Pinterest advertising is as unique as its community. Users of Pinterest, also known as Pinners, aren’t on the platform for social interaction. They primarily use it for inspiration and to find new products, which poses a pretty enticing opportunity for brands seeking visibility.
Pinterest has leaned into this niche, offering advertisers a diverse set of ad formats that deliver the inspiration Pinners desire while nudging them closer to purchase. So let's dig through the details of what makes Pinterest unique, which ad formats you have available and how to get your first campaigns live.
What is Pinterest advertising?
Pinterest is a visual social media platform that acts like a digital inspiration board. Pinners create, save and share content called Pins, which are made of images, videos or animated GIFs. The Pins are organized into themed collections called boards.
Pins can be either organic or sponsored. Organic Pins show up when they relate to searches or interactions. Sponsored Pins, or Pinterest ads, are paid posts labeled “promoted.” They pop up in home feeds, search results and category feeds based on Pinners’ preferences, as you can see below.
Pinterest home feed, including sponsored and organic content.
Unlike other social media platforms, such as Instagram, Pinterest is primarily a discovery tool rather than a space for social interaction. It’s often used for inspiration during big life moments, such as buying a house, getting married or having a baby. These life moments inspire different purchases.
Women make up seventy percent of Pinterest’s 522 million monthly users, and most users of all genders are high earners.
Forty percent of US Pinners earn over $150K, and 85% of weekly users make a purchase from Pins, making it a huge opportunity for brands and agencies looking to reach shoppers. Brands can open Pinterest Business pages to see insights on Pinners and purchase shopping ads, while Pinners can purchase directly from their feeds using the shop feature.
3 benefits of advertising on Pinterest
Pinterest’s unique focus on attractive images makes it ideal for brands with strong visual appeal. It gives them access to lower-cost conversions and an audience that’s not put off by ads.
1. Lower cost per conversion rate
When done right, Pinterest ads can give you a better bang for your buck than other platforms. On average, Pinterest ads have a 2.3x lower cost per conversion.
In a 2019 study, five brands saw their return on ad spend (ROAS) double on Pinterest, with a 1.3x higher ROAS than search ads. This happens because Pinners are often in a buying mindset, so ads tend to convert better.
2. Ads work well for industries with visual appeal
Pinterest is a goldmine for industries with a visual appeal like fashion, home décor, beauty and lifestyle. Similar Web’s analysis of Pinterest content showed the top categories lean heavily toward shopping. For example, Pinterest‘s yearly prediction showed searches for DIY wood projects would shoot up by 1,220% in 2024, coffee bar styling by 1,125% and body skincare routines by 1,025%.
Pinterest’s top trending searches include DIY projects and skincare routines.
This isn’t to say brands that don’t naturally have visual appeal won’t be successful, but you’ll need to find a way to capture Pinners’ attention. For example, Pinterest predicted financial services would be a hot topic in 2024. How? Through searches related to visual products like piggy banks and financial planning stickers.
3. Pinterest users are open to ads
Ads on Pinterest work with the user experience instead of against it, which makes Pinners less resistant to their presence. Weekly users are more likely to feel ads are relevant because they’re on the platform to find ideas, so a well-placed ad enhances the experience instead of disrupting it.
As a result, ads reach 11.4 times more prospects than on other platforms. For example, someone planning a home improvement project might welcome an ad from an interior design firm, engage with it and boost its reach.
How much do Pinterest ads cost?
Pinterest’s ad costs are pretty reasonable, considering it runs on an auction system where brands compete for ad space. But here’s the thing: the ads that bid the highest don’t automatically win the auction.
Pinterest prices your bid using three factors:
- Your bid amount (the max you’re willing to pay)
- Ad relevance (how engaging or well-made your ad and landing page are)
- The likelihood of action (how likely your ad is to achieve its goal)
This setup means you don’t need to bid the highest. You just need to make sure your ad is high-quality and relevant to the audience. A survey of 270 advertisers revealed that, on average, Pinterest ads cost between $0.10 and $1.50 per click.
