Boasting over 578 million active users per month, Pinterest has fast become one of the most popular social media platforms on the planet.
So much more than an online recipe folder or a virtual collage of home decor inspo, this powerful search engine can be a lucrative advertising channel that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Promoted Pins reach interested, affluent audiences, most of whom are actively looking to purchase new products and services. In fact, 93% of users use it to plan purchases, and they tend to spend up to 29% more than non-Pinners when shopping!
So, whether the aim is to build brand awareness, generate website leads or boost e-commerce sales, Pinterest ads could be a smart social media marketing strategy for your business.
New to the Pinterest world? This comprehensive guide to Pinterest advertising will take you through everything from setting up a business account to analysing ad performance.
Are Pinterest ads worth it?
Absolutely. Here’s why:
Lasting reach
Pinterest ads give digital marketers a massive opportunity to drive brand awareness and consideration. Thanks to its winning visual and link combination, a Pin is often much more shareable than those on other platforms.
What’s more, the half-life of each Pin is an impressive 3.5 months (compared to a Facebook post’s 90 minutes!). That means your ad will have a wide, lasting reach to relevant audiences.
Open-minded audiences
Pinterest ads access users in the early stages of their consumer journeys, with 96% browsing its boards for product research. That means most people on Pinterest are in the shopping mindset, welcoming purchase inspiration from Promoted Pins.
This early engagement works: 98% of Pinners have tried new products or services they discovered on Pinterest, compared to 71% of users on other social networks.
And with most Pinterest searches being unbranded, Pinners welcome novel brands and their offerings.
Valuable leads
Pinterest offers particularly valuable leads if you aim to sell upmarket products. On average, Pinterest users have a 9% higher income than non-Pinners, with 40% of Pinners reporting an annual household income above $100k.
All in all, if you’re looking to target users with strong purchasing power, Pinterest may be your answer.
e-Commerce Gold
Pinterest is a conversion catalyst for online retailers, not to mention the well-known finding that images boost e-commerce sales.
Given that Pinterest is a network rooted in visual appeal, it’s the perfect platform for driving buyer action, particularly amongst affluent females and millennials.
But it’s not only awesome for online businesses. 72% of Pinners use this visual search engine to determine in-person purchases.
How to set up a Pinterest Business Account
Before you can share any Pinterest ads, you’ll need to create a business account.
If you already have a personal account:
1. Log in to your personal account
2. Go to pinterest.com/business/convert/ and enter your business’s email address
3. Build your business profile, including its business type, logo and bio
If you need to set up a new account from scratch:
1. Select “create a business account” on the Pinterest home page
2. Enter the required details, including your business’s email address, password and name
3. Fill in your business profile and agree to the T&Cs
4. Create a business board before adding any Promoted Pins
How to create ads on Pinterest Ads Manager
Ready to start advertising on Pinterest?
Follow these simple steps to create a campaign on Pinterest Ads Manager:
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Install the Pinterest Tag in your site’s HTML code.
This will measure how well each campaign drives traffic to your site. The tag will track onsite events and conversions, measure campaign performance and build new audiences for your next campaign.
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Select your campaign goal.
This will determine available ad formats and bidding options. There are four objectives to choose from:
1. Get website traffic (pay-per-click),
2. Build brand awareness (pay per 1,000 impressions)
3. Increase app installs (pay per install or pay per click)
4. Build awareness with video views (pay per 1,000 impressions)
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Set your campaign budget.
This includes your daily and lifetime spend limits.
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Build your ad group, with its own budget and targeting.
Plan to create two to four Promoted Pins within this ad group.
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Select your target audience.
This will be based on parameters like language, location, gender and device.
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Select your ad placement.
Choose the all placements default if possible given your budget. Alternatively, select ‘Browse placements’ if your focus is on interest targeting. The ad will appear in a user’s home feed and related pins section. The final option is ‘Search result placements’, which is best if your focus is on keyword targeting.
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Add interest and keyword targeting to improve reach and engagement.
For top results, include 25 keywords. Make sure to format keywords for broad match (keyword), phrase match (‘‘keyword’’), or exact match ([keyword]). Lastly, add negative keywords to exclude specific search terms.
