How to Create a Pinterest Ad

Pinterest is more than just a platform for collecting home decor ideas or future recipes, it's a powerful advertising tool where your ideal customers are actively looking for solutions and inspiration. Setting up your first Pinterest Ad campaign can feel daunting, but it's a direct path to an audience with high purchase intent. This guide will give you a clear, step-by-step walkthrough to create, launch, and manage Pinterest ads that connect with your audience and drive results.

Why Advertise on Pinterest? It's All About Intent

Unlike other social platforms where users passively scroll to see what their friends are up to, people come to Pinterest with a purpose. They are in a discovery mindset, actively searching for ideas, products, and services to plan their future. This isn't just mindless browsing, it's active consideration. They're planning weddings, home renovations, vacations, and weeknight dinners. This "planning" mentality translates to a high level of commercial intent, making them incredibly receptive to branded content that helps them achieve their goals. When you run a Pinterest Ad, you aren't interrupting their feed, you're providing a solution right when they're looking for one.

Getting Started: Your Pinterest Ad Pre-Flight Checklist

Before you spend a single dollar, a little bit of prep work will set your campaigns up for success. These foundational steps are necessary for tracking performance and unlocking the full power of Pinterest's advertising tools.

1. Set Up Your Pinterest Business Account

If you're still using a personal profile, your first step is to switch to a free Business account. You can either convert your existing account or create a new one. A Business account is non-negotiable for advertising, as it gives you access to the Pinterest Ads Manager, in-depth analytics on Pin performance, and audience insights.

2. Claim Your Website

Claiming your website tells Pinterest that you own it. This is a simple verification process that unlocks some important benefits. Most importantly, it gives you access to your website's Pinterest analytics, allows your profile picture to appear on all Pins originating from your site (even those saved by other users), and helps with ad attribution, so you know which Pins are driving traffic and sales.

3. Install the Pinterest Tag

The Pinterest Tag is a small piece of code you install on your website. If you've ever set up a Facebook Pixel, the concept is identical. This tag is the brain behind your ad tracking. It allows you to:

• Track Conversions: See which ads lead to specific actions on your site, like newsletter sign-ups, items added to a cart, or completed purchases. This is how you measure your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).
• Build Retargeting Audiences: Create audiences based on user behavior. For example, you can target people who visited your website, viewed a specific product category, or abandoned their shopping cart. These are some of the highest-performing audiences you can build.

Without the Pinterest Tag, you're essentially advertising in the dark. It's a foundational step for running profitable campaigns.

4. Understand Your Objective

Last but not least, be clear on what you want to accomplish. Are you trying to get your brand in front of a new audience? Drive traffic to a specific blog post? Generate sales for a new product line? Your goal will determine how you set up the entire campaign, from the objective you select to the copy you write.

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

Once your account is prepped, you're ready to jump into the Ads Manager and build your first campaign. Pinterest's campaign structure is logical and broken into three levels: Campaign, Ad Group, and Ad (Promoted Pin).

Campaign > Ad Group > Ad

Think of it like this: The Campaign is the filing cabinet with a single objective. Ad Groups are the folders inside, each with its own targeting and budget. The Ads are the actual Pins inside each folder.

Step 1: Choose Your Campaign Objective

When you create a new campaign, the first thing Pinterest will ask is for your objective. This choice tells the algorithm what result you want to optimize for.

• Brand Awareness: Ideal for reaching a broad, new audience. You pay per 1,000 impressions (CPM). Use this when you want to get your name out there without focusing on clicks or sales.
• Consideration (Traffic): This is the most common objective for driving clicks to your website or blog. You pay per click (CPC). Choose this when your goal is to move users from Pinterest to your own site.
• Conversions: The go-to for driving specific actions like purchases or sign-ups. The Pinterest Tag is required for this. You'll typically pay per click, but the algorithm will prioritize showing your ads to users most likely to convert.

Step 2: Set Your Campaign Details (Budget and Schedule)

At the campaign level, you'll set an overall spending cap if you wish, but the real budgeting happens in the next step. Here, you'll name your campaign something descriptive (e.g., "Q4 Holiday Collection - Traffic"), set the status to Active or Paused, and decide on a lifetime or daily campaign spending limit. A spending limit here acts as a safety net for all the ad groups within.

Step 3: Define Your Targeting in an Ad Group

The Ad Group is where the real strategy comes into play. This is where you set your budget, schedule, and, most importantly, define exactly who will see your ads.

