Pinterest Ads is a highly visual and conversion-friendly advertising platform, ideal for businesses looking to drive traffic, brand awareness, and sales. With over 450 million active users, Pinterest serves as a search engine for inspiration, where people actively look for ideas, products, and services.
If you want to advertise on Pinterest effectively, this guide will walk you through how Pinterest Ads work, campaign types, and how to set up high-converting ads.
1. Why Advertise on Pinterest?
✅ High Purchase Intent – 83% of weekly Pinterest users make buying decisions based on Pins.
✅ Longer Ad Lifespan – Unlike Facebook or Instagram, Pinterest content stays relevant for months.
✅ Less Competition – Pinterest Ads are less saturated than Google or Facebook Ads.
✅ Perfect for eCommerce & Lifestyle Brands – Fashion, beauty, home decor, food, and travel perform well.
✅ Strong Mobile Engagement – 85% of Pinterest users browse on mobile.
2. Types of Pinterest Ads
Pinterest offers various ad formats tailored for different business goals:
1. Promoted Pins (Best for Traffic & Engagement)
- Look like regular Pins, but with paid promotion.
- Users can save, click, and share them like organic Pins.
- Best for driving website traffic & product awareness.
2. Promoted Video Pins (Best for Brand Storytelling)
- Short-form video ads autoplay in the Pinterest feed.
- High engagement, great for tutorials, product demos, or brand storytelling.
3. Carousel Ads (Best for Showcasing Multiple Products)
- Contains 2-5 images users can swipe through.
- Best for eCommerce brands promoting multiple products or features.
4. Shopping Ads (Best for eCommerce Sales)
- Automatically pulls product images, descriptions, and prices from your catalog.
- Works well for retailers looking to increase online sales.
5. Collection Ads (Best for Showcasing Product Catalogs)
- Features a large image + smaller related products below.
- Best for fashion, home decor, and beauty brands.
3. How to Set Up a Pinterest Ads Campaign
Step 1: Create a Pinterest Business Account
- Go to Pinterest Ads Manager.
- Click Create an Ad and choose a campaign objective.
Step 2: Choose a Campaign Objective
📍 Brand Awareness – Increase reach and impressions.
🎯 Consideration (Traffic) – Drive visitors to your website.
💰 Conversions – Optimize for purchases and lead generation.
🛍 Catalog Sales – Promote products dynamically.
📌 Best for eCommerce brands: “Conversions” and “Catalog Sales” campaigns.
Step 3: Set Up Audience Targeting
Pinterest Ads provides powerful targeting options:
✅ Interest & Keyword Targeting – Reach users searching for related topics.
✅ Demographic Targeting – Age, gender, and location filtering.
✅ Customer List Targeting – Retarget website visitors or email subscribers.
✅ Actalike Audiences – Similar to Facebook Lookalikes, finds users similar to your existing customers.
📌 Tip: Use a mix of keyword + interest targeting for better reach.
Step 4: Set Your Budget & Bidding Strategy
💰 CPC (Cost Per Click): Best for website traffic & conversions.
💰 CPM (Cost Per 1,000 Impressions): Best for brand awareness.
💰 CPE (Cost Per Engagement): Best for interactions like saves & clicks.
📌 Tip: Start with $10 – $20 per day and adjust based on results.
Step 5: Create High-Converting Pinterest Ads
Your ad (Promoted Pin) should be visually appealing and optimized for engagement:
✅ Use High-Quality Images or Videos – Clean, eye-catching visuals perform best.
✅ Vertical Format Works Best – Ideal size: 1000×1500 pixels (2:3 ratio).
✅ Clear & Short Descriptions – Add a call-to-action (CTA) like “Shop Now” or “Learn More.”
✅ Use Keywords in Titles & Descriptions – Pinterest is a search engine, so SEO matters.
📢 Example of a High-Converting Pinterest Ad:
🖼 Image: A styled product shot (e.g., home decor item in a beautiful setting).
📝 Headline: “Transform Your Home – Best Minimalist Decor for 2024”
📌 Description: “Find the perfect decor pieces to refresh your space. Free shipping available!”
🔘 CTA Button: “Shop Now”
Step 6: Launch & Monitor Performance
📊 Impressions & Engagement Rate – Are users interacting with your Pins?
📊 CTR (Click-Through Rate) – Are people clicking on your ad?
📊 Conversion Rate – Are users completing purchases or sign-ups?
📊 Cost Per Conversion – Is your ad spend efficient?
📌 Tip: Pause low-performing Pins and reinvest in high-performing ones.
4. Best Practices for Pinterest Ads Success
📈 Use Lifestyle Images – People engage more with images showing products in real-life settings.
📈 A/B Test Different Ad Variations – Try different images, headlines, and CTAs.
📈 Leverage Seasonal Trends – Pinterest users search for holiday, wedding, and seasonal content early.
📈 Optimize for Mobile – Most Pinterest traffic comes from smartphones.
📈 Retarget Engaged Users – Show ads to people who saved, clicked, or visited your site.
5. How Much Do Pinterest Ads Cost?
Pinterest Ads costs vary by industry, audience, and competition.
💰 Average CPC (Cost Per Click): $0.10 – $1.50
💰 CPM (Cost Per 1,000 Impressions): $2 – $8
💰 Cost Per Engagement (CPE): $0.10 – $2
📌 Tip: Pinterest Ads are often cheaper than Facebook & Instagram Ads, but performance depends on ad quality and targeting.
Final Thoughts
Pinterest Ads is an excellent platform for businesses in eCommerce, fashion, home decor, beauty, travel, and food. If your brand relies on high-quality visuals and organic discovery, Pinterest Ads can drive traffic, increase brand awareness, and boost conversions.
Juliana Passioni is a traffic management specialist, passionate about digital marketing strategies and online performance. Always seeking improvement, she constantly studies the best market practices to optimize campaigns and achieve significant results.