Pinterest Ads Guide: Setup, Costs & Best Practices

Pinterest occupies a unique position in the digital advertising landscape. Unlike platforms where users scroll passively or seek entertainment, Pinterest users arrive with intent—they're actively searching for ideas, planning projects, and discovering products. This creates extraordinary opportunity for advertisers willing to understand how the platform differs from Facebook, Instagram, or Google. With 450+ million monthly active users and 97% of top searches being unbranded, Pinterest offers access to consumers at the crucial moment before they've decided what to buy.

This guide covers everything you need to launch successful Pinterest advertising campaigns. From account setup through optimization, you'll learn the fundamentals that separate profitable Pinterest advertisers from those who struggle to see returns. Whether you're an ecommerce brand, content creator, or service business, understanding Pinterest's unique dynamics unlocks a powerful acquisition channel often overlooked by competitors.

Understanding Pinterest's Advertising Opportunity

Pinterest functions as a visual discovery engine rather than a social network. Users don't come to catch up with friends—they come to find inspiration for their lives. This fundamental difference shapes everything about how advertising works on the platform, from creative requirements to campaign strategy.

The Pinterest user mindset

Pinterest users are planners. They're researching home renovations months before hiring contractors, saving recipe ideas weeks before dinner parties, and collecting fashion inspiration throughout the year. This planning behavior creates extended consideration periods where advertising can genuinely influence decisions rather than interrupting entertainment.

Key statistics reveal the platform's unique position:

• 97% of top searches are unbranded—users seek ideas, not specific products
• 85% use Pinterest to start new projects—high intent, early funnel
• 80% have discovered new brands or products—openness to discovery
• 89% use Pinterest for purchase inspiration—shopping mindset
• Content lifespan of months—versus hours on other platforms

Who should advertise on Pinterest

Pinterest excels for businesses in visually-driven categories where inspiration drives purchase decisions. The platform performs exceptionally well for:

Setting Up Your Pinterest Ads Account

Before launching campaigns, you need a properly configured Pinterest business account with conversion tracking installed. These foundational elements determine your ability to target effectively, measure results accurately, and optimize campaigns over time.

Creating a business account

If you have a personal Pinterest account, convert it to a business account or create a new business account at business.pinterest.com. Business accounts provide access to Pinterest Ads Manager, analytics, and rich pins—all essential for advertising success.

1. Navigate to Pinterest for Business and click "Join as a business"
2. Enter your email, password, and business information
3. Select your business type and describe what you sell
4. Claim your website by adding a meta tag or uploading an HTML file
5. Enable Rich Pins by validating your website markup
6. Set up your billing information in Ads Manager

Website claiming is particularly important—it enables attribution, allows your Pins to show your profile information, and unlocks conversion tracking capabilities. Without claiming your website, you cannot run conversion-optimized campaigns.

Installing the Pinterest Tag

The Pinterest Tag is JavaScript code that tracks visitor actions on your website, enabling conversion measurement, audience building, and campaign optimization. Install it before launching any campaigns to start collecting data immediately.

Find your Pinterest Tag in Ads Manager under Conversions > Pinterest Tag. You can install it directly in your website header, through Google Tag Manager, or via platform integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.). The tag tracks standard events including:

• PageVisit: Basic page view tracking
• ViewCategory: Category page views for retail
• Search: Site search queries
• AddToCart: Shopping cart additions
• Checkout: Purchase completions with value
• Lead: Form submissions or sign-ups
• Custom: Any custom conversion event

After installation, verify your tag is working using Pinterest Tag Helper (Chrome extension) or the Events Manager in Pinterest Ads. Ensure events fire correctly before launching conversion campaigns—improper tracking leads to poor optimization and inaccurate reporting.

Understanding Pinterest Ads Manager structure

Pinterest organizes advertising into a hierarchy similar to other platforms: Campaign > Ad Group > Ad. Each level serves a specific purpose:

• Campaign: Sets objective (awareness, consideration, conversion) and budget type
• Ad Group: Defines targeting, placement, schedule, and bid strategy
• Ad (Pin): The actual creative users see—image, video, or collection

You can run multiple ad groups within a campaign to test different audiences or placements, and multiple Pins within each ad group to test creative variations. This structure enables systematic testing while maintaining organized reporting.

