Some time ago, I was asked whether Pinterest Ads are worthwhile. My answer was: it depends.

I tried out a few campaigns in the past, with a limited budget and varying success. At the same time, I read and watched everything I could find about Pinterest Ads. I even invested in an online course.

When I am now (many months later) asked whether Pinterest ads are worth the money, I can say (with full confidence): it depends.

Sorry, not sorry. It’s really true. It depends. If you exactly know your audience, if they are on Pinterest (the chances are high that they are) and if you know how to solve their problems (or satisfy their needs): go for it. Want to find out how a really successful Pinterest Ad campaign looks like? Be sure to read this blog post and find out how I achieved an ROI (return on investment) of more than 1000 % for a Pinterest Ads customer!

If you have experience with Facebook Ads, you may be surprised. Very pleasantly surprised, I might add.

If you randomly promote one of your Pins without thinking about your audience, your goals, and how to achieve them: forget Pinterest Ads (but please do yourself a favor and also forget Facebook and Instagram Ads).

Costs for Promoted Pins are still low, compared to other sites

In any case, you will have to invest some money and try some things until you find out what works for you — and what does not. Please be sure to do your homework before paying for Pinterest Ads, otherwise, you will just burn your money.

I’m a big fan of organic, non-paid traffic, but I have to admit that Pinterest Ads are quite fascinating if used the right way, so I decided to write a series of posts about them. Let’s start with some facts!

Numbers and statistics

83% of weekly Pinners have made a purchase based on Pins they saw from brands. Source: GfK

Pinterest Ads are usually not perceived as annoying and intrusive by the user (in contrast to most other platforms).

Most Pinterest users are female and have a high purchasing intention, coupled with good purchasing power. Want more exact numbers? Here we go: 

  • About two-thirds of Pinterest users are female
  • Shopping is a top priority for 48% of Pinterest users (Cowen and Company Survey)
  • The majority of Pinterest users earn more than $75,000 a year (Pew Research Study). 

How do Pinterest Ads work?

From the perspective of Pinterest users, ads are unobtrusively integrated into the Pinterest experience. They are, of course (discreetly) marked as ads, but they usually fit very well into the feed or the search results.

From the advertiser’s point of view, Pinterest ads are easy to set up. However, as always, there is a particular risk involved when things become too comfortable. You have to sit down and plan before throwing money into Ads!

Are Pinterest Ads worth it?

Main Disadvantage:

The targeting possibilities are not as sophisticated and complete as with Facebook Ads.

Main Advantages:

Pinterest Ads are easier to set up than Facebook Ads.

It is possible to achieve a low CPC (cost per click) and reach the right target group precisely.

Pinterest Ad with low CPC
Less then 10 Cents for a highly targeted click is a great, low CPC

A huge, lesser-known advantage of Pinterest Ads: the advertised pins not only stay on the platform when the campaign ends, much better: all interactions that take place then (after the end of the campaign) are entirely free. 

In the case of a traffic campaign, billing is based on CPC (not typical on other platforms). It means that only clicks will cost you money, not impressions or repins. So if someone saves the advertised pin in one of her boards, this vital action is completely free! Pinterest is a long-term game; Pinners often make boards for specific events (for example, living room decoration). They save Pins to this board for some weeks or even months before they decide what to do and what to buy. So you can get clicks for free after the campaign ended!

The verdict on Pinterest Ads:

If you are seriously interested in more qualified traffic, you should invest a few dollars in Pinterest Ads. Please be prepared to try some things that may not work out. However, in my experience, this is the case with every ad platform.

Please be sure to learn as many things about Ads as you can before you start. A great way to do this is the free Pinterest Academy (from Pinterest):  https://pinterestacademy.exceedlms.com/student/catalog

Please note that you have to be logged in with your Pinterest Account to see the free courses.

Just wanted to mention that I can help you with Pinterest Ads if you don’t have the time to invest many hours of your time. Pinterest Promoted Pins are now a part of my Pinterest Management Services, please check them out here.

Will you try some Pinterest Ads? Tell me below in the comments!

How do Pinterest Ads work, and are they worth it?
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