On June 25, Pinterest launched its “Board Sharing” feature to capitalize on the rising “mecore” trend. The said phenomenon, where users curate highly personalized content reflecting their unique styles and aesthetics, has seen searches surge 565% year-over-year on the platform, according to Rachel Hardy, Pinterest’s Head of Consumer Product Marketing. “It’s really about this Gen Z cohort that is all about their style, their aesthetic,” she explains. “They’ll gather meaningful quotes, visuals that are all about them and who they are and that self-expression.”

The “Board Sharing” feature allows Pinterest’s users to create dynamic previews of their curated boards and share them across other social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Rachel believes this new sharing capability will drive further user engagement by enabling creators, especially Gen Z, to showcase their curation skills to a broader audience.

To ensure a strong rollout, Rachel is spearheading marketing efforts including partnerships with popular music artists like pop-punk icon Avril Lavigne and rapper Tierra Whack, as well as social media activations encouraging users to share their boards.

Rachel Hardy, Pinterest

The Backdrop of the Launch: Rachel’s Role

With two and a half years at the company, Rachel partners closely with the product team to inform development based on user feedback and market research. “I help to build global go-to-market strategies to grow comprehension and adoption across features at Pinterest that ultimately drive engagement and get users using the platform and finding more success,” she explains.

Her background in shopping drew her to Pinterest’s potential in social commerce. “I was very interested in Pinterest, thinking, ‘What’s next with shopping? Where is it going?’” she says. Rachel views Pinterest as an “incredibly inspirational platform” and creative planning tool for many users.

Since joining, she has been excited about the platform’s direction. “I love the product and where it’s headed as we’re introducing more shoppable, more creative, and curation tools for our users,” she notes.

Breaking Down Pinterest “Board Sharing”

Rachel is leading the “Board Sharing” rollout as Pinterest seeks to capitalize on its growing user base, particularly among younger demographics.

“With over half a billion users coming to Pinterest each month and an astounding 10 billion boards that are created, we’re [the] go-to platform for people to find inspiration,” Rachel explains. According to her, Gen Z comprises 40% of monthly active users, the company’s fastest-growing audience, and is particularly drawn to self-expression and sharing their curated content.

Rachel notes that the feature’s development was driven by user behavior. “We saw users come up with creative ways to share their boards. They were screenshotting travel outfit inspirations from their board to share with family and friends or even using a green screen effect on other platforms to talk about their boards,” she says.

“Board Sharing” allows users to create dynamic previews of their Pinterest boards and share them on other social platforms, driving traffic back to Pinterest. “This is a new way of creating content,” Rachel states. “It’s not just about the fleeting content you share on social media. It’s the experience of returning to this board and getting lost in someone’s whole collection of things they have curated together.”

The consumer products chief highlights the feature’s potential for influencers and brands, citing a partnership with makeup artists and hairstylists during the Met Gala. “Ursula Stephen, for example, had a whole board on Pinterest that inspired Zendaya’s hairstyle. So you get to see not only her whole look but also go behind the scenes and [see] what inspired it,” she explains.

The “Board Sharing” feature is available globally on Android and iOS platforms. 

Letting Creativity Run Loose: Pinterest Taps Into “Mecore” Trend

Pinterest’s latest option taps into the growing “mecore” trend, where users, particularly Gen Z, celebrate their unique styles and aesthetics. Rachel sheds light on this phenomenon: “We see these searches around ‘mecore’ increased by 565% year-over-year on the platform. And we’ve seen boards with that title increase 255% since last year,” she reveals. 

Unlike previous generations, Rachel continues, Gen Z is embracing a more individualistic approach to style, rejecting mainstream trends in favor of curating their unique identities. “It’s cool to see how people are just really proud of their styles and aesthetics and who they are, rather than having to identify with a specific style or trend,” she notes.

To drive user engagement and feature adoption, Pinterest has partnered with influential names like Avril Lavigne and Tierra Whack. “We’re excited to partner with Avril Lavigne and Tierra Whack, both avid Pinners and pretty diverse creatives,” says Rachel. “Avril Lavigne, someone I listened to in my formative years, is revealing the fashion board of inspiration behind her world tour, and it’s very Y2K inspired.”

Users can easily share their curated Pinterest boards on platforms like Instagram by clicking the share button on their boards. This generates a preview in various templates, including a slideshow, video grid, or static image, which can be directly shared or downloaded for further customization.

“When you go to a board you’ve created, there’s a little share button at the top. You press that button, you’ll see a pre-populated preview,” Rachel explains. “It’s quite easy. It’s sort of auto-magical.”

Marketing the “Mecore” Movement

To integrate “Board Sharing” into the growing “mecore” trend, Pinterest has a multi-pronged marketing strategy targeting existing users and potential new audiences.

Aside from Avril and Tierra, “We’re also partnering with creators across different verticals, whether that’s more of an educational sort of video, how it works, or just kind of fun, different prompts for them to participate,” Rachel states.

In addition to influencer collaborations, Pinterest will leverage its social media channels for promotional activations. “We’ll be doing social activations through Pinterest’s social accounts, different kinds of challenges and prompts to share your board, aesthetics, and vibes with the world,” says Rachel.

For existing Pinterest users, the platform will utilize in-app marketing tactics to introduce the new feature. “Of course, we’ll be using in-product marketing,” Rachel says. “So, there are different tactics within the app to introduce our users to the feature and help them find it, discover it, and use it easily.”

In the near future, Rachel hopes that Pinterest will continue to foster an environment that celebrates creativity and personal expression. “I think number one is to remain a safe, inclusive, and inspiring platform for all users. It’s a place where you can find inspiration and inspire others.”

She envisions Pinterest as a space where creators can connect with niche audiences while staying true to their unique styles. “Now we see creators becoming more niche, personal, and true to their style and domain. And Pinterest is just a new way to connect with audiences, whether you want to connect one-to-one or one-to-many.”

In her final thoughts, Rachel emphasizes Pinterest’s core mission of inspiration and self-expression: “I think Pinterest is different and special in that it’s truly about inspiration. It’s about yourself. And I’m excited to introduce this new feature, which allows those who want to share that self-expression, that bit of magic, or to just get a sneak peek behind the scenes of really creative and interesting people.”