How the Pinterest ad auction works.
That same survey revealed brands spend around $2 and $5 per thousand impressions (CPM), and most advertisers spend under $1,000 a month.
9 Pinterest ad types (with examples & specs)
Pinterest has nine ad types, many of which help Pinners shop from their home feeds. Your ads don’t have to focus on shopping, though. Other types of Pinterest ad creatives suit goals like website traffic and on-platform engagement.
Each ad type has specific specs related to things like image size and character count. We’ll walk through the purpose, specs and Pinterest best practices for each ad type.
1. Image ads
Image ads, also known as standard ads, use a single image and look like regular Pins. They’re marked as “Promoted,” like the examples from Lovevery and Ruggable below. Pinners can open the Pin, save it or click through to your website just like they would organic content.
Pinterest image ads example. (Image Source)
Image ad specs:
- Title: Up to 100 characters but 40 are visible
- Description: Up to 500 characters
- Aspect ratio: Pinterest recommends a 2:3 aspect ratio (more than 2:3 might get cut off) or 1000 x 1500 pixels
2. Video ads
Video ads autoplay when they appear in a user’s home feed and behave much like organic video content. Users can save the video like a regular Pin and click through to your website, with the option to toggle audio on or off.
They’re mostly used for awareness campaigns. If your goal is to generate website traffic, consider using image ads, as they may have a better CTR.
Pinterest video ads example.
Video ads come in two formats: standard width, which matches a regular Pin’s size, and max width, which spans two columns on mobile.
Video ad specs:
- Title: Up to 100 characters but 40 are visible
- Description: Up to 500 characters
- Recommended length: Six to 15 seconds
- Aspect ratio: Pinterest recommends 1:1, 2:3, 4:5 or 9:16
- Max-width videos can’t exceed a 1:1 aspect ratio
3. Carousel ads
A carousel ad has multiple images, which makes it a good tool for showcasing product features, advertising several products at once or telling a story.
Pinterest carousel ads example.
Carousel ads appear in the home feed like organic Pins. They allow Pinners to swipe through multiple images (or cards) directly in their feed, and each card links to a different landing page. Saving the carousel to a board saves all of the included cards together.
Carousel ad specs:
- Title: Up to 100 characters but 40 are visible
- Description: Up to 500 characters
- Creative quantity: Two to five images per carousel
- Aspect ratio: 1:1 or 2:3
4. Collections ads
A collections ad combines one large hero asset with a minimum of three smaller secondary assets. Those assets can be images or videos. They are designed on desktop but shown to mobile app users.
When Pinners tap a collections ad, it opens to a full-screen view displaying the hero asset and up to 24 secondary creatives.
Pinterest collections ads example. (Image Source)
Collections ad specs:
- Creative quantity: One hero and a minimum of three secondary creatives
- Image aspect ratio: Hero images must be 1:1 or 2:3 and secondary creatives must be the same, Pinterest recommends 1:1
- Video length: Minimum of four seconds and a maximum of 15 minutes
- Video Aspect ratio: Pinterest recommends 1:1, 2:3 or 9:16
- Media type: GIFs aren’t supported
4. Shopping ads
Shopping ads include the four ad types already covered. Standard shopping ads, like the ones below from CORT Furniture Outlet, use a single static image to drive traffic off-platform.
Pinterest shopping image ads example.
Video shopping ads look similar, but they feature a video that autoplays in the feed. When clicked, they also take Pinners directly to a brand’s landing page of choice.
Pinterest shopping video ads example.
Carousel shopping ads feature multiple images or videos and show a website link when a Pinner hovers over any of their cards.
Pinterest shopping carousel ads example.
Personalized collection shopping ads show one large lifestyle image or video and at least three supporting images. When clicked, a Pinner is taken to the brand’s website.
Pinterest shopping collection ads example. (Image Source)
Each of the ad types has the same specs as their non-shopping counterparts. The difference is that the advertiser is required to use a landing page link.
