What is Pinterest Ads?
Pinterest Ads is a visual discovery advertising platform that allows businesses to reach users actively planning and discovering ideas. With over 475 million monthly active users, Pinterest Ads are perfect for brands in lifestyle, home, fashion, food, and DIY categories where users are in planning mode.
Pinterest Ads operate on a pay-per-click (PPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM) model, with costs typically lower than other platforms. The platform excels at driving consideration and purchase intent, with users actively searching for inspiration and products.
Pinterest Ad Formats
Choose the right format for your campaign goals:
Standard Pins
- Single image or video pins in feed
- Appear in home feed, search, and related pins
- Best for: Brand awareness, website traffic
- Specs: 1000x1500 pixels (2:3 aspect ratio)
Video Pins
- Video content in Pinterest feed
- Auto-play in feed (muted by default)
- Best for: Product demos, tutorials, storytelling
- Specs: 4-15 seconds, 1000x1500 or 1920x1080
Carousel Pins
- Multiple images in single pin
- Users swipe through cards
- Best for: Product catalogs, step-by-step guides
- Specs: 2-5 cards, 1000x1500 pixels each
Shopping Pins
- Product tags with pricing information
- Direct links to product pages
- Best for: E-commerce, direct sales
- Features: Real-time pricing and availability
Collection Ads
- Hero image with product grid below
- Shoppable product showcase
- Best for: Product discovery, catalog promotion
- Engagement: Higher click-through rates
Idea Pins
- Multi-page video and image content
- Similar to Instagram Stories
- Best for: Tutorials, behind-the-scenes, tips
- Features: No external links (brand building)
Promoted Pins
- Boost existing organic pins
- Leverage proven content
- Best for: Amplifying successful organic content
- Benefit: Lower cost, higher engagement
Pinterest Ads Targeting Options
Pinterest offers unique targeting based on user intent and interests:
Keyword Targeting
- Keywords: Target users searching for specific terms
- Search Keywords: Reach users in discovery mode
- Placement Keywords: Target pins related to keywords
- Exact & Phrase Match: Control keyword precision
Interest Targeting
- Interests: Target based on Pinterest interests
- Category Interests: Broad categories like Home, Fashion
- Actalike Audiences: Similar to your best customers
- Custom Interests: Create custom interest categories
Demographic Targeting
- Location: Countries, regions, cities
- Language: Target by user language
- Gender: Male, female, all
- Device: Mobile, desktop, tablet
Audience Targeting
- Customer Lists: Upload email lists
- Website Visitors: Retarget site visitors
- Engagement Audiences: Target pin engagers
- Lookalike Audiences: Find similar users
Placement Targeting
- Search: Target users searching on Pinterest
- Browse: Target users browsing home feed
- Related Pins: Target users viewing related content
- Shopping Spotlights: Premium shopping placements
Campaign Targeting
- Seasonal: Target holiday and seasonal moments
- Life Events: Target users during major life changes
- Shopping Intent: Target users ready to purchase
- Brand Awareness: Broad reach for awareness
Budget & Bidding for Pinterest Ads
Pinterest Ads use an auction-based pricing model:
Budget Options
- Daily Budget: Minimum $5/day
- Lifetime Budget: Set for campaign duration
- Recommended: Start with $20-50/day for testing
Bidding Strategies
- Automatic Bidding: Pinterest optimizes for best results
- Target Cost: Set maximum cost per result
- Maximum Bid: Set highest amount you're willing to pay
- Goal: Optimize for clicks, conversions, or engagement
Pinterest Cost Benchmarks
- CPC (Cost Per Click): $0.50-$1.50
- CPM (Cost Per 1000 Impressions): $2-$5
- CPE (Cost Per Engagement): $0.10-$0.50
- CPA (Cost Per Acquisition): Varies by industry
Budget Optimization Tips
- Start with automatic bidding for testing
- Gradually increase budget to winning campaigns
- Use dayparting for time-sensitive offers
- Monitor cost trends and adjust bids
- Test different campaign objectives
💡 Pro Tip: Pinterest Ads often have lower CPCs than other platforms. Focus on cost-per-engagement (CPE) and long-term value, as pins continue to drive traffic for months.
Measuring Pinterest Ads Performance
Track these key metrics to evaluate campaign success:
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Impressions: Total times pin was shown
- Saves: Number of times pin was saved
- Clicks: Clicks to your website
- CTR (Click-Through Rate): Clicks ÷ Impressions
- CPC (Cost Per Click): Total spend ÷ Total clicks
- CPM (Cost Per 1000 Impressions): Cost per thousand impressions
- Conversions: Website actions (purchases, sign-ups)
- ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): Revenue ÷ Ad spend
Pinterest-Specific Metrics
- Save Rate: Saves ÷ Impressions (engagement signal)
- Outbound Clicks: Clicks to external website
- Pin Clicks: Total clicks on pin
- Engagement Rate: Total engagements ÷ Impressions
- Closeups: Times users zoomed in on pin
Pinterest Analytics
- Audience demographics (age, gender, location)
- Top-performing pins and boards
- Website traffic from Pinterest
- Audience interests and behaviors
- Device usage patterns
Conversion Tracking
- Pinterest Tag: Track website conversions
- Google Analytics: Multi-channel attribution
- UTM Parameters: Track traffic sources
- Event Tracking: Monitor specific actions
- Offline Conversions: Upload offline sales data
Long-Term Performance
- Track pin performance over time (months)
- Measure organic lift from paid promotion
- Monitor board growth and engagement
- Track follower growth from ads
- Measure brand search volume increases
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much do Pinterest Ads cost?
Pinterest Ads typically cost $0.50-$1.50 per click and $2-$5 per 1000 impressions. Costs are generally lower than Facebook or Instagram, making it cost-effective for many businesses.
2. What's the minimum budget for Pinterest Ads?
Minimum daily budget is $5, but we recommend starting with $20-50/day for meaningful testing. Campaigns can scale based on performance and ROI.
3. What types of businesses work best on Pinterest?
Pinterest works best for visual, lifestyle-focused businesses: home decor, fashion, food, DIY, crafts, wedding, travel, beauty, and e-commerce. B2B can also work with educational content.
4. What image size should I use for Pinterest Ads?
Use 1000x1500 pixels (2:3 aspect ratio) for optimal performance. Vertical images work best as 90% of Pinterest usage is mobile.
5. How do I measure Pinterest ad success?
Track saves, clicks, CTR, CPC, conversions, and ROAS. Use Pinterest Analytics for engagement metrics and Pinterest Tag for conversion tracking. Focus on long-term performance as pins have extended shelf life.
6. What's a good save rate for Pinterest pins?
Average save rate is 1-2%. Good is 2-3%, excellent is 3%+. Saves indicate content resonance and can lead to long-term organic traffic.
7. Can I target specific keywords on Pinterest?
Yes, Pinterest is a search engine. Use keyword targeting to reach users searching for specific terms. Research keywords using Pinterest Trends tool.
8. How do I set up Pinterest Shopping?
Create a Pinterest Business account, set up Pinterest Catalog, upload product feed, enable shopping features, and tag products in pins. Requires compliance with Pinterest's shopping policies.
9. What's the difference between Idea Pins and regular pins?
Idea Pins are multi-page content (like Stories) for brand building and engagement. Regular pins link to external websites. Idea Pins don't have external links but build brand awareness.
10. How long do Pinterest pins last?
Pinterest pins have a long shelf life, continuing to drive traffic for months or even years. This makes Pinterest unique compared to other platforms where content disappears quickly.