What to Pin to Pinterest in May

In this post, we look at the Pinterest Pins that performed best last May to help you understand what you should be Pinning this month.

We analyzed all of the Pins from Tailwind members from May of last year and Pinned the ones that received the most Repins to our 11 “trends” boards – one board for each of the 11 most popular Pinterest categories.

We Pinned to these boards in the chronological order that the Pins were published, so Pins at the bottom of the board are from earlier in the month and Pins at the top are from later in the month.  Only the Pins on the board between the Pins that feature the text “What to Pin in May” and “What to Pin in April” relate to Pins that were popular last May.

What Tailwind’s “Trends” Boards Can Teach You

• Perfect your seasonal timing so that you’re creating content at the right time of year
• Uncover popular trends referenced by last year’s Pins and recreate their success by referencing this year’s equivalent trends
• Observe the color pallets that work in the different categories at different times of year
• Observe seasonal trends in Pin aesthetics: text overlays, aspect ratios and photography
• Find seasonal keywords in Pin descriptions that may generate Pinterest search traffic

Video Discussing May:

What To Pin in May

May Trends in the DIY and Crafts Category

• Rainbows, bright colors, and “unicorn” colors are gaining popularity in May.
• Sewing projects tend to look difficult, but the Pins break them down into easy-to-digest instructions.
• May sees an increase in outdoor and backyard DIY ideas.
• There are a number of Pins that can be Pinned across categories, like Kids & Parenting, Education, Home Decor, and more.

Learn the top tips for #DIY Pinning in May Click to Tweet

May Trends in the Education Category

• The Education category sees an increase in outdoor learning activities.
• There are a lot of bright, primary colors in the Pins.
• We see a number of end of the year ideas like teacher appreciation gifts and memory books.
• Teachers are also starting to look toward the future so we see an increase in beginning of the year ideas.
• We also see a few election-based Pins. While that made sense in 2016, it won’t be relevant again for another few years.

Learn the top tips for Pinning about #Education in May Click to Tweet

May Trends in the Food and Drink Category

• Warm colors are very popular in food and drink Pins for May.
• We see a lot of health-conscious Pins, especially in comparison to the hearty Pins we see around the holidays.
• Paleo, Whole 30, and low-carb diets have been popular for years, but we are starting to see the ketogenic diet gain in popularity.
• Refreshing, summery cucumber salads start popping up, as do fruit-based drinks.

Learn the top tips for Pinning about #Food in May Click to Tweet

May Trends in the Hair and Beauty Category

• The matte trend was very popular in May 2016, which means we see it a lot in these Pins.
• Prom season means we see a number of easy up-dos.
• Last year’s big nail trends were based on the “coffin” nail shape with white or off-white polish.
• As with most months, we see a lot of how-tos that break down complicated looking styles into easy-to-digest steps.

Learn the top tips for Pinning about #Beauty in May Click to Tweet

May Trends in the Health and Fitness Category

• Summer is on the way! Many of the Pins are based on the warmer weather.
• We see a number of “bikini” or beach body workout plans.
• We also see some overlap with the food category thanks to the healthy recipes gaining popularity.

Learn the top tips for Pinning about #Fitness in May Click to Tweet

May Trends in the Holidays and Events Category

• In May we see Mother’s Day, the Kentucky Derby, and graduation party Pins.
• The colors are brighter and a lot of people are planning luau and outdoor parties.
• We’re seeing more and more 4th July Pins with the holiday coming up in a few months.

Learn the top tips for Pinning about #Parties in May Click to Tweet

May Trends in the Home Decor Category

• The home decor Pins are focusing a lot more on a home’s outdoor space.
• Interior design Pins have summery details, like seashells and summer colors.
• DIY home improvement Pins breakdown how to perform these improvements in an easy way.
• Many Pins focus on money saving tips when decorating your home.

Learn the top tips for Pinning about #HomeDecor in May Click to Tweet

May Trends in the Kids and Parenting Category

• We see the brightly colored “unicorn poop” and crumpled paper art on this board as well as in the DIY category.
• There’s also strong overlap between this category and the education category. Because kids are leaving school for the summer, parents are looking for ideas to keep their kids occupied while still learning.
• There are a lot of outdoor ideas for kids as the weather gets warmer.

Learn the top tips for Pinning about #Parenting in May Click to Tweet

May Trends in the Travel Category

• The Pins in May are quite beachy and seem like there’s a lot of summer vacation planning.
• Many Pins have travel tips for specific locations.
• There are also a lot of budget and family-friendly travel Pins.
• The travel feed tends to have a more muted color pallette, so bright colors tend to pop.

Learn the top tips for Pinning about #Travel in May Click to Tweet

May Trends in the Wedding Category

• Spring time is the time for flowers! Bouquets and flower arrangements are found in many of the Pins for may.
• From photography to reception set up, there are a lot of Pins showing outdoor wedding ideas.

Learn the top tips for Pinning about #Weddings in May Click to Tweet

May Trends in the Women’s Fashion Category

• The fashion in May screams spring! Lot’s of pastels, floral patterns, and dresses.
• If you are a fashion blogger or own an online store, check out Pinterest’s Shop the Look feature.

Learn the top tips for Pinning about #Fashion in May Click to Tweet

Other “What to Pin” Posts

Check out other posts like this in our “What to Pin When” category.

Download our printable 2017 Pinterest and Instagram Content Calendars

Want to know what to Pin next month?

Signup for our email newsletter to get future blog posts like this, and notifications about our Facebook Live events, delivered straight to your inbox.

Tailwind’s Pinterest scheduling and analytics tool has helped more than 100,000 bloggers and marketers to master Pinterest.  With lightning quick Pin scheduling, a smart calendar that gets more engagement for every Pin, and actionable analytics, we make growing on Pinterest easy.

Start your free trial by signing up with Pinterest!