6. Idea ads
Idea ads are crafted to tell a story, allowing Pinners to follow your account, save the Pin or visit the linked landing page. They appear as a set of multiple videos, images, lists and custom text in a single Pin.
Pinterest idea ads example. (Image Source)
Idea ads are sometimes used for paid partnerships between influencers and brands since they can be published by multiple accounts simultaneously.
Idea ad specs:
- Title: 100 characters max
- On-page text: 250 characters max
- Video length: Maximum duration is 5 minutes
- Aspect ratio: 9:16 but there are no restrictions for images or videos
7. Showcase ads
Showcase ads are a format that uses swipeable cards. Each card can have up to three interactive elements in your images with outbound links. Pinners can swipe through the cards and tap on these elements to discover products or get more information about your brand.
Pinterest showcase ads example. (Image Source)
Each showcase ad consists of three main parts:
- A title Pin, the first card in your ad
- Additional cards that preview four more assets at the bottom for users to swipe through
- Interactive features on each card that prompt Pinners to click
Each card and its features can also be saved individually to Pinners’ boards, providing even more ways for users to engage with your content.
Showcase ad specs:
- Creative quantity:
- Card: Up to four cards in addition to the primary, required title Pin
- Feature: Minimum of one and maximum of three per card
- Text overlay: Limited to 10 words
- Video length: Between three and 60 seconds
- Resolution: Pinterest recommends 1000x1500 pixels
- Aspect ratio: Title Pin should be 2:3, card should be 2:3 and the feature should be 1:1
- Feature text length: Anything after 50 characters will be hidden
8. Quiz ads
Quiz ads are an interactive format with multiple-choice questions and answers that are available only on mobile devices. Pinners will receive a result or recommendation based on their responses. Advertisers can include outbound links within each result.
Pinterest quiz ads example. (Image Source)
Just like showcase ads, quiz ads consist of three main parts: a title Pin with a built-in CTA shown in the home feed, a series of questions and answers and a results Pin that includes an image, title, description and outbound link.
The number of results your ad contains depends on the answer options provided. For example, three answers would require three results Pins. Pinners can save their results to their own boards.
Quiz ad specs:
- Video length: Between three and 60 seconds
- Aspect ratio: Title Pins and results Pins should be 2:3
- Creative quantity: One title Pin is required and up to three results Pins allowed
- Title text: 100 characters max
- Text overlay: Limited to 10 words
- Questions test: Up to 96 characters, including spaces
- Answers text: Up to 48 characters, including spaces
- Results text: 100 characters max in title and 500 characters max for description
9. Premier spotlight ads
Premiere spotlight ads give brands exclusive ad spots on Pinterest’s home feed and search page for a full day. They’re considered prime real estate because your ad is the first thing people see on the second page of their home feed. Premiere Spotlight ads are also available in search — they place your ad as the first item on the search page.
Pinterest premiere spotlight ads example. (Image Source)
These ads require booking a reservation with an account manager and pre-approval before they go live.
Unlike other Pinterest ads, premiere spotlight ads are priced per day rather than through auction. Homepage ads also have frequency caps; they can only be shown up to three times per Pinner.
How to create Pinterest ads
You’ll first need to sign up for a Pinterest Business account to create a Pinterest ad. You’ll get access to the Business Hub, where you can manage both your business profile and ad dashboard.
Step 1: Create a business account
Get a Pinterest Business account by clicking the “Get started” button on the homepage.
Pinterest business homepage.
Enter your desired login information and birthdate, then click “Create account.” You can also log in using an existing Pinterest account.
Pinterest business account login.
Pinterest will ask you to describe your business. Choose from “Online merchant or marketplace,” “Consumer goods,” “Services provider,” “Content creator,” “Publisher or media,” “Agency” or “Other.”
Pinterest business account creation: describe your business.
Next, you’ll need to provide your business name, location and website, but you don’t have to have a website to get started.
Pinterest business account creation: business details.
They’ll then ask for your business goals. Pinterest will use this information to customize your recommendations.
Pinterest business account creation: additional business details.
