Dive Brief:

• Pinterest announced in a blog post that it is making its content marketing API available to third-party influencer marketing platforms. This will give marketers and influencers the ability to work more collaboratively, the post said. 
• The new API updates will allow brands to track metrics to measure campaign results and reach users looking for new ideas. According to the post, 92% of marketers who partner with influencers have found success, and 78% of consumers say the content from brands on the platform is useful. Pins can drive engagement for up to 120 days. 
• Pinterest is launching the new integrated platform with eight influencer marketing partners: AspireIQ, HYPR, Inluence.co, IZEA, Klear, Mavrck, Obvious.ly and Open Influence. The social network says it plans to add more partners in the future. 

Dive Insight:

While influencer marketing on Pinterest isn’t new, opening up availability of its API to third parties will give brands access to key metrics, including monthly views, followers, impressions, click-through rates, saves and more. Brands advertising on the platform will also have the ability to target users as they discover new products, trends and other ideas. The news comes as the influencer marketing space continues to grow and becomes more competitive, with Instagram this week making shopping on its Stories offering widely available. 

As marketers increase their investments in influencer marketing, insights such as Pinterest's API offers can help them develop future influencer strategies and identify the influencers that are the best fit for their brand at a time when many brands are looking for ways to create more authentic digital content to grab the attention of ad-weary consumers. Quality of followers is a top concern for marketers in choosing which influencers to work with. 

Opening its content marketing API to third-party influencer platforms is Pinterest’s latest effort to grow its influencer business as the company prepares to go public next year. The company says its user base now numbers more than 250 million monthly active users, with more than half located outside the U.S., while engagement numbers reveals there have been 175 billion pins, a 75% increase over last year, according to Digiday. While Instagram has 1 billion users, Pinterest users tend to be engaged consumers with an interest in food, clothing and home decor, making them a coveted audience for many brands. Pinterest announced redesigned business pages in April to offer dynamic cover images, monthly viewers metrics and a tool that orders pins in chronological order.