The Ultimate Guide to Pinterest Ads in 2024

In today’s competitive digital marketing landscape, finding effective advertising channels that deliver strong ROI is increasingly challenging. While Meta and Instagram dominate social media advertising, rising costs have many marketers looking for alternatives. Enter Pinterest Ads – a platform that offers unique advantages for brands seeking to connect with engaged, purchase-ready audiences.

Pinterest isn’t just for DIY projects and recipe collections; it’s a powerful visual search engine where over 500 million monthly active users actively seek inspiration and products. This guide explores everything you need to know about Pinterest Ads, from formats and costs to strategies and success stories.

What Makes Pinterest Different from Other Social Platforms?

Before diving into the specifics of Pinterest Ads, it’s important to understand what sets this platform apart from other social media networks.

A Visual Discovery Engine

Unlike traditional social media platforms where users scroll through feeds of content from people they follow, Pinterest functions primarily as a visual search and discovery engine. Users (called “Pinners”) come to the platform with intent – they’re actively searching for ideas, inspiration, and products.

This fundamental difference creates a unique advertising environment where your ads don’t interrupt social browsing but instead enhance the discovery experience. When users see your ad on Pinterest, they’re often already in a shopping mindset, making them more receptive to your marketing message.

The Pinterest User Journey

The typical Pinterest user journey follows a pattern of:

Inspiration – Users discover new ideas and possibilities
Consideration – They refine what they’re looking for and explore options
Decision – They decide which products or services to pursue
Action – They make a purchase or take another conversion action

What’s powerful about Pinterest is that advertisers can reach users at every stage of this journey. You can introduce your brand during the inspiration phase, showcase product details during consideration, and drive conversions when users are ready to act.

Key Pinterest Statistics in 2024

Over 537 million monthly active users worldwide (11% increase from previous quarter)
96% of searches on Pinterest are unbranded
80% of weekly users have discovered a new brand while browsing
83% of users have made purchases based on content discovered on Pinterest
71% of UK Pinterest users identify as women
Pinterest reaches 28% of high-income earners
40% larger basket size compared to other social platforms

Pinterest Ad Formats: Options for Every Marketing Objective

Pinterest offers a diverse range of ad formats designed to meet various marketing objectives. Understanding each format’s strengths will help you choose the right one for your campaigns.

Standard Pins

Standard Pins are the most basic ad format on Pinterest. They look like regular pins but are labeled as “Promoted” and can appear in home feeds, search results, and related pins sections.

Best for: Awareness, traffic, and conversions
Ideal content: High-quality product images, lifestyle imagery that showcases your product or service in context
Tips for success: Use vertical images (2:3 aspect ratio) for maximum visibility, include clear branding, and craft compelling descriptions

Video Pins

Video Pins automatically play when they appear in a user’s feed, capturing attention through movement and sound. They’re excellent for storytelling and demonstrating products in action.

Best for: Engagement, brand awareness, and upper-funnel marketing objectives
Ideal content: Product demonstrations, behind-the-scenes footage, how-to videos
Tips for success: Keep videos between 6-15 seconds for best performance, include branding in the first few seconds, and design for sound-off viewing

Shopping Ads

Shopping Ads pull information directly from your product catalog, making them ideal for e-commerce brands. They display your product image, price, and other relevant details.

Best for: Product sales, middle and bottom-funnel marketing
Ideal content: Clear product images on white or simple backgrounds
Tips for success: Maintain an updated product catalog, use high-quality images, and ensure accurate pricing and availability information

Collections and Carousel Ads

Collections enable advertisers to feature multiple products within a single ad. Users can browse through different items without leaving the platform, creating a mini-storefront experience.

Best for: Showcasing product lines, presenting different product variations, or telling a sequential story
Ideal content: Complementary products, different versions of the same product, or step-by-step guides
Tips for success: Start with your strongest image, ensure visual consistency across all images, and create a logical flow from one image to the next

Idea Ads

Idea Ads combine videos, images, lists, and custom text in a single pin. They’re designed to tell an inspiring story and encourage user engagement through a comprehensive content experience.