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Determine your ad group’s delivery schedule and budget.
This includes both daily and lifetime.
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Set your target CPM rate.
Or the maximum amount you’re willing to bid for your Pinterest ads.
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Set your pacing.
Standard pacing adjusts your bids to the total spend and campaign duration.
Accelerated pacing spends your budget faster, possibly before your campaign end date, but never over your daily or total budget limits. -
Create new Pins or pick existing Pins to add to your ad group.
These Pins must be saved to your business profile (but not in secret boards!), have full-length destination URLs and not include third-party videos or GIFs.
Pinterest ad types: Find the right ad format
Explore your Pinterest advertising options.
Image ads
Campaign objective: Brand awareness
Standard image ads only show one image, which will appear in the home feed and search results, similar to a standard Pin but boosted and targeted for greater reach. Apart from its “Promoted” label, it looks and functions just like a regular Pin – save it, share it, and comment on it. Or click on it to go straight to the advertised landing page.
Once shared, the “Promoted” label disappears (as any future repins are regarded as earned media). Put simply, the advertiser enjoys additional exposure without the expense.
Ad specs:
- File type: .PNG or .JPEG
- Max. file size: Desktop 20 MB, in-app 32 MB
- Aspect ratio: 2:3 aspect ratio, or 1000×1500 pixels
- Title: Up to 100 characters
- Description: Up to 800 characters
Video ads
Campaign objective: Brand awareness and conversions
Promoted video pins come with autoplay once 50% in view. Pinterest users can tap on this video to play it in a larger view or with audio.
Promoted videos are more memorable than static ads, with Pinterest reporting that 67% of Pinners claim that videos encourage them to engage and convert.
Pinterest video ads are supported in two sizes. Standard-width videos have the same dimensions as standard image Pins, while max-width videos spread across your news feed to minimise any distractions. The latter are more expensive with higher minimum bids.
Pro tip: Make sure to create a video that makes sense and has an impact even without audio, as many users on mobile devices will watch it with their sound off.
Ad specs:
- File type: .MP4, .MOV or .M4V
- Encoding: H.264 or H.265
- Max. file size: Up to 2 GB
- Video length: 4 seconds to 15 minutes
- Recommended aspect ratio: 1:1, 2:3, 4:5, or 9:16.
- Title: Up to 100 characters
- Description: Up to 800 characters
Carousel pins
Campaign objective: Brand awareness
Promoted Carousels showcase two to five swipeable images or videos. Appearing in the home feed like regular Pins, they can be swiped through on the feed or tapped on and then swiped through.
Each card in these carousel ads can include a different title, pin description, image and landing page, so it’s great if you want to showcase several products, promote multiple features, or tell your story over several slides.
Ad specs:
- Creative quantity: 2 to 5 images per carousel
- File type: .PNG or .JPEG
- Max file size: 20 MB per image
- Aspect ratio: 1:1 or 2:3
- Title: Up to 100 characters
- Description: Up to 800 characters
Idea ads
Campaign objective: Brand awareness
Idea ads with paid partnerships use Pinterest’s multi-page storytelling format to promote creator-led content that clearly discloses a commercial relationship.
These ads appear in the home feed and allow users to tap or swipe through a sequence of images, videos, lists and custom text, creating a more immersive experience than a single Pin.
Each page can highlight different angles of a product or idea, while the partnership label signals transparency. This format works well for brands that want to reach new audiences through trusted creators and tell a longer story across multiple frames.
Ad specs:
- File type: .BMP, .JPEG, .PNG, .TIFF, .WEBP, .MP4, .M4V, and .MOV
- Recommended file size: 1 GB
- Video encoding: H.264 or H.265
- Max file size:
- Android and iOS: 2 GB max
- Web: 100 MB max
- Video length: Up to 5 minutes
- Resolution: 1080×1920 pixel size
- Aspect ratio: 9:16
- Title: Up to 100 characters
- On page: Up to 250 characters
Showcase ads
Campaign objective: Product discovery
Showcase ads give brands more space to communicate value and guide people through related offerings without overwhelming them in a single image.
This ad format consists of:
- A Title Pin: This is the lead image or video for your ad. It appears as the first card users see when the ad is displayed.
