Do Video Pins Actually Work on Pinterest? Here’s What I Found

Okay, let’s settle the video Pin debate, because I get whiplash from the advice out there. Half the internet screams “Pinterest is pushing video, you HAVE to post it!” and the other half swears it’s a waste of time. As usual, the truth is sitting quietly in the middle, and it depends entirely on what you actually want from Pinterest.

So I’m going to give you my honest take — from actually making both kinds and watching what happened — so you can decide if video is worth your (very limited) time.

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The part everyone gets right: video gets more reach

It’s true — Pinterest does give video Pins a nice bump in impressions. A moving image in a sea of still ones stops the thumb, and Pinterest, like every platform, is happy to show off a format it wants creators to use. So yes, if your only scoreboard is “how many eyeballs,” video wins. But hold on, because eyeballs aren’t always the point. If you want the bigger picture of what Pinterest rewards, I laid it out in how the Pinterest algorithm really works.

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The part everyone forgets: reach isn’t traffic

Here’s the catch that trips people up. Video Pins are fantastic at getting seen and getting saved. They are not always great at getting the click — the tap that sends someone off Pinterest and onto your blog or shop. Video keeps people watching on Pinterest, which is exactly what Pinterest wants, but it can be a little stickier for you to pull them away to your site.

So a video Pin can rack up 50,000 impressions and send you barely any traffic, while a humble image Pin gets 5,000 impressions and sends a steady stream of clicks to your post. More views is not the same as more visitors. This is the exact same tension I unpack in Idea Pins vs. standard Pins — reach on Pinterest and traffic to your site are two different games.

So… should you make video Pins?

Match the format to your goal. Here’s how I decide:

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Make video when your goal is awareness

Want more people to discover your brand, your face, your vibe? Want to show a product in action, or a quick before/after, or how a thing works? Video shines. It builds recognition and trust in a way a static image can’t. A short demo of your product doing its job is worth a thousand catalog photos.

Stick with images when your goal is traffic or sales

If your main job is getting people to click through to a blog post, a shop, or an affiliate link, tall image Pins are still the workhorse. They’re faster to make, easy to batch, and they pull the click. Pair them with strong pin design and you’ve got a traffic machine.

If you do make video, do it right

A bad video Pin is worse than a good image Pin, so if you’re going to do it, respect the format:

• Hook in the first two seconds. People decide instantly whether to keep watching. Lead with the payoff, not a slow intro.
• Assume no sound. Most people watch muted, so bake captions and text right onto the video.
• Go vertical and short. 9:16 (1080 × 1920), and keep it tight — six to fifteen seconds does the job. Nobody’s watching your two-minute epic.
• Pick a strong cover frame. The still image people see before it plays is basically a regular Pin, so make it count with a bold title.
• Tell them what to do next. A clear “full recipe on the blog” or “shop the link” so the video actually leads somewhere.

My honest bottom line

Video Pins are a great tool for the right job — awareness, personality, demos. They are not a magic traffic hack, and chasing video reach while ignoring clicks is how people get busy and broke at the same time. Don’t abandon your image Pins to chase the shiny format.

My move: mostly image Pins for steady traffic, with the occasional video Pin when I’ve got something that’s genuinely better shown than told. Start there, watch your own numbers, and let the data decide. For that, peek at the metrics that actually matter. Now go make something worth watching — or clicking. — Sadie