Pinterest Ads guide: Reaching Users Who Plan to Buy

Pinterest is often overlooked, but it has a superpower: Future Intent. People search Google for what they want now. People search Pinterest for what they want 3 months from now (Weddings, Renovation, Holidays).

The Mindset: “Unbranded Discovery”

97% of searches on Pinterest are unbranded. Users search for “modern living room ideas”, not “IKEA sofa”. This gives smaller brands a huge chance to compete.

Ad Formats

• Standard Pins: Look just like organic pins. Vertical images (1000x1500) work best.
• Video Pins: Autoplay in the feed. Keep them short and without audio dependency.
• Idea Pins: Multi-page storytelling (like Stories but permanent).

Targeting: Keywords are King

Unlike Facebook (Interests), Pinterest allows Keyword Targeting.

• Target “minimalist decor”, “diy home office”, etc.
• This makes Pinterest Ads function more like Google Ads (High Intent) but with the visual appeal of Instagram.

The “Save” Metrics

On Pinterest, a “Save” (Repin) is highly valuable. It means a user has bookmarked you for later. Even if they don’t buy today, they might buy next month when their project starts. Pinterest attribution windows are often set longer (30 days) for this reason.

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Finding “Unbranded” Opportunities

To win on Pinterest, you need to know what “concepts” people are searching for. Use NewKeyword to uncover the broad, inspiration-based queries that drive Pinterest traffic.