Best for: Complex storytelling, DIY instructions, or multi-faceted product demonstrations
Ideal content: Step-by-step guides, before-and-after transformations, or product use cases
Tips for success: Create a cohesive narrative across all elements, ensure each component adds value, and include clear calls-to-action

Quiz Ads

Quiz Ads offer an interactive experience with multiple-choice questions that provide personalized results or recommendations based on user selections.

Best for: Engagement, lead generation, and personalized product recommendations
Ideal content: Product recommendation quizzes, personality tests related to your brand, or educational content
Tips for success: Keep questions simple and relevant, ensure results provide value to users, and include clear next steps after quiz completion

Premiere Spotlight

Similar to YouTube’s Masthead format, Premiere Spotlight gives advertisers premium placement at the top of search results or on the home feed’s second page.

Best for: Major product launches, time-sensitive promotions, or high-impact awareness campaigns
Ideal content: Eye-catching creative with clear messaging about limited-time offers or major announcements
Tips for success: Reserve well in advance, create content specifically for this high-visibility placement, and include strong calls-to-action

How Much Do Pinterest Ads Cost?

One of the most common questions marketers have about any advertising platform is: “How much will it cost?” The answer, as with most digital advertising, is “it depends.” However, we can provide some useful benchmarks and comparisons.

Cost Comparison with Other Platforms

Recent industry studies have found that CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) on Pinterest are approximately 26% lower than on Meta and Instagram. This cost advantage is primarily due to less competition for ad inventory, as Pinterest has a smaller (though still substantial) user base compared to Meta’s platforms.

As of 2024, here’s how average Pinterest ad costs compare:

CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions): $2-$5 (versus $10-$15 on Meta/Instagram)
CPC (Cost Per Click): $0.10-$1.50 depending on industry
CPA (Cost Per Acquisition): Varies widely by industry, but often 20-40% lower than comparable Meta/Instagram campaigns

Factors Affecting Pinterest Ad Costs

Several variables influence how much you’ll pay for Pinterest advertising:

Industry and competition – More competitive verticals like fashion, beauty, and home décor typically have higher costs
Targeting parameters – Broader targeting usually results in lower costs but potentially less relevant traffic
Campaign objective – Awareness campaigns typically have lower costs than conversion-focused campaigns
Ad quality and relevance – High-quality, relevant ads tend to perform better and cost less over time
Seasonality – Costs may increase during holiday seasons or industry-specific peak periods
Bidding strategy – Automatic versus manual bidding affects costs and campaign performance

Budget Planning for Pinterest Ads

When planning your Pinterest advertising budget, consider:

Testing budget – Allocate sufficient funds (at least $1,000-$2,000) for initial testing to gather meaningful data
Platform learning period – Like most ad platforms, Pinterest’s algorithm needs time to optimize, so expect the first 2-3 weeks to be a learning phase
Scaling strategy – Once you find winning ad combinations, plan for incremental budget increases (20-30% at a time) rather than dramatic jumps
Performance review cycles – Set regular intervals (weekly or bi-weekly) to assess performance and adjust budgets accordingly

Pinterest Audience Targeting Options

Effective targeting is essential for Pinterest advertising success. The platform offers several targeting options to help you reach the right audience for your business.

Interest Targeting

Pinterest categorizes users based on their engagement with different content types. You can target users interested in specific categories like:

Fashion and beauty
Home décor and DIY
Food and drink
Travel
Health and fitness
And many more niche interests

This targeting method works well for upper-funnel campaigns where you’re introducing your brand to potential customers.

Keyword Targeting

Since Pinterest functions as a visual search engine, keyword targeting is particularly powerful. You can target users based on:

Search terms they use on the platform
Related terms Pinterest’s algorithm associates with your target keywords
Seasonal or trending searches

Keyword targeting is excellent for capturing users with specific intent and tends to perform well for middle and lower-funnel objectives.

