Whether you live, sleep and breathe Pinterest, or you just log on every once in a while to scope out the coolest new DIY projects, expect to see more ads popping up in your feed over the next year as the company plans on expanding its advertising test program.
Unlike advertisements you see on YouTube or Facebook, Pinterest ads won't totally be in your face. The ads will show up in your feed and look exactly like a regular pin, except you'll see a tag that says the pin is sponsored by a certain company.
If you didn't even realize that the company was already testing out a new advertisement program earlier this year, consider Pinterest's venture into native advertising a success. When the test program first began in June, Pinterest limited the number of clients, which included Lululemon, Expedia, Gap and Nestle. Now, Pinterest has opened the gates to any advertiser.
Native advertising has become a controversial topic, leading users of many online platforms to feel overwhelmed by the flurry of ads and to even question the integrity of news companies that participate in this form of advertising. But in the case of Pinterest, you log on to find inspiration, discover and share ideas, not read the latest news, so is there any harm in having third party companies suggest recipes for you to try, beauty tricks to test out and places for you to visit?
In case you end up finding the new ads pesky, Pinterest will allow you to filter them out by clicking an "X" in the lower right corner of the pin. You then have the option to learn more about the pin or hide it altogether. If you choose to hide the pin, you can send Pinterest feedback on why you want it removed.
Though the thought of more ads on any platform may irritate you, remember that the main revenue source of these multi-billion dollar companies comes from advertising. So we'll just have to see how much advertising Pinterest puts out over the next year—maybe we won't even know the difference?