- Cards: Along with the title card, you can include up to four static images. Small previews of each card are shown at the bottom of the Pin, allowing users to swipe through them.
- Features: Each card can include clickable features that send users directly to external links. You can add up to three features per card.
While you can’t save the ad itself, you can save the cards or features.
Ad specs:
- File type: BMP, .JPEG, .PNG, .TIFF, .WEBP, MP4, MOV or M4V
- Max file size: Up to 32 MB
- Video length: 3 to 60 seconds
- Resolution: 1000×1500 pixels
- Aspect ratio: 2:3 (Title Pin or Cards), 1:1 (Feature)
- Creative quantity
- Card: Up to 4 cards in addition to the primary title Pin
- Feature: Minimum of 1 and maximum of 3 per card
Quiz ads
Campaign objective: Engagement
Quiz ads are interactive Pins that invite users to answer a short series of multiple-choice questions. Based on their responses, they’re shown a tailored result that links to relevant content or products.
By encouraging participation, this format helps brands learn about audience preferences while keeping users engaged for longer than traditional ad formats.
Ad specs:
- Creative quantity: One Title Pin with up to three results Pins
- File type: .BMP, .JPEG, .PNG, .TIFF, .WEBP, MP4, MOV or M4V
- Max file size: Up to 32 MB
- Video length: 3 to 60 seconds
- Resolution: 1000×1500 pixel size
- Aspect ratio: 2:3
Premiere Spotlight ads
Campaign objective: Brand awareness
Premiere Spotlight is a high-visibility placement that features a full-width video at the top of the Pinterest home feed or search experience for a whole day.
Instead of competing in the auction, this format is reserved in advance, giving brands guaranteed prominence. It’s designed for major launches or moments when maximum exposure is the priority.
Local Inventory ads
Campaign objective: Store visits and conversions
Local inventory ads connect online discovery with physical retail by showing users nearby products. Available in image or video format, these ads surface based on location and include messaging that reflects real-time availability. They’ve also got extra Call To Action options, like ‘In stock near you’ or ‘Pick up in store’.
This format helps bridge the gap between inspiration and in-store purchase, especially for retailers with multiple locations. By syncing your product inventory with Pinterest, you can show accurate, store-specific availability to local shoppers.
Top of Search ads
Campaign objective: Conversions
Top of Search ads appear at the top of relevant Pinterest search results, placing brands in front of users who are actively looking for ideas or products.
When paired with a product catalogue, multiple items can be grouped to make comparison easy. This format is ideal for capturing demand when the intent is strongest.
How to analyse ad performance with Pinterest Analytics
There’s no point in creating and running an ad that doesn’t drive results. That’s why you need to monitor and optimise each Promoted Pin.
Thankfully, Pinterest Analytics lets you do just that, showing key metrics like pin saves, site traffic, and the devices users prefer to pin from.
These insights will allow you to refine your Pinterest advertising strategy, ensuring you achieve the best possible outcomes.
Track Pinterest ad performance with the following steps:
1. Visit the Ads Manager dashboard
2. Select Analytics
3. From its dashboard, you’ll see top-line metrics for any past and current campaigns, such as how often the ads were viewed, saved, clicked and liked
4. Click “More >” on any of the graphs to access more detailed data.
Top tips for advertising on Pinterest
Pinpoint your audience targeting
Get to know your target audience before creating a strategy to reach them, and retargeting campaigns to reach them again. Pinterest has a few tools to help you reach the right audience:
- If you already have a business profile, explore the Audience insights tool on Pinterest analytics to discover more about your audience and their interests. Save demographic profiles to your account, control audience parameters and develop interest-specific approaches to get the most out of your Pins.
- If you’re new to Pinterest, review Pinterest’s insights page to find out about the network’s various audiences.
Set a clear campaign goal
Determine your campaign’s goals before building your campaign. For example:
- Goal: boost brand recognition.
- Strategy: keyword and interest targeting.
- Goal: drive traffic to your site from users who are familiar with your brand.
- Strategy: retarget site visitors with the Pinterest pixel.
- Goal: Increase sales by existing customers.
- Strategy: Input your CRM list to share ads with your email base.