You can provide your contact information if you’d like to be contacted by a Pinterest ad sales representative for support, but this isn’t required.
Pinterest business account creation: export help.
You’ll select how you want to get started on the next screen. If you’re ready to jump right into launching your first ad, choose “Grow your audience.”
Pinterest business account creation: get started.
After a couple more questions, you’ll be brought to your Business Hub. Select “Turn your Pins into ads” to launch your first campaign.
Pinterest business hub homepage.
First, you’ll be taken to Quick Promote, where you can set up a campaign in just a few steps. If you go this route, you will not have access to all of the targeting and bidding features available.
You’ll also be limited to videos, images and carousels. Shopping, idea, showcase and quiz ads aren’t available.
Pinterest Quick Promote.
To access all the features and ad formats, click “Quick Promote” in the upper right-hand corner and select “Manual Campaign.”
Step 2: Choose your campaign objective
You’ll start by choosing a campaign objective. Choose from “brand awareness, which optimizes for impressions, video views, which optimizes for plays, “consideration,” which optimizes for clicks, “conversions,” which optimizes for actions” or catalog sales, which combines traffic and actions.
Select your advertising campaign name and mark whether you want the campaign to be active automatically once published.
Pinterest manual campaign: name and status.
Step 3: Set your budget
Pinterest offers two bidding options to manage your ad spend: manual or Performance+. Manual puts you in full control of how much you bid on each ad placement. Performance+ is Pinterest’s artificial intelligence (AI) tool that adjusts your bid as your campaign runs to get the best results within your budget.
Pinterest manual campaign: budget and schedule.
After choosing your bidding strategy, you’ll set a daily or lifetime budget.
A daily budget caps how much you spend each day. Once you hit that limit, your ads stop running until the next day. A lifetime budget caps your budget for the entire campaign duration, meaning it keeps running until you hit your total cap.
Finally, select a time frame for your campaign to run. If you select an end date, your campaign will end on that date regardless of whether you’ve spent your whole budget.
Step 4: Choose your targeting
Next, name your ad group within your campaign. This step is helpful if you’re analyzing the performance of different audiences.
Pinterest manual campaign: ad group details.
Then comes your targeting strategy. You can choose to retarget people you’ve reached before, target new people or choose an audience based on behavior and demographics.
You can target people by keywords, too, which are terms people use in searches. If someone searches “home decor,” your ad could pop up in their results if you’ve targeted that keyword.
Interests are based on what Pinterest knows about user preferences. They have a list of pre-set interests to choose from.
Pinterest manual campaign: interest and keywords.
You can narrow your audience further by specifying demographics like gender, age, location and language.
Lastly, you can decide where your ads appear, like in the home feed or the search bar.
Pinterest manual campaign: placement and tracking.
Next, you’ll decide how you want your campaign optimized. The options you see here will be based on the objective you selected at the beginning of this process.
In the example below, we selected consideration, billed by cost-per-click (CPC). Choose outbound clicks if you want to optimize for website traffic.
Pinterest manual campaign: optimization and delivery.
Step 5: Design your ad
To design your ad, you’ll select from Pins you’ve already posted or choose to create a new ad.
Pinterest manual campaign: ad design.
If you choose “Create ad,” you’ll come to a screen where Pinterest prompts you to upload a picture, title, description and link.
Pinterest manual campaign: pin builder.
Choose from a standard, quiz or showcase format, then name your ad. Specify any ad tracking and select a call to action to complete your first ad.
Click “Publish” to submit your ad for review. If your account is new, you’ll need to set up billing information first.
Step 6: Set up billing and go live!
For your ads to go live, Pinterest requires your billing information. Once given, your ad will be submitted for review, which can take up to 24 hours. After you’re accepted, your ad will go live — and the ad campaign measurement fun begins.
Measure your Pinterest ad campaign with confidence
Make sure your Pinterest ads align with your overall marketing strategy by analyzing them alongside other marketing data. Correctly attributing their impact can be challenging, especially when tracking conversions, but using Funnel can help you track their performance in context with other channels.