under the unified format.

If you built a workflow around Idea Pins specifically, the pieces are all still here. They just live inside the standard Pin now.

The pin formats that exist today

Under the unified system, you're really choosing a shape for one Pin type:

• Standard image Pin: a single still image, the classic tall 2:3 graphic. Still the workhorse for search-driven reach.
• Video Pin: a single video, autoplaying in feeds and search. Good for demos, hooks, and movement.
• Multi-image / carousel Pin: several pages or images in one Pin, the layout Idea Pins pioneered, now with a link attached.

The right choice depends on the message, but the design fundamentals are shared across all three: clear focal point, readable text at thumbnail size, vertical framing. Our guide to designing pins that get clicks covers those, and it applies whichever shape you pick. Pinterest's own creators help center has the current step-by-step for building each.

So should you still make "Idea Pin" style content?

Yes, and now with better returns. The multi-page, video-forward format that Idea Pins introduced is genuinely engaging, and it finally carries a link. Treat it as one option in your mix: standard image Pins for search-heavy topics where a single strong graphic ranks, and richer multi-page or video Pins where a walkthrough or story earns attention and sends the click. The lesson from the whole saga is that Pinterest wants engaging native content that still respects your need for traffic. The merge gave you both in one format. Use it.

Frequently asked questions