There’s no definitive data yet, so this report is based on my observations while browsing, and the accepted wisdom that Pinterest is the next ‘big’ thing in social media marketing.

1.  House and Home

There are numerous segments in Pinterest in this category. There are the DIY people who are looking for tutorials – and the buyers who are looking for ideas. There’s the people (like me) who love looking at beautiful homes and gardens. Colour schemes are popular for people who aren’t confident in their own decorating skills. If you want to be sure that you’re not making a fashion faux pas, arrange your searches by popularity and average customer review.

2. Crafts

I must admit this is my favourite. I’m a Powertex artist and find my inspiration in this wonderland of pins. Crafts, in general, are hugely popular on Pinterest and full of cool ideas for yourself and your family. One of my favourites that I’m dying to try when I move into my new house in a couple of weeks is using glow sticks for all sorts of decorating ideas. Pop one into a jam jar and you’ve got an outdoor lantern; throw one into the kids’ bath, turn off the lights and the bathroom becomes a secret cave and bath time is twice as much fun; put one into balloons as you blow them up and they look fabulous for night time parties. All ideas from Pinterest.

3. Travel & Places

 Whether you’re daydreaming or making plans, looking at other people’s travel ideas is a great place to start. From countries to concerts, Pinners save everything related to holidays. Boards tend to be split between Places I’ve been and Places I want to go. Sometimes people use this category to pin their holiday home ideas and a helpful sub-category is items you need to buy or take with you for any location.

4. Food

 This category could be called Recipes as that’s the most popular sub-category. Whether it’s recipes for decadent desserts, main meal ideas or children’s snacks there are options for every cook. Do you find it difficult to get your children to eat fruit? Fill their plate with the colours of the rainbow, strawberries, oranges, kiwi, blueberries, raspberries and purple grapes, and drop a piece of ice cream on top to resemble clouds and it’ll be a big hit – all from Pinterest.

5. Dieting and Fitness

 This category is all over Pinterest, whether you’re a fan of diets or not. I’m not. From brand names like Weight Watchers to motivational tips on how to lose weight and keep it off, there’s something for everyone on this roller coaster journey. Then, of course, here are the actual products you can buy for fitness training and that list seems never-ending. As someone who at one time or another had most of these torture instruments lying unused around the house, I’m much more in favour of a good walk with my dog. Lots of pins for that too!

6. Fashion

 A category whose allure is timeless. Have you heard of Polyvore.com? If you haven’t, don’t hate me – it’s also addictive. You create ‘sets’ of clothing that you would like to wear and you’re then given suggestions about where to source them. These ‘sets’ are also posted to Pinterest where others get inspiration. Retailers are using both Pinterest and Polyvore to drive traffic to their shopping sites.

I could write about Pinterest all day, just as I could browse the website all day, but that’s enough for now. If you’d like to know more about the top niches drop me a comment below.