How to Advertise on Pinterest for Etsy

Running an Etsy shop means you’re already a multi-talented maker, marketer, and shipper, and adding paid ads to that list can feel overwhelming. But Pinterest isn't just another platform, it's a visual discovery engine packed with users actively looking for ideas and products just like yours. This guide breaks down exactly how to use Pinterest ads to connect with your perfect customers, drive traffic to your Etsy store, and grow your sales, step by step.

Why Pinterest is the Perfect Ad Platform for Etsy Sellers

Before launching a campaign, it helps to understand why this combination works so well. Unlike other social media platforms where ads interrupt socializing, Pinterest ads fit seamlessly into the user experience. People are on Pinterest to find inspiration, plan future purchases, and discover new products. They want to see what you’re selling.

• High Purchase Intent: Users on Pinterest are often looking for solutions to problems or planning for life events (like weddings, home decorating, or finding the perfect gift). Your handmade decor, custom jewelry, or unique wedding invitations are the answers they’re searching for.
• Visual Storytelling: Etsy is a visual marketplace, and so is Pinterest. Your high-quality product photos and lifestyle shots are the perfect creative material for compelling ads. You can show your product not just as an item, but as part of an aspirational lifestyle.
• Long Pin Lifespan: A single Pin can be saved and re-shared for months, or even years, after you’ve created it. When you put ad spend behind a great Pin, you’re not just paying for a temporary boost, you're promoting evergreen content that can continue to drive traffic long after your campaign ends.

The Groundwork: Setting Up Your Profile for Success

You can't just toss money at an ad and hope for the best. A little preparation is needed to make sure your advertising budget is spent effectively. Think of this as getting your storefront ready before the big sale.

1. Switch to a Pinterest Business Account

If you haven’t already, convert your personal account to a business account. It's free and unlocks essential tools you'll need for advertising, including analytics, the ads manager, and the ability to claim your content. You get a much deeper understanding of who your audience is and what content resonates with them.

2. Claim Your Etsy Account

Claiming your Etsy account is a small step with big benefits. It links your Pinterest profile directly to your shop, adding your profile picture to any Pin saved from your Etsy store. This builds authority and gives you access to analytics for every Pin that's ever been saved from your shop - even those saved by other users. It signals to Pinterest (and its users) that you’re the official source for your products.

To do this, go to your Pinterest settings under "Claimed Accounts" and click "Claim" next to Etsy. You'll be prompted to log into your Etsy account to authorize the connection. It’s that simple.

3. Important Note on the Pinterest Tag

In a perfect world, you'd install the Pinterest Tag - a snippet of code - directly on your website to track conversions and build retargeting audiences. However, Etsy does not allow sellers to add this type of code to their shops. Does that mean advertising is useless? Not at all. It just means you need to adjust your strategy.

Instead of focusing entirely on direct sales conversions (which you can't perfectly track without the tag), prioritize campaign objectives like Consideration (clicks to your shop) and Brand Awareness. You can still use Pinterest to introduce your products to millions of potential buyers and drive motivated traffic directly to your listings. Plus, you can still create audiences based on people who have interacted with your Pins, a very powerful targeting tool.

Understanding Pinterest Campaign Structure

Pinterest’s Ads Manager is organized into three levels. Getting this structure clear in your head will make building campaigns feel far less intimidating.

• Campaign: This is the highest level, where you choose your advertising objective (e.g., drive traffic to your shop).
• Ad Group: Here, you set your targeting, budget, and schedule. You can have multiple Ad Groups within a single campaign to test different audiences or keywords.
• Ads (Pins): These are the actual Pins you want to promote within each Ad Group.

For example, you might run a "Summer Jewelry Campaign" (Campaign) with two separate Ad Groups: one targeting users interested in "boho wedding styles" and another targeting users searching for "handmade graduation gifts." Each Ad Group would contain different Pins (Ads) relevant to that audience.

Step-by-Step: Creating Your First Pinterest Ad Campaign

Ready to go? Let’s walk through the exact steps to launch a simple, effective traffic-driving campaign for your Etsy shop.

Step 1: Choose Your Campaign Objective

In your Pinterest Ads Manager, click "Create Campaign." Pinterest will ask you to choose an objective. For an Etsy seller new to ads, Consideration is the perfect place to start. This objective is designed to drive traffic from Pinterest to an external site - in this case, your Etsy shop. It prioritizes showing your ad to people who are most likely to click through.