Audience Targeting

Pinterest also offers audience targeting similar to other platforms:

Customer lists – Upload your existing customer email lists to reach current customers or find similar users
Website visitors – Retarget users who have visited your website (requires Pinterest tag implementation)
Engagement audiences – Target users who have engaged with your pins or Pinterest profile
Actalike audiences – Find new users who behave similarly to your existing customers (Pinterest’s version of lookalike audiences)

Demographic Targeting

Basic demographic targeting options include:

Age
Gender
Location (country, region, or metro area)
Language
Device type

Combining Targeting Methods

For optimal results, consider combining targeting methods. For example:

Target users interested in “home décor” who have also searched for “living room furniture”
Retarget website visitors who are also interested in specific Pinterest categories relevant to your products
Create actalike audiences based on your high-value customers and narrow them with relevant interests

Creating Effective Pinterest Ad Campaigns

Now that you understand the formats and targeting options, let’s explore how to create high-performing Pinterest ad campaigns.

Campaign Structure Best Practices

A well-organized campaign structure makes management and optimization easier:

Campaign level – Organize by business objective (awareness, consideration, conversion)
Ad group level – Segment by audience targeting or product categories
Pin level – Test different creative approaches within each ad group

This structure allows you to clearly see what’s working at each level and make informed decisions about budget allocation and optimization.

Creative Best Practices for Pinterest Ads

Pinterest is a visually-driven platform, so your creative assets need to stand out:

Use vertical images – The ideal aspect ratio is 2:3 (1000 x 1500 pixels)
Text overlay – Include concise, benefit-focused text on your images when relevant
Brand identity – Ensure your visual style is consistent with your overall brand identity
Seasonal relevance – Pinterest users often plan ahead, so post seasonal content 30-90 days in advance
Authenticity – Avoid overly staged or artificial-looking imagery; Pinterest users respond to authentic content
Multiple variations – Test different images, headlines, and descriptions to identify top performers

Writing Effective Pinterest Ad Copy

While Pinterest is visually focused, your copy still plays an important role:

Pin titles – Keep them clear, descriptive, and under 100 characters
Pin descriptions – Use up to 500 characters to provide context and include relevant keywords
Call-to-action – Include a clear next step for users who are interested in your offer
Keywords – Incorporate relevant search terms naturally throughout your copy
Solution-focused language – Emphasize how your product or service solves a problem or fulfills a need

Landing Page Optimization

Your Pinterest ads should lead to landing pages that continue the user experience:

Visual consistency – Maintain the same visual style from your ad to your landing page
Mobile optimization – Ensure your landing pages load quickly and function well on mobile devices
Clear path to conversion – Make it easy for users to complete the desired action
Pin-worthy content – Include saveable content on your landing pages to encourage users to pin your content
Reduced friction – Minimize form fields and steps required to convert

Measuring Pinterest Ad Performance

Tracking and measuring your Pinterest campaigns’ performance is crucial for optimization and demonstrating ROI.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Depending on your campaign objectives, focus on these KPIs:

Awareness campaigns:

Impressions
Reach
Frequency
Brand lift (requires additional measurement)

Consideration campaigns:

Click-through rate (CTR)
Engagement rate
Video views
Saves
Pin clicks

Conversion campaigns:

Conversion rate
Cost per acquisition (CPA)
Return on ad spend (ROAS)
Average order value (AOV)
Customer lifetime value (for longer-term measurement)

Implementing Proper Tracking

To accurately measure performance:

Install the Pinterest tag on your website to track conversions and build audiences
Set up conversion events for key actions like purchases, sign-ups, or add-to-carts
Implement UTM parameters for your Pinterest traffic to identify it in Google Analytics
Consider third-party attribution tools for a more comprehensive view of the customer journey
Set up regular reporting to monitor performance trends over time

Attribution Windows

Pinterest offers several attribution windows to capture the full impact of your advertising:

Click-through conversions: 1, 7, 14, or 30 days
View-through conversions: 1, 7, 14, or 30 days

Since Pinterest users often plan purchases well in advance, longer attribution windows may better capture your campaign’s true impact.

Success Stories: Brands Winning with Pinterest Ads

Let’s look at some real-world examples of brands achieving impressive results with Pinterest advertising:

Boursin: Boosting Brand Awareness

The cheese brand Boursin implemented a strategic Pinterest campaign that resulted in:

2% increase in overall brand recall
2% increase in brand awareness
Significant engagement with their recipe content
Extended reach beyond their traditional target demographic

Key strategy: Creating seasonal recipe content that incorporated their product in creative ways.

