This is a fantastic "A/B test" question for any Etsy seller! The decision between Pinterest Ads and Etsy Ads (or using both) can significantly impact your marketing budget and sales. Here's a breakdown of what you might have found after your test, and what others generally experience, to help you decide if Pinterest Ads are right for your business in 2025:

I Tested Pinterest Ads vs. Etsy Ads: My Results (Likely Scenarios & Analysis)
Understanding the Core Differences
Etsy Ads: Internal platform advertising. Targets users who are already on Etsy and actively looking to buy. It's a "bottom of the funnel" tool for high-intent buyers.

Pinterest Ads: External platform advertising. Targets users who are searching for inspiration, ideas, and planning purchases. It's more of a "top to mid-funnel" tool, excellent for discovery and brand awareness, but also driving conversions.

Likely Findings from Your 100-Day Test
Etsy Ads Performance (What you likely saw):
Pros:

Higher Conversion Rate (per click/view): For the same number of clicks, Etsy Ads might have resulted in a higher percentage of immediate sales. Users on Etsy are often in a buying mindset.

Simpler Setup: Easier to launch campaigns directly within your Etsy Seller Dashboard.

Direct Attribution: Clear connection between the ad click and the sale within Etsy's ecosystem.

Good for "Now" Purchases: If your product is something someone needs right away (e.g., a last-minute gift), Etsy Ads can capture that immediate intent.

Cons:

Limited Reach: You're only reaching people already on Etsy. You're not bringing new buyers to the platform or to your niche.

Higher Competition (within Etsy): You're competing directly with other Etsy sellers for ad space for the same keywords. This can drive up CPC (Cost Per Click).

Less Control Over Targeting: Etsy's targeting options are generally more basic compared to Pinterest. You rely heavily on Etsy's algorithm to show your ads to relevant buyers based on your listing details.

Potential for Higher CPC (Cost Per Click): Due to the high buyer intent, competition can make clicks more expensive, and if your listings aren't optimized, those clicks might not convert.

Offsite Ads (Etsy's approach): While beneficial for reach (appearing on Google, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.), sellers have less control over these, and there's a higher commission (12-15%) if a sale results from them, particularly if your shop meets the $10,000 threshold.

Pinterest Ads Performance (What you likely saw):
Pros:

Massive Reach & New Audience Acquisition: Pinterest has hundreds of millions of users globally. You can expose your shop to people who might never have found you on Etsy. This is key for scaling your brand beyond Etsy's walls.

Visual Search Engine Advantage: People go to Pinterest to plan, discover, and get inspiration for purchases. If your products are visually appealing and solve a problem or fit an aesthetic, Pinterest is ideal.

Lower CPC (Potentially): Compared to platforms like Google Ads or even Etsy Ads, Pinterest CPC can often be lower, especially if your ad creatives are strong and highly relevant.

Sophisticated Targeting: You have granular control over targeting:

Keywords: Target specific search terms (e.g., "personalized baby shower gifts," "boho home decor").

Interests: Reach users interested in broad categories (e.g., "crafts," "weddings," "sustainable living").

Audiences: Retarget website visitors (from your Etsy shop if your Pinterest Tag is set up), upload customer lists, or create "ActAlike" (lookalike) audiences based on your best customers.

Demographics: Refine by age, gender, location.

Placement: Control where your ads appear (home feed, search results, related Pins).

Longer Lifespan of Content: Pins have a much longer shelf life than content on platforms like Instagram or Facebook. An evergreen Pin can continue to drive traffic and sales months or even years after it's published, even after the ad campaign ends.

Brand Building: Consistent presence on Pinterest builds brand awareness and authority.

Cons:

Lower Initial Conversion Rate (per click): Because users are often in the "inspiration" phase, they might not buy immediately. The conversion journey can be longer.

Requires Strong Visuals: Pinterest is highly visual. If your product photos aren't stunning and optimized for Pinterest (vertical aspect ratio, lifestyle shots), your ads won't perform.

Learning Curve: Setting up Pinterest Ads (especially for conversions) requires understanding the platform's objectives, targeting, and analytics.

External Traffic: You're driving traffic off Pinterest to Etsy. You'll need to ensure your Etsy listings are perfectly optimized to convert this colder traffic.

Tracking: While you can use the Pinterest Tag (Conversion API is better) to track conversions from Pinterest to Etsy, it's not as seamless as Etsy's internal tracking.

Should You Try Pinterest Ads for Your Business (Especially if you're an Etsy Seller)?
YES, ABSOLUTELY, if:

Your products are highly visual: Think home decor, fashion, crafts, jewelry, art, digital products (planners, templates), food, wedding items, gift ideas, health & beauty.

Your target audience is on Pinterest: Pinterest's user base is predominantly female, often in the 25-54 age range, and highly engaged in planning and purchasing. (Pinterest reaches 83% of women aged 25-54).

You want to scale beyond Etsy's organic reach: If you've maxed out your Etsy SEO and Etsy Ads for direct sales, Pinterest is your next frontier for new customer acquisition.

You're willing to invest in high-quality creative: You need captivating images and videos that fit Pinterest's aesthetic.

You understand the longer sales cycle: Pinterest buyers might save your Pin and buy weeks later. It's about nurturing intent.

You can optimize your Etsy listings: Your Etsy product pages need to be compelling, with clear descriptions, excellent photos, and a smooth checkout process, to convert the traffic from Pinterest.

You're looking for sustainable, long-term brand building: Pinterest Pins live forever and can continue to bring traffic even after your ad campaigns end.

When to be cautious or prioritize Etsy Ads:

Very limited budget: If your budget is tiny, Etsy Ads might give you quicker, albeit more limited, direct sales for that immediate ROI.

Non-visual products: If your product is highly technical or not visually appealing, Pinterest might not be the best fit.

No time for creative development: If you can't create engaging Pins, your Pinterest Ads will likely underperform.

Conclusion:

For most Etsy sellers, Pinterest Ads are a powerful complement to Etsy Ads, not a replacement. Etsy Ads capture existing demand; Pinterest Ads create new demand and introduce your brand to a vast, engaged audience who are actively looking for inspiration and planning purchases.

If your 100-day test showed promise (even if conversions per click were lower but the sheer volume of traffic and potential audience reach was significant), you should definitely lean into Pinterest Ads to scale your business. Focus on optimizing your Pinterest ad creatives, leveraging detailed targeting, and tracking the full customer journey from Pin to purchase.