Running effective Pinterest ads involves a mix of strategic planning, visual creative, and platform-specific targeting. Pinterest users are highly motivated—they are actively looking for ideas and products to purchase or try, making it a powerful platform for advertisers.

Here is a step-by-step tutorial for running Pinterest Ads in 2024.

Pre-Launch Checklist
Before you create your first campaign, ensure you have these elements in place:

Pinterest Business Account: You must have a free Business Account to access the Ads Manager.

Claim Your Website: Link your website to your Pinterest profile to verify your domain.

Install the Pinterest Tag: This is a snippet of code you install on your website (similar to the Facebook Pixel). It allows you to:

Track conversions (purchases, sign-ups).

Measure ad performance accurately.

Build Retargeting and Lookalike Audiences.

Create High-Quality Pins: You must have the creative assets (Pins) ready to promote. Best practice is to upload your Pin organically first so it can gather engagement and potentially benefit from organic distribution as well.

Step 1: Create Your Campaign
Navigate to your Ads Manager and select Create Campaign.

1. Choose a Campaign Objective
Your objective defines how Pinterest will optimize your ad delivery and bids. Select the one that aligns with your business goal:

Objective   Goal   Ideal For
Awareness   Reach the maximum number of people.   Brand introduction, new product launch.
Consideration   Drive traffic/clicks to your website.   Blog posts, product pages (before a purchase decision).
Conversions   Drive a specific action on your website.   E-commerce sales, lead generation, sign-ups.
Catalog Sales   Automatically promote products from your product feed.   Businesses with large product catalogs.
Video Views   Maximize views of your video Pin.   Tutorials, brand storytelling, product demos.

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2. Set Your Budget and Schedule
Campaign Name: Give it a clear, descriptive name (e.g., Conversion - Skincare Products - Sept 2024).

Budget: All campaigns use Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO).

Daily Budget: Pinterest aims to spend this amount each day.

Lifetime Budget: Pinterest distributes this amount evenly over your entire campaign duration.

Schedule: Select a start date. You can choose to Run continuously or set an optional end date for time-sensitive promotions.

Step 2: Define Your Ad Group and Targeting
The Ad Group level is where you set your specific targeting and bidding.

1. Choose Your Targeting Strategy
Pinterest offers three main ways to target users:

Strategy   Description   Best For
Find New Customers (Interests & Keywords)   Targets users based on their activity (searches, Pins saved, etc.)   Top/Middle of Funnel (Awareness/Consideration)
Reconnect with Users (Retargeting)   Targets users who have previously engaged with your content.   Bottom of Funnel (Conversions/Sales)
Choose Your Own   Allows you to manually combine different audience types.   Advanced advertisers who want precise control.

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2. Select Audience Segments
Interests: Choose broad categories that your target customer is interested in (e.g., Home Decor, Travel, Healthy Recipes).

Keywords: Crucial for Pinterest, which functions as a visual search engine. Add relevant search terms your audience would use (e.g., DIY patio furniture, vegan dinner ideas, minimalist jewelry).

Demographics: Filter by location, language, gender, and age (Pinterest users are often planners, so target based on intent rather than just age).

Customer Lists/Lookalikes: Use your installed Pinterest Tag to create audiences of people who visited your site, added an item to a cart, or purchased, and then create a Lookalike Audience (similar to your best customers).

Step 3: Select Your Pins (The Ad Creative)
This is the final step, where you choose the creative to promote.

Select Pins: Choose 3–5 Pins from your existing boards that are already performing well organically, or create new ones specifically for the ad.

Review Pin Details:

Name: Give the Pin a clear name (this is for your tracking, not public view).

Destination URL: Ensure the link is correct and points to a fast-loading, mobile-optimized landing page.

Tracking Parameters (Optional): Add URL parameters to ensure you can track the Pin accurately in external tools like Google Analytics.

Final Review: The Ads Manager will prompt you to review all campaign, ad group, and Pin details.

Publish: Click Publish to launch your campaign. You may be asked to input your payment method if you haven't already.

Best Practices for Success in 2024
Area   Best Practice   Why it Matters
Creative   Use Vertical Images (2:3 Ratio): Ideal size is 1000 x 1500 pixels.   Vertical Pins take up the most screen real estate, especially on mobile.
Visual Storytelling: Show the product in use or demonstrate a tutorial/solution.   Users are looking for inspiration and utility, not just static product shots.
Clear Text Overlay & Branding: Include concise, benefit-focused text and your logo.   Quickly communicates your offer as users scroll quickly.
Targeting   Keyword-Rich Copy: Treat Pinterest as a search engine. Include relevant keywords in your Pin title and description.   Helps the algorithm find the right users who are actively searching for your solution.
A/B Test Ad Groups: Run multiple ad groups simultaneously with different targeting (e.g., one targeting Interests and one targeting Keywords).   Helps you quickly determine which audience segment is most profitable.
Optimization   Wait 3-5 Days: Allow the campaign time to gather data and for Pinterest's algorithm to optimize delivery before making changes.   Knee-jerk changes disrupt the learning phase and waste budget.
Prioritize Conversion Tracking: Monitor key metrics like CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) and ROAS (Return on Ad Spend).   Ensures your ad spend is directly contributing to a positive ROI.