Pinterest Strategies for 2026 Holiday Marketing

As the second half of 2026 gets underway, marketing teams face the task of developing timely plans for holiday promotions. The goal is to secure strong brand visibility and sales performance during the final quarter, when consumer activity typically peaks. Shifting online habits and fresh discovery patterns mean brands must explore new channels and approaches to connect with audiences effectively.

Pinterest stands out in this environment. The platform now reports 631 million shopping-focused monthly active users and continues to refine its discovery features. Search results are increasingly personalized, and the service has emerged as an important reference point for shopping trends. According to insights tracked by like.tg, these developments create practical opportunities for brands seeking to establish a stronger presence ahead of the holiday period.

Pinterest offers several actionable approaches that can help marketers build visibility and gather relevant data. The following recommendations draw directly from the platform’s current capabilities.

Use Pinterest Trends

Pinterest has expanded its dedicated trends tool in recent years. The resource supplies data on overall Pin performance as well as shopping-specific patterns. Users can search by keyword to surface rising or seasonal topics and related search terms. Results can be filtered by demographic details and refined with additional qualifiers. Selecting any highlighted topic reveals example Pins that illustrate what currently resonates with the audience.

The platform also provides a Promote a Pin option for brands. Company guidance indicates that promoting a brand Pin serves as a useful way to test how organic creative content might perform when run as advertising. Marketers can therefore experiment with visuals and messaging before committing larger budgets.

Use Pinterest search

The in-app search function supports filtering across several categories, including Pins, profiles, products, and boards. Each category yields additional perspective on prevailing topics and audience interests. The same tool can surface active creators within a given niche. Brands may evaluate reach and engagement levels to identify potential collaboration opportunities that align with upcoming campaigns.

Note what’s working

Observing high-performing content formats supplies valuable direction. Marketers should examine colors, imagery, and video styles that generate stronger responses in both general and shopping-related results. Product description details and the focus areas of comparable brands also merit attention. Because standout creative matters in the Pin feed, engagement metrics provide a practical benchmark. Although comments appear less frequently on the platform, they can still offer supplementary clues about audience sentiment.

Timing considerations remain relevant as well. Tracking key seasonal or life moments within the app helps shape campaigns that reach users while they are actively planning related events or purchases.

Hashtags?

Pinterest’s improved search capabilities now emphasize contextual relevance rather than exact hashtag matches. As a result, adding specific hashtags is not required for visibility. Relevant keywords, however, continue to play an important role. Checking terms that appear in other Pins and verifying their usage through the trends tool can confirm whether they help users discover content.

These steps collectively support an early, data-informed approach to holiday planning on Pinterest. By monitoring trends, refining search practices, analyzing performance signals, and applying appropriate keywords, marketers can position their brands more effectively for the final months of 2026. The platform’s emphasis on personalized discovery and shopping intent makes it a timely consideration for teams aiming to maximize reach during the peak season.