Share sharp visual creatives
Visuals are an integral part of Pinterest, so follow the tips below to make your hero image stand out:
- Use light and bright images: those with medium-light achieve 20 times more repins than darker counterparts.
- Feature products close-ups: overdo the whitespace, and your photo will blend in with surrounding images.
- Employ the Rule of Thirds: if your main image is divided into thirds across the vertical and horizontal axis, most of it should be either in the top, bottom, left or right third of the frame for the greatest visual appeal.
But a pretty Pin isn’t enough to win over eyeballs amidst all the visual imagery on Pinterest. Your ad creative also needs to include easy-to-read text with clear fonts. Together, these creative elements will help you cut through the noise.
And when it comes to layout, go for vertical images and videos. While Pinterest can support almost any format, the platform favours portrait images.
Optimise for strategic keywords
Above all, Pinterest is a search engine. It runs on keyword searches that bring users content they will be most interested in. To optimise your pins for audience engagement, you’ll need to carry out some keyword research.
Start by typing in a business-related term and noting the search results until you’ve compiled a list of relevant keywords. Also consider the suggested keywords Pinterest recommends for your business based on your profile and audiences.
When it’s time to launch your next campaign, use these keywords and related terms that will appear automatically.
But where do you actually use these SEO terms?
There are three places you should always optimise for target search terms: your pin content, board descriptions and business name (that way, your profile will appear whenever a prospective customer searches for these keywords).
FAQs
Pinterest ads appear in the same places where people naturally discover ideas and plan purchases. You can find your ad in these three core locations:
- Home feed: Ads are shown as users scroll their home feed. Pinterest shows ads to people it believes are most likely to be interested, based on activity such as saved Pins, searches, boards, and previous engagement. You can also target website visitors, customer lists, and engagement audiences.
- Category feeds: Ads are displayed when users browse specific topic categories related to your Pin, such as weddings, home renovation, fashion, or food. These ads often appear near the top of the feed, reaching users who are actively exploring ideas in that category.
- Search results: Pinterest ads can also appear in search results when users type in keywords. This reaches people with clear intent who are already looking for inspiration, products, or solutions related to your offering.
Pinterest advertising tends to work best as a medium to long-term strategy, with many users researching, saving, and comparing options before they make a purchase.
For meaningful results, it’s recommended to run Pinterest ads for at least three to four weeks. Short campaigns often end before Pinterest’s algorithm has enough data to optimise delivery and performance.
A month-long campaign allows you to gather insights on which Pins, audiences, and keywords perform best. You can then refine your targeting, creative, and budget based on real results, rather than guesswork.
Pinterest ads don’t have a fixed price. They run on an auction system, meaning you control costs by setting your own budget and bid limits.
On average, advertisers can expect to pay approximately.
- USD $2 to $5 per 1,000 impressions
- USD $0.10 to $1.50 per engagement
- USD $0.10 to $1.50 per click
That said, these are only estimates. The actual costs of Pinterest ads vary significantly, depending on factors such as your target audience, keywords, competition, campaign objective, and location.
Remember that Pins can continue generating traffic long after they are published, so the value of a Pinterest ad often extends beyond the initial ad spend.
Take advantage of Pinterest advertising options with Redback
If there’s one takeaway from this guide, it’s that Pinterest is a powerful advertising channel. Pinterest ads give you access to a whole new set of affluent, interested audiences who are prepared to purchase from brands just like yours.
And you don’t have to be a global corporation with a major marketing budget to enjoy effective Pinterest advertising. As long as you’ve got some creativity (and keyword research) up your sleeve, your brand can win big on its boards.
Rather leave it to the professionals?
Get in touch with the digital marketing experts at Redback to learn how we can create, manage and optimise Pinterest ads on your behalf.
New project to discuss? Need reliable support? Complete our quick enquiry form and we'll be in touch!
- Are Pinterest ads worth it?
- How to set up a Pinterest Business Account
- How to create ads on Pinterest Ads Manager
- Pinterest ad types: Find the right ad format
- How to analyse ad performance with Pinterest Analytics
- Top tips for advertising on Pinterest
- FAQs
- Take advantage of Pinterest advertising options with Redback