• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, October 6, 2022

Think positive. Stay calm. Be happy. That’s how Pinterest wants its creators to think and feel.

On Thursday the company announced a global partnership with Headspace, which offers tools to manage stress, increase positivity, improve sleep and more. What does this have to do with creating content? A lot, evidently.

“The number one complaint we hear from creators in the industry about their experiences online is burnout, but creators deserve online spaces that truly prioritize their well being,” said Malik Ducard, chief content officer at Pinterest. “We wanted to find a way to support them, so we partnered with Headspace to offer a new resource for managing stress and increasing positivity.”

Sharing online should feel exciting, not exhausting, and Pinterest hopes this benefit can help creators focus on being creative and bringing inspiring ideas to the platform.

The idea, in theory, should also want site visitors to share more content. Sharing more content will bring in more advertisers, in theory. Those are my own opinions, not the Pinterest spokesperson.

“We have a history of delivering industry-first policies, and we hope this also catches on,” Ducard said. “We have gone further than our peers in banning weight loss ads and creating products that prioritize wellbeing like compassionate search.”

Healthy minds and souls create much more appealing content, and give site visitors a mentally healthy destination they can go to be inspired, according to the company.

The partnership will invite hundreds of thousands of eligible creators to receive a free six-month subscription to Headspace across 20 countries worldwide, from Brazil to Germany and U.S. to Japan. The offer is redeemable through September 30, 2023, while supplies last.

There is a parallel with meditation. The effort aims to help creators stay balanced and integrate wellness practices into their daily lives through Headspace’s library of premium mindfulness content from guided exercises including mindful walks and runs, breathing and wind-down exercises, as well as focus music, sleep content and more.

The partnership -- announced ahead of World Mental Health Day, October 10 -- aims to build a better space for creators who contribute to Pinterest. The company believes inspiring creators will inspire the content they create.

In 28 published studies and journals, Headspace has been shown to have favorable outcomes of interventions including reduced stress, improved focus, decreased aggression, reduced burnout, and improved satisfaction with life.

Studies have shown four sessions of Headspace reduced burnout by 14% and ten days of Headspace resulted in 14% decrease in stress and 16% increase in positivity, according to Pinterest.

Pinterest also offers a Creator-first programs like the Creator Fund, which supports underrepresented creators. Headspace is an app that encourages approachable wellness practices that can fold into the day with no prior meditation experience.