Pinterest’s Recent Update to Its Algorithm Enables It to Better Balance the Content in Home Feed of Users

Pinterest Engineering team sheds some light on how the latest update to Pinterest’s algorithm has enabled the platform to better balance the sort of the Pins displayed in the home feeds of users. The update will allow Pinterest to display a broader range of content unlike simply relying on engagement data to drive the Pin suggestions. Pinterest's recent update is a new approach to its algorithm distribution, which will allow the content discovery network to put extra focus on content from a more culturally diverse set of content creators, without compromising user experience. If you are using the platform for your business growth, you may need to take a keen eye on how the recent update could impact what your target audience see on Pinterest.

Yaron Grief, an engineer at Pinterest, explained that millions of users visit the home feed each day to find inspiration on the platform. He wrote that he has to figure out what relevant pins should be displayed to pinners and to also ensure that those Pins also help to maintain the health of the overall ecosystem of the platform.

While Pinterest shows content based on what a user has engaged in the past and the boards and profiles they follow, the platform also seeks to highlight other content related to various goals. Pinterest may display more newly-created Pins or more video Pins to surface actionable ideas from content creators.

It has also been observed that video content generates more engagement. In the case of Pinterest, it indicates that video content gets an extra boost within Pinterest’s algorithm. If you want to maximize your reach on the platform, it is worth to keep your content flowing with new Pins as well as considering other types of content, specifically video.

Pinterest has implemented a new ‘controllable distribution’ system to achieve these content exposure goals. This controllable distribution replaces hard-coded constants with a new system where businesses can specify a worldwide target for the percentage of impressions by the type of content.

One of the key use cases of this system will be to enhance the representation of a creator on Pinterest. The company is also working to grow the diversity of content on its platform. It is interesting to note that OneZero recently reported that Pinterest blocks polluted content from showing up in main feeds of users and relevant searches, instead of entirely eliminating this type of content from the platform.

The new update will allow Pinterest to put extra focus on certain elements of its choosing between its Pin recommendations without having to impact the user experience. Although it is impossible to quantify the complete extent of this influence, changes to how Pinterest’s algorithm works are worth noting.



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