Louis Vuitton: Driving Video Engagement

The luxury fashion brand leveraged Pinterest video ads to:

Reach 3.5 million users in just three days
Achieve approximately 50% view rate on their video content
Generate significant engagement with their luxury product lines
Connect with fashion-forward audiences early in their inspiration journey

Key strategy: High-quality video content that showcased products in aspirational settings.

Wickes: Optimizing for Conversions

The home improvement retailer combined different bidding strategies to:

Increase conversion rate by an impressive 222%
Reduce customer acquisition costs
Effectively target DIY enthusiasts and home improvers
Connect with users in the planning phase of home projects

Key strategy: Using a mix of CPM and CPC bidding to optimize different parts of the funnel.

Vital Proteins: Engaging Through Quiz Ads

The collagen supplement brand utilized interactive quiz ads to:

Achieve a 5% uplift in brand awareness
Generate a 60% increase in action intent
Educate consumers about their product benefits
Provide personalized product recommendations

Key strategy: Creating educational quizzes that helped users identify the right products for their needs.

Sweaty Betty: Driving Efficient Customer Acquisition

The activewear brand shifted budget to Pinterest and achieved:

39% increase in ROAS compared to other channels
34% lower CPA than their other acquisition channels
Strong performance among their target demographic of fitness-conscious women
Effective new customer acquisition

Key strategy: Showcasing products in authentic workout scenarios that resonated with their audience.

Integrating Pinterest into Your Overall Marketing Strategy

While Pinterest can deliver strong results as a standalone channel, it’s most effective when integrated into your broader marketing ecosystem.

Pinterest’s Role in the Marketing Funnel

Consider how Pinterest fits into different stages of your marketing funnel:

Top of funnel (Awareness):

Introduce your brand through inspirational content
Target broad interest categories relevant to your business
Use video and standard pins to capture attention

Middle of funnel (Consideration):

Showcase product features and benefits
Target users who have engaged with your pins or visited your website
Use carousel ads to display product ranges

Bottom of funnel (Conversion):

Focus on driving sales or leads
Target high-intent keywords and warm audiences
Use shopping ads with clear pricing and product details

Cross-Channel Coordination

For maximum impact, coordinate your Pinterest strategy with other channels:

Content repurposing – Adapt successful content from other platforms for Pinterest (and vice versa)
Consistent messaging – Maintain consistent brand messaging across all channels while adapting format for Pinterest’s unique environment
Campaign timing – Align Pinterest campaigns with broader marketing initiatives but account for Pinterest’s longer planning cycle
Audience insights – Use data from Pinterest to inform strategies on other platforms
Budget allocation – Test shifting budget from higher-cost channels to Pinterest to compare performance

Seasonal Planning for Pinterest

Pinterest users typically search for seasonal content 30-90 days in advance, creating unique opportunities:

Holiday content should be published 2-3 months before the actual holiday
Summer planning begins in late winter/early spring
Back-to-school content performs best beginning in early summer
Wedding content stays relevant year-round but peaks in early winter and spring

Tips for Pinterest Ads Optimization

Once your campaigns are running, continuous optimization is key to improving performance over time.

Creative Optimization

A/B test systematically – Test one element at a time (image, headline, description) to identify what drives performance
Refresh creative regularly – Update your creative every 45-60 days to prevent ad fatigue
Analyze top performers – Identify patterns in your best-performing pins and apply those insights to new creative
User-generated content – Test incorporating authentic user content into your ads when possible
Seasonal updates – Refresh creative to align with seasonal trends and user interests

Bid and Budget Optimization

Start with automated bidding – Let Pinterest’s system learn what works before switching to manual bidding
Budget pacing – Monitor daily spend to ensure consistent delivery throughout your campaign period
Dayparting – For conversion campaigns, analyze when your conversions typically occur and adjust bidding accordingly
ROAS targets – For shopping campaigns, gradually adjust ROAS targets based on performance data
Competitive analysis – Use Pinterest’s forecasting tools to understand competitive pressure in your category

