Advertising on Pinterest 

Pinterest is a fantastic platform with endless possibilities. More and more people are using it as a source of inspiration for purchases, home decoration, fashion, travel and much more. This makes Pinterest a unique advertising channel — particularly for e-commerce and visual brands.

Why advertise on Pinterest?

Pinterest users are in a different mindset than users on Facebook or Instagram. They are actively searching for inspiration and ideas — often with the explicit intention to buy. This makes Pinterest ads particularly effective for reaching people at the beginning of their purchase journey.

Some interesting statistics:

• 83% of weekly Pinterest users have made a purchase based on content they saw on Pinterest
• Pinterest users spend 80% more per purchase than users on other platforms
• Pinterest reaches people 2-3 months before other social media platforms

Pinterest ad formats

Promoted Pins

The most common format: a regular pin that is given extra visibility. They appear naturally in the feed and search results. The difference from organic pins? A small "Promoted" label.

Video Pins

Video Pins autoplay in the feed and are ideal for brand storytelling and product demonstrations. They generate 2x more engagement than regular Promoted Pins.

Shopping Ads

Shopping Ads are linked to your product catalogue and show product images, prices and availability. They appear in shopping search results and are ideal for e-commerce.

Collection Ads

Collection Ads combine a large hero image with smaller product images below. When someone clicks, they see a full-screen browsing experience. Perfect for showcasing product collections.

Idea Ads

Idea Ads are based on the popular Idea Pins format (similar to Stories) and are ideal for content marketing and inspiration.

How to get started with Pinterest advertising

1. Create a Pinterest Business Account

You need a business account to advertise on Pinterest. Go to business.pinterest.com to set one up or convert your existing account.

2. Install the Pinterest Tag

The Pinterest Tag is the tracking pixel for your website. Place it on all pages to measure conversions, build custom audiences and optimise campaigns.

3. Set up your campaign

Pinterest uses a similar campaign structure to other platforms:

• Campaign: Your overall goal (brand awareness, traffic, conversions)
• Ad group: Your targeting and budget
• Ads: Your creative content

4. Define your targeting

Pinterest offers various targeting options:

• Keywords: Show ads to people searching for specific terms
• Interests: Target based on what boards people follow
• Custom audiences: Upload your customer list or retarget website visitors
• Act-alike audiences: Find new people similar to your existing customers

5. Create your Pins

Quality is key on Pinterest. Tips for effective Pins:

• Use vertical images (2:3 ratio is ideal)
• Add text overlay that makes the value immediately clear
• Use bright, sharp images that stand out in the feed
• Add keywords to your Pin description for discoverability

Measure and optimise

Track these key metrics for your Pinterest campaigns:

• Impressions: How many people see your ads
• Click-through rate (CTR): How many people click
• Cost per click (CPC): What you pay per click
• Conversions and ROAS: The ultimate measure of success

Use the Pinterest Analytics dashboard to gain insight into what works. Test different images, copy and targeting to continuously improve performance.

Conclusion

Pinterest is an underutilised advertising platform with enormous potential — especially for visual brands and e-commerce. The intent of Pinterest users makes them particularly receptive to advertising. Get started today and discover what Pinterest can do for your business.

Need help with your Pinterest advertising strategy?

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