Step 2: Define Your Budget and Schedule

Next, you’ll set up your Ad Group details. This is where you tell Pinterest how much you want to spend and when.

• Budget: You can choose between a Daily budget (e.g., $10 per day) or a Lifetime budget (e.g., $150 over 2 weeks). For beginners, a small daily budget of $5-$10 is plenty to start learning what works without a major investment.
• Schedule: You can let your ads run continuously or set a specific start and end date. If you’re promoting a seasonal item or a sale, setting dates is a great idea. Otherwise, running it continuously and keeping an eye on performance is fine.

Step 3: Build Your Audience Targeting

This is where you tell Pinterest exactly who you want to see your ads. This is arguably the most important step. Don’t just guess! Think deeply about your ideal customer.

Targeting Strategies:

• Interest Targeting: This is a powerful, broad approach. If you sell custom pet portraits, you can target people interested in "Dog Lovers," "Pet Art," and "Custom Gifts." Pinterest will show your ads to users who have shown interest in these categories through their searching and saving behavior.
• Keyword Targeting: This is more specific and captures high intent. You can target users who are actively searching for terms relevant to your product, just like on Etsy or Google. Use phrases your customers would search for, such as "personalized bridesmaid necklace," "farmhouse wall decor," or "minimalist art print." Pro Tip: Use Pinterest’s search bar to find popular related terms. Type in a core term like "wedding decor" and see what auto-suggestions pop up. Those are your keyword goldmines.
• Audience Targeting: While you can't retarget Etsy shop visitors, you can create an "engagement audience." This allows you to target people who have already saved, commented on, or clicked on your organic Pins. This is a warm audience that’s already familiar with your brand, making them great candidates for seeing an ad.

Start with a mix of interests and keywords. In your Ad Group settings, you can add multiple targeting criteria to expand or refine your audience reach.

Step 4: Select Your Pins (Your Ad Creative)

Finally, it's time to choose which Pins you want to promote. You can either select existing, popular Pins from your own profile or create a brand-new Pin specifically for the ad campaign.

What Makes a Great Pin Ad?

• It's Vertical: Design for mobile screens using a 2:3 aspect ratio (e.g., 1000 x 1500 pixels). This takes up more screen real estate and grabs attention.
• High-Quality Imagery: This is non-negotiable for Etsy sellers. Your product needs to shine. Use clear, bright, lifestyle shots that show your product in action or within an inspiring scene. A static photo of an earring on a white background is good, a photo of a person happily wearing that earring at an event is much better.
• Subtle Text Overlay: Add a simple, readable text overlay that communicates your value quickly. Phrases like "Handmade Just for You," "Custom Wedding Signs," or "The Perfect Handcrafted Gift" work beautifully.
• Gentle Branding: Add your shop logo discreetly to the Pin. It builds brand recognition without feeling like a blatant ad.
• Clear Description and Link: Write a compelling Pin description using relevant keywords and make sure the ad links directly to the correct Etsy product listing. Don't make potential customers hunt for the item they just fell in love with.

Start by promoting two or three different Pins in your Ad Group. This allows you to A/B test your creative and see which images or headlines perform best.

Step 5: Launch and Analyze

Once you’ve reviewed all your settings, hit "Publish." Congratulations! Your first campaign is now under review by Pinterest. Once approved, it will start running.

Check your Ads Manager daily for the first few days. Don't make drastic changes right away, give the algorithm time to learn. Pay attention to a few key metrics:

• Impressions: How many times your ad was shown.
• Outbound Clicks: How many people clicked through to your Etsy store.
• Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of impressions that resulted in a click. A good CTR suggests your creative is compelling.
• Cost Per Click (CPC): How much you’re paying for each click. Your goal is to keep this as low as possible while reaching the right people.

After about a week, you can start making adjustments. If one Pin ad has a much higher CTR and lower CPC than another, pause the underperformer and allocate more budget to the winner.

Final Thoughts

Advertising on Pinterest is a perfect match for bringing your Etsy creations to a wider audience. By setting up your account correctly, defining a clear objective, targeting the right users, and choosing beautiful creative, you can create campaigns that drive valuable, discovery-minded shoppers directly to your digital doorstep.

A successful ad strategy is built on a strong foundation of great organic content. It takes constant effort to create and schedule engaging Pins to build up an audience and find out what really resonates before you spend money on ads. We built Postbase to simplify exactly that. Our visual calendar makes it easy to plan out your Pinterest strategy, schedule Pins weeks in advance, and analyze which content performs best organically, so you know exactly which Pins are worth promoting.