Pinterest Campaign Objectives

Pinterest offers objectives across the marketing funnel, from brand awareness through conversions. Selecting the right objective is critical—it determines how Pinterest optimizes delivery and which users see your ads.

Awareness objectives

Brand Awareness optimizes for maximum reach among your target audience. Pinterest shows your Pins to users most likely to remember seeing them, building recognition over time. Use this objective for:

• New brand launches needing market introduction
• Seasonal campaigns building anticipation
• Broad reach goals without immediate conversion expectations

Awareness campaigns on Pinterest benefit from the platform's long content lifespan—Pins continue generating impressions for months, providing compounding brand exposure that one-time placements on other platforms cannot match.

Consideration objectives

Traffic optimizes for clicks to your website. Pinterest identifies users likely to click through and visit your landing pages. This objective works well for:

• Driving visitors to blog content or resources
• Building website remarketing audiences
• Testing landing pages before conversion optimization

Engagement optimizes for Pin interactions including saves, closeups, and outbound clicks. This objective builds social proof and extends organic reach, as saved Pins appear in users' boards and can resurface in feeds later.

Video Views optimizes for video watch time. Pinterest counts a view after 2 seconds of play with 50% of the video in view. Video performs exceptionally well on Pinterest for tutorials, how-to content, and product demonstrations.

Conversion objectives

Conversions optimizes for specific actions on your website, as defined by your Pinterest Tag events. This objective requires sufficient conversion volume (typically 50+ weekly conversions per ad group) for effective optimization. Use for:

• Driving purchases from ecommerce stores
• Generating leads and form submissions
• Any bottom-funnel action with clear value

Catalog Sales (Shopping Ads) automatically creates ads from your product catalog, showing specific products to users based on their interests and behaviors. This objective is essential for ecommerce advertisers with product feeds.

Objective selection framework

Targeting Options on Pinterest

Pinterest offers robust targeting options that leverage the platform's unique understanding of user interests and intent. Unlike platforms relying primarily on demographic and behavioral signals, Pinterest targeting can incorporate keyword intent—what users actively search for.

Interest targeting

Interest targeting reaches users based on their historical engagement with content categories. Pinterest identifies interests from saved Pins, boards created, and search behavior. Available interest categories span:

• Home decor, architecture, and interior design
• Fashion, beauty, and personal care
• Food, recipes, and entertaining
• Health, fitness, and wellness
• Travel, destinations, and adventure
• DIY, crafts, and hobbies
• Events, weddings, and celebrations
• Parenting, education, and family

Start with broader interest categories, then narrow based on performance data. Over-targeting initially limits reach and learning potential.

Keyword targeting

Keyword targeting is uniquely powerful on Pinterest because users actively search for inspiration. Unlike interest targeting (based on past behavior), keywords capture real-time intent as users type searches. Target keywords in two ways:

• Broad match: Reaches searches related to your keyword, including synonyms and related terms
• Phrase match: Reaches searches containing your exact keyword phrase

Research keywords using Pinterest Trends (trends.pinterest.com) to identify seasonal patterns and rising searches in your category. Unlike Google search keywords, Pinterest keywords should be more descriptive and inspirational—users search for "modern farmhouse living room ideas" not just "living room."

Demographic targeting

Layer demographic filters to refine your audience:

• Gender: Female, male, or unspecified
• Age: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65+
• Location: Country, region, metro area
• Language: Interface language preference
• Device: Mobile, desktop, tablet

Note that Pinterest's audience skews female (approximately 60-70% depending on market), though male users are growing rapidly. Consider your product's audience when setting gender targeting—many categories perform well with both.

