When people think about online advertising, the usual suspects come to mind: Facebook, Instagram, Google. But there’s a visually rich, high-intent platform that’s often overlooked—Pinterest. With over 482 million active users every month, Pinterest isn’t just a platform for DIY projects and wedding inspiration. It’s a powerful advertising tool, especially for brands in the lifestyle, home decor, fashion, beauty, and digital product spaces.

Whether you’re a small business owner, content creator, or e-commerce entrepreneur, Pinterest ads can be a game-changer for growing your brand. In this post, we’ll dive into how Pinterest advertising works, why it’s different from other platforms, and how to create a winning strategy.

---

What Makes Pinterest Ads Unique?

Pinterest is a visual discovery engine, not a social media platform in the traditional sense. While other platforms focus on interaction and real-time engagement, Pinterest focuses on intent and planning. Users go to Pinterest to find and save ideas—they’re searching for inspiration with the goal of taking action, whether that’s trying a new recipe or buying a new outfit.

Because of this, Pinterest users are often closer to the buying stage in the customer journey. In fact:

• 83% of weekly users have made a purchase based on Pins they saw from brands.
• 97% of top Pinterest searches are unbranded, meaning it’s a great place for new brands to get discovered.

Unlike platforms where you’re interrupting users mid-scroll, Pinterest lets you blend in with content your audience is already looking for.

---

Types of Pinterest Ads

Pinterest offers several ad formats that work for a variety of goals—from brand awareness to conversions. Here’s a quick rundown:

1. Standard Pins
   These are your classic vertical images. You can promote any static Pin to increase its reach.
2. Video Pins
   These autoplay in users’ feeds and are perfect for showing a product in action or demonstrating a tutorial.
3. Carousel Ads
   These let users swipe through multiple images in one ad—great for showcasing different product features or variations.
4. Shopping Ads
   If you have a product catalog, you can turn your Pins into dynamic product ads that link directly to your e-commerce store.
5. Idea Pins (Organic Only, for Now)
   While not currently a paid ad format, Idea Pins are powerful for building organic visibility and brand trust. Pinterest is slowly rolling out monetization options for them.

---

Setting Up Pinterest Ads

Before running ads, you’ll need a Pinterest Business account and access to Pinterest Ads Manager. From there, here’s a step-by-step overview:

1. Set Up Your Campaign Goal
   Pinterest supports different campaign objectives:
   • Awareness (Brand Awareness, Video Views)
   • Consideration (Traffic)
   • Conversions (Sales, Sign-Ups)
   • Catalog Sales (Dynamic Shopping Ads)
2. Define Your Audience
   Pinterest lets you target based on:
   • Interests (e.g., travel, fashion, home decor)
   • Keywords (just like search ads)
   • Demographics (age, gender, location, device)
   • Retargeting (people who’ve visited your website)
   • Actalike audiences (similar to Facebook’s lookalike audiences)
3. Create Your Ad Group and Budget
   Set your daily or lifetime budget and choose your bid strategy—automatic or custom bidding.
4. Design Eye-Catching Creative
   Pinterest is a visual-first platform, so design matters. Use vertical images (2:3 aspect ratio), bold text overlays, and high-contrast colors to stand out.
5. Add Your Destination URL and CTA
   Make sure your link goes to a relevant landing page that matches your Pin’s content.

---

Best Practices for Pinterest Ad Success

1. Think Like a Pinner
   Remember, Pinterest users are planners. Create content that inspires them to take action—whether that’s learning something new, saving a look for later, or making a purchase.
2. Use Keywords in Pin Titles and Descriptions
   Pinterest’s search engine indexes text. Include relevant keywords in your ad copy to help your content show up in search results.
3. Optimize Your Website with Rich Pins
   Rich Pins pull data from your website to enhance your Pins with pricing, availability, and more—especially helpful for product-based businesses.
4. Test Different Creative
   A/B test different images, headlines, and CTA buttons to see what resonates most with your audience.
5. Track and Optimize
   Use Pinterest’s analytics to see which ads are performing best. Adjust your targeting, budget, or creative based on results.

---

Pinterest Ads for Digital Products & Templates

If you sell digital products like templates, printables, courses, or eBooks, Pinterest is a goldmine. Users often search for productivity hacks, business resources, and planners—meaning they’re already looking for the kinds of products you sell.

Tips for digital sellers:

• Use mockups to show your digital products in use.
• Highlight benefits like “editable in Canva” or “instant download.”
• Drive traffic to a lead magnet or low-ticket funnel for email list growth.

---

Pros & Cons of Pinterest Advertising

Pros:

• High-intent users
• Long Pin lifespan (ads often continue performing organically)
• Cost-effective (lower CPC compared to other platforms)
• Great for evergreen content

Cons:

• Learning curve with creative and targeting
• Some niches (like B2B SaaS or local services) may see slower traction
• Audience skews female (though this is changing!)

---

Final Thoughts

Pinterest advertising isn’t just a nice-to-have—it can be a critical piece of your marketing strategy if your brand aligns with the platform’s visual and inspirational nature. With lower ad costs, high-intent traffic, and the ability to seamlessly blend in with organic content, Pinterest gives you the opportunity to get discovered by users who are actively planning to buy.

So if you’ve been pouring all your ad dollars into Facebook and Google, it might be time to test a platform that thinks differently—just like your ideal customer does when they’re browsing Pinterest.