Pinterest Testing Promoted Pins, Its First Ads

Pinterest has been patient monetizing its service first launched in March 2010, and will start “experimenting” with promoted pins.

CEO and Co-Founder Ben Silbermann made the announcement today on the official Pinterest blog.

During the experimental phase, Ben says a select group of businesses are onboard, and promoted pins will only appear in search results, and category feeds.

For Pinterest users worried about the move, Ben made several clear points about promoted pins:

• Tasteful. No flashy banners or pop-up ads.
• Transparent. We’ll always let you know if someone paid for what you see, or where you see it.
• Relevant. These pins should be about stuff you’re actually interested in, like a delicious recipe, or a jacket that’s your style.
• Improved based on your feedback. Keep letting us know what you think, and we’ll keep working to make things better.

Businesses taking part in the experiment will not be paying Pinterest anything just yet, and Ben encourages users to submit feedback so it can get promoted pins right.