Audience targeting

Custom audiences enable sophisticated targeting using your own data:

• Customer List: Upload email addresses or mobile ad IDs for direct targeting
• Website Visitors: Retarget users who visited specific pages or took actions
• Engagement Audience: Target users who engaged with your Pins
• Actalike Audience: Pinterest's lookalike equivalent, finding users similar to your source audience

Engagement audiences are particularly valuable on Pinterest—users who save your Pins have demonstrated strong interest and often convert at significantly higher rates than cold traffic. Build engagement audiences from both organic and paid Pin interactions.

Targeting best practices

Pinterest Ad Formats and Creative Best Practices

Pinterest offers multiple ad formats, each suited to different objectives and content types. Understanding format strengths and creative requirements is essential for campaign success. For detailed specifications, see our Pinterest Ad Formats Guide.

Standard Pins

Standard image Pins are the foundation of Pinterest advertising. They appear in feeds, search results, and related Pins, looking identical to organic content except for a small "Promoted" label. Best practices include:

• Vertical format (2:3 ratio): 1000x1500 pixels performs best in mobile feeds
• Lifestyle imagery: Show products in context, not isolated on white backgrounds
• Text overlay: Include compelling headline or value proposition directly on image
• Clear branding: Subtle logo placement for recognition without dominating
• Rich, saturated colors: Stand out in the Pinterest feed

Video Pins

Video Pins auto-play in feeds, capturing attention effectively. Pinterest supports videos from 4 seconds to 15 minutes, though 6-15 seconds performs best for ads. Video best practices:

• Vertical or square format: Maximize mobile screen real estate
• Hook in first 2 seconds: Auto-play means immediate engagement needed
• Design for sound-off: Add captions or text overlay for silent viewing
• Tutorial and how-to content: Exceptionally high engagement on Pinterest
• Clear ending CTA: Tell viewers what action to take

Carousel Pins

Carousel Pins feature 2-5 swipeable images, ideal for storytelling or showcasing multiple products. Each card can link to a different URL. Use carousels for:

• Multiple product showcase (different colors, styles)
• Step-by-step tutorials or processes
• Before/after transformations
• Collection highlights

Shopping Pins

Shopping Pins display product information including price, availability, and title directly on the Pin. They're created automatically from your product catalog and appear in shop tabs, search results, and visual search. Learn more in our Pinterest Shopping Ads Guide.

Collections Pins

Collections feature a hero image with smaller product images below. When users tap, they see an immersive full-screen experience with shoppable products. This format excels for lifestyle brands showing products in aspirational settings.

Creative principles for Pinterest success

Pinterest Ads Cost Benchmarks

Pinterest typically delivers lower costs than Meta or Google Display due to less advertiser competition and high user intent. However, costs vary significantly by vertical, targeting, and objective.

Average cost benchmarks by objective

Factors affecting costs

• Vertical competition: Fashion, beauty, and home decor see more advertisers
• Seasonality: Q4 costs rise significantly, especially for gift categories
• Targeting precision: Narrower targeting typically increases CPCs
• Creative quality: High-engagement Pins earn better placements at lower costs
• Bid strategy: Automatic bidding may pay more than necessary initially

Budget recommendations by business size

Launching Your First Pinterest Campaign

With account setup complete and strategy defined, here's the step-by-step process for creating your first campaign in Pinterest Ads Manager.

Step 1: Create campaign

1. Access Ads Manager from your business account
2. Click "Create campaign"
3. Select your objective (start with Traffic or Conversions for most businesses)
4. Name your campaign descriptively (include objective, audience, date)
5. Set campaign spending limit (optional) or leave uncapped
6. Choose campaign budget type: daily or lifetime

Step 2: Configure ad group

1. Name your ad group (include targeting approach)
2. Set targeting: interests, keywords, demographics
3. Add any audience targeting (retargeting, actalike)
4. Select placements: Browse, Search, or both (start with all)
5. Set ad group budget and schedule
6. Choose bid strategy: automatic (recommended initially) or custom

Step 3: Create your Pins

1. Upload your creative (image or video)
2. Add compelling title (up to 100 characters)
3. Write description with keywords (up to 500 characters)
4. Enter destination URL
5. Preview on mobile and desktop
6. Add 3-5 Pin variations per ad group for testing

Step 4: Review and launch

1. Review all campaign settings
2. Verify tracking is working (test your Pinterest Tag)
3. Confirm budget and schedule
4. Submit for review (typically approved within hours)
5. Monitor initial performance daily for first week

Measuring Pinterest Ads Performance

Pinterest provides comprehensive analytics for understanding campaign performance. However, the platform's unique user behavior—saving Pins for later action—requires different measurement approaches than impulse-driven platforms.