Budget & Schedule

You can set a daily budget (e.g., $10 per day) or a lifetime budget (e.g., $300 to spend over the next 30 days). For beginners, a daily budget is often easier to manage.

Targeting Strategies

Pinterest gives you powerful ways to reach your customers. You can layer these options to fine-tune your audience.

• Audiences: This lets you use your own data. You can upload a customer email list, retarget people who have visited your website, or target users who have engaged with your Pins recently. You can also create "ActAlike" audiences to find new people who behave like your best customers.
• Interests: Target people based on the broad topics they've shown interest in on Pinterest, such as "interior design," "vegan recipes," or "sustainable fashion." This is great for reaching people at the top of the funnel who are still in the inspiration phase.
• Keywords: This is one of Pinterest's most powerful features. Because Pinterest functions as a visual search engine, you can target users based on the exact search terms they type. Think like a customer: what would they search for to find your product? Use both broad ("living room ideas") and specific ("modern minimalist sofa") keywords.
• Demographics: Refine your audience by gender, age, location, language, and even device type.

For your first campaign, try starting with either interest or keyword targeting. Don't layer too many options at once, or your audience may become too small to deliver effectively.

Step 4: Select Your Pins (The Creative)

Finally, you get to the Ad level, where you select the Pins you want to promote. You can choose from Pins that are already on your profile or upload a brand new one just for the ad.

Your creative is the most important part of your ad. Here are some best practices for Pins that perform well:

• Go Vertical: Use a 2:3 aspect ratio (e.g., 1000 x 1500 pixels). The vast majority of Pinners are on mobile, and a vertical format takes up the most screen real estate.
• Use High-Quality Visuals: Your images and videos should be crisp, clear, and visually appealing. Avoid blurry or poorly lit content. Lifestyle photos often outperform simple product shots.
• Add Text Overlay: Add a concise, compelling headline directly onto your Pin creative. It should immediately communicate the value or idea of the Pin, as many users scroll quickly.
• Subtly Brand It: Place your logo tastefully on the Pin, usually near the bottom. You want people to associate the great idea with your brand.
• Write Clear Descriptions: Your Pin description should include relevant keywords and a clear call to action, telling the user what you want them to do next (e.g., "Click to shop the full look," "Tap to read the 5-step guide.").

Step 5: Launch and Review

Once you've selected your Pins, chosen a destination URL for each, and reviewed your campaign, hit "Launch." Your ads will go into a review process by Pinterest, which typically takes less than 24 hours. After they're approved, they'll start serving. Be sure to check your Ads Manager dashboard after a few days to monitor performance. Look at metrics like click-through rate (CTR), cost per click (CPC), and of course, your conversions.

Beyond the Basics: Tips for Effective Pinterest Ads

Building the campaign is just the first step. To make your ads truly effective, keep these principles in mind.

Think Like a Pinner, Not a Marketer

The best ads on Pinterest don't feel like ads. They are genuinely helpful, inspiring, or educational. Instead of promoting a product with a hard sell, promote a solution, an idea, or a look. Frame your product as the key to achieving the Pinner's goal. For example, instead of an ad saying "Buy Our Paint," create a beautiful Pin titled "5 Calming Paint Colors for a Relaxing Bedroom."

Leverage Video Pins

In a feed of static images, a dash of movement can make your Pin stand out. Video Pins, even short, simple ones, are excellent for grabbing attention and quickly telling a story or demonstrating a product. They don't need to be high-production either, a simple animated text overlay or a looping clip can be very effective.

Make Your Landing Page Match the Pin

Creating a seamless user experience is an absolute must. If your ad shows a specific blue floral dress, the link should take the user directly to the product page for that *exact* dress. Forcing users to hunt for the item they just saw is a guaranteed way to lose a sale.

Test, Test, Test

Don't assume your first attempt will be a runaway success. Great advertising is about iteration. Create different ad groups to test various targeting options. Within an ad group, test two or three different Pin creatives against each other to see which image, headline, or video gets the best results. Start with small budgets, find what works, and then scale up your spending on the winning combinations.

Final Thoughts

Creating a Pinterest ad is a straightforward process when you break it down into manageable steps. By preparing your account, defining your audience carefully, and using high-quality creative that serves the user, you can tap into a platform full of customers actively looking for their next purchase.

While your ad campaigns are busy driving traffic, maintaining a consistent organic presence is equally important for building trust and brand loyalty. To streamline that side of things, we built Postbase to make planning and scheduling all your social media content - including your organic Pins - simple and reliable. It helps you keep your content calendar full and your audience engaged, complementing the valuable traffic you're bringing in from your ads.