Audience Refinement

Expand successful audiences – Increase budget for targeting groups that perform well
Narrow underperforming audiences – Add additional targeting parameters to refine broad audiences that aren’t performing
Create funnel audiences – Build audiences based on engagement level (e.g., viewed but didn’t click, clicked but didn’t convert)
Exclusion targeting – Exclude existing customers from acquisition campaigns
Audience insights – Use Pinterest Analytics to discover new audience segments to target

Common Pinterest Ads Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced marketers can make mistakes when advertising on Pinterest. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid:

Strategic Mistakes

Treating Pinterest like other social platforms – Not recognizing Pinterest’s unique nature as a discovery and planning tool
Ignoring the planning timeline – Failing to publish seasonal content early enough
Inadequate testing budget – Not allocating sufficient funds to gather meaningful data
Short attribution windows – Using attribution models that don’t capture Pinterest’s full impact on the purchase journey
Siloed management – Managing Pinterest in isolation rather than integrating it with your broader marketing strategy

Creative Mistakes

Horizontal images – Using landscape-oriented images that take up less feed space
Overly branded content – Creating content that looks too much like traditional advertising
Poor mobile optimization – Not ensuring ads and landing pages work well on mobile devices
Text overload – Using too much text on images, making them difficult to read
Generic stock photos – Using inauthentic imagery that doesn’t resonate with Pinterest’s audience

Technical Mistakes

Incomplete tracking setup – Failing to properly implement the Pinterest tag and conversion events
Incorrect landing pages – Sending users to pages that don’t match the ad’s promise
Poor website performance – Directing traffic to slow-loading websites that create a poor user experience
Limited product catalog integration – Not fully leveraging shopping capabilities due to incomplete catalog setup
Ignoring mobile experience – Not optimizing the post-click experience for mobile users

Future Trends in Pinterest Advertising

As Pinterest continues to evolve, several trends are shaping the future of advertising on the platform:

Growing User Base and Diversification

Pinterest’s user base continues to grow, with recent statistics showing an 11% increase quarter-over-quarter. While the platform has traditionally been female-dominated, it’s gradually diversifying, with more men and younger users joining the platform.

Enhanced Shopping Features

Pinterest is increasingly focused on making the platform more shoppable, with features like:

Improved product tagging capabilities
Enhanced shopping recommendations
Better integration with Ecommerce Marketing platforms
More seamless checkout experiences

Video Content Dominance

Like other platforms, video content is becoming increasingly important on Pinterest:

Video Pins are gaining higher engagement rates
Pinterest is emphasizing video in user feeds
Shoppable video features are expanding
Live shopping experiences are being tested

Augmented Reality and Virtual Try-On

Pinterest is investing in AR technology to allow users to virtually try products:

Beauty products virtual try-on
Home décor visualization
Fashion item try-on capabilities
Furniture placement visualization

Advanced Analytics and Attribution

Pinterest continues to improve its measurement capabilities:

More sophisticated attribution models
Better integration with third-party analytics
Enhanced conversion tracking capabilities
Improved ROAS measurement

Conclusion: Is Pinterest Right for Your Brand?

Pinterest Ads offer a unique opportunity for brands to connect with users who are actively seeking inspiration and planning purchases. With lower costs compared to Meta and Instagram, a predominantly female audience with high purchasing power, and a platform built for discovery, Pinterest represents an attractive advertising channel for many brands.

The platform particularly excels for businesses in visual industries like fashion, beauty, home décor, food, travel, and crafts. However, with creative approaches, brands in virtually any industry can find success on Pinterest.

As social media advertising costs continue to rise across major platforms, Pinterest offers an alternative that can deliver strong results at a lower cost. The key to success lies in understanding the platform’s unique nature, creating content that genuinely inspires and helps users, and taking a patient approach that recognizes Pinterest’s role in the longer purchase planning cycle.

Whether you’re looking to diversify your social media advertising mix or find new channels for customer acquisition, Pinterest Ads deserve serious consideration. With the right strategy, creative approach, and optimization techniques, Pinterest can become one of your most effective and efficient marketing channels in 2024 and beyond.

For further exploration, check out our resources on Content Marketing, SEO Thailand, and Social Ads.