Key metrics to track

Understanding Pinterest attribution

Pinterest users often save Pins and return later to purchase. This behavior requires extended attribution windows to capture full value. Pinterest offers:

• Click-through attribution: 30 or 60 days (recommended: 30 days)
• View-through attribution: 1, 7, or 30 days (recommended: 7 days minimum)
• Engagement attribution: Tracks conversions from Pin saves and closeups

Compare Pinterest attribution with your analytics platform (GA4) to understand cross-platform customer journeys. Pinterest often influences conversions attributed to other channels in last-click models.

Optimization Strategies for Pinterest Ads

After launching campaigns, systematic optimization improves performance over time. Pinterest's algorithm needs 1-2 weeks to learn from initial data before making major changes.

Creative optimization

• Identify top-performing Pins by engagement rate and conversion rate
• Create variations of winners (different copy, colors, layouts)
• Pause underperformers after sufficient data (1,000+ impressions)
• Refresh creative quarterly to prevent fatigue
• Test new formats (video if only using static, carousels for variety)

Targeting optimization

• Review demographic performance—adjust age, gender if clear winners
• Analyze keyword performance—add high performers, pause low performers
• Build actalike audiences from converters once you have sufficient volume
• Layer remarketing audiences for bottom-funnel campaigns
• Test interest expansion or restriction based on quality signals

Budget and bid optimization

• Shift budget toward top-performing ad groups
• Increase budgets gradually (20-30% increments) on winning campaigns
• Test custom bids if automatic bidding seems inefficient
• Consider separate budgets for prospecting vs. retargeting
• Monitor seasonal trends—increase budgets during peak planning periods

Common Pinterest Advertising Mistakes

New Pinterest advertisers often make predictable mistakes that limit results. Avoid these common pitfalls:

• Using non-Pinterest-native creative: Repurposing Facebook ads without adaptation fails—Pinterest requires vertical, inspirational content
• Expecting instant conversions: Pinterest users plan ahead; track longer attribution windows
• Over-targeting initially: Start broader to gather learning data before narrowing
• Ignoring keyword targeting: Keywords are uniquely powerful on Pinterest due to search behavior
• Neglecting organic presence: Paid and organic Pinterest work together; maintain active boards
• Using hard-sell creative: Inspirational content outperforms promotional messaging
• Changing campaigns too quickly: Allow 1-2 weeks for algorithm learning before major adjustments
• Forgetting mobile optimization: 85%+ of Pinterest usage is mobile—preview creative on phone

Next Steps: Expanding Your Pinterest Advertising

Once you've established profitable campaigns with basic Pinterest advertising, expand your presence with advanced strategies:

• Set up Shopping Ads with product catalogs for ecommerce
• Explore all Pinterest ad formats to find what resonates
• Compare Pinterest vs Facebook for optimal budget allocation
• Build full-funnel campaigns with awareness, consideration, and conversion objectives
• Implement seasonal strategies aligned with Pinterest planning cycles

Pinterest advertising rewards patience, visual quality, and understanding of the platform's unique user behavior. Unlike interruption-based advertising, Pinterest lets you reach users actively seeking inspiration in your category. Master the fundamentals covered here, then continue refining your approach based on performance data and evolving platform features.

Ready to understand what creative resonates with Pinterest audiences? Benly's ad intelligence helps you analyze competitor Pinterest strategies, identify trending visual approaches in your category, and generate creative variations that match Pinterest's inspirational aesthetic. Stop guessing what works and start creating Pins backed by competitive insights.