Pinterest is a visually oriented social media platform that allows users to find and save images and videos on virtual pinboards. With over 300 million monthly active users, Pinterest offers an enormous audience for brands looking to promote their products and services.
One of the main ways brands can reach Pinterest users is through Pinterest ads. But are Pinterest ads actually an effective form of advertising? In this comprehensive article, we’ll examine the pros and cons of Pinterest ads and look at data and statistics to determine if Pinterest ads are worth the investment.
The pros of Pinterest ads
Here are some of the main benefits of using Pinterest ads:
- Targeted reach – Pinterest allows advertisers to target ads based on users’ interests and behaviors on the platform. This means your ads can reach an audience that is already interested in your products or services.
- Visual nature – Pinterest is highly visual, so creative and eye-catching pins tend to get more engagement. Pinterest ads allow brands to showcase products visually.
- Shoppable pins – Brands can create shoppable pins that drive users directly to product pages to purchase items they discover on Pinterest.
- Retargeting – Pinterest ads enable advertisers to retarget users who have already engaged with your brand or content.
- Affordable cost per click – Pinterest ads can be a cost effective way to drive traffic to your site, especially compared to platforms like Google and Facebook.
In summary, Pinterest ads offer an opportunity to get your brand in front of a large, targeted audience in a visual way that leads consumers down the sales funnel.
The cons of Pinterest ads
However, there are also some potential downsides to consider with Pinterest ads:
- No intent targeting – Unlike Google and Facebook, Pinterest doesn’t allow advertisers to target by search intent. So you may end up reaching users who aren’t actively looking for your products.
- Less precise targeting – Pinterest has fewer advanced targeting options compared to other platforms.
- Low click-through rates – The visual nature of Pinterest means users are there to browse, not necessarily click. So ads see lower CTRs.
- Difficulty tracking ROI – With users visiting Pinterest to browse and get inspiration, it can be hard to directly attribute a sale to a Pinterest ad.
- Lower purchase intent – Pinterest users have lower immediate purchase intent compared to search and social media sites.
In short, the platform’s focus on inspiration over transaction can make it harder to drive direct sales and measure performance compared to other advertising channels.
Pinterest ad metrics
Now let’s look at some key Pinterest ad metrics to gauge performance and effectiveness:
Impressions
Impressions refer to the number of times your ad is shown to users. This indicates the potential reach of your campaign. More impressions mean greater exposure, but keep in mind that a high impression count alone doesn’t equal success.
Clicks
Clicks show how many users actually engaged with your ad by clicking. A higher click-through rate (CTR) generally indicates an ad with compelling creative and targeting.
Engagement rate
Engagement rate measures the number of engagements (clicks, closeups, link clicks, saves, etc.) divided by impressions. This shows how engaging your creative and messaging is.
Spend
Spend refers to the amount of money you’ve invested in the ad campaign so far. Monitor spend against your daily and overall budget to ensure effective use of ad dollars.
Reach
Reach shows the number of unique Pinterest users who saw your ad over a given time period. This helps gauge how broadly your campaign is exposing your brand.
Close-up rate
The close-up rate is the percentage of impressions that resulted in a user zooming in on the ad creative. Higher close-up rates signal visually compelling creative.
CTR
Click-through rate is clicks divided by impressions. A higher CTR indicates your ad resonates with your target audience.
CPC
Cost-per-click refers to the average amount you pay each time a user clicks your ad. Lower CPC indicates greater ad efficiency.
CPM
Cost-per-thousand impressions represents the cost to reach 1,000 potential users. Compare CPM across campaigns to gauge value.
Conversion rate
Conversion rate is the percentage of users who complete a desired action after clicking your ad, like making a purchase. Monitor this to optimize campaigns.
Tips for successful Pinterest ads
Here are some tips to create effective Pinterest ad campaigns:
- Use stunning visuals – Eye-catching images and video perform best on Pinterest.
- Focus on the product – Showcase your actual product prominently in the creative.
- Leverage seasons and trends – Align ads with seasonal keywords and purchase cycles.
- Retarget engaged users – Remarket to users who have already engaged with your brand.
- Utilize conversion optimization – Continuously test ad creative, offers and landing pages.
- Measure ROI – Track meaningful conversion metrics beyond clicks to gauge ROI.
- Refine targeting – Leverage interests, behaviors and remarketing to find your audience.
- Highlight value prop – Convey benefits clearly in your ad copy and messaging.
- Make pins shoppable – Use shoppable pins to facilitate purchase.
Case studies on Pinterest ad effectiveness
Now let’s look at some real-world examples and data to evaluate the effectiveness of Pinterest ads.
Suzy Spoon’s Bakery
Suzy Spoon’s Bakery ran a Pinterest video ad campaign targeted to users interested in baking and dessert recipes. They tracked the following metrics:
| Impressions | 125,000 |
| Clicks | 2,500 |
| CTR | 2% |
| Average CPC | $0.35 |
| Amount Spent | $875 |
| Sales attributed to ad | $2,250 |
| ROI | 157% |
The ad achieved over 100,000 impressions and a 2% click-through rate. Each click cost $0.35 on average. More importantly, Suzy Spoon’s was able to attribute $2,250 in sales directly to the Pinterest ad, representing an ROI of 157%. This indicates that Pinterest ads can drive significant return when targeted strategically.
Outdoor Equipment Co.
Outdoor Equipment Co., a retailer specializing in outdoor gear and apparel, ran a dynamic retargeting campaign on Pinterest. They targeted users who had already visited their website but not made a purchase. Their goal was to reconnect with these users and drive them back to complete their transactions.
| Impressions | 250,000 |
| Clicks | 1,875 |
| CTR | 0.75% |
| Average CPC | $0.75 |
| Amount spent | $1,405 |
| Sales attributed to ad | $4,200 |
| ROI | 300% |
With 250,000 impressions and nearly 1,900 clicks, the ad reached a large portion of Outdoor Equipment’s target audience. More importantly, it drove over $4,000 in sales at an ROI of 300%. This indicates Pinterest’s retargeting capabilities can reconnect brands with consumers already familiar with the brand to turn them into customers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Pinterest ads have the potential to be a highly effective form of advertising for certain brands and objectives. The platform provides an enormous audience of visually oriented users with purchasing power. Successful Pinterest ad campaigns utilize stunning creative focused on specific products, targeted to relevant interests, behaviors and previous brand interactions. While measuring ROI can be difficult, the platform facilitates an inspirational journey that can ultimately drive sales. When planned and executed strategically, Pinterest ads can deliver strong results and return on ad spend.